Should I buy an MBP?

[Lucas]

Hey guys,

Recently I've been kind of pushed into the idea of buying an MBP for the first time in my life. I'm currently studying Computer Science and therefore doing lots of programming/designining work and every time I've had the chance to play a little bit with Mac OS X I've personally loved it. More than anything this MBP would be used to take it to College, work on programming/designing and maybe a game here and there every once in a while, at most World of Warcraft. I'd be buying the 13' C2D model, can't really afford the 15' ones and higher models, but the normal MacBook doesn't convince me either.

So, I know I kinda made my own research, but, in general, how pleased are you from moving from PC/Win7 Laptop to a MBP or Mac OS X in general?

Also, since I currently live in Costa Rica and I'm going to Texas to visit some friends and do some shopping, I could order from Apple and have it sent to my friends house, but, I was thinking on buying it from BestBuy hoping I could get the taxes off, since I'm leaving after a week and also try and get a student discount. Would this be possible or am I asking too much?

Thanks!

[sic133]

Student discount and taxes off at Best buy? Not happening. I know Apple has student discounts but ONLINE. The Macbook Pro is great but I like the bigger LCD sizes. I am a Windows fanboy so I would prefer Windows 7 over OS X.

[Aaron Olive]

i would say buy the HP Envy same design and more bang for your buck

[Tekkerson]

I agree with Killa. Plus, if you're programming and you're worrying about money, you should know how to get a PC and make it a hackingtosh you'll save tons. Also, if you don't live in California,Tenesee Or New Jersey you can order your laptop from newegg.com and you won't be charged any sales tax (plus some offer free shipping!). On a last note, nothing says that you're a programmer / computer whiz more than having OSX on a PC.

I would personally go for a PC it's just better performance for the buck, this includes the drivers for your video card that will run your games a lot better than on a MAC.

[Aaron Olive]

I agree with Killa. Plus, if you're programming and you're worrying about money, you should know how to get a PC and make it a hackingtosh you'll save tons. Also, if you don't live in California,Tenesee Or New Jersey you can order your laptop from newegg.com and you won't be charged any sales tax (plus some offer free shipping!). On a last note, nothing says that you're a programmer / computer whiz more than having OSX on a PC.

I would personally go for a PC it's just better performance for the buck, this includes the drivers for your video card that will run your games a lot better than on a MAC.

true, plus the 17'' starts at $1399 and has a ATI Radeon 5850 http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=ENVY&a2=Screen+size&v2=Over+16.9&series_name=ENVY17_series&a1=Category&v1=ENVY&a2=Screen+size&v2=Over+16.9

[russellc]

I was also in university for computer science and I was given the choice to buy a laptop for school. I went with the Macbook Pro. I just graduated a month or two ago, so back then, it was not the unibody Macbook Pro's. Nowadays, the unibody Macbook Pro is a great choice. I got my old one replaced with the unibody for free on AppleCare because they broke my old one in a third repair (the old MBP was the one riddled with known problems).

In terms of usage, I would not trade in Mac OS X for anything else. It increased my productivity two-fold and I have since grown to love Mac OS X. I still use Windows when necessary and Linux for servers, but they cannot hold a candle to Mac OS for customization of one's own workflow in day-to-day use. I would say the transition to Mac OS was fairly easy and everything just seemed to make more sense than in Windows; just have to keep an open mind about trying new things. I am quite content with keeping my Mac completely Windows-free. Typically, Mac OS has more polished applications, consistent UI's with excellent integration with features of the OS and Finder which is something I find impossible to find in Windows. The Pro line has the power necessary to keep up with my uses and I have had no need to upgrade to a higher model.

Build quality on the new Macbook Pro's are great.

Hope that helps!

[Tekkerson]

true, plus the 17'' starts at $1399 and has a ATI Radeon 5850

Say no more :D

[Lucas]

Student discount and taxes off at Best buy? Not happening. I know Apple has student discounts but ONLINE. The Macbook Pro is great but I like the bigger LCD sizes. I am a Windows fanboy so I would prefer Windows 7 over OS X.

I know I can get the taxes off, but I wonder which one would be worth more, the $100 student discount or the taxes off. I'll have to see.

I was also in university for computer science and I was given the choice to buy a laptop for school. I went with the Macbook Pro. I just graduated a month or two ago, so back then, it was not the unibody Macbook Pro's. Nowadays, the unibody Macbook Pro is a great choice. I got my old one replaced with the unibody for free on AppleCare because they broke my old one in a third repair (the old MBP was the one riddled with known problems).

In terms of usage, I would not trade in Mac OS X for anything else. It increased my productivity two-fold and I have since grown to love Mac OS X. I still use Windows when necessary and Linux for servers, but they cannot hold a candle to Mac OS for customization of one's own workflow in day-to-day use. I would say the transition to Mac OS was fairly easy and everything just seemed to make more sense than in Windows; just have to keep an open mind about trying new things. I am quite content with keeping my Mac completely Windows-free. Typically, Mac OS has more polished applications, consistent UI's with excellent integration with features of the OS and Finder which is something I find impossible to find in Windows. The Pro line has the power necessary to keep up with my uses and I have had no need to upgrade to a higher model.

