What upgrades would you reccommend?

[Fouracre44]

Hi guys,

I try to steer clear of creating any "what should i buy" threads as I know that it's really a matter of personal choice and preference however I could honestly use some input from the community here.

After WWDC, and the new macbook pro release, I will likely be purchasing one of the new models.

To be honest with you, I'm looking for a computer that will last 3-4 years. Obviously, expecting a laptop to remain up to date past a year is ridiculous and I want to stress that point the most.

I am leaning towards the 15" as I watch a lot of movies, view photos and other media, and I like the improved graphics. I will also be travelling to uni everday ( bachelor of commerce ) but I feel like the extra 2" won't be too cumbersome, after all I like the larger screen.

Anyway, I know that mac's have a somewhat good lifetime and I'm not saying this will be the only computer I have access to, however being a student at a university, I don't want to have to buy another laptop till I'm at least finished my studies. So what if any upgrades should be made to increase the life time of this laptop? For example, should I upgrade to an ssd drive or more ram?

Sorry if any of that is incoherent, it has been a long day!

Regards,

C

 

[r3dm4lcz]

Are you studying a course which requires a lot of processing power and/or do lots of media editing in your spare time? If not, I'd leave the SSD as you just won't benefit from it (unless you value a very, very quick boot time). With regards to memory, it's always worth upgrading just for the extra applications you can have open at any one time. I upgraded my partner's laptop even though she barely pushed 75% utilisation of her original 2GB and it sped up her laptop immensely.

Other than that, I can't really see any other upgrade you'll benefit from. The MacBook Pro is for literally 'Pro's and therefore the base model is usually sufficient for most people (if you take memory out of the equation).

 

[Atzepeg]

upgrade

I think the difference between a standard mac and a upgraded one will be very small since u don't do much incriminating things on your computer?

 

[theSeb]

I think the difference between a standard mac and a upgraded one will be very small since u don't do much incriminating things on your computer?

I also don't think he was planning to do anything incriminating on his computer. I realise that you're from Belgium so I think you meant something along the lines of "intensive". "Incriminating" means something else altogether.

 

[Atzepeg]

lol

I also don't think he was planning to do anything incriminating on his computer. I realise that you're from Belgium so I think you meant something along the lines of "intensive". "Incriminating" means something else altogether.

You just got to love google translator

 

[Fouracre44]

Are you studying a course which requires a lot of processing power and/or do lots of media editing in your spare time? If not, I'd leave the SSD as you just won't benefit from it (unless you value a very, very quick boot time). With regards to memory, it's always worth upgrading just for the extra applications you can have open at any one time. I upgraded my partner's laptop even though she barely pushed 75% utilisation of her original 2GB and it sped up her laptop immensely.

Other than that, I can't really see any other upgrade you'll benefit from. The MacBook Pro is for literally 'Pro's and therefore the base model is usually sufficient for most people (if you take memory out of the equation).

Not particularly, I am studying a bachelor of commerce, majoring in accounting so there isn't a strong need at all. Thanks, I see that SSDs come at a premium so I was wonder whether they would be a benefit or not, boot time isn't an issue. I may upgrade the 4 to 8 gb I think. Particularly because I'd like to see this computer last for a while.

Thankyou for your insight! Much appreciated my friend.

I think the difference between a standard mac and a upgraded one will be very small since u don't do much incriminating things on your computer?

Thanks, I figured that it would be the case, but was happy to see that others reccommend it, I may upgrade the memory however.

I also don't think he was planning to do anything incriminating on his computer. I realise that you're from Belgium so I think you meant something along the lines of "intensive". "Incriminating" means something else altogether.

LOL, i got a good laugh out of this, at first I read the sentence and was like WHAAAAAT? No I am not planning on doing anything incriminating!

Thanks guys. I hope I make the right decision, especially since I've decided to go for the 15"

 

[riptideMBP]

Aside from a laptop backpack, and an external hard drive, I don't think theres anything you would really need. A case might be useful, but certainly not necessary. Also, an SSD should make things feel much "snappier".

 

[beamer8912]

Not particularly, I am studying a bachelor of commerce, majoring in accounting so there isn't a strong need at all. Thanks, I see that SSDs come at a premium so I was wonder whether they would be a benefit or not, boot time isn't an issue. I may upgrade the 4 to 8 gb I think. Particularly because I'd like to see this computer last for a while.

Thankyou for your insight! Much appreciated my friend.



Thanks, I figured that it would be the case, but was happy to see that others reccommend it, I may upgrade the memory however.



LOL, i got a good laugh out of this, at first I read the sentence and was like WHAAAAAT? No I am not planning on doing anything incriminating!

Thanks guys. I hope I make the right decision, especially since I've decided to go for the 15"

I wouldn't upgrade the memory when you buy the laptop (through Apple). They charge a boat load, like $200 to upgrade the memory. You can easily find an 8GB memory set on amazon or newegg for $50 and put it in yourself. Its easy to do, its covered by your warranty and it saves you $150!

 

[sweetbrat]

I agree with the others. Upgrading the RAM yourself to 8GB will give you a nice cushion. Based on what you plan on doing with the MBP, you shouldn't need any more than that. SSDs are nice, and they have come down a lot in price but they're still an expensive upgrade. It will make things like booting and launching apps faster, but it doesn't sound like that's a big deal to you. So I'd save your money on that. You can always decide to install an SSD later on if you feel like you want to, and by then prices will likely have dropped more.

It's not an upgrade to the computer, but definitely invest in a backup drive, so you won't lose your files if your MBP gets stolen or damaged. You might also want to consider Applecare. Since you plan to keep the MBP for four years, it might be nice to have that extra peace of mind that if something goes wrong, you're covered (but keep in mind it doesn't cover accidental damage, just defects). That's a personal decision, though, and you can always wait and buy it just before your regular one-year warranty is about to expire.

 

[M5RahuL]

Since you plan on keeping it for ~ 4 yrs, I would do the following :

1) Upgrade the RAM [yourself] to 16GB [ ~ $80 ]

And,

2) Buy AppleCare for peace of mind! [ ~ $230 iirc ]

The SSDs are still pricey, so stick with the regular rotating HD. This can always be upgraded later, if needed [ So can the RAM but they're already quite inexpensive right now unless you want 32GB [ 16GB x 2 ] instead ]

I would also get a case to protect the laptop.

If it's within your budget, an external monitor [ 23-24" and I prefer Dell for this! ] would help immensely with eye fatigue since you're going to spend a lot of time looking at the screen!

Just my thoughts..

GL with school!!