12-02-2008, 09:37 PM

Hey everybody,

I am thinking of buying a new Apple. My current PowerBook 12'' will follow me for long time but I'm thinking to take advantage of the new Intel chipset...
So, the question now is: which one?
I found as End Of Life a early 2008 MacBook Pro (so 15''). It is a 2,5ghz Intel Core Duo, 250 GB of HD, 512mb graphic board. I think (but not sure) that it is the one with LED monitor.
The alternative that I'm taking in consideration is the new MacBook (13'') unibody.

Now, my fears are the following:
1) coming from a 12'' monitor to face off a 15'' one could be scary (big computer to carry... but the 13'' is not THAT smaller...)
2) is the unibody really THAT better than the old 15 (I didn't see neither touch yet the unibody...)? And are the performances good as a 15 (even if the old one: the 15 has 6MB L2 cache while the unibody just 3MB). And the graphics?
3) I heard some complains about the unibody: what's your feelings? Should I wait until february (march? Arpil?) for the next release of the unibody before buying it? Or the 15 could be a good deal?
4) taking in account that I am going to have the 2.4 unibody (IF I'm going to have this: the backlight keyboard is MUCH better...) and that with educational discount it costs 1499, and that the 15'' EOL that I found is exactly at the same price, what do you suggest?

Thanks for your help
miu

12-03-2008, 10:05 AM

I've gone through a Black MacBook and a MacBook Air before purchasing the new Unibody MacBook. It is by far, the best one I've owned so far.

I'm not a fan of big notebooks, and even a 13" display is boarder line too big for me......but overall, I absolutely love it.

I don't find the the screen to be too glossy, the glass trackpad is amazing, and I'll never buy another laptop without a backlit keyboard!

Unless you have a definite need for a MBP, I'd recommend going for the new MacBook.

12-03-2008, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Khris

I've gone through a Black MacBook and a MacBook Air before purchasing the new Unibody MacBook. It is by far, the best one I've owned so far.

I'm not a fan of big notebooks, and even a 13" display is boarder line too big for me......but overall, I absolutely love it.

I don't find the the screen to be too glossy, the glass trackpad is amazing, and I'll never buy another laptop without a backlit keyboard!

Unless you have a definite need for a MBP, I'd recommend going for the new MacBook.

Thank you Khris
Other suggestions?

12-03-2008, 03:30 PM

So I am new to Macbooks and have the same/similar question. I'm looking at the new unibody vs MBP refurb on Apple.com. The use will be for home for the family but I am a power user and may play around with the notebook as well. I also am looking at purchasing a 2nd for my son who is in school for 'game design' and they use Mac's a lot.

Any other suggestions?

Comparing -
Refurbished MacBook Pro
Processor: 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2GB (two SO-DIMMs) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
Display: 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1440 x 900 resolution, TFT widescreen
PCI Express Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI
Video: Built-in iSight Camera, DVI, VGA (DVI to VGA adapter included)
Audio: Combined optical digital input/audio line in, combined optical digital output/headphone out, stereo speakers, microphone
Hard disk drive: 120GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm
Slot-loading optical drive: 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Ethernet: Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)
Wireless: Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

NEW Macbook 2.4
Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4GB
Display: 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1440 x 900 resolution, TFT widescreen
PCI Express Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Video: Built-in iSight Camera, and mini DisplayPort
Audio: Combined optical digital input/audio line in, combined optical digital output/headphone out, stereo speakers, microphone
Hard disk drive:
Slot-loading optical drive: 8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Ethernet: Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)
Wireless: Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

12-03-2008, 10:04 PM

Any other suggestions?

Yes, go to an Apple store and check them out for yourself. I have a feeling the new unibody/aluminum models will win you over. They sure did for me.

The MacBook Pro is a powerhouse. A beast of a laptop with the best of the best goodies inside. Is that what you need?

The MacBook is a wonderful machine and packs a huge punch in a 13.3" package.

My little comparison is that the MacBook is like a sportscar. (insert favorite here) Really nice, and yes you paid for that. On the otherhand the MacBook Pro is a crotch-rocket. Even faster than the car, but purchase one only if you need it, for its a LOT of computer.

HTH

Logan

12-04-2008, 05:49 AM

Always go with the most computing power for your money. I realize that is a very PC way of thinking, but in this case makes sense. I like the last gen MBP because it is the last in the line, meaning most if not all of the kinks in manufacturing and architecture were worked out.

