Hi all,
firstly I am sorry this is another "which model" question, but I hope you good people can advise me to make the best decision. I have searched but felt I really needed to hear opinions on my situation.
Situation is this: I have been negotiating prices with an ebay seller here in the UK for:
a) previous model MBP 17" 2.5GHz Hi-Res 1920x1200 glossy (LED), 4GB, 320GB, 8600M GT (512). I believe this is known as the Penryn CPU model?
Selling originally for £1,699.99 but have negotiated it down to £1,450
b) Unibody MBP 15" 2.53GHz, 4GB, 320GB.
Price £1,449.99, down to £1,400.
Both are new & in sealed boxes. I will collect from buyer so there should be no worry of mis-advertised goods.
First, the reasons for me getting a MBP (as opposed to a MB or any other laptop) are along the following:
- To start learning Xcode and hopefully iPhone dev.
- To replace my 9 yr old Dell which is pretty useless now
- To have as much display real-estate as possible (15" is good, but 17" would be great)
- To continue to run Windows developer apps (either via Bootcamp or virtualization)
- Will not be lugging it around except from desk to bed to kitchen. Mostly bed as I'm tired of being sat at the desk all day (so a MB & external monitor not an option)
- Not a gamer, and already have a good Quad core Q6600 Hackintosh/Vista64 machine
- Do not intend to sell until it drops dead (like my Dell)
I do not know which I should get at this point and need opinions to set me thinking straight.
I am for some reason drawn to the older 17" but I know this doesn't make level headed sense! I have always been impressed by them, and the hi-res LED screen sounds too good to pass by.
I have played with the unibody 15" in store, and while they are undeniably gorgeous, the overall look of the heavily contrasting silver body, black keys and black screen edge, and the new trackpad hasn't won me over completely yet. The older model looks a bit more, I don't know, "grown up". No intention of offending anyone here with the new models at all!! I would be happy if I had one. Hence my dilemma.
Then there's the price drop I have negotiated. Which one offers the best value for money (remember I do not intend selling or trading any time soon).
Should I ignore the £250 saving I'd get with the 17". Maybe it was priced too high to begin with anyway for an out of date model? And isn't £1,400 for a new unibody 2.53GHz/4GB/320GB 15" a great price anyway?
Then there's the 8600M GT issues I have seen mentioned here, which the 17" will be affected by
I intend to get the Apple aftermarket extended warranty, but still it's no long term guarantee I know. Is this the deal-breaker right here? Is every single Mac with a 8600M GT going to be effected?
Are there other compelling reasons why I should definitely go for the new unibody and forget the 17" ? Will I regret not getting the unibody at this price?
I need to make my decision in a day's time, so I would really appreciate your thoughts, people. Thank you very very much...
firstly I am sorry this is another "which model" question, but I hope you good people can advise me to make the best decision. I have searched but felt I really needed to hear opinions on my situation.
Situation is this: I have been negotiating prices with an ebay seller here in the UK for:
a) previous model MBP 17" 2.5GHz Hi-Res 1920x1200 glossy (LED), 4GB, 320GB, 8600M GT (512). I believe this is known as the Penryn CPU model?
Selling originally for £1,699.99 but have negotiated it down to £1,450
b) Unibody MBP 15" 2.53GHz, 4GB, 320GB.
Price £1,449.99, down to £1,400.
Both are new & in sealed boxes. I will collect from buyer so there should be no worry of mis-advertised goods.
First, the reasons for me getting a MBP (as opposed to a MB or any other laptop) are along the following:
- To start learning Xcode and hopefully iPhone dev.
- To replace my 9 yr old Dell which is pretty useless now
- To have as much display real-estate as possible (15" is good, but 17" would be great)
- To continue to run Windows developer apps (either via Bootcamp or virtualization)
- Will not be lugging it around except from desk to bed to kitchen. Mostly bed as I'm tired of being sat at the desk all day (so a MB & external monitor not an option)
- Not a gamer, and already have a good Quad core Q6600 Hackintosh/Vista64 machine
- Do not intend to sell until it drops dead (like my Dell)
I do not know which I should get at this point and need opinions to set me thinking straight.
I am for some reason drawn to the older 17" but I know this doesn't make level headed sense! I have always been impressed by them, and the hi-res LED screen sounds too good to pass by.
I have played with the unibody 15" in store, and while they are undeniably gorgeous, the overall look of the heavily contrasting silver body, black keys and black screen edge, and the new trackpad hasn't won me over completely yet. The older model looks a bit more, I don't know, "grown up". No intention of offending anyone here with the new models at all!! I would be happy if I had one. Hence my dilemma.
Then there's the price drop I have negotiated. Which one offers the best value for money (remember I do not intend selling or trading any time soon).
Should I ignore the £250 saving I'd get with the 17". Maybe it was priced too high to begin with anyway for an out of date model? And isn't £1,400 for a new unibody 2.53GHz/4GB/320GB 15" a great price anyway?
Then there's the 8600M GT issues I have seen mentioned here, which the 17" will be affected by
I intend to get the Apple aftermarket extended warranty, but still it's no long term guarantee I know. Is this the deal-breaker right here? Is every single Mac with a 8600M GT going to be effected?Are there other compelling reasons why I should definitely go for the new unibody and forget the 17" ? Will I regret not getting the unibody at this price?
I need to make my decision in a day's time, so I would really appreciate your thoughts, people. Thank you very very much...
