Which Mac Book Pro?

I'm going to college this year and want to get a mac notebook.

I'm looking to play a few games (bf2, bf2142, cod2, ut2004) and plan on purchasing the Adobe CS3 suite with the student discount.

I cannot decide on which version of the mac book pro to buy. Which would you recommend?

I'm not too much of a serious gamer but would like to be able to play games for the next few years. Is a mac book capable of using the new adobe suite at a decent level? If I were to buy just a mac book I would spend the extra money on 22" LCD and XBOX 360.

Thanks in advanced.

Hcxc1runner

 

For older games, I would think the "base" macbook pro would be fine.
It will be able to play most current-gen games just fine, it might not get super high rates/markings/whatever, but it will still play them. That being said though, there is some benchie here about the 256mb one (the 2500$ one) getting 30-100% or so rates than the 128mb one... http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=130879
As for the adobe suite, any MBP should do really nice for it.

 

whichever one you have the money for. ;}

 

I think you misread his question. He's asking about just a regular 13.3in MB since getting that would free up money for the 360+TV.

What part of the CS3 suite will you be using? I think Photoshop CS3 is out of the question for a MB.

The MBP should be able to handle all those games you listed. Future games such as Crysis and CoD4 will most likely (definitely in the case of Crysis) need to be run at mid-low details and low resolution.

As to your question of which MBP, obviously the 17in with the upgraded screen (1920x1200) would be perfect for your CS3 needs. The question between the two 15in MBP is slightly harder. Personally from what I've read, the 2.4GHz MBP is only 5% faster on average versus the 2.2GHz MBP ( http://www.barefeats.com/rosa03.html). It's up to you to decide if that 500 for 5% is worth it.

And on another note, I would hold off on getting a 360 until this fall. There's probably going to be a price drop and/or a hardware revision to make the system cooler and less prone to failure.

 

Oh, i thought his whole post was on the MBPs not about the macbooks (non-pro) at all.

 

thanks for the quick reply. Actually your both right. The question is two fold. I'm considering either the macbook/360 combo or one of the mac book pro. I've taken a couple classes on photoshop/dreamweaver/flash. I've gotten pretty decent with flash ( http://hcxc.ourprofile.info is my final project for the class). The 17" pro is out of the question, too expensive and the 2.4 Ghz Pro is on the edge.

 

You will do just fine with a regular Macbook. The integrated graphics is all you need for cs3. The one thing you might want to consider is the screen size. Personally I would go into an Apple Store and play around on cs3 on a MacBook and MacBook Pro.

I'd also go with the 360 + 22" TV - Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, Half Life 2, Gears of War, Oblivion, possibly Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy.

 

Get the little guy and then go out and buy a PS3. Seriously. Who wants to play games on the crapple Mac keyboard when you can go hog wild with the PS3 ?

 

LOL get the xbox360 instead of a ps3

 

The Macbook can definitely run CS3, but screen resolution may be a problem for you if you work with high-resolution photos or something. Overall, the Macbook/360 combo is the best option for you, but if the resolution is going to get in the way, it might be best to get a MBP.

 

Being a recent college grad...I'd get a MB (easier to carry around) and a 360 + LCD.

Having one of the latest vid consoles is a must in dorm life Also, having a bigger TV/monitor/whatever is directly porportional to how often people will hangout in your room to watch movies/play games They're easy friend makers.

 

That's true, but if you're living in a dorm, space in your own room is probably at a premium. If you have a common area, it might be a good idea to pool your money together to get one giant tv and console for the common room. That way, everyone saves a bit, you end up being able to get something a bit bigger than you would've bought yourself due to money and space constraints. At the end of the year, you can do a lottery to see who gets to keep it, and he or she could reimburse the balance to everyone else based on the market value of a 1-year old TV/XBOX360 then.

That way, you can get most of the benefits of having a great TV and console to use, while having the $ to buy a better MBP!

Obviously the above is purely hypothetical and dependent on you actually living in a dorm with a common room with people willing to do this

 

hypothetical question:
Will a Mac Book run at 1680 x 1050 resolution on a 22" LCD? I was considering a Samsung 22" LCD from newegg.

 

this http://guides.macrumors.com/Buying_a_MacBook_versus_MacBook_Pro says that it can do up to 1920x1200

 

I would get the MB+X360 combo, but not because the MB is easier to carry around. It really isn't by that much, so yea. 5.1lbs vs. 5.4 doesnt make too much of a difference.

The Xbox is a better gaming system than the MBP, so it works out pretty well.