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Steve Jobs on 13-Inch MacBook Pro's Use of Intel Core 2 Duo Processors

ayqueloco said:
Much of the discussion on performance is focused on gaming.

I currently have an HP PC running Vista (hate it) and having a lot of issues with video editing due to memory and graphics handling so I was planning to buy a MBP. I was looking at the 13" due to the price and size/form-factor but now I'm unsure.

I'm not talking heavy professional video editing but definitely need something that can handle heavier graphics -- btw I was planning to use an external monitor when editing @ home but still have the portability as I travel a lot.

Is the 13" MBP a good option for me or should I look at one of the 15"s ?
Click to expand...

If you got the budget, go for the 15". I've been doing a lot of reaserch this week, and belive me for $300 bucks, the 15" is worth the difference.

I also travel a lot, so I've also tested both for portability and weight, and there isn't a big difference.

I really was exceptic about scaling to a 15", but now I'm convinced.
 
djasterix said:
If you got the budget, go for the 15". I've been doing a lot of reaserch this week, and belive me for $300 bucks, the 15" is worth the difference.

I also travel a lot, so I've also tested both for portability and weight, and there isn't a big difference.

I really was exceptic about scaling to a 15", but now I'm convinced.
Click to expand...

@djasterix, thanks for the feedback. I will definitely give the 15" another look.
 
djasterix said:
I understand your point, and I'm being serious about the price.

You can't match Z11 configuration without the cost. So It's impossible for Apple to put a i5 or i7 with 1gb graphics card inside the 13" MBP without chargin it to the consumer.

In my opinion that is the main point, because the didn't wanted to put in teh market a terrific machine, but too expensive for it's level.

Of course I was expecting better options for the 13", as for me is most portable size. I was also expecting to pay $1300 to $1500 max for a decent upgrade to my late 2007 MacBook, but there is no way that I'm getting a C2D laptop as I'm expecting to keep this for at least 3 years.

So obviously the new 13" C2D is not an option for me. As a result I will have to scale to a 15" to get a new processor and a decent configured machine the will last, but I'll also have to pay $300 more than my original budget.
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The thing that really surprises me is the fact that the 13'' MBP configured to the same options as my Sony Z ís in fact more expensive than the sony, and still has a less powerfull CPU and even worse graphic options, not to mention screen resolution. Of course, the sony cannot dumbed down to the same level as the MBP and therefore starts higher in price. The onyl really big downside is the OS on the sony of course.

It looks as if apple didn't want to spend the money on a proper engineering process and simply went with the old design which didn't need much work at all.
 
Soordhin said:
The thing that really surprises me is the fact that the 13'' MBP configured to the same options as my Sony Z ís in fact more expensive than the sony, and still has a less powerfull CPU and even worse graphic options, not to mention screen resolution. Of course, the sony cannot dumbed down to the same level as the MBP and therefore starts higher in price. The onyl really big downside is the OS on the sony of course.

It looks as if apple didn't want to spend the money on a proper engineering process and simply went with the old design which didn't need much work at all.
Click to expand...

Well that is definitely not the case. As has been discussed previously in this thread as well as other threads, there are real design challenges involved in upgrading the 13" logic board to use Arrandale.
 
Eric S. said:
Well that is definitely not the case. As has been discussed previously in this thread as well as other threads, there are real design challenges involved in upgrading the 13" logic board to use Arrandale.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what i was talking about. They didn't want to spend the money on proper engineering (design). They should ask Sony to do it for them, their kit is pretty good.
 
ayqueloco said:
Much of the discussion on performance is focused on gaming.

I currently have an HP PC running Vista (hate it) and having a lot of issues with video editing due to memory and graphics handling so I was planning to buy a MBP. I was looking at the 13" due to the price and size/form-factor but now I'm unsure.

I'm not talking heavy professional video editing but definitely need something that can handle heavier graphics -- btw I was planning to use an external monitor when editing @ home but still have the portability as I travel a lot.

Is the 13" MBP a good option for me or should I look at one of the 15"s ?
Click to expand...


Just bought one of the new base model 13"s.

Been fooling around with Imovie the past 3 days working on movies of the kids, and have had no problems whatsoever. The increase in base memory to 4 gigs has been a real help and I have had no slowdowns.

So yes, the 13" is fine for video editing.
 
Soordhin said:
That is exactly what i was talking about. They didn't want to spend the money on proper engineering (design). They should ask Sony to do it for them, their kit is pretty good.
Click to expand...

I still think you can't fit Arrandale on the MBP 13" logic board. And Apple is not willing to make the trade-offs that would allow that to happen, for example increasing the size of the case, decreasing the size of the battery, or removing the optical drive.

Just going by pictures, Sony's 13" Arrandale laptop looks to have a thicker case than the MBP, and its logic board has ICs mounted on both sides. As thin as the MBP case is, I think Apple could not use that approach.
 
0092762 said:
High end 13" is TERRIBLE value, so it should be either low end 13" or 15"
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Yep, it cost Apple about $30 combined for the P8700 processor over the P8600 processor and a 320gb drive over the 250gb drive, yet they charge $300 for the honor. Nice margins...
 
Eric S. said:
I still think you can't fit Arrandale on the MBP 13" logic board.
Click to expand...

Says the person that insisted that Apple had space for FireWire on the aluminum MacBooks. They had the space for it after they consolidated the audio in/out and sealed the battery which allowed them to re-locate the k-slot. Which just goes to show that there surely is a way Apple could get Arrandale and an discrete chip on the 13" MBP's board. They'll just have to re-design the board.
 
Pro?

DontMacTheGyver said:
Er no. It's pure engineering. Putting discrete graphics in 13". But Apple decided to make some nice cash and give us a real PRO within the next refresh...
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I think it bewildering that people confuse gaming performance with pro use. Funnily enough I've never been paid to play games on my laptop!

humm! :confused:
 
tlinford said:
I think it bewildering that people confuse gaming performance with pro use. Funnily enough I've never been paid to play games on my laptop!

humm! :confused:
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I'm not talking about gaming perfomance. I think a Mac was never designed for gaming. Maybe a nice side effect for some guys out there. What I mean is some decent 3d rendering perfomance when I am not at home...
 
butterfly0fdoom said:
Says the person that insisted that Apple had space for FireWire on the aluminum MacBooks. They had the space for it after they consolidated the audio in/out and sealed the battery which allowed them to re-locate the k-slot.
Click to expand...

And then they also had space to add an SD card. And anyway, what I said was that if the design criteria had required Firewire to be included, then it could have been included. Which was true, as it turned out.

Which just goes to show that there surely is a way Apple could get Arrandale and an discrete chip on the 13" MBP's board. They'll just have to re-design the board.
Click to expand...

And of course you dropped the rest of my quote:

And Apple is not willing to make the trade-offs that would allow that to happen, for example increasing the size of the case, decreasing the size of the battery, or removing the optical drive.
Click to expand...
 
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