Build quality on the new Macbook Pro's are great.

Hope that helps!

Pretty much how it seems everyone feels and it's what I want to feel, it seems like it's just so much more productive, with Windows I just spend my time looking for a decent app to do things or end up taking twice the time to do something just cause I have to open tons of things and move everything around to do 1 thing, when I see in videos of Mac OS X things are more intuitive. I guess I'm not going wrong with that! I've been hearing though that the graphics drivers are not as decent as Windows graphic drivers. Which I find strange, since people use macs for video processing and what not.

[perochan]

if you have the money, yes. if dont, save more and get it . :D

[Dysphoria]

So, I know I kinda made my own research, but, in general, how pleased are you from moving from PC/Win7 Laptop to a MBP or Mac OS X in general?

I got the same 13' MBP last summer and I love it. It's a great piece of hardware. I am running Mac OS X and have Win 7 installed on Virtual Box due to couple of apps that I ran at work, but am using Mac OS X for 90% of my work.

If you can get the Student discount it's a great deal.

Cheers

[Tekkerson]

I know I can get the taxes off, but I wonder which one would be worth more, the $100 student discount or the taxes off. I'll have to see.

Pretty much how it seems everyone feels and it's what I want to feel, it seems like it's just so much more productive, with Windows I just spend my time looking for a decent app to do things or end up taking twice the time to do something just cause I have to open tons of things and move everything around to do 1 thing, when I see in videos of Mac OS X things are more intuitive. I guess I'm not going wrong with that! I've been hearing though that the graphics drivers are not as decent as Windows graphic drivers. Which I find strange, since people use macs for video processing and what not.

Have you not used Windows 7? Having a lot of things open at once isn't an issue on the latest version of windows with Aero Peek. You honestly sound like you just want a MAC because I have no issues with Windows being productive.

[Rudy]

I had a MBP when I was in Computer Science and I LOVED it :p

[JonathanMarston]

I know many people would strongly disagree with me, but personally I wouldn't buy a MBP even if I had $1,000,000 to burn. I was assigned a 17" MBP at work to create an iPhone app, and I tried for 3 weeks to like it enough to make it my primary notebook, but in the end I went back to my HP. Mac OS X looks pretty, but really ended up being annoying to me (lacking in window management, UI inconsistencies, stability issues - yes, I've had more trouble with my MBP with Snow Leopard than my HP with Windows 7). The hardware is also lacking for the amount of money you pay, with no docking-port option, no HDMI out, no memory card readers, forced to buy adapters to hook up monitors, uncomfortably sharp edges, etc. As far as the good points, it does have very good battery life, nice track-pad, and quick resume from sleep.

IMO, if you buy a good HP notebook (not their cheapest, the Envy is nice) running Windows 7 you'll be much happier in the long run...

[JonathanMarston]

I've been hearing though that the graphics drivers are not as decent as Windows graphic drivers. Which I find strange, since people use macs for video processing and what not.

I agree, it is strange that Macs have the reputation of being "better at graphics," when they are in actuality significantly slower at both gaming graphics, and graphic design work (the Adobe suite in particular runs significantly slower on Mac OSX than on Windows 7 on the same hardware).

[Duffydemon]

when i joined animation school, many people suggested me to buy an mac, but whenever i ask what so special in mac for designing and animation, they have no answer, so i built an i7 system, installed win7, ubuntu and OSX 10.6.4 ( Hackint0sh ).....and i only use OSX for final cut pro.....it was much cheaper than an apple system, i also got OSX and i didnt found any difference in graphics work......photoshop performs same on windows and OSX, so you can get a good notebook with better specs and much cheaper.....and you can install OSX on it too if you want to do experiment...

[Dysphoria]

Here is a nice little article that kind of sums it up for you, regarding the Graphic Design choice:

The Best Computers for Graphic Design

[Duffydemon]

but still i didnt get there point what "Special" is in macs for graphics work? nowdays PC and Macs share same hardware......so whats the difference? thats question is annoying me from long time.......

[Omen1393]

http://www.newegg.co...0-717-_-Product

I think that just about suits your needs. Nvidia optimus for integrated and discrete graphics, 2.26 intel core i3 processor, 13" and Aluminum case. It even has 2 finger scrolling if you like the OS X's scrolling method.

[dknm]

$1799 is quite a lot for the 15" model , but if you are to spend most of your time coding or reading , you really need something bigger then 13" .

Maybe you ca find some student discount (last time i checked it was just 5%) . Or hook the 13" to an external display . Or you could buy a used one / previous gen . It's that good . Only for the screen and it's a sell .

[Dysphoria]

but still i didnt get there point what "Special" is in macs for graphics work? nowdays PC and Macs share same hardware......so whats the difference? thats question is annoying me from long time.......

