Some Macbook Pro Questions

[Red Bull]

So graduation is coming up fast. 1 month, actually. My graduation present from my parents will be about $1500 towards a laptop. I know 100% for sure that I am going to put it towards a Macbook Pro (15 inch). I will be recieving plenty of money from relatives and I have a lot of my own money saved up. I have a few questions though.

1) What is the difference between getting a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo vs. getting a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

2) If I get the 2.16 GHz I will upgrade to 2gb ram. Is there a place where I can get this for cheaper than the Apple store? (Add $158)

3) I'm debating on whether or not to upgrade from a 120gb hard drive to a 160gb hard drive, which would add $90 to the cost (both are 5400 RPM) Should I just go for the 120 and put the money towards a larger hard drive with a faster RPM to install myself? (If possible)

4) Should I get the Applecare Protection Plan? (add $239)

[wxwax]

1/ Same as any processor upgrade.

2/ Crucial (http://www.crucial.com/store/listmodel.asp?cat=RAM&mfr=Apple&productline=MacBook+Pro&submit=Go).

3/ Changing the hard drive is easy (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2119694,00.asp). But can you find a 160GB drive for $90? If not, then maybe the Apple upgrade is the cheapest route. [Ignore this! See below.]

4/ Yes.

[colourbox]

2) If I get the 2.16 GHz I will upgrade to 2gb ram. Is there a place where I can get this for cheaper than the Apple store? (Add $158)

Almost everywhere is cheaper than Apple. Here is one reliable company (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/Pro/DDR2/) I have purchased from multiple times. RAM and hard drives are listed there. They also offer rebates if you send back your old RAM and drives. Note: Hard drive replacement on a MacBook Pro is far more involved and time-consuming than on the super-easy MacBook. For details, see ifixit.com (http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro/Hard-Drive/85/5). Also, you will probably void your warranty if you crack open the case. Upgrading RAM does not void your warranty because they provide an easy-access door for it.

4) Should I get the Applecare Protection Plan? (add $239)

That's funny, my Apple store says MacBook Pro AppleCare is $349. Were you really pricing a MacBook? If you are building a business with your laptop, then AppleCare is a good idea. The service is great and fast, when there is a problem. AppleCare is often sold at less than Apple prices. For example, at SmallDog (http://www.smalldog.com/product/41664).

[wxwax]

Note: Hard drive replacement on a MacBook Pro is far more involved and time-consuming than on the super-easy MacBook.

You're right, I'm a dope.

[Red Bull]

That's funny, my Apple store says MacBook Pro AppleCare is $349. Were you really pricing a MacBook? If you are building a business with your laptop, then AppleCare is a good idea. The service is great and fast, when there is a problem. AppleCare is often sold at less than Apple prices. For example, at SmallDog (http://www.smalldog.com/product/41664).
I was pricing using the Apple Store for students.

As for RAM, is there a specific brand that the MBP takes? Or is it pretty much any brand?

Will I really notice the difference in speed with an upgraded processor? I really don't know a ton about it, so what would the difference be between 2.16 and 2.33?

[CatOne]

I was pricing using the Apple Store for students.

As for RAM, is there a specific brand that the MBP takes? Or is it pretty much any brand?

Will I really notice the difference in speed with an upgraded processor? I really don't know a ton about it, so what would the difference be between 2.16 and 2.33?

For RAM, it takes a specific spec of RAM. Crucial works. Kingston works. Generic *might* work. Macs are pretty tight on their memory specifications -- so it pays to get stuff that's certified and guaranteed.

For performance differences... this is a math problem. The 2.16 machine is approxiately 92.7% the speed of the 2.33. In other words, the 2.33 is 7.87% faster than the 2.16. What is that... a 1 minute operation would take 55 seconds? Is that critical to you? What is your time worth? Really, it pretty much is that simple.

[Red Bull]

Thank you for clearing that up. I will probably get the Crucial memory. I will also probably get the 2.16GHz model since the difference in speed doesn't seem too signifigant. That way I can save that money and put it towards and external hard drive or Photoshop CS3.

[saurora]

Thank you for clearing that up. I will probably get the Crucial memory. I will also probably get the 2.16GHz model since the difference in speed doesn't seem too signifigant. That way I can save that money and put it towards and external hard drive or Photoshop CS3.

That is good thinking!!! :D

[cabbey]

For performance differences... this is a math problem. The 2.16 machine is approxiately 92.7% the speed of the 2.33. In other words, the 2.33 is 7.87% faster than the 2.16. What is that... a 1 minute operation would take 55 seconds? Is that critical to you? What is your time worth? Really, it pretty much is that simple.

