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    Considering a MBP 13" or 15"

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by silentninja, Dec 22, 2010.

  1. silentninja

    silentninja Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm looking to get a laptop for school and some gaming, I was wondering if a MBP is a good option?

    I've handled a MBP in person before and all my past laptops have never been up to par with the MBPs build quality in my opinion.

    How is the gaming performance on the new MBP? I know that Snow leopard has recently been released with a graphics update that's suppose to help with gaming performance.

    Also what are some cons to the MBP? I always hear of good things about the design but never the bad.
     
    silentninja, Dec 22, 2010
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  2. s2odin

    s2odin Merrica!

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    They are decent for gaming.
    What type of games and what settings are you looking to play them at?

    Cons: Expensive to their PC counterparts
    They get hot
     
    s2odin, Dec 22, 2010
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  3. silentninja

    silentninja Notebook Enthusiast

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    I play Teamfortress 2 a lot and other steam games like Left 4 Dead 2. I'm assuming on a 320m I'm only gonna be able to play the games on medium which I'm ok with.
    Also, how is the battery life on a MBP? and also is the MBP due for an update soon?

    Edit-
    Although I would want to be able to play future games as well.
     
    silentninja, Dec 22, 2010
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  4. Nick

    Nick Professor Carnista

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    Nick, Dec 22, 2010
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  5. s2odin

    s2odin Merrica!

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    Battery life on my MBP 13 from 09 with less than 100 cycles is around 4-5 hours (screen brightness on high with backlit keyboard on).
    MBP might get a refresh, but who knows. It's all speculation from here. And if you notice, PC's have had iX series processors in them longer than Macs have, so I don't anticipate them to upgrade to sandy bridge right away (but I may be wrong).
     
    s2odin, Dec 22, 2010
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  6. CitizenPanda

    CitizenPanda Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    next 13 inch mbp will definitely be a Core i3 or i5 .. what is it 4 or 5 months Apple usually does?
     
    CitizenPanda, Dec 22, 2010
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  7. silentninja

    silentninja Notebook Enthusiast

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    Would this be worth waiting for?

    My understanding is that the Core2Duo vs the iX series is that the FSB has been replaced by the DMI.

    But the difference in speed between the P8600 and the i5 520m is minimal.

    The problem is I need a computer for school work and I'm not sure waiting 4 months would be a viable option.
     
    silentninja, Dec 22, 2010
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  8. ifti

    ifti Undiscovered

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    I would go for the 13"
     
    ifti, Dec 22, 2010
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  9. s2odin

    s2odin Merrica!

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    Well the iX series have hyper threading and turbo boost. The C2D do not. Look at the refurbs, they are usually pretty cheap.
     
    s2odin, Dec 22, 2010
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  10. silentninja

    silentninja Notebook Enthusiast

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    Would a white MB be a viable option too?
     
    silentninja, Dec 22, 2010
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  11. s2odin

    s2odin Merrica!

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    If you want to play games with decent performance, no.
     
    s2odin, Dec 22, 2010
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  12. silentninja

    silentninja Notebook Enthusiast

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    It looks like the specs of the MBP and the WMB are the same?

    Please explain why it wouldn't be a viable option. Not that I'm doubting you.

    The only issue I see would be cooling. Being the MBP has an aluminum body that acts as a heatsink, and the MBW has a plastic one.
     
    silentninja, Dec 22, 2010
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  13. s2odin

    s2odin Merrica!

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    Well the 13" and WMB are the same, yes.
    The 15" has the GT 330 as opposed to the 320M. Comparison of Laptop Graphics Cards - Notebookcheck.net Tech (just Ctrl+F) to find the two cards. the GT330 is a mid range class 2 card. The 320M is a low end class 3 card.
     
    s2odin, Dec 22, 2010
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  14. silentninja

    silentninja Notebook Enthusiast

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    So if I want a MBP for gaming, I should go for the 15?
     
    silentninja, Dec 22, 2010
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  15. s2odin

    s2odin Merrica!

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    Correct.
    But if you are buying a MBP solely for gaming, don't do it.
    You can get a Windows machine with better performance cheaper. I know you said school as well as gaming so a Mac might be good, but there are other good options out there as well. If you want to check them out, I would post in the http://forum.notebookreview.com/what-notebook-should-i-buy/ section.
     
    s2odin, Dec 22, 2010
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  16. Nick

    Nick Professor Carnista

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    Well, as we saw in my gaming review of the MBP 13, its a decent lower end gaming machine.

    I prefer my 2010 MBP 13 over my custom desktop(Pentium D 2.8GHz, 2GB DDR2, GT 240 512MB) when gaming, TBH.
     
    Nick, Dec 22, 2010
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  17. silentninja

    silentninja Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks I'll check that out. The reason I was looking at the MBPs was because I really enjoy the build quality of the MBP.

    To be honest your desktop is quite outdated. :\ Not to be mean.
     
    silentninja, Dec 22, 2010
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  18. doh123

    doh123 Without ME its just AWESO

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    if you just want build quality.. not sure what to say... don't get a Mac unless you want to do most of your computing in Mac OS X... its more about the complete package (including the OS) over just how its built.
     
    doh123, Dec 22, 2010
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  19. Nick

    Nick Professor Carnista

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    I like the build quality on uMBP as well, but they seem to scratch easy, so I keep mine in a Speck Hard Case.


    Nah, only slightly out dated. I ordered an Intel Pentium Dual Core E6300 2.8GHz for it. The GT 240 is plenty fast, and I'm getting another gig or two for it soon. With the Pentium D 915 in, I get 5659 3dmark06 score.
     
    Nick, Dec 22, 2010
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