Why is Windows essential for higher education? My assumption would be that there is a higher proportion of Mac users in colleges and universities than in the general population.
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Your opinions on the Macbook Pro?
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Why is Windows essential for higher education? My assumption would be that there is a higher proportion of Mac users in colleges and universities than in the general population.
not all programs can be used on a mac...
also, at times you have to jump through hoops to get around compatibility issues between mac and pc's when sending files to professors/classmates
@Chiuy -
I would strongly urge you to just get the base model 13" It is going to save you a lot more money and is going to perform almost the exact same. The high end 13" is only going to encode your movies slightly faster, which is exactly what you said you didn't care about. In day to day use you will never notice any difference. Plus with the money you save you can get 8gb of RAM and an SSD which will make your mac much faster than buying the i7 processor instead of the i5.
Trust me, you are just wasting money if you buy the high end 13" on specs that you don't need. In day to day tasks you will never notice any difference, i mean you won't even notice the difference on most average school tasks between the C2D and the new i series. Just so you know how much of a waste the dual core i7 is look at this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1111126/
The difference between the two computers is negligible.... 30 seconds on the base model over a ~10 min encode. If that's worth $300 to you but spending another $300 for the 15" where your encode times are cut by a significant amount (almost 50%) then I think your priorities are a little off.
Either get the base 13 and upgrade to SSD and 8GB of ram, or save your money for the 15" The option you have currently decided on is really a complete waste of money.
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not all programs can be used on a mac...
also, at times you have to jump through hoops to get around compatibility issues between mac and pc's when sending files to professors/classmates
Trying not to hijack the thread, but I'm not buying your reasons. "not all programs" What does this mean?
The predominant productivity programs remain Microsoft Office and the files are easily transferable.
Now if someone is in a technical field where there is a presumption of being able to run some sort of esoteric modeling system available only on Windows platforms, I can see your reasoning. But this depends on one's field of study, which seems to me should be the point in the discussion. For MOST users, Mac is just fine.
I was thinking of special exam software which was used at my school quite often. By now though, they probably have a Mac version
it depends on the university, the area of study, classes you take, etc. There are programs used at uni's that don't run on macs plain and simple i don't know what there is to be confused about.
And when using say iWork you may have to always keep 2 versions saved for use on PC, you may lose some formatting between the two versions... not always a problem per say just hoops you have to jump through being a mac user in a PC world.
You can also run into problems using flash drives to share info since most likely they are not going to be formatted in FAT for equal use between macs and pcs.
I'm not saying you can't get by with a mac, i did just fine, but it's not quite as convenient as a pc. You also may have to do more of your own trouble shooting as directions and such may usually be written for PC's
I am coming from a 2009 uMB with C2D 2.4 with 4Gb/500GB Hybrid and I have thought long and hard about what to get, and I decided on the Low end 13" i5 only because I had a 15" uMBP and it was too heavy also the 13" 2011 models are super fast. I am waiting until Apple gets more 13" refurb models in stock, because the i5 goes for $1019, and the i7 goes for $1260, so at this price the i7 would be worth it.
As for Windows 7 and PC's, I will never use Windows again, as I have been both Mac and PC since the first Mac and PC were out, and I am in the IT field, Mac is just so much better on every level.
I am getting Applecare this time, because I plan on holding onto this one between 2-3 years anyway.
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I'm planning on majoring in Computer Engineer at San Jose State University.
I'm pretty sure most softwares I need are Mac compatiable.
Most students used Windows though, but I can always get bootcamp.
2nd decision now, thanks for the opinions. I'm getting the base model and getting 750GB and 8GB ram instead of the i7 which is only 0.6GHz different.
I'm planning on majoring in Computer Engineer at San Jose State University.
I'm pretty sure most softwares I need are Mac compatiable.
Most students used Windows though, but I can always get bootcamp.
2nd decision now, thanks for the opinions. I'm getting the base model and getting 750GB and 8GB ram instead of the i7 which is only 0.6GHz different.
