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Your opinions on the Macbook Pro?

C

Chiuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 24, 2011
305
0
NorCal, Bay Area
First timer buyer to switch over from PC to Apple since my parents are willing to buy me a new laptop for college.
I'm currently patiently waiting for the Back to School sale to get the education discount and the free iPod Touch (Or whatever they're offering).

But I need some opinions, cause I heard "rumors" saying Macbook Pro 4GB of Ram is equal to the same as a PC 8GB? Is this true? (Best Buy people, but I don't trust them much)

I'm planning on buying the 13.3 inch Apple for lightweight and with the processor Intel i7. I expect to use this computer for the next 4 years of my college life and I will be using it for Graphic Design, Video Production, Photoshop, Photography, and some extreme 3D Models and maybe some games if I have time.
Is this good?
Your opinions?

Btw, I love the Mac OS so much better, the feel of it is so much cleaner and more professional than a PC feel.
 
You probably won't hear many negative replies on here...but I recently switched from Windows as well and am very happy with the decision. It's the best balance of power and portability by far (where else do you get 7 hrs battery life with a quad-core CPU and high-end GPU?), but for a price.

Also, 8GB of RAM is 8GB, regardless of what platform you're on. Consider the 15" though if you're planning on using the programs you mentioned, as most would get a direct benefit from the quad-core.
 
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4gb is 4gb. I would say that the Mac os isn't such a memory hog as windows would be so that may be where their advice comes from. The more ram the better. It's like 89 bucks to get 8gb.

The 13 could be good for your needs, but if you want to do any 3D modeling, any decent light gaming you will most likely want the baseline 15" because of the gpu and the quad core....

I have the 13 i7 and I LOVE it.
 
I was a longtime WinDoze user...up until last year. Switched to a MBP when Photoshop CS5 was first introduced.

I've found that Photoshop CS5 tends to run more efficiently on my MBP, compared to how it ran on my PC (both had 4 gigs of RAM).

For what you're doing, you should definitely look at getting 8gigs of RAM, perhaps a configuration with 1gig of video RAM (vs. the base 256mb), and definitely a 7200 rpm drive.

Personally, I'd recommend a 15" screen, vs. 13". Sure, a 13" MBP will be lighter weight, but you'll experience eye fatigue with the smaller screen.
 
Well, it should be pretty obvious that 4gb is not the same as 8gb, no matter the computer its in. Some might make the argument that OSX is more efficient with its RAM usage, which may be true. However its not 4gb more efficient! Depending on your workload, if you feel like you will need 8gb of ram in your PC laptop, then you will want 8gb of RAM in your Mac laptop too. OSX will not magically conjure up an extra 4gb of RAM for you to work with out of thin air :D

As for which Macbook Pro to get - if you plan on playing games, you should probably look towards the 15" models that have an actual graphics card in them. Of course, it would help to know exactly what type of games you plan on playing. If your idea of "games" is solitaire, then the 13" with its Intel integrated graphics will do just fine.
 
Thanks for the info guys.
I'm planning on playing like strategy games such as maybe WoW, SCII, etc. to learn the softwares behind it. (Comp/Software Major)

Should I really consider the 15inch? Cause it does get pretty pricey as it goes. Like $300 more.

Right now I'm currently using a PC HP with Window 7, 8GB of Ram, i7 2.8ghz quad core, 1gb dedicated 5770 ATI HD.

But I don't mind if the MCP is a bit slower as long as it does the job in the reasonable time.

To be more specific I will use software Photoshop CS5, Premiere 5.5 for 1080p HD editing and games like WoW. Not sure if I need 3D models yet though.
How much does it cost to get 8gb ram upgrade? Isn't it like $150+ on Apple?
 
As for making the jump to the 15 over the 13, I just bought my first mac last month, and it's the 13 inch macbook pro, honestly for me it's everything I was looking for but only YOU know what size is right for YOU. I've never had mac before and I tell you what, the 13 inch does it all for me and once I put my hands on the different sized models, the 13 was it for me. Best of luck.

I use mine for Photoshop, Aperture, Lightroom, Final Cut Express and such, 13 inch does it for me.
 
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Any MBP will be slower than your current PC.
 
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Well I don't mind if it is couple minutes slower depending what I'm doing. Like 1080p exporting, my PC takes 3 hrs for 10mins bu I don't mind if it takes 4.5hrs on the MCP but any longer... meh.


