Cant decide which macbook to get?!?!

So basically to make a long story short im going to university soon, so i need to get myself a laptop. I was looking at the 13" macbook pro, but i cant decide between the i5 or the i7, or whether to go for i5 and just get 8gb ram.

Could anyone help me in my decision? I'm open to other models aswell (macbook/air)

Usage info:
-Would use garageband a lot
-general web surfing
-might record and edit some videos with the isight camera
-write essays
-some gaming now and then perhaps

Feel free to ask any questions

Get whatever you can afford. You can always upgrade the HDD and the RAM. The CPU and the graphics you can't. Plan accordingly.

Can you actually replace the ram? I thought due to the unibody design, once you have it, theres no changing anything

Is having the i7 over the i5 going to make a huge amount of difference?

you can absolutely upgrade RAM. and your HDD, among other things.
but CrimsonRequiem is correct. You're stuck with the processor that you buy. So I would spend the extra cash now and go with the better one.
Also, if you're doing video editing and any gaming, take a look at the 15" model. It has a better graphics card and will be able to handle these tasks much better

I'm looking at the lower of the two 15" models now. Going to upgrade to the 7200rpm Hard drive aswell while im at it

So ill get the dedicated graphics card and the quad core i7

comes to about £1,650.

Radical dude. I've got the same model and I digg it.
hope you enjoy it

Going to my local Apple store friday morning, not sure whether i'll get it there or order it friday night. I want to have a chat with an apple rep about it. You never know, maybe i'll get a better deal instore. An apple rep who was in my local pc world the other day hinted he might be able to give me a deal, however i wasn't thinking of getting the macbook untill next year at that point

I just hope i dont get this macbook, and in 3 months they bring out one that kicks its ***. I'm hoping this will last me many many years

I will last you many many years. Do not try and chase the "Gotta Have The Best" ball or you will end up broke, disappointed and angry. If not insane as well. The Best is only the Best for a very limited amount of time, especially with electronics.

Buy the Best you can Afford at the time. You will be less angry and disappointed when the next model comes out.

For your needs, I would definitely consider one of the new macbook airs, with an upgrade to 4gb of ram.

The macbook air doesn't have a disk drive...which i would definitely need.

Quick question, would i be worth going for the 27" iMac over the 15" macbook pro? However, going for the i5 27" but the i7 15" macbook pro. I'd need it for university, so the 27" might be a tad big, i don't know. Portability might help, obviously i've never been to university before, so i don't know how much i'd need to move a laptop around, or if i wouldn't need to at all

For school use, buy the MBP. You would have a difficult time lugging a 27" iMac from class to class. Build lots of muscle though.... ;D

ordered my MBP earlier

CrimsonRequiem said:

Get whatever you can afford. You can always upgrade the HDD and the RAM. The CPU and the graphics you can't. Plan accordingly.

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Sage advice.

LiltLover said:

ordered my MBP earlier

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That's great man, what are the specs?

I recently got a practically new, upgraded black MacBook about a month ago and I can't get enough of it; I'm constantly on the thing, much more than I used my PC notebook before hand.