Upgrade both yourself and save some cash. Get the drive and memory from newegg or Amazon.
yep definitely order your RAM and HDD from newegg or amazon. It will cost you about half of what apple charges for the same products.
Good choice on the base model though!
Good choice on the base model though!
Just to point out it won't invalidate your warranty by fitting it yourself and Apple supply instructions on how to do it with each laptop sold.
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I cam probably do the ram myself but I heard the HD is a bit hard. Does Bestbuy help you install the HD? Cause I'm pretty sure I'll need more than 320GB since I take photography (6mb a picture) and HD Video (Easily 2GB). Unless you think it's easy and I can give it a go.
Saw 8GB (2x 4GB) Kingsmax for $65 MacCompatiable. Amazon.
AppleCare or whatever. Is it worth it?
I take pretty decent care of my laptop and I don't eat while I'm in the comp and it'll probably stay in my dorms unless I need it for library etc.
I cam probably do the ram myself but I heard the HD is a bit hard. Does Bestbuy help you install the HD? Cause I'm pretty sure I'll need more than 320GB since I take photography (6mb a picture) and HD Video (Easily 2GB). Unless you think it's easy and I can give it a go.
Saw 8GB (2x 4GB) Kingsmax for $65 MacCompatiable. Amazon.
AppleCare or whatever. Is it worth it?
I take pretty decent care of my laptop and I don't eat while I'm in the comp and it'll probably stay in my dorms unless I need it for library etc.
You can definitely to the hard drive - it's literally unscrewing a couple screws, pulling off the cable, and reversing the directions with the new drive.
As for Applecare, you can buy it anytime within the first year of ownership, so you can always wait a couple months after saving a bit more $. Phone tech support is only 90 days by default though, so you'll lose that after 3 months without Applecare (just some incentive to buy it within the first 3 months).
While I think a Macbook pro with 4 gigs of RAM is way better than any PC laptop with the same amount of RAM, but it's really hard to say that 4 gigs in a Macbook pro would be equal to a PC laptop with twice the RAM. I still like the Mac though. Generally speaking, the salesperson is correct but their focus is to upsale you, whether it's for a more expensive computer, and especially for warranty services and extra software titles.
Since you want to use this for graphic design, the Macbook pro, no matter how the RAM works in it compared to a PC laptop gig for gig, is the way to go for the long, four year run.
The Macbook pro may be a bit more expensive for similar stats, but you do have the lightness factor as well as a computer that is durable. Now toss in the equation of carrying around textbooks and then the Macbook pro wins hands down. I have a PC laptop which is somewhat comparable to a Macbook, and $300 dollars less, but the thing weighs a lot more, it's not that durable, and it certainly is not the best choice for graphic design if you look at both machines for what they are and how they will interface with Adobe software.
The PC side has improved greatly in graphic design since the odd years of Windows 98 and Windows ME when I started using a laptop, but OS X is still the way to go for a designer.
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I would not trust BestBuy to replace my shoelaces.
If you are not blind and you have full use of both of your hands, you can replace the hard drive yourself. You need a small T6 Torx screwdriver. You can buy it on Amazon or at Home Depot/Lowes.
After you replace the drive, take the stock drive and put it in a USB or FireWire enclosure and use it as a backup disk. Time Machine is the easiest. Make it a habit.
As far as AppleCare goes, it is up to you. I personally buy everything with my American Express and automatically double the warranty up to an additional year.
Have you used Windows 7 64-bit?
I have found that Creative Suite 5 (Design Premium) runs better on Windows 7 64-bit than on 10.6.x. It is more efficient (RAM and CPU usage/utilization) and some of the more complex filters (like Photoshop's Surface Blur and Nik's Dfine) calculate more quickly in Windows. However, the hardware at this point makes those gains immaterial nowadays, but I just wanted to point out that in my experience the days of Adobe products running better on OS X are a thing of the past.
However, if you are doing any design work that will end up on the web, you need Windows. Whatever you think of it, you need a way to see what your work will look like in Internet Explorer; BECAUSE.