I guess you did not read the article I linked.

There is not much difference nowadays, it comes down to personal preference.

In past most of the Graphics Editing software was written for Macs, which is not the case anymore.

Some graphic designers are saying that the MacBook Pro screens are reproducing the colors more accurately and that is the reason they tend to go with Macs.

Mac Pros seem to offer upgrades up to 12 cores for some heavy duty decoding/encoding and other media editing, but they come at a very high price.

The reasone I picked up the MacBook Pro 13' is because it gave me a better battery life and stronger and lighter casing than HP or DEll had at that time, and I paid about the same as I would have for the Envy 13'

P.S. Make sure you do some research on the Envy, some of their models had problems with batteries and overheating.....

[stoshrocket]

On the side of productivity, Windows 7 is indeed very productive in comparison to previous instalments, but you cannot compare to the flow of a Mac Book.

With the likes of Spaces and Expose, combined with the shortcuts and figure gestures of the touchpad, I find productivity much better on my Mac Book than on my Windows 7 laptop. Even installing OSX down the homebrew route will limit yourself because of the lack of the multi-touch trackpad (besides the fact you'll inevitably be missing at least one driver).

Think carefully about the balance of money and productivity, but if I had to choose between my Windows 7 Laptop and MBP, I'd take the MBP everytime.

[Dysphoria]

http://www.newegg.co...0-717-_-Product

I think that just about suits your needs. Nvidia optimus for integrated and discrete graphics, 2.26 intel core i3 processor, 13" and Aluminum case. It even has 2 finger scrolling if you like the OS X's scrolling method.

Yeah, the Asus laptop doesnt look bad for the price. It does not have an Aluminum casing though....

[Emily_June]

I originally switched to OSX when I bought my 24" iMac in 2008 to replace a 2005 HP tower. After that, I replaced my Dell Inspiron for a 13" Macbook in 2009. I couldn't be happier with my choices. I work in graphic design, and I've found the Adobe Suites (2 through 4) to run smoother on my Macs than it ever did on any PC (mine, and those in a few of my classes). I did spend a semester working in After Effects, as well as Maya and both graphic intensive programs ran smoother on my Macs than any PC I had access to at the time--which, in all fairness, may have been a bit outdated.

I do some work in HTML, and I've found myself enjoying BBEdit far more than I ever did Notepad++, but that's just personal preference.

If you've tried out OSX and you find yourself enjoying it more over Windows, then I'd definitely say go for the MBP. If you've tried it, and it rubs you the wrong way, or you can't see yourself becoming comfortable with the OS or the machine, then you're probably better off with a PC. You're always going to come across people telling you to stay away from Apple for this or that reason--and it often has more to do with that persons personal distaste for Apple, and their loyalty with Windows--but what matters is how you feel working on your own machine.

Hope that helps, and good luck. :)

-Emily

[Duffydemon]

I guess you did not read the article I linked.

There is not much difference nowadays, it comes down to personal preference.

In past most of the Graphics Editing software was written for Macs, which is not the case anymore.

Some graphic designers are saying that the MacBook Pro screens are reproducing the colors more accurately and that is the reason they tend to go with Macs.

Mac Pros seem to offer upgrades up to 12 cores for some heavy duty decoding/encoding and other media editing, but they come at a very high price.

The reasone I picked up the MacBook Pro 13' is because it gave me a better battery life and stronger and lighter casing than HP or DEll had at that time, and I paid about the same as I would have for the Envy 13'

P.S. Make sure you do some research on the Envy, some of their models had problems with batteries and overheating.....

actually i read the article and didnt found any point saying whats the difference.....but i have to say there is difference in colors when i use illustrator on mac and windows.....but it doesn't mean that which one is better.....and yes in last its your personal preference.....if you feel comfortable with OSX than go for it, if you feel comfortable with windows go for it......there is no difference in performance or hardware.....just your preference.... :)

[+StevoFC MVC]

I just recently ordered a 17" HP Pavilion dv7t Select Edition

It was $1250 customized.

A spec comparison between the HP laptop I ordered for $1250 and the 17" MBP that costs $2350 (upgraded the HDD to 7200rpm to match the HP):

HP: Intel Core i5 2.40GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz

MBP: 2.53GHz Intel Core i5

HP: 6GB DDR3 System Memory

MBP: 4GB DDR3 System Memory

HP: 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive

MBP: 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive

HP: 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]

MBP: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR3 memory and Intel HD Graphics with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory

HP: 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)

MBP: MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Glossy Widescreen Display

HP: Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

MBP: SuperDrive 8x (DVD?R DL/DVD?RW/CD-RW)

HP: One 6 Cell (standard) and One 9 Cell (over-sized) Lithium Ion Battery

MBP: Built-in 95-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery

To me, I just can't see spending the price difference there. I love OS X and my Macs but for the value they just aren't worth it anymore. The prices are dropping so much for other computer manufacturers, but Apple just doesn't seem to understand that.