That's it! I'm buying an MBP.. but which..

Blackie · Sep 11, 2008

I need some help deciding between 2 MBPs. I'm not sure if the upgrades on one are worth the extra $. I don't do any special 3D stuff or gaming, pretty much emails, photo editing, web stuff... I've been told a MB would be good enough, but I prefer the bigger screen and look of the MBP. I'm looking at buying a refurbed one and need help deciding between these two (both 15"):

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
120GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB of GDDR3 memory

$1550

or...

MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
200GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory

$1800

Also for some reason the 2.2 comes with an apple remote and the 2.4 does not.

tkim · Sep 11, 2008

Blackie said:
I need some help deciding between 2 MBPs. I'm not sure if the upgrades on one are worth the extra $. I don't do any special 3D stuff or gaming, pretty much emails, photo editing, web stuff... I've been told a MB would be good enough, but I prefer the bigger screen and look of the MBP. I'm looking at buying a refurbed one and need help deciding between these two (both 15"):

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
120GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB of GDDR3 memory

$1550

or...

MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
200GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory

$1800

Also for some reason the 2.2 comes with an apple remote and the 2.4 does not.

Only noticeable difference is the bigger HD and a better vid card. If gaming is not an issue then go with the cheaper one. If you need a bigger HD, you can always buy one off newegg or something and replace it yoursef and save some $$ that way.

But if money is no thing, then go with the more expensive one..

EDIT: I don't think you'll notice any difference between the 2.2GHz and the 2.4GHz

imnothardcore · Sep 11, 2008

or add an external.

save the money, theres no need for the more pricey one.

baggss · Sep 11, 2008

Always buy the most computer you can afford. No one ever complains about having a faster CPU, bigger drive or better Video. The opposite, however, is not true.

tkim · Sep 11, 2008

baggss said:
Always buy the most computer you can afford. No one ever complains about having a faster CPU, bigger drive or better Video. The opposite, however, is not true.

I tend to agree with this..how's that saying go..

It's better to have and not need, rather than want and can't have.

Blackie · Sep 11, 2008

tkim said:
Only noticeable difference is the bigger HD and a better vid card. If gaming is not an issue then go with the cheaper one. If you need a bigger HD, you can always buy one off newegg or something and replace it yoursef and save some $$ that way.

But if money is no thing, then go with the more expensive one..

EDIT: I don't think you'll notice any difference between the 2.2GHz and the 2.4GHz

Money isn't really an issue, although if I can save some I would prefer that. That $250 will cover nicely all the extras like a case, mouse, etc.

If I won't notice much in terms of performance and the 2.2 will still be satisfyingly fast, my only question I guess remains if the upgrade is worth the $250. How long would the 2.2 last me and how much would a comparable upgrade cost? I'm not even sure what it is we're talking about upgrading here.. the 2.2 to a 2.4 or perhaps the hard drive? Pardon the total newb question, but is the hard drive where I would be saving pics, etc? So I would possibly run out of space only if I save a lot of stuff on the computer?

imnothardcore · Sep 11, 2008

tkim said:
I tend to agree with this..how's that saying go..

It's better to have and not need, rather than want and can't have.

I disagree. You are talking about a difference of 250 dollars. technology does not go up in price, it goes down.

What they are using this system for checking email and etc. makes me think the differences will not be noticed. 2.2ghz->2.4ghz core 2 duo for this and most other applications you will not be able to tell the difference.

video card wise, the only difference is the memory, as they are not doing gaming or anything else intensive they do not and will not need the upgrade.

that leaves hard drive space, hard drives continually keep dropping in price.

Justifying this laptop buy on hard drive space alone is silly. you can add an external if necessary, there's a travel 300GB one on new egg for under a hundred dollars right now. (its USB and smaller than my iPhone)

imnothardcore · Sep 11, 2008

and yes the hard drive is where pictures music and everything will be saved.

Blackie · Sep 11, 2008

imnothardcore said:
video card wise, the only difference is the memory, as they are not doing gaming or anything else intensive they do not and will not need the upgrade.

