Which one would you buy if they cost the same?

I have a friend/family Apple discount that only applies to last previous generation of Macbooks. I am looking to buy a new machine and trying to decide if the discount is as good as I had hoped for. The discount on the last generation makes the price of the old MBP and the new Macbook Aluminum about the same. I can buy a MBP 15" 2.4 GHZ for $1299 + tax ($1406) or I can buy a new Macbook unibody 2.0 GHZ for the same amount. I would appreciate some input for the users of both here. I am not a power user but I will be using the notebook for consulting overseas so image is important as is portability etc. Thanks all.

I would buy the Pro.
Reasons:

Dedicated graphics card
Larger screen
Backlit keyboard
More powerful cpu

Also there seems to be a few teething problems with new unibody Macs.

I would also suggest getting Applecare.

Get this from Ebay and save about $100.

I plan to charge it on my AMEX (and pay it off right away) which will double the warranty to two years. I bought my last digital camera the same way and it broke (flash stopped working) 18 months into it and when I called they actually just credited my account the $299+tax for the camera (still works but just in the daylight). The apple care would be nice but AMEX warranty is free. Thanks for the opinion. Other agree, disagree? The points are truly valid.

The previous generation MBP would be my choice because of the screen size, graphics, CPU and FW800 and FW400 connections. The MBP will always be my choice over a comparable MB. Besides, if you do have a problem with the graphics card, Apple has acknowledged the potential problem and has extended the period it will repair it if needed.

The Applecare also covers Apple software.
They will also collect it if it requires repair. You do have to ask for that to happen as it's not offered by default.

pro, the new ones still need to work out all the glitches.

the only reason I would say NOT the old pro is because of its suspect video card. However, the new laptops are, apparently, loaded up with a potentially bad graphic card also. What is up with Nvidia lately?

I have a late 2007 MBP and i've had no problems at all.
I did upgrade the ram to 4gb though.

same money - that's a no brainer - go Pro

I'd recommend the new Macbook. I've got the 2.4 Unibody and love it. I've also got 4gb of ram in it and have had *NO* problems at all.

Unless you specifically need the extra screen real-estate, it becomes that much more to lug around with you.

Also take note that everyone who has recommended the Pro so far, also owns one......their opinion is a bit biased. Mine is as well, however it's biased to the MacBook as I want something that's easy to carry with me and doesn't take up a lot of space.

Khris said:

...

Also take note that everyone who has recommended the Pro so far, also owns one......their opinion is a bit biased. ...

Click to expand...

This is erroneous, one owns a MB and two of us own both the MB and MBP.

There are big differences between these two machines.
CPU: 2.4 vs 2.0
Video: Dedicated memory vs shared
FW: available 400 & 800 vs none
Express card slot vs none
DVI out vs mini displayport
Backlit keys vs none - you'll never know how great this is until you have it

on the 13" side is:
The new trackpad and multi-touch which is pretty slick
Smaller size - which can be great if you're carrying it around a lot - although, have not really seen any complaints from students that are carrying the 15"
Also, battery life on the new MB would be better than the previous generation MBP. This would also play into a consideration depending on your use of the machine.

For my money and getting the most for your money with both being the same price point, the 15" is the way to go with the importance of size and battery life possibly outweighing other factors in individual scenarios.

And of course, some just have to have the newest thing out there.

I'm not disputing the differences between the two......I'm simply voicing the opinion that I personally would go with the MacBook, which is exactly what the OP is looking for.

Also, if you're going to quote me, don't just pick out the parts to provide support for your own statements.

Khris said:

Also take note that everyone who has recommended the Pro so far, also owns one......their opinion is a bit biased. Mine is as well, however it's biased to the MacBook

Click to expand...

If your okay with the 15 inch size I suggest going for the MBP. Besides what others have said the screen on the MBP is considerably better and if your using it with travel you will appreciate it. I have a late model MBP for work and a MB for around the house.

Thanks for the replies. I feeling confident I made the right decision. MBP $1406 out the door and the delivery date is Thursday. I also think the MBP will have better resale down the road if I decide to upgrade. I was really tempted to buy the basic Macbook 2.4 (new but clearance with Apple friends/family discount) and save some bucks but since this will be for business I wanted to go with something that looked more like a business machine than a college student machine. The aluminum body looks great either way but that unibody is really cool as well. In the end the larger screen and getting the most bang for my buck made the decision for me.

Either one would have been a nice machine. Think you're gonna love it though. That's a great price for a MBP. Congrats!

Love it!!! Not that I have anything to compare it to but I'm glad I got the Pro. Have a Brenthaven Prolite II coming next week.

pics, we wanna see pics!