Upgrading a HDD in a new Macbook Pro 13"

[Ash9414]

You are right to prioratise, especially in favour of an external display. Of course, you can sell the original HDD on Ebay, so any HDD upgrade will not be much of an expense.

Having said that, you can always replace the HDD, but having an external display will make things just so much nicer!

Do you think that Dell display is reasonably good for £209? I'm looking for monitors that are around £200, with a 22" or 23" screen, and maybe a USB Hub or Web Cam. The Dell fits all of my criteria (except built in speakers) but would it be a good external display to use with a 13" MBP?

 

[Ash9414]

Probably medium settings at 1280x800, hard to say, depends on game. It can run it at highest settings but the gameplay will be VERY choppy, you get like few FPS i.e. unplayable. Smooth gameplay is +30FPS which you should achieve with lower settings

I've found this video showing Spore on a MBP with only 2GB of RAM, and a 2.33GHz processor from 2008. That probably means the the GPU isn't as good as the 320M, and I'm guessing it has the 15" screen, so it should run even better on the 2010 base 13".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFeQbuUWUo8

Edit: And this which is even better, recorded on the previous gen MBP 13".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMfvsfbcnfE&feature=related

 

[kernkraft]

Do you think that Dell display is reasonably good for £209? I'm looking for monitors that are around £200, with a 22" or 23" screen, and maybe a USB Hub or Web Cam. The Dell fits all of my criteria (except built in speakers) but would it be a good external display to use with a 13" MBP?

I use a Samsung external display. Actually, it is a TV too. 22", built-in freeview and sound. That was around £200 16 month ago, so your budget must be right for what you want. I'm not following products right now, but make sure that you have enough pixels for that MBP, you have the necessary ports (I'm using a Mini Display Port-DVI connector, but with your computer, a third-party HDMI will probably be better. Do you need sound?

I don't have any negative feelings towards Dell products. In fact, I see so many of their displays in upmarket design studios and architects' offices that I am starting to think that they might be very good. I'm happy with my Samsung, but i have to say that if it's left on television mode, it occasionally switches itself on for a couple of seconds. Also, I have a dead pixel now, but I hardly ever notice. If you choose an external display/TV combo, make sure that it's full HD and not just HD Ready. That's all, really. Amazon has all the reviews, but check the price from Dabs, misco and the large UK online retailers.

22" is a very nice size. I also like matte screens.

Enjoy your MBP!

 

[Ash9414]

I use a Samsung external display. Actually, it is a TV too. 22", built-in freeview and sound. That was around £200 16 month ago, so your budget must be right for what you want. I'm not following products right now, but make sure that you have enough pixels for that MBP, you have the necessary ports (I'm using a Mini Display Port-DVI connector, but with your computer, a third-party HDMI will probably be better. Do you need sound?

I don't have any negative feelings towards Dell products. In fact, I see so many of their displays in upmarket design studios and architects' offices that I am starting to think that they might be very good. I'm happy with my Samsung, but i have to say that if it's left on television mode, it occasionally switches itself on for a couple of seconds. Also, I have a dead pixel now, but I hardly ever notice. If you choose an external display/TV combo, make sure that it's full HD and not just HD Ready. That's all, really. Amazon has all the reviews, but check the price from Dabs, misco and the large UK online retailers.

22" is a very nice size. I also like matte screens.

Enjoy your MBP!

Would you mind sharing a link to the Samsung monitor you have? I'm also looking at a Samsung display but it doesn't include a USB hub or webcam which is a bit of a let down. However, it is £40 less than the Dell at £169.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/.../EN/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=feature

I think this monitor has a matte screen as I have seen it in personal, and it looks really nice, it's just lacking features that would really help me out. I'm not sure what stores sell Dell products, I think you can only get them from Dell direct so I don't know if I want to buy the display without actually having a look at it. I've seen from pictures that the display looks glossy when turned off and I don't really like the reflective screens (apart from the MBP with glossy display which I think really helps to bring out the colours!).

 

[Ash9414]

I've posted threads about gaming and external monitors but they are not as popular so I'm bumping this up. Hopefully it's allowed.