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Which of these MacBook Pros to buy?

macaddict23

macaddict23

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 20, 2006
382
1
MacVille, USA
15.4" 2.5GHz/250GB/2GB for $1299
(Discontinued, new and sealed)

15." 2.4GHz/250GB/2GB for $1999
(Unibody, new and sealed)


Is it worth spending $700 to get the newer model? What's the speed difference?

- My main apps are InDesign & Photoshop
- I occasionally deal with 100MB+ PSD files
- The laptop will be hooked up to a 30" ACD
- Will either of these be faster than my Dual-Core 2GHz PM G5 that it's replacing?
- Will the battery life decrease if used mostly in "clamshell mode"?

Thanks!
 
It's not really worth the $700 IMO. They both perform similarly, but I'd say the "classic" MBP would do you well seeing as you'll be hooking it to a 30" ACD (because you don't need an expensive adapter). Also, they're both about twice as fast as your Power Mac G5. Finally, battery life shouldn't take too much of a hit from clamshell mode, though others will probably argue against me, it's nothing to worry about, it's not dramatic.
 
To be honest with you, this is a no-brainer. You get two FW ports with the classic, as well as VGA (you won't need to buy a converter cable). The only benefit of picking the unibody is a newer design, slightly better graphics card, as well as faster RAM... that's it.
 
You and I were in the same dilemma just a few weeks ago. According to my signature, I went with the MBP 2.5GHz and I got a great price: $1199, $1544 OTD, included AppleCare and HP Printer, and taxes. Definitely a great deal v. paying $700 more for a unibody with similar specs; just not enough of an upgrade for me and that's why I made my purchase. Good luck with your decision...:cool:
 
macaddict23 said:
15.4" 2.5GHz/250GB/2GB for $1299
(Discontinued, new and sealed)

15." 2.4GHz/250GB/2GB for $1999
(Unibody, new and sealed)


Is it worth spending $700 to get the newer model? What's the speed difference?

- My main apps are InDesign & Photoshop
- I occasionally deal with 100MB+ PSD files
- The laptop will be hooked up to a 30" ACD
- Will either of these be faster than my Dual-Core 2GHz PM G5 that it's replacing?
- Will the battery life decrease if used mostly in "clamshell mode"?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

DEFINITELY get the classic MBP. No question about it. Performance is the same or similar, while battery life is actually significantly better on the old system when doing things that stress the system, according to reviews.
 
Definitely the classic MBP!!!

Pros:

- 700$ cheaper
- slightly faster due to higher-clocked CPU and 2x the size of cache
- standard DVI out (no need for a 100$ adapter for your 30")
- FW400 port in addition to FW800
- cheaper RAM
- slightly less wide and deep
- slightly better battery life

Cons:

- slightly slower graphics card
- slightly slower RAM
- 0.1" thicker
- less solid construction

Aslo, classics had a matte screen with glossy option, unibody has glossy screen with no matte option. Unibody looks nicer. (not necessary pro or con)
 
macaddict23 said:
Classic IT IS!

For CS3 InDesign and Photoshop, how do you think it compares to my Dual-Core 2GHz G5 with 4.5GB ram?
Click to expand...

Well, both of these apps are more memory and I/O dependant, but if you add to 4 GB RAM it should be a considerable upgrade. In CPU-intensive tasks the MBP will be more than 2x as fast.
 
eXan said:
Well, both of these apps are more memory and I/O dependant, but if you add to 4 GB RAM it should be a considerable upgrade. In CPU-intensive tasks the MBP will be more than 2x as fast.
Click to expand...

AWESOME! I just looked at completed listings for PC5300s. I can sell both 1GBs for $35, then buy two 2GBs for $50.
 
Where are you guys getting your prices from ??

I'm interested in buying a 15" old school MBP also. The apple store had a refurb for $1299 earlier on friday with the 256mb Nvidia cpu and Matte screen. I would have bought it, but I don't get my student loan $ until next friday. Of course they were all sold out within like an hour of spotting them on the apple site.

This is the computer I want for sure. I have $1600 to spend and it fits all my needs perfectly. $1300 would do me right, I just can't find another place selling them for that cheap that is legit. Any help from you guys would be appreciated.
 
BluExile said:
The apple store had a refurb for $1299 earlier on friday with the 256mb Nvidia cpu and Matte screen. Of course they were all sold out within like an hour of spotting them on the apple site.
Click to expand...

Keep a close watch on the Apple refurb page. You've got the money, so you can pull the trigger when another MBP appears. That's what I did. Stock is always refreshed there.:apple:
 
I would get the classic, theres enough about the new MBP design that I don't like which would keep me from spending the extra 700. You have the option of getting a matte screen, a better keyboard IMO, and of course a non proprietary display port and better port variety. I think that if you were to upgrade to 4gb of RAM you'll probably get slightly better performance with those programs. I run both of those daily with 2gb of RAM and don't have any problems really, even when running multiple programs at a time.

I think everyone hear is going to tell you to not buy the new one and thats for an obvious reason, its not worth it.
 
SFStateStudent said:
You and I were in the same dilemma just a few weeks ago. According to my signature, I went with the MBP 2.5GHz and I got a great price: $1199, $1544 OTD, included AppleCare and HP Printer, and taxes. Definitely a great deal v. paying $700 more for a unibody with similar specs; just not enough of an upgrade for me and that's why I made my purchase. Good luck with your decision...:cool:
Click to expand...

mind letting us in on where ?
 
instead of starting a new thread, I'd like to ask a question here :

I'm looking at 2 classic MBP's (both last gen / non-unibody)


$1599
15"
2.5ghz c2d
8600gt (512vram)
250gb 5400rpm HDD

OR

$1999
17" Hi-Res (are these matte?)
2.6ghz c2d
8600GT (512vram)
200gb 7200rpm HDD

--------------edit--------------
or for a UniBody comparison
the 2.4ghz UniBody can be had for $1699
----------------------------------------------

is the 17" worth the extra $400 for the Hi-Res screen and the CPU bump ?

should I skip this altogether and wait to see if Nehalem chips trickle into the product lines in a year? or continue to wait and see what the iMac's bring ?
 
PuckDaddy said:
instead of starting a new thread, I'd like to ask a question here :

I'm looking at 2 classic MBP's (both last gen / non-unibody)


$1599
15"
2.5ghz c2d
8600gt (512vram)
250gb 5400rpm HDD

OR

$1999
17" Hi-Res (are these matte?)
2.6ghz c2d
8600GT (512vram)
200gb 7200rpm HDD

--------------edit--------------
or for a UniBody comparison
the 2.4ghz UniBody can be had for $1699
----------------------------------------------

is the 17" worth the extra $400 for the Hi-Res screen and the CPU bump ?

should I skip this altogether and wait to see if Nehalem chips trickle into the product lines in a year? or continue to wait and see what the iMac's bring ?
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't think the 17" justifies the extra expense unless, repeat unless, you are really sold on the larger screen, or really feel need to have it for some reason. I have a 15", and I find it a very good computer - and the screen is excellent and more than adequate for anything which requires a high quality screen.

Ditto the speed bump; I'm not at all sure that it justifies the extra expense. Besides, the 17" while portable, is a lot bulkier to lug around than is the 15", so if portability is an issue for you, I'd suggest the 15" MBP.

Cheers and good luck
 
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