Macbook or Macbook Pro

Howdy,

I've spent time at the local Mac shop weighing the pros and cons of each model but I still can't make up my mind. I've used PC's all my life but I want to make the switch to a Mac for their ease of use and lack of viruses. I'd like to take it with me to university but I'll only be using it to take notes. I haven't required special programs for school in the past three years and it's not likely I'll be needing one in the future. It will probably not see use for video editing or music making and I don't even own a digital camera. I have a Dell desktop that came with a bunch of blue cd's but I don't even know which one has Windows XP on it so I probably won't be using Bootcamp. Main uses will be internet and word processing.

I'm attracted to the regular Macbook since it's smaller and has a longer battery life. I'm thinking of getting that neoprene sleeve for protection which makes me wonder if I could stuff it in my backpack though. Being cheaper than the Macbook Pro doesn't hurt either. The only thing that deters me from buying one right now is the GMA950. I'm by no means a hardcore gamer but I like to play the odd game. I'm interested in picking up the Mac versions of Age of Empires II and II, Rise of Nations, and Call of Duty I and II. That's it. Rise of Nations was not built for the Intel Macs which conerns me. The Dell I'm typing this on had 1GB of Ram and is running integrated intel graphics that I play AOE II, RON (demo only, just recently 'discovered' this game), and COD I on just fine. This computer will not run AEO III well. I have to stick with two players, small maps, low unit counts, low settings, and even then I get bad lag when the action starts. Gaming is not a serious concern for me and I'm quite happy playing AEO III and COD II on the lowest graphics settings and resolutions possible so long as they have playable frame rates.

I'm just not sure if I can justify the added expense of a Macbook Pro since I could care less about running Doom III or Quake IV at a bajillion frames per second on a high resolution. At the same time, I'd really like to be able to play the Mac versions of COD II, AOE III, and RON so I don't have to mess around with Bootcamp. The problem is I don't know if the Macbook, I should clarify I'm looking at the 2.16's with 2GB Ram, can even do these at low framrates. I've seen Youtube videos of COD II on a Macbook, but it was hard to tell if it was any good or not. Searches here produced inconclusive results.

So..... what would you do?

If your computer's primary function will be to do work for school, I'd go with the MacBook. You can't go wrong with the new ones. They have 1GB of RAM, up to 200GB hd space, and 2.16GHz processors. I really can't find reason to justify the extra money on the Pro because I don't think you'll be needing it, and you'll certainly be needing the money for college.

Good luck.

Another thing I've wondered about is if the extended warranty is worth the money.

happydude said:

Another thing I've wondered about is if the extended warranty is worth the money.

Click to expand...

The beauty about Apple's extended warranty is you don't have to decide now. You have a year to decide—great if you spent all your money buying the machine. Meanwhile you are covered by Apple's normal warranty anyway.

The cost of the MBP does not deter me so much as I'm not sure if it would be a wasted expense or not. That is, since I only *kind of* need a video card, I could get the cheapest MBP but I'd want to upgrade it to 2GB Ram, which puts it up at $2200 (CDN, with school discount) vs. $1550 for a 2.16 MB with 2GB Ram. I'll be waiting until at least mid-June to see what happens to the MBP line though. The MP is still attractive for it's portability and the price means more cash for accessories; like finally getting a digital camera. It's hard to justify at least $700 for gaming, even more so for a $2600 mid-level MBP.

So, as much as I despise Youtube, are these videos legit?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WetOF87RMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mMwV_K7MNc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCQu1oskiv0
This level of performance is fine, (good enough at low details levels with the odd slow-down with smoke or heavy effects), but it's hard to gauge the accuracy.

Hey Happydude,

Welcome to the Forums. I am a recent switcher and I just got me the Black MacBook with 2GB rams and 160GB HDD and I love it. doesn't miss a beat and it works flawlessly. I even run Windows XP (yuck!) through Parallels because of work purposes and even that works great.

MacBooks are awesome and its very light and elegant on the go kick butt Laptop.

thats my 2 cents

Cheers

Playing with a IBook G4 right now, I like the small size of it. I think I'm going to go with a regular Macbook, but will wait a couple weeks to see what the new MBP's are like.

Happydude, based on all you've said, I'd encourage you to get the MacBook.

I tried a 12" Powerbook, the size of which I ADORED. But it was just too slow! The difference in speed was incredible between the 1.5 G4 PowerBook and the 2.0 Intel C2D MacBook.

Waiting a couple weeks is a good idea though!

Get the macbook and take the extra $700 and get a Canon 400D ;D

The Macbook is indeed much smaller and lighter than it's more capable cousin. That's kind of important for me, because I take mine everywhere I go just about. The screen size is perfect, and you can span to an external monitor anyway with ease. The MBP my colleague has is considerably larger (not sure if it's the 15" or 17", but it's still a hefty laptop.) Also the MBP has firewire 800 if that's a consideration.

Mine plays UT2004 (Mac; Universal) just fine if that's any guage on game performance.

Oh, and as for movies, etc. if you get any Macbook, you'll then have a digital camera. I never thought I'd put anything up on YouTube until I was messing around with my iSight and was struck by inspiration. Quick 'filming' and editing with iMovie, and all of a sudden I was a producer/director/star!

Yeah, MacBook is the one for you. I got mine 6 months ago and still working very well. Just got my two 1GB RAM which I am going to install shortly and based on the other threads this will make a big difference.

You did post this in the Macbook forum. That seems like a sign to me...

I really would prefer the Macbook (size, price, not a big gamer), but it's hard to know if those videos of people playing COD II on Macbooks and Mac Minis are legit or not. Will still be waiting until the 11th though.

I'm glad I waited. The cheapest of the new MBP's has a dedicated video card that's good enough for casual gaming, 2GB of Ram, better battery performance, and is an even $2K. A white 2.16GHz MB with 2GB of Ram is $1545. Makes my decision a little more difficult, but that new MBP is really tempting. Now it's just up to me, thanks for all the help guys. Oh, and with the buy a Mac get a Nano deal I can give my 2GB Nano to my mom and buy a newer larger one.

That will make your mom happy. Be sure to put into it songs she likes ;-).