So I should be happy with the slower vid card? It's slower in comparison, but it's not super slow? The only vid related stuff I can immagine doing is watching a DVD, youtube, uploading a vid off my digi camera and maybe doing some slight editing with it.
If I need games, I have an xbox.. which has been sitting untouched since xmas.. shows just how much I care about games

tkim · Sep 11, 2008

imnothardcore said:
I disagree. You are talking about a difference of 250 dollars. technology does not go up in price, it goes down.

What they are using this system for checking email and etc. makes me think the differences will not be noticed. 2.2ghz->2.4ghz core 2 duo for this and most other applications you will not be able to tell the difference.

video card wise, the only difference is the memory, as they are not doing gaming or anything else intensive they do not and will not need the upgrade.

that leaves hard drive space, hard drives continually keep dropping in price.

Justifying this laptop buy on hard drive space alone is silly. you can add an external if necessary, there's a travel 300GB one on new egg for under a hundred dollars right now. (its USB and smaller than my iPhone)

Yes the price of technology does drop, but to me it makes the most sense in getting decent hardware for a decent price. Personally, I use my computers until it quits on me. So for me, it makes more sense to get the latest hardware. Sort of future proofing me for awhile. Sure you may not need the extra memory on the vid card today, but what if he gets into gaming later? Few years down the line, that 128 mb could make a huge difference. If money isn't a HUGE deal, then why not spend a little extra to have the HP there?

Blackie · Sep 11, 2008

tkim said:
Yes the price of technology does drop, but to me it makes the most sense in getting decent hardware for a decent price. Personally, I use my computers until it quits on me. So for me, it makes more sense to get the latest hardware. Sort of future proofing me for awhile. Sure you may not need the extra memory on the vid card today, but what if he gets into gaming later? Few years down the line, that 128 mb could make a huge difference. If money isn't a HUGE deal, then why not spend a little extra to have the HP there?

That's usually my logic as well. If you can afford it, buy the best you can. I generally don't regreat it as I like nice stuff, but that being said I don't like to spend money on things I'll never end up using. If I don't go off-roading, I'm not buying a monster truck just because it looks cool and I "might" need it one day during a snow storm. It's especially frustrating with technology considering how fast the latest stuff becomes mid pack stuff and is worth half the price.
I would be more concearnd with technology changing and some how needing the extra fast vid card in the future to run some basic application which would be advanced by today's standards. I didn't get a burner in my last laptop I bought, and cheaped out on the peformance (rather I should say it was a base base model possible) since I had a desktop. That's something I regreated later when the desktop died and the laptop became my main computer. I haaaate slow performance and thank god got access to a much faster laptop or else I would have gone nuts.

Trust me, I won't get into gaming. It's not my thing at all, and a few people have tried to "convert" me already. So the gaming argument is out the door.

tkim said:
If money isn't a HUGE deal, then why not spend a little extra to have the HP there?

Just comes down to the fact that I know that the same card will cost significantly less a few years down the road if I was to upgrade it. So it's more of a current dollar value comparison. Is the $250 worth the better vid card and hard drive?

tkim · Sep 11, 2008

Blackie said:
That's usually my logic as well. If you can afford it, buy the best you can. I generally don't regreat it as I like nice stuff, but that being said I don't like to spend money on things I'll never end up using. If I don't go off-roading, I'm not buying a monster truck just because it looks cool and I "might" need it one day during a snow storm.

I would be more concearnd with technology changing and some how needing the extra fast vid card in the future to run some basic application which would be advanced by today's standards. I didn't get a burner in my last laptop I bought, and cheaped out on the peformance (rather I should say it was a base base model possible) since I had a desktop. That's something I regreated later when the desktop died and the laptop became my main computer. I haaaate slow performance and thank god got access to a much faster laptop or else I would have gone nuts.

Trust me, I won't get into gaming. It's not my thing at all, and a few people have tried to "convert" me already. So the gaming argument is out the door.

Just comes down to the fact that I know that the same card will cost significantly less a few years down the road if I was to upgrade it. So it's more of a current dollar value comparison. Is the $250 worth the better vid card and hard drive?

