Which configuration 13" Macbook Pro should I get?

[mystiqueskillz]

I'm a college student and I'm in the process of configuring a Macbook Pro, but I'm unsure of the specifications I want. I've been a PC user all my life and I'm making the switch to a Mac. I want to stick with a 13" since I'm on a budget. I feel like getting the base model, but I feel that 2GB of ram will not be enough and the 160GB hard drive will be too small.

13-inch : 2.26GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB memory
160GB hard drive

Price: $1,099.00 Student Price

or

13-inch : 2.26GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
250GB hard drive

Price: $1,234.00 Student Price

Or should I just spend 165 dollars ($1,399.00) and get:

13-inch : 2.53GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
250GB hard drive

Price: $1,399.00 Student Price

Is paying 165 extra for the processor worth it? I will be doing basic photo shop, word, excel, itunes, and browse the net. I read that a lot of people say that I should just buy extra ram and a bigger hard drive separately, but upon my research I found that it's the same price. What do you guys think? For sure I will get a larger hard drive as I listen to music and have a lot of pictures. As for the ram, do you think paying 90 extra for it is worth it and necessary?

 

[ziggyonice]

Glad to hear you're switching to a Mac. It's A LOT nicer.

Well if you want to save money, I think the low-end model is just fine. Upgrades are easy and can be done at anytime. The hard drive isn't too small, although if you have a lot of stuff that could be a reason to consider the higher end model. Although to tell you the truth, the rumor is that Apple's going to be updating the MacBook Pro line pretty soon — that might be a reason to consider holding off for just a little bit longer.

Some rumors are saying sometime in January they're going to be updating it (most likely with a larger hard drive and faster processor, for the same prices).

 

[vant]

Search the 40 other threads that have this info.

 

[Wehrwolf]

$165 for an extra 140Mhz? I say no, it's not worth it, especially given how you will use the machine.

$90 for 4GB RAM? Absolutely. 2GB isn't that much these days, especially when your graphics chip siphons some of that off.

And $45 to move up to the 250GB drive, well, that's really nothing.

So for an extra $135 you get the specs you want, an Apple warranty on ALL components (which you wouldn't have on the RAM & HDD if you went 3rd party), and the convenience of not having to open up your new laptop, even though it is an easy and straight-forward process.

 

[ricof]

Try a search.

I got the mac in my sig about 4 months ago and recently upgraded it to 4gbs of ram (originally had 2) and I couldnt recommend it enough.

Handles Adobe CS4, a few games, CAD modelling via XP in Parallels very well indeed.

But as said above, it might be worth holding out until a higher spec model is released (and maybe the current model will be cheaper)

 

[Gabriel GR]

RAM alone is worth 80-90 dollars. And you end up with two useless 1gb stics if you upgrade it yourself...

If you can't live with the 160GB disk the 250 won't be huge either but imo the bump to 250 is worth say 20 bucks. And the rest for the processor, warranties etc.

IMO the 2.53 is a sweet deal and it will save you time and trouble installing RAM, cloning HDD's, installing HDD's and the headache in case you mess something up in the process (Sooner or later you will want more ram).

I'd go for it.

 

[elpmas]

I'd get the 4gb and at least 250gb for the 2.5ghz mbp 13".

 

[thesmoth]

Try a search.

I got the mac in my sig about 4 months ago and recently upgraded it to 4gbs of ram (originally had 2) and I couldnt recommend it enough.

Handles Adobe CS4, a few games, CAD modelling via XP in Parallels very well indeed.

But as said above, it might be worth holding out until a higher spec model is released (and maybe the current model will be cheaper)

Right now I have safari with 3 windows and about 6 tabs per window open (about 18 sites total) with click-to-flash running (so NO flash at all running right now), I have itunes, iphoto, ical, and skype running, and i'm using 58% of my ram (I have 4 gigs).

So even just day to day stuff will be a lot nicer with 4 gigs of ram over 2 gigs. I bought my ram for about $100 Canadian, so look into how much it would cost to upgrade on your own. Keep in mind that extra 40 dollars to upgrade to 250 gigs is still a 5400 rpm drive. I just got a 320 gig seagate 7200.4 drive for $60 total canadian and installed it myself.

