07-05-2008, 02:15 PM

I'm debating between which system to buy...I'm going to be a freshman at college in the Fall and I plan to major in International Affairs. I'll be studying Japanese and Chinese along with various facets of international politics.

However, I also plan on being very "extracurricularly" involved in the visual arts in my college career. In HS, I was president of my school's art society, and designed many flyers on a Mac machine, edited photography, etc.

I'm attracted to the MBP because it apparently has a videocard that the regular MacBooks do not. However, I don't understand why the videocard makes the machine $400 more than the high end MacBook.

What are some other distinct advantages that the MBP has over the MB? The only reason I'm considering the MB is because it's cheaper, but I want to see what the value is in the MBP.

Help please?

07-05-2008, 05:04 PM

Pros of Macbook Pro:
- Larger screen size
- Faster processor
- Dedicated video card
- Backlit keyboard
- LED backlit screen
- Option of matte screen

Pros of Macbook:
- Cheaper
- More portable
- Some say the MBP is easily dented (I don't have a MBP so can't say)
- Some prefer the plastic casing, more visually appealing, no static and some argue better wireless signal
- Chicklet keyboard (some might not like, but personally, I love it)


Weigh up what you need.
I just bought a black macbook and couldn't be happier, it's portable, I don't need the dedicated video card and I prefer the look and keyboard over that of the MBP, but if you need the larger screen size or the dedicated video card, go for the Pro.
It seems from your description the MacBook would be able to handle everything you need.

07-05-2008, 05:04 PM

Maybe thi will help? http://www.macnewsworld.com/rsstory/61938.html

Noel

07-05-2008, 05:10 PM

I have both and the differences are not noticeable under every day use besides the screen size and if its dark the back lit keys (which really doesn't matter to me because I don't look at the keyboard most of the time any way). But once a video touches it, the macbook pro is so much better at playing video on the fly.

Either way it doesn't matter to me that much because I just did the video test for fun, I don't use either for video.

From your description, it sounds like the macbook would be fine for you.

07-05-2008, 05:32 PM

I do watch an awful lot of videos tho...And the link that link Noels provided says that the MBP has an elegant interface with better video playback abilities than the MacBook. To quote the article, I think of myself as a "prosumer," meaning that I use my computer beyond basic every day computing needs...

Such a tough decision...Thankfully I'm a student, meaning it's a $400 price difference rather than the article writer's $500.

Still. It's A LOT of money.

07-05-2008, 05:40 PM

Personally I would go with the MBP. I recently sold my core duo macbook and got a new MBP and it is a big difference. Now I haven't used the latest gen macbooks much but my sister's seems very sluggish since microsoft office has been installed. Also you said you were into art projects and the dedicated video card may help you out with that depending on the software you would be running. Good luck with your decision. Also check the refurb store, you may find a MBP closer to your price range.

07-05-2008, 09:21 PM

MarkW's list. Plus the fact Aluminium heats up more compared to plastic. Something to comsider for your lap.

The current Macbooks are supposedly the last generation of its kind. Rumors say Apple will completely go all Aluminium soon. Here's wishing for carbon fiber though.

07-05-2008, 10:15 PM

I've used my friends macbook pro for a week before I got mine. Decided on the macbook cause it was SO much easier to carry around. I carry it around everywhere! Even when I go to the beach =x

07-05-2008, 10:54 PM

I'm guessing you're going to Georgetown?

07-05-2008, 11:18 PM

Another thing I just remembered. MBs were reported to have better battery life compared to MBPs.

Sorry MBP camp. If its any consolation, I love the MBP screen quality compared to the "just okay" one on the MB.

07-06-2008, 04:15 AM

Oistrakh- Nope, not GTown. I didn't apply, but in I wish I did in hindsight. I doubt I could have got in though. I'm actually going to a smaller, lesser known liberal arts college called Lewis & Clark College. It is renowned for its International Studies program and its study abroad programs. I am, however, planning on GTown for graduate study.

voltron-Your comment is interesting because, on the Apple website, the MacBook Pro is reported to have 5 hours of battery life versus MacBook's 4.5 hours. Just take a look at the tech specs of both machines.

07-07-2008, 02:38 AM

Any other thoughts? I'm still torn...

07-07-2008, 10:19 AM

Let me ask you this. Do you plan on running any of the programs in Adobe's Creative Suite 3 or similar software? Do you plan on playing any games at all? Do you plan on doing any video encoding? If you answered yes to any of those questions I would definitely go with the MBP. If you are just going to be running office productivity apps, surfing the net, emailing, and watching videos then the MacBook would be the better choice. I have owned both and much prefer the MBP to the regular MacBook. As far as the battery issue goes the MBP will get about 3 hours 15 minutes in the real world and the MacBook will get about 3 hours 26 minutes(numbers taken from MaximumPC August 2008 issue). That is not much of a difference and shouldn't really impact your decision. The main difference between the two are screen size and horse power. The MBP has a few other minor features as well, such as the back lit keyboard and better integrated speakers among others, but these don't affect the performance of the machine. I have to say I do prefer the MBP keyboard over the MacBook though. If you can go to an Apple store and try them both out to see which one you prefer. Also the white MacBook scratches very easily. Just taking mine in and out of the case scratched it up pretty good. So far I have not had that problem with my MBP and I use it in the same case I used with my MacBook. I hope all this helps you with your decision. Good Luck!

07-07-2008, 07:17 PM

I have both a MBP and a MB. There are times when I prefer to use the MB because of it's glossy screen.

My main uses for my computers are internet and watching videos. For videos, I prefer to use my MBP or MB because the screen quality for doing this is much better than on my iMac or Mac Pro.

The MBP has a very clear screen and it's colors are pretty accurate because of it's lighting and real video card. It is very much comparable to my Apple Cinema Display.

On the MB, the colors also stand out but they are not as bright most likely due to the fact that the MBs display is not as bright as the MBP. The glossy display on the MB does help make images look nice and bright but still pale when viewed side by side with the MB. I bring this up often because it seems to be the biggest difference between the two notebooks.

Battery life is about the same and my MB does tend to run cooler. I tend to get about about 3.5 hours of battery life on both and I think that's about average. Ratings listed on the Apple site are under conditions most people probably won't use.

Other than the color display differences, they are both capable of running many of the same apps and it will mostly be a preference thing when purchasing.

07-07-2008, 07:37 PM

As far as i'm aware unless you're doing a lot of video editing or playing games a MacBooks graphics card will work fine for you.

To anyone who says the MacBook is sluggish, if you max it out with 4GBs RAM i've never had any problems, no sluggishness, in fact its super fast in my opinion and much more portable if you will be carrying it around campus often.

MacBook Pros are nice but I also hear they dent easily and seem to go through a lot of logic boards. That said both laptops seem to have become stronger and stronger since their introduction to the Mac line.

The screens on the MacBook Pros, the backlit keyboard, its sleekness and superb graphics card are its main positives.

Just remember that your buying a laptop for your own uses, I was leaning towards the Pro until I realized I'm not a pro video editor and wouldn't need the extra graphics power or dedicated VRAM. The size of the MacBook was much better for me personally as I will be traveling a lot around campus and to and from different cities.

Ultimately it's your choice, do what will make you happy, you can't really go wrong with a Mac anyways!