Buying a macbook/ macbook pro

Tunez

Tunez

Tunez

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Hi, I'm going of to uni in September to study music technology and since all the studios are filled with mac's i thought it would make my life easier if i got one!

So basically i will be replacing my desktop with a macbook/ pro, not sure yet which one to get but i have a few questions that may help me decide!

1. The speakers on the macbook are apparently crap, i have the option of getting a (i)macbook pro or a (ii)macbook with a set of decent external speakers (would have to pretty small though). Would the macbook pro speakers be good enough for casual work on them as i have good speakers at home (too big to bring with), and i can use the studios if need be...

2. I'm not a gamer but i would like to have the option there, would anyone know how the x4500 would perform on the macbook once Montevina comes to apple (hopefully in the next few weeks). I know macs are crap for gaming, but i get bored easily...

3. (This question is more aimed at people who have studied the course or are in the business) Are there any programs i should get to know before going on the course? Like Logic express? etc

4. I'm looking for something that will last me for a long time, will the macbook pro's performance give me an extra year or two over the macbook?

5. May sound like a silly question but.... does an ordinary mouse work on a Mac (idiot :rolleyes:)

Thats all i can think of at the minute, i'm sure there will be more :D
Thanks
 
1. The speakers on my Macbook (non-pro) are alright, no bass but good enough for everyday usage as far as jingles are concerned. If you're going to be doing music tech, get yourself a decent pair of headphones instead of speakers, in my experience they provide much better reproduction and are easier to work with (lower background noise, etc).

2. The Mac simply isn't built for games. The graphics chips inside the regular Macbook will play very basic games fine, but you'll be looking at a Macbook Pro with a geforce card for anything more. Not sure on the new chipset, sorry.

3. Find out which software you'll be using on the course first-off, that's your best bet. When helping out at the studio I use Soundtrack Pro 2 and Logic, but not sure what you'll be using.

4. I've got the 2.4Ghz Macbook and comparing to the Macbook Pro's we use at the studio, there's not a huge noticable difference between mine and the 2.5Ghz chips. When I use the MacPro's however, well, that's a different matter.

5. Yup, any usb mouse will work fine. Microsoft mice have their own drivers and actually work rather well with OSX
 
1. I can listen to podcasts/tv quite happily with the speakers on my MBP, but I wouldn't want to edit using them :)

2. No idea :p

3. It can't hurt to get to know a few programs. DP & Logic would be on my list.

4. I'd say the only real performance advantage the Pro has is the graphics chip. This'll come in handy once apps like photoshop are using GPU acceleration, but I doubt that'll be an issue for a few years.

5. Of course :p
 
Another thing I forgot to mention is that you might want to consider the screen size / resolution. When editing at home I use a 20in iMac, the 13in screen on the Macbook is fine for single-track editing, but if you're doing any multi-track work you'll want a display with a higher resolution for sure. That's where the 17in Macbook Pro would come in handy over the Macbook. Or you could buy an additional monitor to plug into the Macbook, dual screens also come in handy.
 
Thanks for the replies...

I'm finding it difficult to decide between the two... it would be nice to get the macbook pro for the graphics card,bigger screen and the few extra features, but i dont know if the extra costs could be better spent on things like tv tuner, extra ram and maybe headphones (didn't think of that)/ speakers.

I have a 22" monitor i could link the macbook up to, so having a bigger screen isn't really an issue, just would be 'nice' lol...

Another question is, apple care seems very expensive for what you get, can you get insurance elsewhere that will cover technical issues and accidental damage?

Thanks for the help
 
If you buy it through the Higher Education store (or phone up and say you are a student at *insert your new uni here* then you will not only get a very nice discount (possibly making the MBP closer to your price range) but you will also get the Apple hardware support for free. :)

Panzer
 
Panzerbjorn said:
If you buy it through the Higher Education store (or phone up and say you are a student at *insert your new uni here* then you will not only get a very nice discount (possibly making the MBP closer to your price range) but you will also get the Apple hardware support for free. :)

Panzer
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Yea, the only reason the MBP is being considered is because of education discount lol... do you get apple care for free when using HE discount?

Also, would like to get a tv tuner, is the elgato (thats not a competitor is it?) Eye Tv for DTT any good? its about £35, seems too cheap to be decent quality?
 
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Sorry to hijack the thread but it's a fairly relevant question.

How much difference is there between the marketed 2.4ghz and 2.5ghz MBPs? I can't work out where the extra £300 is, save for mega-expensive apple upgrades.
 
Depends on what you're planning on using the Mac for, although there wont be a huge increase in performance between the two.

All you get for £300 more is: 100Mhz extra speed on the processor, 50GB more HDD space and a 512mb graphics card instead of a 256mb one.
 
Yeah thats what I figured :p.

I think for the graphics its probably worth it, albeit a bloody expensive upgrade.

Edit: Here's a silly question, do they all come with built in wireless and/or ethernet ports?
 
platypus said:
Sorry to hijack the thread but it's a fairly relevant question.

How much difference is there between the marketed 2.4ghz and 2.5ghz MBPs? I can't work out where the extra £300 is, save for mega-expensive apple upgrades.
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The only differences are an extra 256mb VRAM , an extra 50gb hdd space, and the 0.1 Ghz processor. I don't think the processor bump has any noticable speed benefitts, you might be better off saving the money and, upgrading the hdd to 7200rpm and upgrade to 4gb ram (buy 3rd party, apple charge extortionate prices).
 
Tunez said:
From what ive read the 512 mb doesn't make a big difference... i don't think the extra £300 is worth it...
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Given that I'll want to do some video work on it I think it's worth it.

I dropped the 4gb ram upgrade (£120), which I'll replace with better ram direct from Crucial, and I want the faster HDD.

Plus - with the quidco discount and not paying VAT it was a lot cheaper anyway.
 
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