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Two great deals from amazon, which to choose?

B

botz23

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 28, 2008
10
0
I have been anxiously waiting to convert to Mac laptop from an ancient Vaio and decided to wait until an update occurred, hoping it would mean a great deal on the previous generation MB, MBP. Well, I got my wish and now I am torn as to which "deal" to take.

My choices are:

Previous gen, entry level MBP (15.4", 2 GB RAM, 120 HD, 2.2 GHz)
Price: $1,536 with rebate

OR

Current gen, Black MB (13.3", 2 GB RAM, 250 HD, 2.4 GHz)
Price: $1,394 with rebate

Any and all advice is appreciated. I know this is discussed to death on these threads (trust me, I've been lurking forever) but this is a a very specific decision. The laptop will mainly be used for music, web surfing, email, etc. and I feel MBP is overkill, but am still curious if the extra $142 is worth it.
 
Considering you wouldn't be doing anything intensive; I would suggest the black MacBook as the hard drove would be more than enough for your music unless you want a bigger screen
 
Unless you really want a bigger screen, or you think you might want to game on it at some time in the future go with the black MacBook.
 
Don't really plan on gaming. In fact, I was thinking with the money saved from the current prices at apple store, I could buy a PS3 if the urge to came hit me (games and Blu Ray).

The only reason i can see for needing a bigger screen is that I do plan on watching DVDs while travelling. However, it seems that the smaller MB would be slightly easier to transport.
 
Thank you for all of your quick replies. To be honest I am surprised that no one has tried to steer me toward MBP. Makes my decision easier. I am going to wait until noon and then order my new MB unless directed otherwise from this thread. I am very excited to become part of the Mac world...FINALLY!!
 
amazon deal

I was looking at the same mbp deal. Do you know if that is a glossy or matte screen? I'd like to get the glossy but its not clear if there is an option.
 
It is the matte screen. It is listed under the technical details:

Technical Details
2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB shared L2 cache, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
2 GB RAM (two SO-DIMM) 677 MHz DDR2 SD-RAM (PC2-5300), 120 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, slot load 8x Super Drive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW
1 FireWire 400 port, 1 FireWire 800 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard/34 slot, DVI output with support for VGA
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
15.4-inch (diagonal), 1440 by 900 resolution, Matte TFT LED widescreen display with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 128MB graphics processor

Doesn't look like the glossy is available through amazon. This was actually another reason why I am leaning towards Blackbook as I like the way DVDs look better on the glossy screen and I do not do any video or photo editing.

Out of curiosity, what steered you towards MBP over MB?
 
deals?

you might want to check the prices at macmall before ordering


:confused: maybe I should look before making that comment....never mind
 
Haha, was hoping you were right and I could get it for even cheaper. Looks like price after rebate is the same, however, at MacMall you would also have to pay sales tax. Just an FYI for those reading the thread. 55 min before I hit "PURCHASE"
 
I just bought the old base level MBP myself from amazon. I was teetering between the new mid-level white MB and the old base level MBP.

I felt $300 was worth having an aluminum case, and the 15" LED monitor. But both seemed pretty good options. I think it depends on how much you want a big screen. The hard drive doens't mean that much to me, just as long as I can fit my music and pictures (not that many videos), I'm happy.
 
botz23 said:
It is the matte screen. It is listed under the technical details:

Out of curiosity, what steered you towards MBP over MB?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I saw that too but was hoping there was a choice. For me it is about the screen size. I don't do any gaming or graphics rendering but I'm a grad student and do a lot of writing and so thought I could use the extra screen space. So, now I'm left with trying to decide with going for the 2.2 matte version for $1499 with the education discount or the new updated 2.4 version for $1800 with the education discount. Neither the education store or my university has the glossy either. I was thinking that with the extra $300 I would save going with the older model I could get some accessories like Time Capsule but I was really leaning towards glossy. Do you think its worth spending the extra $300 for new model and getting the glossy? Of course going with the new model gives a bigger HD, slightly faster processor (though I doubt I'd notice the difference) and multi-touch. Of course I could also go for the black macbook but again thought I would like the extra screen space. Any opinions?
 
If cost is an issue, you should take into account that you will have to pay tax if you go through the apple store. Just something to consider in gaging the price differences.

While I certainly think the bigger screen is a big plus for those doing lots of editing, photo work, etc, I think it matters less for general typing and such. In fact, the smaller screen might be easier for throwing into your bag and taking with you, although the weight itself is negligible (~0.5 lbs).

In regards to the aluminum vs. plastic case, I have heard both positives and negatives on each. Mainly that the aluminum is more durable in the case of very hard hitting (won't crack) but is prone to denting. I have also heard from some that the keyboard is better on the MB vs. the MBP. That is probably a preference though and I would check them each out.

Not just because its what I'm doing, but I think for your purposes you're best option would be the Blackbook from amazon. Save the extra cash.

