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Student going from PC to Macbook

S

SeanEE89

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 15, 2008
116
0
VA, United States
I have been a PC user all my life and I need a new laptop for school and for general personal uses (surf the internet, email, music, movies, WOW and FFXI) but nothing to hardcore until I can manage to afford Logic so I can toy with developing my own music.

To get to the point though I was wondering if I should get a MacBook or MacBook Pro?

I do plan on upgrading which ever laptop I get when I get it to have 4GB of RAM and a 320GB Hard Drive if it can support one that large?
 
If you're going to be using Logic eventually, save yourself the trouble and get a MacBook Pro now. Also, the games you plan to play will run much better having the dedicated graphics.
 
Your biggest question between the two comes down to money and graphics. If you can afford it, get the pro. No brainer. IMO, onboard graphics are not the answer. You want dedicated graphics.
 
you cant play wow on a macbook, maybe just farm and crap but youll have problems in citys / raids

also macbooks / pros only support up to 3 gig of ram.
 
modesty said:
you cant play wow on a macbook, maybe just farm and crap but youll have problems in citys / raids

also macbooks / pros only support up to 3 gig of ram.
Click to expand...

new pros have option of at least 4gb, from apple bto
 
New macbooks have a santa rosa chipset which supports 4GB Memory

The three advantages of a macbook pro are a dedicated graphics card (good for games), a slightly faster chip, and a larger screen. If you don't need those three things, the macbooks are every bit as good as a macbook pro. One other thing is that on a mbp you can upgrade to a 7200 rpm hdd which are much faster but that's just for application loading.
 
modesty said:
also macbooks / pros only support up to 3 gig of ram.
Click to expand...
You're thinking of the older C2Ds, which supported 3.3GB of RAM (actually, they could only address 3.3GB; you would have no problems putting in 4GB).
The new Santa Rosa chips support up to 4GB at the moment, and possibly more (this is dependent on future RAM chips).
modesty said:
plz show me where it says this
Click to expand...
20080217-82w49m6pxrgsg7sexq228k84gc.jpg

As for the OP's question, I think you should consider how long you plan on waiting before buying Logic.

If the waiting time period is longer than the life span of a notebook (~3 years) you'd be better off using a macbook while you wait to get Logic.

If, however, you plan on getting Logic within 6 months (or some other time period similar to 6 months) you may want to save yourself the trouble and get the macbook pro.
 
when you do get Logic, consider getting the regular retail version instead of the education version. You save some money with the edu. version (and not too much I might add) but you lose the ability to upgrade to future version.

just something to keep in mind
 
I've got 4gb RAM in my macbook so yes they do support 4 gig. 8 gig in fact, if 4gb SO-DIMM chips become available, so I heard.
 
FYI. I have upgraded my C2D 2.2 MBP to the exact specs you are considering, 4GB ram, 320 WD Scorpio HD. The machine is amazing. I recently switch from a sony vaio sz. I miss the lighter weight of the sony but the MBP is simply the best 15.4" laptop on the market. If you have the money I would go with the MBP over the MB. Don't forget to take advantage of your student discount.
 
The Macbook can in fact play wow without problems. I know a guy from my school who was always playing it on his MacBook at school last semester.

Why would a MacBook Pro be better for Logic because if it is just because of the screen size I have a dell 20" monitor I could connect it to for a larger or even dual screen set up.

Also will the MacBook not support a 7200RPM Hard Drive? If it only supports 5400RPM Drives would I be able to put a 320GB Hard Drive in it.
 
SeanEE89 said:
The Macbook can in fact play wow without problems. I know a guy from my school who was always playing it on his MacBook at school last semester.

Why would a MacBook Pro be better for Logic because if it is just because of the screen size I have a dell 20" monitor I could connect it to for a larger or even dual screen set up.

Also will the MacBook not support a 7200RPM Hard Drive? If it only supports 5400RPM Drives would I be able to put a 320GB Hard Drive in it.
Click to expand...

I upgraded my MB to 4GB and 200GB 7200RPM drive. It flies. If you research the benchmarks (google Macbook 2.2 benchmarks), a 2.2 MB ties or very slightly EXCEEDS a 2.2 MBP with the same RAM and HDD in every aspect EXCEPT in 3D rendering and super-large monitor support.

If you are doing games other than WOW (e.g. COD4) you really need a graphics card. Also, Aperture 2 (for example) use a graphics card to help w/photo processing. But, if you are doing basic stuff, the MB will suffice.

Other considerations: MBP has FW800 ports and more USB ports and the card slot, though most MBP users I know don't use the slot. On the other side, the MB HDD is easier to replace and does not void the warranty like on a MBP.
 
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