I'm going to double major in psych and English. If I got the 13 inch MBP with the factory settings (4GB of RAM, 250 GB hard drive, 2.4 GHz Duo Processor, etc.) will it run quickly and last for at least the four years?
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Would the uncustomized MBP model be okay?
- Thread starter Sixthdeclension
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For the umpteenth time, it's completely pointless to ask if something "will be ok" without stating what you need it to be "ok" for.
I'd imagine with and English/psych major there isn't anything too intense.
That computer would be perfectly fine for you, just as is.
First of all, chill. Seriously. If my question annoys you so much, don't answer.
Second, I thought it was pretty obvious what I need the MBP to "be okay" for since I stated that I'm double majoring in psych and English. But I guess I'll spell it out for you. I will be using the MBP to write papers, surf the internet - basic usages. I will not heavily use the picture/video editing.
Happy?
And thank you, alust2013, for actually answering my question.
I have the original 13" MBP, with 2 gb, 160, etc. Entering my sophomore year as a Psych major, I think I'll be set into grad school.
Also, double majors are stupid, don't do it.
Also, double majors are stupid, don't do it.
Who's annoyed?
There are several fields and applications that some English majors and some Psych majors use/do that actually demand a fair bit of CPU power.
Oh, so I guess your first reply to my question was you being pleasant. My mistake.
I haven't even started school yet, so I don't know the exact demands of the majors. But English and psychology are not majors that are big on graphic design.
Thanks!
And I'm not completely sure on the double major yet anyway. I'll see what happens Actually I do agree with miles01110. People have differing needs when it comes to computers. We cannot just infer what your needs are based on your major. You should really let us know what exactly you plan to do with the computer instead of simply asking if x computer will be "okay"
No it is not obvious at all. You could be a doing a double psych+english and also want to game on your computer. We don't know. In that case, the MBP will not suit you. Always spell it out for us. In fact, if you don't spell it out, then you aren't asking your question properly. We are not some sort of mind-reading magicians.
Now to answer your question if the MBP will be "okay" for papers and internet. Yes it will be "okay" for the next 3 years at least. The next two years, it will start to run a little slower, but it will still be "okay".
A better option might be to get a refurbed MBP 15 inch or 17 inch. They might even be cheaper than the new 13 inch ones. 13 inch MBPs will become frustrating to write lengthy papers on. The screen res is just way too small. Believe me, I have been through this. I recently upgraded to a MBP 17 inch.
No it is not obvious at all. You could be a doing a double psych+english and also want to game on your computer. We don't know. In that case, the MBP will not suit you. Always spell it out for us. In fact, if you don't spell it out, then you aren't asking your question properly. We are not some sort of mind-reading magicians.
Now to answer your question if the MBP will be "okay" for papers and internet. Yes it will be "okay" for the next 3 years at least. The next two years, it will start to run a little slower, but it will still be "okay".
A better option might be to get a refurbed MBP 15 inch or 17 inch. They might even be cheaper than the new 13 inch ones. 13 inch MBPs will become frustrating to write lengthy papers on. The screen res is just way too small. Believe me, I have been through this. I recently upgraded to a MBP 17 inch.
Hello Sixthdeclension,
In terms of speed, the 13 inch mbp base laptop is going to be fine. But my complaint about it is the screen and the screen resolution is too small for writing documents because you can't see much. I would highly suggest a laptop that has about a 15 inch display with about 1600 x 1100 resolution. It will be *FAR* easier for you. On the other hand, you could by an external monitor and keyboard for the 13 inch mpb but I find it too clunky to constantly add adapters to make it work well.
I also suggest you strongly consider dropping the double major, as it doesn't really help for the job situation, but that's my opinion after seeing a lot of friends do it and get nothing out of it. If you're in it for the educational benefit, by all means, it can be a great thing.
*edit* I also forgot to mention there's a lot of good language learning software for mac and pc, so consider boot camping it.
In terms of speed, the 13 inch mbp base laptop is going to be fine. But my complaint about it is the screen and the screen resolution is too small for writing documents because you can't see much. I would highly suggest a laptop that has about a 15 inch display with about 1600 x 1100 resolution. It will be *FAR* easier for you. On the other hand, you could by an external monitor and keyboard for the 13 inch mpb but I find it too clunky to constantly add adapters to make it work well.
I also suggest you strongly consider dropping the double major, as it doesn't really help for the job situation, but that's my opinion after seeing a lot of friends do it and get nothing out of it. If you're in it for the educational benefit, by all means, it can be a great thing.
*edit* I also forgot to mention there's a lot of good language learning software for mac and pc, so consider boot camping it.
I also found it very hard to type in the 13 inch pro because the keyboard is too far from the front edge and too close to the trackpad and the keys are too flat and spaced from each other. You should probably try it out in a store and compare with other laptops and desktops to see if it's comfortable
To type on.
To type on.
Must it be a laptop?
Why not consider an iMac + iPad combination?
iMac for heavier work with a much larger, more comfortable screen & keyboard, and iPad for moving around with?
And yeah, if cost is a concern, going refurb should save you a few bucks...
Oh, & for the tasks that have thus far been mentioned, even the current entry-level white Macbook should last 5 years.
I have an iBook G4 that's lasted that long, and still going strong for a lot of tasks.
Why not consider an iMac + iPad combination?
iMac for heavier work with a much larger, more comfortable screen & keyboard, and iPad for moving around with?
And yeah, if cost is a concern, going refurb should save you a few bucks...