Of course, I would love to hear any other opinions as I still have not ordered my Black MB.
 
botz23 said:
If cost is an issue, you should take into account that you will have to pay tax if you go through the apple store. Just something to consider in gaging the price differences.

While I certainly think the bigger screen is a big plus for those doing lots of editing, photo work, etc, I think it matters less for general typing and such. In fact, the smaller screen might be easier for throwing into your bag and taking with you, although the weight itself is negligible (~0.5 lbs).

In regards to the aluminum vs. plastic case, I have heard both positives and negatives on each. Mainly that the aluminum is more durable in the case of very hard hitting (won't crack) but is prone to denting. I have also heard from some that the keyboard is better on the MB vs. the MBP. That is probably a preference though and I would check them each out.

Not just because its what I'm doing, but I think for your purposes you're best option would be the Blackbook from amazon. Save the extra cash.

Of course, I would love to hear any other opinions as I still have not ordered my Black MB.
Click to expand...


Aluminum looks pretty though :)
 
nomsg7111 said:
Aluminum looks pretty though :)
Click to expand...

Haha, that it does. I think the black is kind of pretty though too, don't you think?

Just took the plunge and ordered the Black MB (current gen) from Amazon. No tax, $3.99 overnight shipping with free trial of Amazon Prime (just click do not upgrade after it ships and it costs absolutely zero), 2 day shipping is free. All in: $1497.99 - $100.00 rebate = $1397.99.

Can't wait for it to come tomorrow. I can feel my sanity returning already. The indecision was killing me,
 
botz23 said:
Haha, that it does. I think the black is kind of pretty though too, don't you think?

Just took the plunge and ordered the Black MB (current gen) from Amazon. No tax, $3.99 overnight shipping with free trial of Amazon Prime (just click do not upgrade after it ships and it costs absolutely zero), 2 day shipping is free. All in: $1497.99 - $100.00 rebate = $1397.99.

Can't wait for it to come tomorrow. I can feel my sanity returning already. The indecision was killing me,
Click to expand...

Yes I do like the black MB. I am partial to the alumnium. Probably the engineer in me. I have a 2nd generation ipod nano which is alumnium. There are a few dents and such, but it just has a nice "heft" to it.
 
I'm with you on that. The engineer in me really likes the aluminum as well (also likes the 17 inch screen resolution, extra USB port, graphics card, etc. of the MBP) but decided it was overkill for my simple uses as I do my engineering work on a PC anyway.

Trust me, I have been driving myself crazy with the details (also the engineer in me) of what to buy since January (updates don't make it much easier) and have decided its all about cost/benefit analysis. Probably something the engineer in you can also relate to.

The final thought that swung me to the MB over the pro...in a few months these will probably be outdated as well with Intel dictating updates now as they release new chips. If something really revolutionary such as a touchscreen, blue-ray, etc. comes out, I'll feel better knowing that now I went with the cheaper option and will feel more comfortable upgrading sooner.

I only blabber on like this because I feel your pain and feel we are in similar situations. Let me know what you finally decide and how you come to like your decision ultimately.
 
New MBP For Me!

Just got the 15" 2.2 Santa Rosa 120G HD MBP! With my student discount the total came to $1499 no tax or shipping charges:):):apple::apple:!
Oh yeah, matte screen. I went to check it out a liked it quite a bit.
 
botz23 said:
If cost is an issue, you should take into account that you will have to pay tax if you go through the apple store. Just something to consider in gaging the price differences.
Click to expand...

Ya, paying tax does make ya gag
 
botz23 said:
I'm with you on that. The engineer in me really likes the aluminum as well (also likes the 17 inch screen resolution, extra USB port, graphics card, etc. of the MBP) but decided it was overkill for my simple uses as I do my engineering work on a PC anyway.

Trust me, I have been driving myself crazy with the details (also the engineer in me) of what to buy since January (updates don't make it much easier) and have decided its all about cost/benefit analysis. Probably something the engineer in you can also relate to.

The final thought that swung me to the MB over the pro...in a few months these will probably be outdated as well with Intel dictating updates now as they release new chips. If something really revolutionary such as a touchscreen, blue-ray, etc. comes out, I'll feel better knowing that now I went with the cheaper option and will feel more comfortable upgrading sooner.

I only blabber on like this because I feel your pain and feel we are in similar situations. Let me know what you finally decide and how you come to like your decision ultimately.
Click to expand...


I figure I probably use my computer about 15 hours per week. Assuming I keep the computer 3 years: 15 hours * 52 weeks * 3 years = 2340 total hours.

MBP: 2340/1500 = $0.64 an hour
MB: 2340/1300 = $0.56 an hour

My point is, over its lifetime, its not really a big deal. Its very easy to amortize the capital cost over 3 years = ).

Already got last years MBP. I'll probably get it in a week.
 
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