Considering a MacBook Pro?

First off I know nothing about macs the only ones I have used are really old ones at my school.

I am thinking of buying a MBP but I have a few things I would like to know first.

Is it a good time to buy? I have heard of apple doing some sort of update to their laptops.

Does anyone know when this will be?

Does anyone know what it will add?

Also can I run visat in boot camp?

Will boot camp slow down my MBP alot?

And finally the RAM.

I want to get 4gbs but $700 for 2gigs is insane

Will any RAM work or is there special RAM for mac?

Will it be easy to install in the MBP?

Thanks for any help

 

RAM's really cheap for it. It's around $80 for a good 4GB on ebay. Get the base configuration then you can easily add it yourself.

 

Hi Jooooeee,

Rumours say there will be news about the MBP by the 12th of this month, possibly processors update to Penryn.

You can run Vista with bootcamp, or also as a virtual machine with Parallels or VMWare fusion. Both work fine. Bootcamp probably better for gaming and hard work as it runs native.

RAM: 2gb should be enough, I think. Anyway, it's known Apple overcharges for the RAM, so the best is to get it with the minimum and then upgrade it by yourself purchasing the RAM somewhere else. Much cheaper and not less reliable or warranty issues. I don't have a MBP, but a Macbook and iMac, so I don't know how easy/difficult it is, but you'll get tons of answers soon.

Cheers

DrPoi

 

Is it a good time to buy? I have heard of apple doing some sort of update to their laptops.



Does anyone know when this will be?

probably soon, i dont know exactly

Does anyone know what it will add?

apple is thought to add a multitouch trackpad (functions like the iPhone/Macbook Air)

Also can I run visat in boot camp?

yes

Will boot camp slow down my MBP alot?

no, it is run as a seperate OS. it will not run parrarel to mac os x.

And finally the RAM.

I want to get 4gbs but $700 for 2gigs is insane

it is... 2gigs is enough for most things... depend on what you want to do really... just use the default and upgrade it if its not enough... in anycase, i wouldn't get the $700 ram upgrade to 4gb!

Will any RAM work or is there special RAM for mac?

use the same config one.. DDR2 667/800mhz ram and it should be fine.

Will it be easy to install in the MBP?

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/

 

A MBP isnt worth the cash personaly, you can get the same specs on other laptops for less. The video card is seriously underclocked and the cpu you dont notice a difference after you hit 2.0 ghz anyways. I would like to think that you buy a MBP for the OS, and even then OSX is less buggy then the new one. If your going to buy a MBP and install vista on it then whats the point ?

As for the ram question, there is no special magic apple ram. RAM is the same regardless of the maker the specs speak for themselfs there is a nice guide about if on NBF =)

 

Try $50 from a site like newegg after $20 mail-in rebates.

Otherwise, there's some speculation that there will be a MBP update in the near future. Personally, I don't think anything major is going to happen aside from a upgrade to the newer Penryn processors and possibly more HD capacity.

I would expect a more vigorous update around May and June when the new Montevina and graphics cards refresh arrive in force.

Worth is such a subjective word. I would say that the MBP is worth is premium due to its aesthetics and LED screen. Moreover, it's the smallest and thinnest 15.4" notebook to boot (it has the same depth as some 14" Asus notebooks).

It's just the lack of a card reader, a physical right click (although the two finger tap would probably be easy to adapt to) and the funky Apple keyboard that bother me about the MBP.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but the underclocked cards were the older ATi ones, and the newer GeForce cards are not underclocked. I use it to game and it plays beautifully. And what "new one"? Mac still uses OS X, and the new version has very minimal bugs that will most likely be fixed very soon. And what's wrong with installing Vista on a Mac? Just because you install Windows doesn't defeat the purpose of what a Mac is for. I personally love being able to run any OS X and Vista app. on a single notebook.

As for the OP:

Vista runs beautifully, RAM is cheap elsewhere (newegg.com) and RAM takes about 1 minute to replace, and all you need to be able to install it yourself is a screwdriver, basic motor skills, and an IQ greater than a peanut. It's real easy.

 

Well I don't actually need the laptop untill July (at the latest) so would it be a good idea to just wait and see if they have a big upgrade then?

Also I have heard alot about this Montevina but what will it actually do I am not clear on what is actually is. Can anyone elaborate?



And finally the reason I want an MBP is actually 2.

First it is the thinnest lightest and from what I have heard one of the sturdiest laptops avalible. ( I don't find it all that aesthetically pleasing but I don't really care about the looks much)

The second is that I am going to college in the Fall. From what I have seen some programs actually require a MBP (I haven't seen any that require a specific PC). And since I don't know what I want to major in I just want to be on the safe side.

