03-25-2008, 11:50 PM

Hi all,
I would like your help on this matter. I have passed my PhD prelim exam last Friday and promised myself a notebook in reward (still 2 more years of schooling). Most of my professors at school have Macs so I was thinking that may be for a reason. I have never owned one before and am typing this post from my PC.

I would like to use the laptop mainly for word processing and graphing (word and excel) for my research the next couple of years. When the Macbook Air was released, I was really impressed by its weight and thickness (or lack of). But after reading all the reviews and noticing it doesn't have a freaking ethernet port, I had 2nd thoughts.

I went to my school's computer store (UCLA) and found the following deal for a MacBook Pro:
MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz 15.4" Display LED backlit
2G RAM DDR2, 160GB, DVD+R
NVIDIA 8600M GT, 256MB
4MB L2 cache
Price: $1499

After doing a little research, I noticed this was the discontinued version. The new 2.4GHz has the following specs:
2GB Ram DDR, 200GB, DVD+R
Same video card
3MB shared L2 cache
Multitouch trackpad
Price: $1799

Are the new trackpad and 40GB increase in hard drive worth the addition $300? Are there any other changes done to the laptop I am not aware of? Which one would you go with?

Thanks a lot

03-25-2008, 11:54 PM

Multitouch is awesome... I went to the apple store to try out computers before I bought, and i am psyched to get it once I get my mac. LED Screen, amazing from what I've heard. And then of course, you get your larger HD. Your choice if you want it all. I would take it You have a pHd, either you have lots of debt, or you'll be making lots of money! let that decide haha

03-26-2008, 12:38 AM

Originally Posted by ultimate008

Hi all,

Are the new trackpad and 40GB increase in hard drive worth the addition $300? Are there any other changes done to the laptop I am not aware of? Which one would you go with?

Thanks a lot

I'd go with the new Trackpad or the Air. I use both and the trackpad is very good for what you want to do, as good as using a regular keyboard. Does the Air have enough Hard Disk Space for you? I use that one with wireless as one can find hotspots in lots of places these days; plus, you can get a dongle to plug into the USB port for Ethernet work. The weight factor is awsome just right for library work or working where ever
I don't believe that I would buy the older model however; it has good specs but it is already outdated in my opinion.
This is just my two cents...

03-26-2008, 01:11 AM

Hi there i got the same discount well mine with 1599 but it was because it was being discontinued, and ill be honest i love it, to me a track pad is not that great of a feature, but thats just me i played with it and found it more to be a gimmick rather but thats just me, the hard drive well if you just doing word documents and excel 160 is plenty. so you can look at it this way 1499.00 for say a couple months old machine, or 1799 for a new one whos to say with in another year will there be a new case design. Id say save a little cause you still get alot but if you like a lot more for a lot more money get the new one. also remember apple care is about 250 for students so theres some money for that if you go with the 2007 version.

03-26-2008, 10:11 AM

I had the Rev 3,1 and now have the 4,1 MBP 17 inch model. The new model has 512 megs of video RAM versus the 256 on the other model. The screen is even nicer than the 07 model's screen. Mind you I got the 1920x1200 glossy LED backlight screen.

If it was me, I would go with the new model, simply because it will resell for more than the old model. I did not notice a major speed boost, but I did get 10 more FPS in Lord of the Rings Online.

03-26-2008, 11:00 AM

Thanks for the replies. I am not interested in paying to much for the laptop. I think $1499 is already excessive since most PC laptops can be had in the sub $1000 price range. Both versions have the same exact processor, video card, ram and screen. The only differences are the trackpad and the 40GB extra hard drive. So far I am leaning towards the older model. Any other opinion? Also, what do you think of applecare? Is it really useful?

03-26-2008, 11:10 AM

Thanks for the replies. I am not interested in paying to much for the laptop. I think $1499 is already excessive since most PC laptops can be had in the sub $1000 price range. Both versions have the same exact processor, video card, ram and screen.

