First Mac

lawz

lawz

lawz

Associate
Joined
3 Dec 2005
Posts
458
Hey guys

It was my 21st on Thursday and I've got some money to spend, and ive had my eye on the 15" MBP refresh

Im currently at uni doing computer games design, using primarily 3DS Max, Z brush etc, which I believe are only available on Windows (for the moment anywho) so would be running it on bootcamp when I had some work to do.

I was hoping someone could give some advice on which MBP (if any) I should go for and what options? I was having a look in the apple store the other day, and was asking about upgrading the ram/harddrive (to an SSD) myself. Apparantly it won't affect the warranty, but obviously Apple won't cover the new harddrive that I install.

Not had a Mac before, although a lot of my friends do (Film and music students :P ) and they do just work nicely.

My main computer is a custom desktop, but I love 200 miles away from home, so a laptop would be incredibly useful for when I go home/go into uni/go round friends etc.

What is the performance of the graphics in games btw on the 15" MBP?

Sorry for all the questions! Hoping someone can help :)

Lawz
 
Disco Boy said:
He said 15 inch, it's the 13 inch which has the lower powered graphics.
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*edit* Its between the 6490M for the lower spec 15" and the 6750M for the higher spec 15". Both have their good and bad points, but im wondering if anyone has anymore info on them as they both seem pretty new and can't find any benchmarks for them, only spec info.

I do realise they feature the new sandybridge i7s, but the price is still eye watering for the 15" model, but id be wanting the graphics of the 15" so im forced out there :P

Theres three options for the screens as well. Standard, Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display or Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display. Which one is generally considered better or would it be an idea to look instore and see which I prefer myself?

Theres also an option for 128gb SSD for an extra £80. This would be cheaper than buying one myself and installing it, but does anyone know how the specs of it stand up? Harddrive space wouldnt be an issue, Ive got 2.5tb of storage on my desktop and can transfer films/tv shows over as and when I need them for going away.

For the ram, I have a feeling 4gb would be plenty. Would the price for me buying the ram at a later date and installing it myself be less than the cost of having it installed from the start? (£160)

Final Q on Applecare, is it worth it? Does it cover accidental damage or would I be better off buying regular insurance which covers accidental damage?

Cheers, Lawz
 
Last edited:
I took the plunge! :D

Ordered the high end 15" with 500 gb 7200rpm HDD and the Hi-res glossy screen. £1700 all in with the apple care as well.

Also ordered this case after someone posted in the mac hardware pics thread.

Should be here in a weeks time :)
 
Tilluss said:
Thats pretty much the spec I have but I have 8GB RAM also, will also be getting a Vertex 3 in the future.

I installed UDK yesterday and did a few tests and it works really well, so you should be good for 3ds Max and zBrush.

In games this thing flies, I'm really quite amazed how how powerful it is, and it's even more amazing when you realize the main actual computer bit is only a small corner of the overall machine.
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Thanks for the input, is that on mac or Windows bootcamp? I reckon it'll be good for the next 3 years at least for my uni work and beyond :)
 
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