Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Urgent help with MacBook pro ! Which one!

lympero

lympero

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 1, 2008
869
562
Arta, Greece
Hi
Im in the market for a new laptop for me and my wife. Usage will be mostly at home but we don't have extra space for another monitor etc so it has to be a laptop.
I need it for eclipse and web design and my wife for photo editing and of course the basic web usage.
There are two choices .
1. 2012 MacBook air 13.3 basic model with 8gb Ram. (price 1450€)
2. 2011 MacBook pro 15.4 with 500gb HDD ati 6750 with 4gb Ram. (price 1699€)

I know that for MacBook pro I would need a ssd plus 8gb ram so add to the MacBook pro around 200€ and also it lacks usb3.

Both models have the same resolution but I have heard that MacBook pro has better colors.
Any help will be appreciated.
 
If you're using it for home and won't be transporting it much, then don't get the air. Stick with the 15" MBP, you'll get better screen real estate, faster processor and option to upgrade ram and hard drive if need be.

Or, get the retina model, only another 100 more. It will be much faster, better display for web design and more portable than the 15" MBP.
 
mohsy90 said:
If you're using it for home and won't be transporting it much, then don't get the air. Stick with the 15" MBP, you'll get better screen real estate, faster processor and option to upgrade ram and hard drive if need be.

Or, get the retina model, only another 100 more. It will be much faster, better display for web design and more portable than the 15" MBP.
Click to expand...

rMbPro costs 2450
 
Unless you're working on very large projects on it, either would work. As others have said, if screen real estate is important than the 15" is the logical choice. If storage might be an issue, I'd recommend going with the 15" since you could feasibly replace the disk drive with another HDD if space is needed in the future.
 
Wirelessly posted

I'd really try to get this years base model 15". You can upgrade the RAM and put in an SSD drive later if funds aren't available today. I just bought the crucial M4 for $399 and it's even cheaper today.

Why the 2012? USB 3.0, 1600mhz RAM, faster CPU, better graphics.

If you get the Air, you won't be able to upgrade. It's like buying an iPhone or iPad...your stuck with it until you upgrade.
 
lympero said:
even if its already 1 year old model?
Click to expand...

Can you list the specs of the 15", i don't know whether you are referring to the Feb. or Oct 2011 release. Either way, they both can be upgraded with ram and SSD at a relatively cheap cost. How much is the 2012 base 15"?


On another note. is the base Air model really 1450 euros = $1822!!! It's only $1199 here in the U.S. Man, I feel bad for you. At 1699 euro you could purchase the retina MBP here.
 
Yeah European prices are really ****ed up...UK apple store sells the rMbpro for 1800£ - 2800$ and German apple store for 2280€ -2860$.
Here in Greece we have 23% VAT so the cost goes even higher to 2449€-3000$.


The 2012 15inch base model costs 2049€

----------
mohsy90 said:
Can you list the specs of the 15", i don't know whether you are referring to the Feb. or Oct 2011 release.
Click to expand...


Which model is it?


Apple MacBook Pro 15" 2.2GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core Processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 500GB 5400rpm Hard Drive, AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512MB Graphics, 15.4" LED-Backlit Glossy Display 1400 x 900 Native Resolution, Slot-Loading SuperDrive, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, FaceTime HD Camera, Built-in Microphone, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion (64-bit)
 
lympero said:
Apple MacBook Pro 15" 2.2GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core Processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 500GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
Click to expand...

That's the same one I just bought, it will arrive in a few days. That's the late 2011 base model. For doing what you want, yes it will be fantasic. It's also easy to upgrade whenever you wish. I've already ordered an SSD and more RAM.
 
Doesn't matter, early and late 2011 i7 processors are very powerful.
lympero said:
even if its already 1 year old model?
Click to expand...


----------

I ordered the one with same specs + 1gb vram. It's a real powerhouse and saves real good amount of money when you go refurb.
InlawBiker said:
That's the same one I just bought, it will arrive in a few days. That's the late 2011 base model. For doing what you want, yes it will be fantasic. It's also easy to upgrade whenever you wish. I've already ordered an SSD and more RAM.
Click to expand...
 
So I just bought the late 2011 mbp 15 inch (2.2 i7 quad, hd6750 512 VRAM) for 350€ less than the 2012 cmbp base. I hope i did the right choice.
One last question. Can the hd3000 handle without hiccups/lag the basic web scrolling/surfing?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back