Hi Everyone--
So I am finally going to drink the Kool-Aid and get a Mac. Everyone I know that has ever had one has been supremely happy with it. I'm starting an MBA program in the fall at the University of Michigan. They offer several brand new MacBook Pro's with 3-year protection plans. I can get a 2.66 ghz version with the following specs for $2088:
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
15.4" LED-backlit glossy widescreen display (1280x800)
320GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500) (on 2 SO-DIMMs); supports up to 8GB
8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+/-R DL; DVD+/-RW; CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor; and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet
Built-in iSight camera
Two USB 2.0 ports
SD Card Slot
One Firewire 800 port
Built in 73-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
iLife '09 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)
5.5 lbs. (14.35" x 9.82" x 0.95")
3-year AppleCare extended warranty
HOWEVER, I found someone selling their NIB MacBook Pro 2.4 ghz with the following specs for $700:
15" Apple MacBook Pro
* Model Name: MacBook Pro
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
* Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
* Number of Processors: 1
* Total Number Of Cores: 2
* L2 Cache: 3 MB
* Memory: 4 GB
* Bus Speed: 800 MHz
* Screen type: matte
* Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
* VRAM (Total): 256 MB
* Resolution: 1440 x 900
* Backlit keyboard
* Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
* Width: 14.1 inches (35.7 cm)
* Depth: 9.6 inches (24.3 cm)
* Weight: 5.4 pounds (2.45 kg)
* AppleCare Protection Plan: expires March 28, 2011
I'm not a computer gamer. I know that some of the coursework I will be doing will involve a lot of multimedia-type projects or course content. What are your thoughts on the differences between these two machines? Will I even miss what the 2.4 doesn't have? Also, is there any visual difference between the two?
Thanks!
Matt
So I am finally going to drink the Kool-Aid and get a Mac. Everyone I know that has ever had one has been supremely happy with it. I'm starting an MBA program in the fall at the University of Michigan. They offer several brand new MacBook Pro's with 3-year protection plans. I can get a 2.66 ghz version with the following specs for $2088:
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
15.4" LED-backlit glossy widescreen display (1280x800)
320GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500) (on 2 SO-DIMMs); supports up to 8GB
8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+/-R DL; DVD+/-RW; CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor; and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet
Built-in iSight camera
Two USB 2.0 ports
SD Card Slot
One Firewire 800 port
Built in 73-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
iLife '09 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)
5.5 lbs. (14.35" x 9.82" x 0.95")
3-year AppleCare extended warranty
HOWEVER, I found someone selling their NIB MacBook Pro 2.4 ghz with the following specs for $700:
15" Apple MacBook Pro
* Model Name: MacBook Pro
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
* Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
* Number of Processors: 1
* Total Number Of Cores: 2
* L2 Cache: 3 MB
* Memory: 4 GB
* Bus Speed: 800 MHz
* Screen type: matte
* Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
* VRAM (Total): 256 MB
* Resolution: 1440 x 900
* Backlit keyboard
* Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
* Width: 14.1 inches (35.7 cm)
* Depth: 9.6 inches (24.3 cm)
* Weight: 5.4 pounds (2.45 kg)
* AppleCare Protection Plan: expires March 28, 2011
I'm not a computer gamer. I know that some of the coursework I will be doing will involve a lot of multimedia-type projects or course content. What are your thoughts on the differences between these two machines? Will I even miss what the 2.4 doesn't have? Also, is there any visual difference between the two?
Thanks!
Matt