And that's *only* for an operation that is 100% CPU bound. Alot of the things that take time are IO bound unless you have a huge amount of memory and have already touched all the relevant data to have it in memory. My personal rule of thumb on laptops, has been to splurge on the memory and the faster disk before the extra 170Mhz that you're talking about on that small of a bump. (That's not to say I won't take it if I can get it... just that it's a lower priority.)


I actually last week priced out my own MBP system that I'd want to build if I didn't have better things to do with the corporate award I just got then subsidize their hardware spending by buying my own laptop for work. Sadly, as far as I can tell you can't buy a 17" MBP with only 1G of memory. So my plan was to buy it with 2x1G, then add a 2G SO-DIMM from newegg (probably this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146684) for $165) and sell the other 1G SO-DIMM on eBay (once I'm happy with the 2G one being stable). I was also going to downsize to the 100G drive in order to get 7200 RPM. I might later upgrade the drive to something larger, but for now I'd use network storage for any thing that doesn't fit in my working cache on the drive, I've only used 130G of my storage on my current desktop, and that's over two years of being a slob about not cleaning up anything. I could probably drop that below 100G in less than ten minutes (of searching, lots more time emptying trash. :D ) Adding APP to that brings it to $2790 on our corporate discount price... plus $165 for the memory puts me at $2955, before tax, shipping and eBay profits on a 1G SO-DIMM (which *might* cover shipping of the laptop... maybe... if I find an idiot to sell it to with the usual "it's apple hardware" eBay markup.)

Now you were looking at the 15"... so there is one other difference between the 2.16Ghz and 2.33Ghz versions: video memory. The 2.33 Ghz 15" MBP has 256M of video memory, the 2.16 only 128. If you're a gamer, or using a lot of apps with quartz compositing or other graphics intense applications (Aperture, but not Photoshop) then you might want that extra memory.

[Red Bull]

I was thinking of getting an app. My uncle has Adobe Lightroom and I really liked it so I might get that instead of something like Aperture.

[colourbox]

I was pricing using the Apple Store for students.

As for RAM, is there a specific brand that the MBP takes? Or is it pretty much any brand?

Oh, educational price. In that case, the educational price for AppleCare is the best available deal!

You can get RAM from any company that has a known good history of meeting Mac specs. Crucial, OWC/macsales, Ramjet, and Transintl are all safe bets I have used, with Crucial often being the most expensive so I usually go to one of the others.

[greenpea]

I was thinking of getting an app. My uncle has Adobe Lightroom and I really liked it so I might get that instead of something like Aperture.

Don't forget to use your educational pricing on those Adobe apps too.
CS3 Extended $299.
Lightroom $99.
:D

[Red Bull]

^I wasn't aware of educational discounts on Adobe Products. Thanks!

[greenpea]

^I wasn't aware of educational discounts on Adobe Products. Thanks!

Now you'll have enough extra cash to get the 2.33 MBP.:D

However, make sure to use that Adobe discount while your still a student, Adobe is REALLY strict (much more so than Apple) about only selling educational software to qualified people.

[Poseidon]

You can get the Adobe educational versions from www.educational-software.com for pretty cheap, and it is an easy validation process.

I am looking a MBP too, probably a 15" model, aftermarket RAM for sure, not so sure on the HD yet....

Boy, just over 6 months and I have went from 2 PC's to 2 REAL computers! :barb

[Red Bull]

I forgot to ask one more question. I have the option of the normal screen or the glossy screen. Which one should I get? I might like the better colors of the glossy but I also like the no glare on the regular screen. Which one do you think is better?

[wxwax]

The consensus seems to be that if you plan to work on images using your laptop screen, the matte is the better finish. Glossy pumps up the image, makes it look nice, but gives you a false sense of what it will look like elsewhere/printed.

[Red Bull]

That's what I had figured.

As for the student discount, what do you need to actually prove you are enrolled in college? I signed up and have my ID number for college, but is there anything else I will need? I am not signed up for classes because I have to get an exact date from the school so I can sign up for my classes (I do not have a choice on when this date is, and it will be late since students already there get first pick)

[Red Bull]

I went ahead and ordered!! I'm so excited for it to come. I ended up getting a 2.4GHz 15". I also bought .Mac and I am going into the store today to purchase AppleCare. My friend said that if you buy it in the store you actually get the diagnostic CD where as if you buy it online they do it all for you and do not recieve the CD.

And of course, I couldn't pass up the "Buy a Mac, get a freee iPod Nano" deal! I ordered a 4gb iPod Nano Product Red. I will get a $200 rebate so it will end up being free. I am going to give my girfriend the iPod as her graduation present since I already have a 60gb iPod Video, and she just goes crazy every time she sees a red Nano (red is her favorite color). I'm so excited to watch her open it! Right now she only has a very old first generation shuffle (1gb) that is all beat up.