You're not buying a fridge or a washing machine. Paying extra for a nice product you really want, with style and cachet is the reason people buy BMWs and Mercedes.

If you just want a computer, buy a cheap PC.

03-26-2008, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by ultimate008

Thanks for the replies. I am not interested in paying to much for the laptop. I think $1499 is already excessive since most PC laptops can be had in the sub $1000 price range. Both versions have the same exact processor, video card, ram and screen. The only differences are the trackpad and the 40GB extra hard drive. So far I am leaning towards the older model. Any other opinion? Also, what do you think of applecare? Is it really useful?

Without sounding too much like an Apple Zealot, the MacBook Pro is significantly better quality than any sub $1,000 notebook you might get from Acer or Toshiba (with all due respect) in terms of form factor, specs and quality. In fact, the MBP usually costs a minimum of $2000, so your school discount is pretty nice.

I would go for the older model if budget is a primary concern, even the extra VRAM and Multi-touch trackpad will probably not make all that much difference when banging out spreadsheets and dissertations. I think $1500 for a MBP is an utter bargain - I bought my BlackBook about 4 months before I started Grad School, and had I been enrolled, I would have gone for a deal like that.

Good luck!

03-26-2008, 12:49 PM

How about considering the regular MacBook? Using the education discount, you could get a brand new MacBook w/ 2gb for $999 right off the Apple website.

Unless you're playing video games, you don't need the video card that's in the MBP. And if you're considering the Air, then the regular MacBook would work wonders. Also, just because the Air is so light and thin, don't assume the regular MacBook is a brick. It's as thin and light as the smallest of the $1000 PC laptops.

Are the features of the cheapest MB Pro that you are looking at really worth paying 50% more than the cost of a brand new MacBook?

03-26-2008, 02:08 PM

The reason I didn't consider the Macbook is that it has a 13.3" screen, it doesn't have a very good video card and is almost the same weight as the MacBook Pro. For the same money ($1499), the Pro seems to be a much better deal with bigger screen and same weight.

03-26-2008, 03:11 PM

When I made the decision to switch to Mac, my big cringe-factor was the price. But after 6 months with it, I can tell you it was the best computer purchase I've made in years. The 17" MBP is essentially a server-grade machine. I've used it 12+ hours per day for the last six months, and have experienced NO degradation in performance, NO OS-related hassles, and none of the other hassles you've come to consider as routine on a Microsoft platform.

Yes, you'll pay more for it. But, you'll get more out of it, with lower downtime, faster performance, etc. Plus, after you ramp up, you'll be going along relying on it as you should, and realize "Hey, I've not had to reboot this week!" Or this month, sometimes!

Go for it.

03-26-2008, 06:02 PM

Anyone else thinks the $1499 version of the MacBook Pro is worth the money??

03-27-2008, 03:11 AM

The newer model also features the newer Intel Penryn processor. A tad faster, and better battery life. Oddly, the more expensive machine now has less L2 cache than the discontinued model, but the performance of the new model is still superior. The Penryn and the multi-touch convinced me to get the updated box.

03-27-2008, 09:58 AM

ultimate008,

If you want the Pro, I'd say get the older one, then spend the extra $300 (saved on the newer one) to get 4GB memory for about $100 or less, then get a 320GB or 500GB hard drive for about $200 or lees, then you'd have a new machine with all that RAM for speed and that BIG hard drive for all your graphics files. Then sell the smaller RAM and hard drive for gravy...

Check Newegg for prices, that's where I got my 4GB RAM for $80 and my 320GB hard drive for $165...

Noel

03-27-2008, 11:18 AM

In a year they will both be old models. They will both be going strong. I am still using a G4 tower that I bought in 2000. For most of what I do (email, word processing, spreadsheets) it is still very functional and not significantly worse that the new iMac I also have.

Both machines will serve you well and for a long time. So if budget is important to you, save the cash. The performance difference will be negligible and will be irrelevant in a few years when you have the income that makes such decisions easier.