 

[prodigee]

Just get the top of the line one. I would say it is worth it for the larger hard drive, faster cpu, and more ram. And if you can afford it why not?

 

[NeuralControl]

How likely is it that you are going to fill up the 160GB hard drive? Do you plan on transferring over a lot of files/pictures/audio from your old computer? If you really believe you are going to fill up more than 120GB, then yes, upgrade the hard drive now. Extra RAM can never hurt, but 2GB isn't going to slow you down tremendously either.
If I were you, I would determine the likelihood of filling up the stock drive. You can move forward from there.

 

[DewGuy1999]

13-inch : 2.53GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
250GB hard drive

Price: $1,399.00 Student Price

MacConnection.com has that model for $1299.00 after mail-in rebate. The offer supposedly ends today, but they keep extending it so it'll probably be around a bit longer. This deal would allow you to have your cake and eat it too.

 

[thesmoth]

How likely is it that you are going to fill up the 160GB hard drive? Do you plan on transferring over a lot of files/pictures/audio from your old computer? If you really believe you are going to fill up more than 120GB, then yes, upgrade the hard drive now. Extra RAM can never hurt, but 2GB isn't going to slow you down tremendously either.
If I were you, I would determine the likelihood of filling up the stock drive. You can move forward from there.

I don't really have anything on my computer other than music and a ton of programs and i can't get my space under 100 gigs. Plus I have a windows bootcamp partition so 160 was WAY too small. I upgraded last week to a 320 gig hard drive and I think this is the smallest I would want to go.

 

[NeuralControl]

In your case, it was almost necessary to upgrade to a much higher capacity hard drive. If the OP is likely to have similar storage requirements, he should get a larger drive.

 

[vant]

Just get the top of the line one. I would say it is worth it for the larger hard drive, faster cpu, and more ram. And if you can afford it why not?

Because HD and RAM could be upgraded later at a more effective price.

Why bother settling for 250 when you can go for a 640. Or even better, SSD.

2.26GHz vs 2.53GHz are both the same chip with different clocks. They both cost the EXACT SAME to Apple. If you buy the 2.53, it's pure profit for the .

 

[mikes70mustang]

Search the 40 other threads that have this info.

ding ding ding +1

 

[shambo]

I'm a college student and I'm in the process of configuring a Macbook Pro, but I'm unsure of the specifications I want. I've been a PC user all my life and I'm making the switch to a Mac. I want to stick with a 13" since I'm on a budget. I feel like getting the base model, but I feel that 2GB of ram will not be enough and the 160GB hard drive will be too small.

13-inch : 2.26GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB memory
160GB hard drive

Price: $1,099.00 Student Price

or

13-inch : 2.26GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
250GB hard drive

Price: $1,234.00 Student Price

Or should I just spend 165 dollars ($1,399.00) and get:

13-inch : 2.53GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
250GB hard drive

Price: $1,399.00 Student Price

Is paying 165 extra for the processor worth it? I will be doing basic photo shop, word, excel, itunes, and browse the net. I read that a lot of people say that I should just buy extra ram and a bigger hard drive separately, but upon my research I found that it's the same price. What do you guys think? For sure I will get a larger hard drive as I listen to music and have a lot of pictures. As for the ram, do you think paying 90 extra for it is worth it and necessary?

Refer to my answer here https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/8937510/

 

[mystiqueskillz]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I decided to just get the base Macbook Pro for $1,099.00. I will perform the upgrades at a later time as I need them. I will probably get one next January when my student loans come and I want to see what Apple has to offer. I never had a laptop before so I can wait.

 

[djrobsd]

Good plan to wait, you will be able to buy the current models at Mac Warehouse, Mac Mall, PC Connection, etc for $300-400 off their current prices when they go "close out" for the new models... Or you'll be able to buy the latest and greatest for the same price as today's specs.

 

[NeuralControl]

I think you're making a good decision. Only a few more weeks of waiting.

 

[entatlrg]

buy the best machine you can afford