 

Montevina in a nutshell:
- DDR3 RAM
- Thinner and lighter notebook due to reduced motherboard size
- Integrated WiFi and WiMAX solution
- Updated Intel Turbo Memory
- Lower temps and longer battery life due to the processor's lower TDP

Well, in that case, I suggest you wait until you actually get to college. After awhile, you'll see what kind of computers people will use in your field. Moreover, you'll know exactly what you exactly need. For example, in biomedical engineering (my field), people use Apples, Thinkpads, and occasionally a few Dell Latitudes here and there.

 

Okay so waiting is the best idea in my case?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Yes. There's no point in running out and buying a Mac now if there is a risk you will regret it. There should be a refresh sometime in the next month or so anyway. Although it may not be a major upgrade (probably just a small processor upgrade), it's always good to be on the safe side.

 

Yeah, there's an expected minor update soon to upgrade to Intel Penryn processors.

If there is going to be one, I would expect it within the month .

Intel Penryn almost for sure. Maybe larger and faster hard drives, and a multi-touch trackpad like on the MacBook Air.

Yes, absolutely you can, and no, it won't slow down your MBP. Read the Windows on a Mac Guide for more information on that, I have it linked in my sig and its also a sticky on this forum .

$700 for 2 GB is insane. Don't purchase RAM from Apple, it'll be overpriced. Instead, purchase it elsewhere and install it yourself, its easy and saves money.

As long as its the right RAM type, it'll work on the MBP, doesn't have to be Mac Memory . So what you'll be looking for is PC5300/5400 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM RAM at 667 MHz.

And its pretty easy to install on the MBP. There's lots of guides and videos on the web showing it .

 

Cool I will now be egarly awaiting the Montevina upgrades.

Does anyone know if it will cause the price to go up? I am pretty much at my limit right now.

 

Usually, Apple does not raise its prices on Macs...it usually stays the same, sometimes drops, but rarely, if ever, has it gone up...

 

Do people notice a difference between Santa Rosa and Penryn. I think the power is marginal.
Apple laptops are expensive as it is, if they went up O.O i might need to refinance my morgage.

 

If people in a field are using Macs and PCs, the brand of laptop doesn't matter.

 

The only thing I have seen is a requierment for MacBooks or Macbook Pro.

 

Yeah, I've seen that for graphics design.

I believe there may be some CAD programs that lack OS X versions, but with Bootcamp/Parallels that doesn't matter.

Generally speaking, though, any quality laptop is fine. If there is a specific requirement, it will be made clear to you.

 

I just thought of another question how is the MBP's battery life?

While whatching a DVD

While surfing or typing documents


This made me think of another question is there a office for windows (i think I heard or saw it some where) or what is the Mac equivilent?

 

Microsoft Office 2008 was released early this year for Mac. I can get over 5 hours while on wifi, at low brightness and muted volume with my macbook pro. Very good time for a notebook of its class. DVDs however will kill battery significantly faster, since spinning the disk and reading it is not very energy efficient.

 

Expect about 3-5 hours of battery life for the MacBook Pro. And yes there is Microsoft Office for Mac.

 

mm wait im interested in the MBP too but.. i dunno .. i will just use my laptops to do some assigments in school etc and play games during my 3hr break twice a week (games like.. Exteel?) lol.
so is the MBP for me?
i never used mac OS before..
its just both of my friends use a MB ..
yet.. vista seems ok too..
and MBP is so expensive ...

btw.. im in um university science. 1st yr

 

fwiw, the macbook pro is underclocked.

the clocks should be 475 / 700, they are 470 / 635.

you can always just change it back (in windows, for gaming). its even safe (for mine) to run it at 530/850ish, maybe more (huge overclock)

bigger laptops that have better ventilation (like the xps dell machine) can even overclock to 600 / 900. its possible that with the proper cooling you could OC your macbook pro to that level.

20%+ increase in performance.

point being, the underclock doesn't matter.

 

whoa. the 8600 is underclocked? ><
no wonder people say MBP arent good for games..

 

I decided to wait for the Montevina refresh myself. I saw early benchmarks of the desktop version of Nvidia's 9600 GT and it was consistently twice as fast as a desktop 8600 GT. The 9600 GT scored a little over 10,000 in 3DMark06. So, you could reasonably expect the 9600M GT will be about twice as fast as the 8600M GT out now. That is if the early benchmarks are real.

 

Naw, just download the right drivers in Windows and its fine. The stock Boot Camp drivers are not that great, yes.

 

I think people say that because OS X itself doesn't run most games. Put Windows on it and you can just choose your driver, and even overclock your card. But as said before, you won't be able to reach the same clocks as other gaming laptops, since the MBP gets real damn hot because of it's design.

 

So the most graphic intense game I will be playing is BioShock could the MBP handle it?

And also how is apple's support?

 

It'll play on high settings, maybe a couple of things set to medium.

And Apples support is simply fantastic.

 

The MBP can handle it .

And Apple customer support is very good. While its warranty doesn't cover some stuff such as accidental damage, the customer support is known to be really helpful.

 

with the newest 169.32 whql drivers, i can OC to 550/900, fwiw.