Looking at my first MacBook pro

Joined
Nov 13, 2009
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I have literally never owned a mac product but I'm looking at one for a graduation preasent for myslef for a few reasns. The first being I like the professional look about it as well as the sturdy design. I had a few questions before I actually bought one and I'd rather ask people that owned them then getting lied to by some sales person.
My questions...
1. Can MacBook pros run Photoshop and handle HD video (flip mino HD)
2. Can they handle downloading software like bittorrent?.
3. How user friendly are they?.
4. How is the battery life while running movies and such.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2009
Messages
232
Reaction score
6
Points
18
Location
Jacksonville FL
Your Mac's Specs
13'' Macbook Pro 2.26 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GB 1067 Mhz DDR3 500 GB 7200rpm HD
First of all, I would like to ask you which size would you be looking at? I am guessing that if you are doing photoshop and HD video editing that you would probably be looking more towards the 15" or if you really want a great laptop and a great graduation present, then go for the 17".

If you don't know about them, lemme bring you up to speed.

Now if I were you, I would look at getting the MBP (that means macbook pro btw) 15" that costs around 1999.99 because of the specs:

2.66ghz of ram
4gb ram
320gb of ram
9400m+ 9600gt 256mb of ram (dedicated video card)

You are asking why?

Well for one, the upgrade in the processor is going to be handle PS CS3 or any program very well. And having the upgrade in the speed of the processor is going to help quite a bit.

Next the upgrade in ram is important. Now I have a MBP 13" and when I would run PS CS3 I was wondering why it was running a little bit sluggish. Opened up system activity and I basically had my 2gb of ram maxed out. So then I upgraded. So having 4gb of ram will be fine and usually is what most of the members on here have.

Next the HD is kind of important but I honestly would even upgrade that 320GB hd to a 70 dollar 500gb Seagate 7200rpm HD because that helps in video editing and also gives you a lot of space for the future. I upgraded my 160gb 5400rpm to 500gb 7200rpm and I love it. Great speed increase in boot time and everything else seemed a little bit faster.

Now the graphics card. Now this is kind of important. It depends on how much PS and video editing and how intense you are going to get. However, if I were you and wanted the extra protection/speed I would go for the 15" with the dedicated 9600GT 256mb. But if you wanted to really assure yourself in speed, then go for the 17" because it is the only one that comes with the 9600gt 512MB version of the graphics card. Now that would be a beast and handle a lot more in terms of PS and Vid editing.

I really hope this all makes sense....
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2009
Messages
232
Reaction score
6
Points
18
Location
Jacksonville FL
Your Mac's Specs
13'' Macbook Pro 2.26 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GB 1067 Mhz DDR3 500 GB 7200rpm HD
Now after you are done reading the above post here are short answers to your questions....

1. See above

2. Yes they can handle bit torrent.

3. Its a mac, kind of self explanatory. :p jk I usually tell everyone basically my aunt and uncle who are 42 picked it up in a week... and they love it and are never going back to WINDOWS

4. Now battery life is quite exceptional even when watching movies. If I get through a movie on my MBP I usually have about 3 or 4 more hours to do whatever I want. Greatness.
 
OP
M
Joined
Nov 13, 2009
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
thanks i think im going to go with the standard 15 inch with some basic upgrades so i can run some hd software. anyone know if the macbooks can run diablo 3 or dragon age origins well?
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Messages
121
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Massachusetts
thanks i think im going to go with the standard 15 inch with some basic upgrades so i can run some hd software. anyone know if the macbooks can run diablo 3 or dragon age origins well?

On a 15" Pro, you should be able to handle all that stuff with relatively no issues. It all depends on graphic settings mostly. I know on CoD4, I turn the shadows down and make other little tweaks to make the FPS run smoother. So far, so good!!
 
Joined
Nov 21, 2009
Messages
216
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
Finland
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 27" 12TB Yosmite
Hi Guys, could I just jump in if you don't mind, as I'm in a similar position, and will be getting the 17" MBP in January, it comes with 4GB of RAM, but wanted to know if its possible for me to upgrade the RAM by myself? I know it supports 8GB of RAM, but its fitting it that im unsure of, as a video I watched on youtube recently, I couldn't see any removable panels on the base of the MBP 17".

Thanks in advance, and sorry for jumping in.
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
Here's a page which has videos describing both the memory install and the hard drive install. I suggest looking at the larger video if you are on broadband. All the videos are the same but the larger picture makes it easier to see the details. MacBook Pro Installation Video at OtherWorldComputing.com
 
Joined
Nov 21, 2009
Messages
216
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
Finland
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 27" 12TB Yosmite
Thanks, thats perfect.!:)
 
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
North Carolina, U.S.A
Your Mac's Specs
macbook pro 15" 2.16 ghz (late 2006)
I just ordered mine today, it's a macbook pro 2.16 ghz,15" display, 3 gigs of ram, 120 gig HD and up to 5hrs battery life. It's a refurb so I can get use to it and then I will get a faster one. I only paid $900.00 for it after I compared prices it was cheap. Put the windows 7 on the shelf and it's mac all the way now.
 
Joined
Nov 27, 2009
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
New to the forum. I had to take advantage of today's sale. I ordered a Macbook Pro 13" with 4 gig ram with the 250 gig Hard drive. I have an Iphone and an Ipod, but this will be my first Mac.
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Messages
121
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Massachusetts
New to the forum. I had to take advantage of today's sale. I ordered a Macbook Pro 13" with 4 gig ram with the 250 gig Hard drive. I have an Iphone and an Ipod, but this will be my first Mac.

You will love how easy it is to sync your ipod and iphone to the new macbook! It's easy on windows too, but I've always felt that it's much easier on a mac.
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Nottingham
Your Mac's Specs
Will soon
Now the graphics card. Now this is kind of important. It depends on how much PS and video editing and how intense you are going to get. However, if I were you and wanted the extra protection/speed I would go for the 15" with the dedicated 9600GT 256mb. But if you wanted to really assure yourself in speed, then go for the 17" because it is the only one that comes with the 9600gt 512MB version of the graphics card. Now that would be a beast and handle a lot more in terms of PS and Vid editing.

The 2.8GHz 15" MBP has a 512MB 9600GT as well.
 
OP
M
Joined
Nov 13, 2009
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Does the MacBook programs like icalender sync with the iPhone can I fill up my calender and transfer the exact same thing to my iPhone?. Can I also get reminders on my MacBook like when I get email from gmail will it let me know by making a sound and showing the number of emails above it like on the iPhone?
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Messages
121
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Massachusetts
Does the MacBook programs like icalender sync with the iPhone can I fill up my calender and transfer the exact same thing to my iPhone?. Can I also get reminders on my MacBook like when I get email from gmail will it let me know by making a sound and showing the number of emails above it like on the iPhone?

Regarding iCal: Yes, any time you sync your iphone with your mac, your iCal will update itself on the phone, and vice versa too I believe.

Mail via MacBook: Yes, the Mail app does a wonderful job at retrieving emails and the notification is a little red bubble with the # of unread emails over the app's icon in the dock. Also, it makes a "ping" sound as well.
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
Congrats on the new gear guys. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
 
Joined
Nov 30, 2009
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Pro 15", 2.8Ghz, 4gb, 500gb
If your looking for portability, go with the 15". The 17 is way too big in my opinion to be carrying around and the 13 is too small. I got the 15 in July and love it!! My buddy got the 17 in July and hates how big and heavy it is. Mine runs everything perfectly. Downloading torrents is FAST, playing games is amazing and battery life is not what they promised but its close. I get about 5 hours on a full charge surfing the net, watching videos and the like. Good luck.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top