Oh, & for the tasks that have thus far been mentioned, even the current entry-level white Macbook should last 5 years.
I have an iBook G4 that's lasted that long, and still going strong for a lot of tasks.
pursue the double major for intellectual purposes/curiousity imo. or a major and a minor (which is the path that i followed). also, the mac your looking at looks to be good for what both majors demand (either or). it might take a dive in speed but it should be good. in grad school (just finished), I had a colleague who had an ibook g4 that she had since undergrad (so about 7-6 yrs old). It was not the fastest but for what her needs are, which is itunes, safari, word, preview, iphoto, it is perfectly capable. Hell our family's intel iMac that was bought in 2006 is doing well for my family's needs (itunes, web, quickbooks, quicken, iphoto) and it has 1.5gigs of ram. In undergrad we used spss (i had an ibook at the time in 2005) and it ran fine! SPSS is a statistical software used in social science such as psychology and social work, so it crunches numbers, but its not graphically intensive at all. good luck man!
edit:
Also in regards to 15 to 13 inches, honestly, 13 inch for portability. I had a 15in mbp and hell no its too heavy to lug around campus. Thirteen inch is perfect for school, library, coffee shop, couch surfing, etc... If you go on campus, got to the library or the school student union (where the shops and stores are) you'll notice a majority have 13 inch macs... and those with PCs who has 15 inch monsters, at least in my school, just complained about how heavy it is. Its fine for writing papers and doing research... I mean I can "fit" two word documents on the 13 in macbook and its good, or I can use one word processor and a pdf document or web page side by side. Its not full screen but it works well.
edit 2: Finally you can score a macbook, 2009 made in 2009 with the 7 hr battery life on ebay for cheap, for about $500. I scored my 2010 macbook for $875 on ebay, one month old.
edit:
Also in regards to 15 to 13 inches, honestly, 13 inch for portability. I had a 15in mbp and hell no its too heavy to lug around campus. Thirteen inch is perfect for school, library, coffee shop, couch surfing, etc... If you go on campus, got to the library or the school student union (where the shops and stores are) you'll notice a majority have 13 inch macs... and those with PCs who has 15 inch monsters, at least in my school, just complained about how heavy it is. Its fine for writing papers and doing research... I mean I can "fit" two word documents on the 13 in macbook and its good, or I can use one word processor and a pdf document or web page side by side. Its not full screen but it works well.
edit 2: Finally you can score a macbook, 2009 made in 2009 with the 7 hr battery life on ebay for cheap, for about $500. I scored my 2010 macbook for $875 on ebay, one month old.
It's what you prefer! I wrote all my papers on my 13" screen and had no problems at all with the screen res!
hey man, i'm a freshman going into college as well. What school are you going to? As far as the computer goes, you will be fine with the current 13 inch mbp. I would recommend though that you go look at it in the store and decide if the screen is what you were expecting. imo, the smaller screen can be frustrating when working on more than one window at a time. The refurbished option isn't a bad choice either. Whatever your decision is, you can't really go wrong. they are all great machines. Good luck
I travel a lot and for me the 13" is perfect. I prepare presentations on it, write docs, spreadsheets etc. surf the net, watch movies, play music, perform light editing of photos in photoshop and do a bit of programming as I teach myself obj-c. All the above are perfectly fine with my 13", which is the previous standard edition with removable battery (with the addition of 4GB ram). Yours would be more powerful of course.
If you want a desktop replacement then the 15" is very powerful but for me personally portability was a priority, which is why I went with the 13" and subsequently discovered that it was/is more than powerful enough for my needs. Over time you might like to get yourself an iMac, as a nice complement to your macbook.
As an aside I do think we can get way too hung up about specs, which can lead you to lust after machines that are significantly more powerful than you'd ever likely need, just for the sake of bragging rights...
If you want a desktop replacement then the 15" is very powerful but for me personally portability was a priority, which is why I went with the 13" and subsequently discovered that it was/is more than powerful enough for my needs. Over time you might like to get yourself an iMac, as a nice complement to your macbook.
As an aside I do think we can get way too hung up about specs, which can lead you to lust after machines that are significantly more powerful than you'd ever likely need, just for the sake of bragging rights...
Not sure if you're aware, but you are not required to answer threads on MacRumors. If you aren't happy with the question, do feel free to click "Back" and leave the responding to someone who will provide a constructive answer. Or, if you do feel obliged to put in your 2 cents in, perhaps say something like:
"It really depends on what you want to do with your laptop. If you just plan to do basic web, email, media and documents, the base 13" MBP will be more than adequate. If, however, you think you might wish to play games or do any graphically intensive work, perhaps consider a system with more RAM, or a dedicated graphics card as the 15" MBP has."
See, it really isn't hard. I know it's tempting to be rude to people on the internet, but it isn't necessary.
To the OP - good luck with both your purchase and your studies.
Damo
I've had my 13" MB's for years and never had a problem writing papers and using it for everything school-related. The blackbook in my sig got me through undergrad, and now I have the unibody getting me through professional school. My wife still uses the blackbook daily at home. If you're going to be taking it with you to school, get the 13".
It's more than fine. For word processing and possibly a presentation program (keynote, powerpoint, etc.), which is most likely the only thing you'll need to run on the computer for these majors, the standard specs on the 13" macbook pro are more than you need. I have it and use it for entertainment only, aka games (WoW), minor microsoft office usage, internet, and watching movies.