I still prefer Mac OS X and sold my CS 4 and CS 5 licenses for Windows. I wish CS 5.x had better support for Spaces (still buggy), but my workflow is better in Mac OS X versus Windows 7. However, whenever I do something for the web I fire up Fusion and take a look at what it looks like in Internet Explorer.
I think Windows 7 is a huge improvement and I like the 64 bit OS a lot. There's no comparison as to how well this runs compared to Vista.
The OP is talking about a single machine for four years so with price, durability, and light weight, it's hard to beat the Macbook pro. Unless the OP gets a really rugged, top of the line PC laptop (I like Toshiba's higher end, high end XPS type machine, or Alien), the prices for a Macbook are right in line.
I am going to get the Adobe Suite for my new PC laptop and I am sure it will work fine, but I plan to pretty much use this at home so I don't mind the rather large/heavy form factor and delicate plastic body build. I could have gone with a more rugged higher end PC with same specs, but I don't plan to taking my laptop anywhere. I am curious to see how well everything works in Windows 8 when it comes out. It looks like a great OS.
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My desktop is x64bits window 7. Runs smooth but I never used Mac OS before so idk.
I need a durable portable laptop for college that can do stuff such as coding and programming.
But anyway, I'm going with base model MacBook pro and buy some rams and more HD for the pro.
My desktop is x64bits window 7. Runs smooth but I never used Mac OS before so idk.
I need a durable portable laptop for college that can do stuff such as coding and programming.
But anyway, I'm going with base model MacBook pro and buy some rams and more HD for the pro.
You will be fine. Buy the base model and if you decide you do not like it, take it back. If you are going to school, you should be able to buy a Windows 7 license relatively cheap as well as an MS Office license. Wait until then.
The Macs are usually a bit more spendy, but I actually agree with you. If you look at the high-end MacBook Pro 15" and then price some of the nicer Fujitsu or Dell or Lenovo machines, the price difference is usually only a couple of hundred dollars on a multi-thousand dollar machine when you are talking about machines of the same size.
Or you can just go nuts. Only 12 lbs.
Cough cough...
Sometimes I wonder if Apple is really amazing or they're just trying to rob the people with money that don't know what they're doing.
It cost $200 to upgrade on the spot, but cost $400 to upgrade later on if you want to.
http://store.apple.com/us/memorymodel/ME_MB_W11_13_2_3
And yet... I can go to Amazon and buy 8GB Memory got less than $70.
Hahaha.
I'm planning on upgrading my base model 13.3" to 8GB ram and 750GB 7200RPM. Less than $200 on Amazon, and no tax.
Still patiently waiting for back to school sale... come on... want to my Mac!!
=D
Sometimes I wonder if Apple is really amazing or they're just trying to rob the people with money that don't know what they're doing.
It cost $200 to upgrade on the spot, but cost $400 to upgrade later on if you want to.
http://store.apple.com/us/memorymodel/ME_MB_W11_13_2_3
And yet... I can go to Amazon and buy 8GB Memory got less than $70.
Hahaha.
I'm planning on upgrading my base model 13.3" to 8GB ram and 750GB 7200RPM. Less than $200 on Amazon, and no tax.
Still patiently waiting for back to school sale... come on... want to my Mac!!
=D
you won't be disappointed if you go with the mbp, it's a well-rounded laptop and will serve your purposes well. definitely go with purchasing your own ram and hdd/ssd and installing it yourself. it is a simple process and you will save a lot of money. i would keep your original components because they are sometimes required if you need to get your mbp repaired.
hope this reinforces your decision and good luck to you. :]
hope this reinforces your decision and good luck to you. :]
Or you can just go nuts. Only 12 lbs.
Back in the day, a 12 pound gaming and graphics machine would have been acceptable. But by today's standard, I bet Apple could get pretty close to those stats in the 8 pound area.
That laptop, while with great specifications, is more like a desktop in its weight.
My Gateway laptop with 15.6" inch screen is around 7 1/4 pounds which isn't all that bad but the Macbooks feel way, way lighter even though it's about a couple of pounds less.