Plus, you are getting dedicated graphics as opposed to onboard. Also, it has two firewire ports and weighs very little. Anyone who finds a MBP too heavy or too large, wow, dear God hit a gym. For the power this thing is lighter than most conventional 13.3" notebooks, has a better resolution screen, 2 firewire ports, a dedicated DVI port, and is the same price. Plus, because it has a slightly larger battery to begin with, Battery life is a wash. So more power, same battery life, and minimally larger/ heavier. I mean MINIMALLY. For me, that was the clincher.

I have nothing negative to say about the new Macbook, but the previous gen MBP is a heck of a deal at its current price point, and is atypical for Mac. The new gen cpu architecture is similar, and the difference in memory speeds as currently constructed (DDR2 versus DDR3) is minimal. This will not even be a noticeable difference until we see Nehalem notebooks with the on-die memory controller for the cpu. Think of it like this. DDR3 is like a 4 lane high way, DDR2 is like a 3 lane highway. The problem is that the current CPU architecture doesn't even use all 3 lanes of the 3 lane highway (DDR2), so the 4 lane highway (DDR3) isn't even necessary yet. It makes good for marketing though

12-04-2008, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by operaman

Always go with the most computing power for your money. I realize that is a very PC way of thinking, but in this case makes sense. I like the last gen MBP because it is the last in the line, meaning most if not all of the kinks in manufacturing and architecture were worked out.

Plus, you are getting dedicated graphics as opposed to onboard. Also, it has two firewire ports and weighs very little. Anyone who finds a MBP too heavy or too large, wow, dear God hit a gym. For the power this thing is lighter than most conventional 13.3" notebooks, has a better resolution screen, 2 firewire ports, a dedicated DVI port, and is the same price. Plus, because it has a slightly larger battery to begin with, Battery life is a wash. So more power, same battery life, and minimally larger/ heavier. I mean MINIMALLY. For me, that was the clincher.

I have nothing negative to say about the new Macbook, but the previous gen MBP is a heck of a deal at its current price point, and is atypical for Mac. The new gen cpu architecture is similar, and the difference in memory speeds as currently constructed (DDR2 versus DDR3) is minimal. This will not even be a noticeable difference until we see Nehalem notebooks with the on-die memory controller for the cpu. Think of it like this. DDR3 is like a 4 lane high way, DDR2 is like a 3 lane highway. The problem is that the current CPU architecture doesn't even use all 3 lanes of the 3 lane highway (DDR2), so the 4 lane highway (DDR3) isn't even necessary yet. It makes good for marketing though

Very nicely put. I agree.

12-04-2008, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by operaman

Always go with the most computing power for your money. I realize that is a very PC way of thinking, but in this case makes sense. I like the last gen MBP because it is the last in the line, meaning most if not all of the kinks in manufacturing and architecture were worked out.

Plus, you are getting dedicated graphics as opposed to onboard. Also, it has two firewire ports and weighs very little. Anyone who finds a MBP too heavy or too large, wow, dear God hit a gym. For the power this thing is lighter than most conventional 13.3" notebooks, has a better resolution screen, 2 firewire ports, a dedicated DVI port, and is the same price. Plus, because it has a slightly larger battery to begin with, Battery life is a wash. So more power, same battery life, and minimally larger/ heavier. I mean MINIMALLY. For me, that was the clincher.

I have nothing negative to say about the new Macbook, but the previous gen MBP is a heck of a deal at its current price point, and is atypical for Mac. The new gen cpu architecture is similar, and the difference in memory speeds as currently constructed (DDR2 versus DDR3) is minimal. This will not even be a noticeable difference until we see Nehalem notebooks with the on-die memory controller for the cpu. Think of it like this. DDR3 is like a 4 lane high way, DDR2 is like a 3 lane highway. The problem is that the current CPU architecture doesn't even use all 3 lanes of the 3 lane highway (DDR2), so the 4 lane highway (DDR3) isn't even necessary yet. It makes good for marketing though

Yep, great comment. You right, man. That's my thought: instead of buying a cool new technology, is better to have a safe and super-tested old one. And it's not so old either!
That's the point: the new macbook unibody is cool, but the old mbp is a rock. Then, probably on february-march, releasing the new osX, maybe the new unibody will be fixed, but it seems to me that it still has some problems...

12-06-2008, 12:26 PM

Uni-body ALL THE WAY!!!! Had both, no comparision