Well to go along with what I was saying, things are going to keep advancing when it comes to computers, I think everyone knows that. So a few years from now, wouldn't it serve you better if your laptop was still able to run complex and demanding applications. Sure you don't want to buy a monster truck if you aren't going to go off roading all the time, but roads will for the most part always exist right?

As things keep advancing, sooner or later your hardware can't keep up. It's either that or it dies on ya. So if you can spend the money now, then do why not do it? From what I understand, you can't replace the video card on these things. Don't know if that's positively can't or if it's just a pain in the butt. Regardless, I don't think you can shop for an aftermarket video card to put in your MBP.

That being said, is it worth the $250? Only you can really answer that. If I were deciding and if it were up to me, it'd be worth it.

Blackie · Sep 11, 2008

Well if you can't upgrade the vid card that changes things a little bit.

Also just noticed that the 2.4 comes with the multi-touch track pad while the 2.2 has I guess the basic scroll only version. Is that thing as handy and fun as they make it sound?

tkim · Sep 11, 2008

Blackie said:
Well if you can't upgrade the vid card that changes things a little bit.

Also just noticed that the 2.4 comes with the multi-touch track pad while the 2.2 has I guess the basic scroll only version. Is that thing as handy and fun as they make it sound?

I've never used the multi-touch trackpad. But from what I understand, the Iphone uses that technology. So it may be useful when editing pictures and what not and having the ability to zoom in out etc. But it does look it's fun to use though.

baggss · Sep 11, 2008

imnothardcore said:
I disagree. You are talking about a difference of 250 dollars. technology does not go up in price, it goes down.

What they are using this system for checking email and etc. makes me think the differences will not be noticed. 2.2ghz->2.4ghz core 2 duo for this and most other applications you will not be able to tell the difference.

video card wise, the only difference is the memory, as they are not doing gaming or anything else intensive they do not and will not need the upgrade.

that leaves hard drive space, hard drives continually keep dropping in price.

Justifying this laptop buy on hard drive space alone is silly. you can add an external if necessary, there's a travel 300GB one on new egg for under a hundred dollars right now. (its USB and smaller than my iPhone)

Assuming that you will only use the computer for activities planned prior to the purchase is simply selling ones self short. Should the OP decide to start working with video, audio or graphics a year down the road, the better hardware will be there. I would rather have it and not need it than the opposite. As was said, future proofing is a good thing to do when you can afford to do so.

imnothardcore · Sep 11, 2008

LMAO do you really think that years down the line that the extra 128mb of memory is going to make a difference?

cmon, seriously.

this is difficult for new people to understand usually Blackie and im not bashing you in anyway but there is a HUGE HUGE difference in a graphics cards speed and memory. Both card have the same speed and same processing of graphics power, just one has more memory. this is a common newbie mistake, just because it has more memory doesn't necessarily make it better. these cards are identical minus the memory. The same isnt true for different model cards though.

I think it would be much more worth it to buy the computer and take that money and upgrade the system memory. these slight differences make no difference.

I deal with old used apples all the time at work, I get loads of them in weekly. Honestly subtle differences are not noticed for 99% percent of the applications you will be using.

its your choice (obviously) but my two cents is definitely not to pay for the upgrade. the upgrades sound alot more significant than they really are. I promise you. opening the applications you will be using and using them, i guarantee you you wont feel the difference.

Resale down the line, that 250 gap you spend now closes to nothing. If your system is really bogging out and slow, these slight increases wouldnt be the fix, trust me. Apple's hold their value like you wouldnt believe 5 years from now sell your computer. You know what, take that 250 and stick it in your bank. Next year sell this MBP and buy the new one, I bet you the price difference will be close to that 250.

tkim · Sep 11, 2008

imnothardcore said:
LMAO do you really think that years down the line that the extra 128mb of memory is going to make a difference?

cmon, seriously.

this is difficult for new people to understand usually Blackie and im not bashing you in anyway but there is a HUGE HUGE difference in a graphics cards speed and memory. Both card have the same speed and same processing of graphics power, just one has more memory. this is a common newbie mistake, just because it has more memory doesn't necessarily make it better. these cards are identical minus the memory. The same isnt true for different model cards though.

