What Should I Get?

Hey Everyone! Before I begin, let me say that I apoligise if this is not the right place to ask a question. Here it goes:

I am going to purchase a mac laptop soon. Hoerver, I am unfamiliar with Macs and am unsure what exactly to buy. Up until now, I have been a PC person but I have become disillusioned wit PC's and I am ready for a fresh new start with a new mac.

I am looking for Mac laptop that can fulfill the following needs:
* I need the Mac to be able to search the net very fast
* I want to be able to manage several websites that I currently have
* I am a university student so I would like to be able to write essays, research, type notes, print notes, study etc. with no problems.
* Gaming is something I will not be doing on the Mac - I have a PC desktop for that. However, I would like my Mac to be at least semi-compatible because I may want to watch a movie, use a file that requires an adequate video card etc.
* I would like to be able to create music & videos, edit music & videos, etc. with no problems (I understand that Mac is very friendly to this sort of thing)
* I would like to be able to download files (limewire, torrents etc. )

Basically, I would like a Mac that will let me manage my various websites, fulfill my educational obligations (studying, researching, creating databases etc.), and let me furthur my hobbies in creating music & videos while being fast, user friendly and pretty . This laptop would be strictly business & education oriented - no gaming (except basic stuff like poker software ;P), no massive file sharing (just a little limewire downloads from time to time).

What would be the best Mac laptop for me that fulfills my needs but also has a low price? Keep in mind, I'm a poor univ student.


I was leaning toward a Macbook Pro but my friends tell me that I don't need that much. What do you guys think? Thankyou in advance for everything!

P.S. I live in Canada

Regards,

DaDoli

I would recommend that Macbook since it will most definitely handle everything you're looking for. However, a Macbook Pro could be the better choice simply for its larger screen, which would obviously help with editing video.

But if you can handle a 13.3" screen for video editing, then a Macbook would suit you very well.

The MacBook would indeed be fine for all that you are wanting to do. However, what size screen did you want?

I don't think I would be comfortable with a 13.3 Macbook. I'm not sure on the sizes but I'm leaning toward a 15.0 and up for size. However, I don't want it to be too heavy? Is there a big difference in weight between a 13.3 and a 15.0?

Also, should I be worried about specs for my Macbook or are you guys recomendning the standard Macbook for me?

Thankyou for your replies!

i recently came from a 15.4" HP notebook, into a new 13.3 macbook, and the screen size isn't really that noticeable after a few days. once you get on the mac, resize your icons, and text, and its just the same.

DaDoli said:

Is there a big difference in weight between a 13.3 and a 15.0?

Click to expand...

To me, it was...told myself all along i should have bought the MBP in the first place but it took me a year of suffering with the 13" screen on my MB before i got tired of it and bought a MBP.

macbook pro is what you might want to consider... the video card in the macbook pro for sure will handle your pic. and video viewing/editing and it comes in 15" or 17" screen, and it will be superior enough to handle your internet and school needs.

Very true, but there is my dilemma. The Macbook Pro is like a $1000 more than the Macbook. The question is - is an upgrade to a MBP worth an extra $1000 when a Macbook would suffice for my school needs while having to cope with a smaller screen that I'm used to.

P.S. When I talk about editing/creating music and videos, I'm referring to basic editing software for my vidoes, fruityloops & the Mac only editing software. The software is not intense but it's something that I would like to use top speed on my new Mac.

For you I wouldn't recommend a Macbook Pro. Since you're only doing basic editing of videos the Macbook would be OK. Also there isn't a lot of difference in weight between the MB and the MBP, I've heard.

well it seems a mb would suit you and answer all your needs with no problems..but since they weight nearly same why not to go with bigger screen??(mb is 2.27 kg mbp is 2.45 kg no big difference and mbp is slimmer than mb..)

True, but is the bigger screen worth an extra $600? The only thing that the standard Macbook Pro comes with over the Macbook is a larger screen & a video card. The Macbook Pro still comes with 1 gb of memory. I could potentially do a couple upgrades to a Macbook such 2 gb's of ram along with a bigger hard-drive and the price would still be significantly lower than purchasing a standard Macbook Pro (about $600 lower) which comes with roughly the same specs as a Macbook but a larger screen and a nice video card.

The question is - where do I get the most bang for my buck, the Macbook or the Macbook Pro? However, the screen size I will take into consideration considering I am used to a large screen. But is the larger screen worth an extra $600....

P.S. This is a little off-topic but my friend was wondering if Mac gives discounts to high school students. I know they give them to uni. students but do they give them to high school students too (he's in his final year of high school but he needs a new computer/laptop fast and he's considering a mac). In addition, how does this discount thing work? Do I need to buy off the Mac website to get a discount or do I still get the discount @ Future Shop & Best Buy?

My opinion is to go to the Macbook because it will handle your things but since you are a college student (usually college students don't have too much money to deal with no offense) so it's up to you if you want the macbook pro if you will need more power in the future you should probably go with the macbook pro. Thats my opinon

Thankyou very much for all your replies! I think I will go with the Macbook with a couple upgrades to the memory and harddrive. All together it will come out to around $1500 + tax.

FWIW, in reference to your previous post, there are more differences than the screen size between the MB and MBP.

The MBP has an extra USB port, Firewire 800 port, and Card Slot. In addition, it has the ambient lighted keyboard. It also has better sounding speakers. The MB has shared video RAM and an integrated video card where the MBP has dedicated video RAM/video card. The enclosure is obviously different, and the keyboard as well. Also, the MBP has the option of a screen with a matte finish.

Positive aspects of the MB include superior battery life when compared to the MBP. Also, the Hard drive in the MB is user upgradeable. The MBP HD is not considered user upgradeable, and will void the warantee if it is replaced.

FWIW, I went through all this and wound up with the Black Macbook. I bought mine as a refurbished unit from a 3rd party vendor, for over $500 cheaper than what I would've paid for a new one from Apple. Bear in mind though, that the specs have since been upgraded, so my 2.0GHz, 120GB Black MB is no longer the top of the line MB.

I'm generally pretty happy with the computer. The only complaints I have about it are the glossy screen. Glare is an issue when using it outside. It's bright enough to be seen, for sure. But the glare can be pretty annoying. I was worried I wouldn't dig the keyboard, and that the screen would be too small for me. The keyboard grew on me pretty fast, and i'm ok with the screen size. I wouldn't mind it being a little bigger, but it's not too smal to keep me from doing what I need to do with the computer. Noone i've showed the computer to has made any comments about it being small.

The MBP is a nicer machine, any way you slice it. But I paid half the price of one, for a computer with specs the are just about on par performance-wise. The integrated video card and RAM limitations will make it out of date before the MBP, but overall, I feel it's worth the money and i'd recommend the MB. I may upgrade to the MBP at some point, specifically due to the video setup, as i'll be doing some heavy video editing. But for an everyday use computer, I don't think you can go wrong if you're informed, and understand the differences.

-Nick