First Time Mac Buyer - Macbook Pro

Hi,

I'm a first time Mac buyer and want to replace my dusty Acer laptop with a Macbook Pro.

I'm a graphic design student hoping to go into the design industry, so Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign will be used on a daily basis.

So I have a dilema. I was set on getting this:

Brand new 15 inch MBP 2.53GHz Intel Core i5
4GB memory
500-GB hard drive 5400rpm
Hi Res Glossy Screen

Total approx £1500 (With student discount)

BUT THEN I SAW THIS REFURBISHED 17 INCH:

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
17-inch glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
320GB hard drive

Total approx: £1429

Now i'm no expert on computers but how will the 17inch 2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo compare with 15inch 2.53Ghz i5 in terms of speed etc?

Will I notice much difference? I am very tempted by the 17 inch size screen as I currently already have a 15.4 inch and ideally want to upgrade regarding screen size but don't want to compromise speed.

Also, what condition is the average refurbed Mac like, are there hundreds of scratches, anyone have experiecne?

Thanks for your help.

ianfrid said:

Hi,

I'm a first time Mac buyer and want to replace my dusty Acer laptop with a Macbook Pro.

I'm a graphic design student hoping to go into the design industry, so Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign will be used on a daily basis.

So I have a dilema. I was set on getting this:

Brand new 15 inch MBP 2.53GHz Intel Core i5
4GB memory
500-GB hard drive 5400rpm
Hi Res Glossy Screen

Total approx £1500 (With student discount)

BUT THEN I SAW THIS REFURBISHED 17 INCH:

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
17-inch glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
320GB hard drive

Total approx: £1429

Now i'm no expert on computers but how will the 17inch 2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo compare with 15inch 2.53Ghz i5 in terms of speed etc?

Will I notice much difference? I am very tempted by the 17 inch size screen as I currently already have a 15.4 inch and ideally want to upgrade regarding screen size but don't want to compromise speed.

Also, what condition is the average refurbed Mac like, are there hundreds of scratches, anyone have experiecne?

Thanks for your help.

Click to expand...

Hey mate,

First of all, refurbished Macs are in "brand new" condition and are sent through a vigerous testing program before being sent back out. So the refurbished may be a good idea. But I'm pretty sure that you can't get the student discount on top of the refurbished discount.

You will notice a big differene with the C2D and the i5. And the graphics card is also better in the i5. As it the hard drive, resolution, batterylife and ofcourse -overall speed!!

I have the 2.8ghz top of the line 15" C2D and I'm looking at getting the i7 15". Even though I could pay the extra for the 17" I think the 15" is a better size. The 17" is massive, personally I think a little too big, the 15" is perfect.

So.... I'd advise the 15" i5 over the 17" C2D. Also you should look at upgrading to a 7200rpm HDD! The 5400's are crap, I think so anyway.

But if you want/need memory upgrades, buy from a store like NewEgg or OWC. Google them. You'll save so much mony rather than buying direct from Apple!

All the best pal!

-Ben

If you are more concerned about screen size, I don't think you'll be disappointed in the Core 2 Duo processor of the 17 inch... it's what professionals have been using up to now anyway. However, for graphic design work, you will probably notice a difference with the i7 core because it is definitely much more powerful.

Personally, I think 17 inches is way too big. If you need to work with a larger screen resolution, it's easy to hook up your MBP to a TV. That way you can have the faster processor and the bigger screen.

At any rate, you'll be doing MUCH better on either machine than on your Acer.

Ben,
Thanks for the advice mate.Thats great. Yeh I was planning on upgrading to 7200rpm from a third party but didn't know where to look, so i'll be visiting NewEgg and OWC. Cheers!

Oneironaut,
Yeh I guess bigger is not always better! And anything will be better than my Acer piece of junk - you could cook an egg on the lid of that think the amount it overheated!

Having heard the 17 inch maybe too big, I think the 15inch i5 maybe the one. Cheers guys!

I would go to the MAc Store and try both. I had the same dillema between the MBP 17 and the MBP 15.

After using the 17 display and going back to the 15 display, I really appreciated the extra screen realestate of the 17. And the weight difference (I got the matte dispaly) is less than a pound compared to the glossy 15.

I also say think about your use. If you are using the laptop regularly in class, at starbucks etc., then the 17" is not optimal. The 13" first, then the 15" would be the better choices. Also for graphic work ie the adobe suite having multiple things open, the 17" really comes in handy. And yeah you can hook up a monitor but the whole reason for getting a macbook pro imho and not an iMac or Mac Pro is not to be tethered to a particular desk.

Check out this article
http://www.appleinsider.com/article...e_new_2010_17_inch_macbook_pro_with_ipad.html

You left out one little thing.... you need to factor in the cost of new software. If you're using an acer then your photoshop, illustrator and whatever else you use is for a PC.... You would need to repurchase all those titles you use for the Mac otherwise you would have to use them under bootcamp in which case there is no real point in getting the mac in the first place.

thomas998 said:

You left out one little thing.... you need to factor in the cost of new software. If you're using an acer then your photoshop, illustrator and whatever else you use is for a PC.... You would need to repurchase all those titles you use for the Mac otherwise you would have to use them under bootcamp in which case there is no real point in getting the mac in the first place.

Click to expand...

Also think about the fact that if you have student versions of the software you need to buy the retail versions to legally use after you get out of school or so i believe is the case with Adobe software license.