MacBook Pro worth the Upgrade?
In the near future (as soon as I have the money) I’ll be buying a new laptop. I’ve had my eye set on a Black MacBook for sometime now, and with the upgraded memory, it comes to a price of about $1850 CAD. But now I’m thinking that for $400 (seems like a lot right now) I could get a 15′ MacBook Pro. The MBP’s start at $2199 CAD, which would be a pretty big hike in price, and it goes back to the 1GB of RAM. A quick look at the comparison chart, and I can draw these conclusions on buying a MBP instead of a Black MacBook (with 2GB memory).
Pros
- 15′ Display- 1440 x 900 native res.
- Slightly faster processor (+ 0.16 GHz).
- Choice of matte or glossy screen at no extra charge.
- Much better graphics capability.
Cons
- $400 more- worth it?
- Same size hard drive.
- 1GB less RAM then selected MacBook.
- Mac Book more aesthetic?
- I’ve heard bad things about the MBPs and running Adobe CS2.
I’m not worried about a 13.3′ screen on a normal MB being too small, as I’ve seen one of the Core Duo models (previous model without Core 2 Duo) and it won’t be an issue, nor will the keyboard. In the end I think it comes down to:
- Price- do I want to wait for two more clients to make another $400+ ?
- The extra 2.1′ in screen size- novelty?
- 2GB or RAM- does the MacBook really need it? Will I notice a difference from 1GB?
- The *Black* MacBook- It’s black. Seems cool, right?
In the end I doubt I’ll be going for the upgrade, unless of course I randomly come across $400 in the next week and a half (hint?).
Leave a comment
Kory Twaites
March 15th, 2007 at 10:28 AM
I hope to be making this switch sometime this year, and I’ve come across this dilemma. I personally decided to just go with the MacBook Pro. Two reasons why I want to go with the MBP is the graphics card and the screen size. First off I’ve never really been a fan of intel based chips, and I will probably end up loading on Vista so the higher the graphics card the better. And also I like a lot of screen real estate so that extra 2 in are gonna come in handy. But what ever you decided just make sure you have enough ram to make you comfortable, I’d say you can never have too much, and since the standard now is becoming 1gig, pretty much, I’d alway advise to stay somewhat ahead.
Ben
March 16th, 2007 at 4:47 AM
Just some thoughts on the memory. Since the integrated graphics of the MacBook uses up a portion of the RAM, the 2GB may be more important for the MB than the MBP. Especially if you’re running a VM such as Parallels. 1GB may not cut it for OS X, a VM and graphics memory.
(Note, I don’t have either a MB or a MBP, so can’t speak from experience)
Connor Wilson
March 16th, 2007 at 7:05 AM
Kory: Tell me how that goes! I’m interested as to what the out of the box experience is going to be like. If I get either one before I’ll be sure to tell you!
Ben: That’s interesting, I never thought of that. That actually makes the MBP look a lot better.
Connor Wilson
March 16th, 2007 at 7:54 PM
I’ve actually been thinking about it, and now I’m pretty sure I’ll be going for the 2.16GHz 15.4′ MacBook Pro, with the stock 1GB of RAM.
Hopefully the extra money is worth it!
Buy Macbook Pro
July 1st, 2008 at 6:34 PM
To be honest, you will not regret going for a MBP with as much RAM as possible. My 13 inch Macbook strugged with a few things until I maxed it out to 2GB RAM.
The better graphics card in the Macbook pro also makes alot of difference to the operation of the machine.
But hey - if you can afford it - get the best you can for the money you have!
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