I need help deciding which macbook to go for

[bigben90]

Hi

Im new to this forum. Im looking to make the leap from windows to mac. Im sick and tired of being on the phone to dell everynight and not getting anywhere close of getting my laptop repaired, so i have decide to get a new mac. I have used macs at college. I cant make my mind up between the new unibody polycarbonate macbook, or a macbook pro. I dont want to spend more than £1,000 but would if it makes the difference.

I have a few questions aswell:

1. Will the new polycarbonate run Final Cut Pro Studio?
2. If the polycarbonate Macbook doesnt run Final Cut Pro Studio will the entry level macbook pro run it?
3. Should I consider getting a refurb macbook pro 15"?

 

[bobtomay]

Depends on what you're going to be doing with it. You really need to go through the system requirements and determine which aspects of FCS you need.

Apple - Final Cut Studio - Tech Specs and System Requirements

Any of the current gen Macs will run the basics of FCS.
At least one aspect requires 512MB VRAM.

 

[bigben90]

thanks, i will be mainly using it to edit video, some footage will be hd but mainly standard

 

[scottshaw16]

well on christmas day i got a 13" macbook pro because its amazingly quick light and the screen is so much better than on the regular macbook, also i feel that the white macbook is for people who cant afford the aluminium one.
yes the hard drive is smaller even though you spend £100 more but 160gb is still quite alot and and im so happy i choose a mac insted of a windows and thats comming from ( well was) a windows fan
hope this helps

 

[Nighthawk4]

This might sound a dumb question (indeed it probably is), but........


.......what is the real difference between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro?

I know the latter has larger versions, but the smallest MBP seems to be £100 more expensive than the MB, with a similar spec.

Edit - the only advantage I can see is the white of the MB looks a little odd. The aluminium finish looks much better - but an extra £100 on a machine which is already very expensive?

----------

A little more controversial perhaps:

Second question - I have an iMac (20") and I love it. I also have a PC with Win7 and a 22" monitor, plus an ASUS laptop (15" with Win7) and a small netbook (about 10" I think - with XP).

Is it worth getting the 13" MB or MBP (see first question), or should I remortgage the house to afford a larger MBP, or stick with the iMac and use a Windows machine when I need portability?

I love the iMac, even if it did cost about 50% more than the Windows7 machine - but the Mac laptops seem to cost around two to three times that of a Windows laptop. Are they really that much better?

 

[walkerj]

This might sound a dumb question (indeed it probably is), but........


.......what is the real difference between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro?

I know the latter has larger versions, but the smallest MBP seems to be £100 more expensive than the MB, with a similar spec.

Edit - the only advantage I can see is the white of the MB looks a little odd. The aluminium finish looks much better - but an extra £100 on a machine which is already very expensive?

Because the screen quality on the MBP alone is absolutely worth the extra £100 (or in my case US$200.) Backlit keyboard is not something you'd think would be all that, but once you get one it is. Throw in that Firewire 800 and SD card slot and it adds up to total WIN. As for the 13" screen size it's fine when I'm out and about while at home it's hooked to a 24" external. Remember, you might have to stare at this thing all day (I do) so you want the best display possible. Absolutely trounces my employer issued 13" Dell.

 

[bigben90]

Thanks for all your reply's, have decided to get myself a MacBook. So would like to know your thoughts on it

 

[m_ove]

No offense, but if you are going to be running FCS then a Macbook is really on the short side, I spoke with Apple before getting my current macbook pro, and they told me if you are going to be doing some (semi-)serious video editing then even the 13" MacBook Pro will be on the lower side, because you really want one with a dedicated graphics card!

So if I was you I would go with the Macbook Pro, if you can afford it.

 

[CrimsonRequiem]

No offense, but if you are going to be running FCS then a Macbook is really on the short side, I spoke with Apple before getting my current macbook pro, and they told me if you are going to be doing some (semi-)serious video editing then even the 13" MacBook Pro will be on the lower side, because you really want one with a dedicated graphics card!

So if I was you I would go with the Macbook Pro, if you can afford it.

I don't know about short end...looks more like not able to...

"ATI or NVIDIA graphics processor (integrated Intel graphics processors not supported)." Linky.

 

[bigben90]

Well my macbook will not be used to run Final Cut Pro, as I have access to iMacs at College, thus the reason why Im getting the MacBook, as it will be used a lesuire laptop, for watching dvd's, checking emails, surfing the net, facbooking etc.