What's the return policy on a MCP, anybody know? Best buy says 14 days return with no restock fee.
 
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Haha. Thanks. It doesn't help though right now cause it's not portable. =\
 
Chiuy said:
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Haha. Thanks. It doesn't help though right now cause it's not portable. =\
Click to expand...

DERP!

I totally missed that! I thought you had a laptop with those specs...I was just about to call you crazy!

Haha

Nevertheless I'm at about the same crossroads and thinking about the 2199 15" but kinda leaning toward the 1799 15" as well.
 
I would certainly go with the 15" models in your case, as you are already used to having a dedicated video card and a quad core processor - something only the 15" models have right now. Although the intel integrated graphics can run both WoW and SC2 just fine, its not very future proof, and I feel you will be sorely disappointed with its performance in the long run.

I wouldn't worry about the RAM yet, you can always upgrade to 8gb of more later on when the prices get cheaper. 4gb should be plenty for what you are planning to do for now.
 
Windows 7 is rather efficient, so do not expect huge gains in performance on the comparable hardware with Mac OS X.

I find Photoshop CS 5 runs better on 64-bit Windows 7 than it does on 10.6.x, especially in regards to using heavy plug-ins on big files (like surface blur). It is not a deal-breaker as my hardware is hefty enough to make all of these things run smoothly, but the days of Adobe running better on Apple hardware is a story of the past.

Video editing and encoding is much easier to deal with on Mac OS X. Full stop.

Music production is still easier to deal with on Mac OS X, although on properly optimized machines both Pro Tools 9 and Cubase/Nuendo run significantly better/more efficiently on Windows these days (the problem is it does take a lot of optimization).

The nice thing is that a MacBook Pro gives you the opportunity to run both Mac OS X and Windows 7 on the same hardware rather effortlessly, and if you are heading off to school, having Windows is usually essential.

If you are going to be doing photo editing and video editing, I would suggest the 15" model just for the screen size and resolution unless you plan on putting an external monitor on a desk somewhere. 13" is fine for limited work, but for long sessions I would consider the 15" high-resolution model. It is pricey, though.
 
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But you can't do the upgrade yourself or you void the warranty?

Btw, the only difference I see between the 13 and 15 is quad core, screen size, and a semi better graphic card that is merely 256mb dedicated and it cost $300+ more.

I think I might stick with the 13 inch duo i7. I'm on a budget and I'm going to be a poor college student. No need to buy a $1700 and risk getting it stolen. (even though there's insurance but it cost $400) meh.

But if I were to play Call of Duty MW2. How many frames per second would I get on normal and high setting? Or low setting?
 
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But the only difference between the low end 13 and high end is the HDD size and i5 vs i7. Don't think that warrants the $300 difference. I have always seen around here either get the low end 13 or step up to the 15 because the high end 13 doesn't justify the price difference
 
Love Apple, will never leave them! I had a MacBook as my first Mac when I switched from PC in Dec 2007, changed my life. Just upgraded to the 2011 MBP 15" high-end and I'm in heaven!
 
Chiuy said:
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But you can't do the upgrade yourself or you void the warranty?
Click to expand...

Not true, whoever told you this is full of it. RAM and HD are both considred user replaceable parts and Apple even gives you the instructions on how to do it in the user manual. You are also protected by the Magnuson-Moss warranty act.
 
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Okay guys, givemme your honest opinion if you can.

It's come down to these...
What would you get?
13inch i5? intel i7? (I hear it's not worth the $300 difference between them)
15inch (lower end) (super pricey but would get it if I really need it)
Or HP Beats Audio Envy (4gb, i7 2.9ghz quad, ATI 5650) $1050

Opinions?
 
ENvy 14 I looked into awhile back, but meh I wouldn't bother with it now, no more radiance screen, battery life is not great.

I would get the 15" model for the quad and since it sounds like you can't go up higher the 6490m will be okay, def will do WoW and SC2 though.
 
Chiuy said:
Okay guys, givemme your honest opinion if you can.

It's come down to these...
What would you get?
13inch i5? intel i7? (I hear it's not worth the $300 difference between them)
15inch (lower end) (super pricey but would get it if I really need it)
Or HP Beats Audio Envy (4gb, i7 2.9ghz quad, ATI 5650) $1050
Click to expand...

Unless you need OSX, I'd suggest saving money and going with the HP.
 
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