Considering a Macbook Pro- Help me decide!

Ok first off, the last time I used a Mac was about 1992 lol. So what I would like people to do is list the plus point of having a Mac. Also how hot do these things get, and has the flash video issue been resolved where it super heats the laptop?

Oh and can I upgrade the HDD myself? Or does that void warranty?

 

Build quality
Mac OS
Eye Candy
etc etc etc

It gets warm as any laptop does with flash content.
Yes you can upgrade the HDD yourself and it DOES NOT void warranty or Applecare.

 

I'm looking at a similar situation, although I've never owned a Mac. Apparently things have come a LONG way since 1992 and the practical divisions between Mac and PC have dwindled significantly. I have to run Win7 (job requirement) and I've heard that PC Magazine singled out the Mac as being the best system to run it on. Go figure.

 

I've not heard that bgStudios. From what I understand, it's hard to find drivers, and there's also a lot of bugs and hindrances. The Forbe's article that I read was pretty out of touch.

 

Have to see if I can find that article. I didn't read it for myself but I trust the person who did.

 

^ Want To Run Windows 7? Buy A Mac - Forbes.com

What I mean by out of touch is the writer of the article is talking about PC's being slower than Macs and whatnot. But it's a very bad article.

 

They're mainly focused on the fact that cheap PCs suck. Like sub-$800 stuff. Of course a $1000-$2000 MacBook or iMac is going to perform better than something that has Intel integrated graphics and a crappy processor, along with bad build quality and a ty battery.

They're just hung up on the idea that PCs are bad.

 

One bonus for macs is a lot less time wasted hassling with drivers that need to be updated/uninstalled/reinstalled/etc. although sometimes it is a bit of a hassle to get the correct drivers working with bootcamp.

it's pretty common for windows to leave pieces of drivers and old applications around in the registry, etc., that can cause problems when updating to the next version.

I use both macs and windows computers on a daily basis and I would say that it's relatively common after a certain period of time to find yourself needing to restore from backup/restore point or reinstall windows completely, for whatever reason, sometimes driver issues. Although, like any computer they can have problems, this has happened much less frequently with our macs.

I would ask, what sort of applications do you plan to run? Almost any windows app seems to run OK in bootcamp although a few, such as certain disc authoring apps, don't seem to run very well.

 

Drivers are all on the Mac OSX install disk. Every driver you need to run Windows 7 normally is on there. I haven't had bugs. Sure you will lose features and the eye candy of Mac OS X but that should be expected.

 

Thanks guys, I do want to play the odd game as well. I have a reasonable size game collection from Steam, along with GTAIv that I want to still be able to play. Is this capable of still playing this with reasonable graphics, what about Colin McCrae Dirt 2?

Main thing is I need a good LCD screen with good calibration. Also good for music as well. How are the speakers? Also do these machines suffer from CPU whine?

 

The main plus points of a Mac, really, are the Mac OS, the slim and light form factor, the fantastic screen, and the good battery life.

Something nobody else has pointed out: MacBooks get VERY, VERY hot. The cooling design on them is quite poor at best. They can easily run over 100C if you put them under full load.

Asking whether the MacBook Pro is capable of playing games with "reasonable graphics" depends on your definition of "reasonable graphics". Keep in mind the 13" MBP has the integrated 320M, the 15"/17" models have the dedicated 330M. Neither of them match up even closely to the ATi Mobility 5730 in your current laptop however. Without a doubt they are NOT laptops for gamers.

 

DiRT 2 on a Mac? Only if you have it on low settings.

 

Ok, so I need to ditch gaming then? Bit concerned about the heat, but I dunno I always wanted a mac and apple customer service is second to none!

 

I don't know about the UK but here in North America there are many Mac retailers who have 15 day no-questions-asked return policy on notebooks with no restocking fees. If you do have such retailers in the UK I'd say it's best to try a Macbook Pro for yourself. That's really the only way to get a satisfactory answer.

Buy it, use it fully for two weeks and decide. That's what I did two years ago as I was very hesitant about the switch and was too entrenched in Windows. This forum helped a lot but nothing compares to physically using a MBP on your own for a two week period.

If you're concerned about finances, buy it on a Credit card right after the grace period cut-off so if you do return it in 15 days then both the purchase and return transaction will be on the same statement - so no difference to you.

 

Well money is not so much an issue, but I will be putting on a credit card as I get a free 1 year warranty extension for any purchases. Also bit of a result is my workplace is part of the EPP program, so I get 17% off a Macbook Pro!

Also, can I upgrade the internal drive to blu ray without voiding warranty and is it possible?

 

you can add blu ray, its a huge pain though, you HAVE to use windows as OSX does NOT support blu-ray
as for swapping the drive you can get a panasonic or LG slotload BD drive and install it inplace of the superdrive.

 

There is no 9.5mm slot loading Blu-ray drive on the market right now. There are a few that are 12.7mm, but they can't fit into the MBP optical bay.

 

Maybe an external drive?

 

your right, guess I sould have seen if there were any 9.5's out yet.

yes you can use an external BD but again still no support in OSX, so bootcamp and 7 almost becomes a necessity

 

Like I've said before, there are still sacrifices.

 

With Win7 x64 on my MBP I am unhappy with the trackpad drivers (way too sensitive) and it's crashed on me a handful of times. I attribute it to the nVidia MCP79 chipset.

 

Thanks for all the replies, what is a good config based on what I have mentioned?

 

If you want to be able to play any games on this laptop, you're going to need to go with the discrete MBPs. After that, it's up to your preferences and budget.

If you would like portability and low weight, go with the 15" MBP. If you'd like this to be more of a desktop replacement with more screen real estate, go with the 17" MBP. If you'd like to split the difference, get a 15" MBP with the high resolution screen option.