MacBook Pro 15" spec choices help...

[Synthesthesia]

I'm undecided on what specs to go for on my new MacBook Pro...I was looking at the following but wondering if it's overkill for what I'm going to use it for/if a lower price option would be better...


2.66GHz Intel Core i7
8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm

I'm going to be using it mainly for Animation software such as Maya, Cinema 4D, odd bit of photoshop use, HD Movie playback etc.

Also when I use web browsers I tend to open LOTS of tabs, having 50+ is usual for me.

Current spec is a 2006 white MacBook:

2Ghz Core Duo
2GB 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM
250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm

And this struggles with what I do in terms of even web browsing and listening to music (didn't used to but does since leopard and snow leopard...)

So yeah, I'm just wondering if for those uses I'd be better off with the top Core i5 and 4GB standard RAM? Or perhaps using the money from the 8gb ram to get the SSD drive? (although looking at the SSDs the only one I'd be willing to spend on would be the 128GB and that's not nearly enough breathing room for me...struggle with 250gb atm.)

Cheers.

[Blaiz0r]

SSD drives are cool, but they're not really necessary, boot times are quick these days, and with a Mac you should generally be putting it to sleep instead of shutdown.

For what you're going to be using it for I don't see that you have much choice, you need plenty of RAM and a good GPU, so a top end Macbook Pro us what you need.

There are cheaper options, but I assume you want to stick with Mac, in that case the iMac's are excellent and compared to laptops you can get more grunt for you money, plus a much larger screen, really good for movies.

So consider buying the desktop versions instead if you don't really need a laptop.

Maybe consider getting a really cheap notebook if you want something for sofa surfing

[speedlolita]

Get an SSD. They're proper good like.

Got a Corsair X32 in my Thinkpad R51 and it's quick as hell.

[VR46]

Blaz0ir is right about needng decent memory and CPU etc. How about a SSD and external hard drive - if your going to be working at a desk most of the time? not ideal I understand but suits certain peoples circumstances.

One thing though, as I'm sure you're aware, only ever buy the minimum memory with the laptop and buy and install the rest yourself from Crucial or whatever, Apple's memory prices are just scary.

Oh and 50 tabs, jeez that is some tabs young man.

[Brad]

Not to put you off buying a new toy but before you do that I'd recommend backing up your system and doing a fresh install of Snow Leopard and all your apps. I predict a very noticeable speed increase compared to how it feels now. Although Macs aren't plagued with Winrot they can still slow down over time if you don't look after them ('looking after' is hard work and requires clearing crap out every now and then and running sudo periodic etc.).

[Synthesthesia]

Well I run Onyx every so often but yeah, I have noticed it's slowed down a bit.

About the iMac: It really needs to be a laptop, since a lot of the work I'll be doing will be at uni. + if i was going to go for a desktop one... I'd probably just make myself a hackintosh. I already have a nice 23" monitor and 40" tv for movies/ games etc.

I know about the RAM too, even with student discount it's £280...from crucial it's £220 and I can sell the 4gb ram if I like. Crazy stuff.

So from what's been said..I'll go with the top end macbook pro and just upgrade my ram later on

[VR46]

You checked out the refurb store? always lots of MB Pro's on there with a good few quid off

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

[Synthesthesia]

Thanks for the suggestion, every time I've looked before though it's had hardly any lol. Had a quick look, but none have the 7200rpm hard drive and like 1 has the hi-res screen. I might as well buy it new with discount, it costs £1,629.00 with standard top spec and hi-res screen, it costs £1,598.00 with my student discount to get a new one haha.

I'd probably snap one up if I could use my discount though.

[Lyris]

If you're going to be using it for professional graphics work, I'd recommend you get all the screen resolution real estate you can possibly afford. I'm not sure what the default is on Macbook Pros these days but the one I have from 2008 is 1440x900 which can be unpleasant - add toolbars, the dock (if you keep that open) and such to the display and you don't have a lot left for what you're actually working on. I think on the laptops you have to go higher up to get a 1920x1200 screen so consider a higher res external screen.

[Synthesthesia]

You do.. I've got a higher res external screen, but I've seen my friend's 1440x900 macbook pro's and they look great to me...and the one I'm after is 1680x1050. So I should be okay. I mean I manage okay using some things this res and it's only 1280x800. Just feels a little cramped.

[Btang84]

Stick to the normal hard drive. If you are serious about getting a SSD for really speedy access, then this is an option:

http://lifehacker.com/5541774/how-to-install-a-solid+state-drive-in-your-macbook

This is at the expense of your optical drive, but the kit gives you an external bay for the disc drive anyway. It means you get the benefit of the SSD booting up your OS in seconds and apps in one bounce, whilst also having the extra room for when you deal with your media files that you are editing.

[Synthesthesia]

Stick to the normal hard drive. If you are serious about getting a SSD for really speedy access, then this is an option:

http://lifehacker.com/5541774/how-to-install-a-solid+state-drive-in-your-macbook

This is at the expense of your optical drive, but the kit gives you an external bay for the disc drive anyway. It means you get the benefit of the SSD booting up your OS in seconds and apps in one bounce, whilst also having the extra room for when you deal with your media files that you are editing.

That sounds amazing. I totally want to do that...Only thing stopping me is warranty. I barely ever use my DVD drive on my mac at the minute, plus being able to just plug in the DVD drive would suit my usage of it just fine. I'd use it a hell of a lot less than an external hard drive anyways. Hm.

[fishbowlhead]

If your really into design work then you cant beat an iMac, 20 or 27 inch, there lovely to work on, and as already mentioned you get a lot more bang for your buck. I transport mine all the time to and from work too, only 1 lead, mouse and keyboard, if you drive its not really a big deal.

Worth keeping in mind.

[Synthesthesia]

Nah I'm too used to using laptops now, I've got a fairly good PC and never use it apart from the odd game like Starcraft 2. Wouldn't really like the idea of carrying a 20" screen and kb/m to and from my car and uni every day either. My friend does some animation work using his 3.06Ghz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro with 4gb and he says it's pretty good, so the speed increase in this years models should be good enough for me

[Brad]

Macbooks' are more versatile and if you want a big monitor then you can always plug in something else and have a lovely dual display setup for when you're at home.