I think it would be much more worth it to buy the computer and take that money and upgrade the system memory. these slight differences make no difference.

I deal with old used apples all the time at work, I get loads of them in weekly. Honestly subtle differences are not noticed for 99% percent of the applications you will be using.

its your choice (obviously) but my two cents is definitely not to pay for the upgrade. the upgrades sound alot more significant than they really are. I promise you. opening the applications you will be using and using them, i guarantee you you wont feel the difference.

Resale down the line, that 250 gap you spend now closes to nothing. If your system is really bogging out and slow, these slight increases wouldnt be the fix, trust me. Apple's hold their value like you wouldnt believe 5 years from now sell your computer. You know what, take that 250 and stick it in your bank. Next year sell this MBP and buy the new one, I bet you the price difference will be close to that 250.

Honestly, I do. Programs like Aperture and Photoshop are only going to keep advancing. Things are only going to get more graphic intensive.

That's like saying would you rather have 128 megs of RAM or 256? Obviously, that 128 does make a difference.

And we aren't just talking about the whole $250 being soley for the video card upgrade either. He also gets a larger HD as well. Sure, you can buy an aftermarket HD for cheaper and install it yourself, but is it worth the hassle? To me it isn't when I can just spend a little extra now and not hafta deal with reinstalling the OS. Time is money.

Now if we were discussing whether the $250 to upgrade RAM for the laptop itself, then I would say no. You can just buy some yourself and install it. But we're talking about the graphics card here. Not like that is easily replaceable.

Sure, the programs will run fine for now. But how in the world can you know what will be used/required in the future? What if another program comes out that requires more HP?

I agree the Mac's do tend to hold their value well. If you aren't planning on keeping this thing until it breaks, this whole argument is moot. If you like to upgrade every so often then save the money and spend it later.

Blackie · Sep 11, 2008

Haa! Well it looks like the 2.2 has been snatched. So the only options I have left to choose from is the 2.4 I mentioned or the same set up with 160 instead of 200GB hard drive for 50bux less.

Beside that.. very interesing discussion so far, I've learned something new today.

imnothardcore · Sep 11, 2008

tkim said:
That's like saying would you rather have 128 megs of RAM or 256? Obviously, that 128 does make a difference.

not at all the same actually.

Im using a regular macbook. NO graphics card, just onboard with motherboard.
I do web design on the side.

I have Photoshop CS3, Flash CS3, Dreamweaver CS3, and iTunes, all open in separate spaces at the same time. my system does not even hiccup. I have 4GB of SYSTEM memory, as stated before my graphics processing power (graphics card) does not even compare to what the pro uses.

speaking of processor i have the 2.1GHZ core 2 duo.

buy system memory instead if anything and buy the entry. trust me. most people overplay the significance of these minor upgrades.

Its like talking the grandma into the 500GB HD instead of the 250GB HD on her gateway for her home photos of the grandchildren. its pathetic. they do this all the time at places like office depot, staples, etc etc.

If people even hinted that a macbook would be fine, the MBP itself is already a huge step. theres no need to waste the money on the upgrade.

Ive said what I can say. the increase on both of those MBP's is so small especially for your use.

tkim · Sep 11, 2008

imnothardcore said:
not at all the same actually.

Im using a regular macbook. NO graphics card, just onboard with motherboard.
I do web design on the side.

I have Photoshop CS3, Flash CS3, Dreamweaver CS3, and iTunes, all open in separate spaces at the same time. my system does not even hiccup. I have 4GB of SYSTEM memory, as stated before my graphics processing power (graphics card) does not even compare to what the pro uses.

speaking of processor i have the 2.1GHZ core 2 duo.

buy system memory instead if anything and buy the entry. trust me. most people overplay the significance of these minor upgrades.

Its like talking the grandma into the 500GB HD instead of the 250GB HD on her gateway for her home photos of the grandchildren. its pathetic. they do this all the time at places like office depot, staples, etc etc.

If people even hinted that a macbook would be fine, the MBP itself is already a huge step. theres no need to waste the money on the upgrade.

Ive said what I can say. the increase on both of those MBP's is so small especially for your use.

It's all about marketing! At least we learned blackie something, whatever it was