To Mac or Not to Mac

r44b

r44b

r44b

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Joined
21 Dec 2006
Posts
289
Ive had my eye on a mac for a while now, specifically either the mid range 15" macbook pro or the 17" version.

I primarily want something that i can run my empire from, something thats clean, easy to use, well built and has all the features ill need.

Im gonna be doing lots of photography, image editing, animation, writing, design, html/php/mysql/java website based stuff etc. Im aware that Mac's are extremely fast efficient machines but now that im getting to the point where im seriously looking into them ive become a little wary of the price.

Im willing to pay a premium for something thats going to really perform well, but for the price of the 17" macbook pro i could build a top end quad core system.

So id really appreciate any comments, especially from people that have been in the same situation as me, and that use it for the kind of things im going to be using it for. How does it perform and is it really worth the money?
 
If you want what is perhaps the best mobile computer you can get, get the MBP. If mobility isn't that important to you I'd recommend a big iMac. :)

A 17" MBP starts at £1,899.00
A 24" iMac starts at £1,349.00
If you want dual dual core processors a Mac Pro would start at £1,699.00 for a very serviceable spec.
 
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At the Apple WWDC, they should release new MacBook Pros and possibly iMacs so you can expect a very good price for a second hand MacBook Pro or iMac.
 
Go for the 17' MBP tbh.


Or, if you budget is rather large, get the 15" for the field and a Mac Pro for at home. :p
 
I have an option to purchase a MBP through my company's discount scheme for their employees, however as we're a sold division we only have about a month to make use of it..

I want a stable platform for home use and use my PC now for 100% gaming.

So do I:
1. Get a current MBP 15" + Tiger for a good discount now?, or,
2. Wait till October for the refresh of the MBP with Leopard onboard too?

Grr decisions, decisions!
 
NickK said:
I have an option to purchase a MBP through my company's discount scheme for their employees, however as we're a sold division we only have about a month to make use of it..

I want a stable platform for home use and use my PC now for 100% gaming.

So do I:
1. Get a current MBP 15" + Tiger for a good discount now?, or,
2. Wait till October for the refresh of the MBP with Leopard onboard too?

Grr decisions, decisions!
Click to expand...

Wait until the 11th June to see if any updates for the MacBook Pro are released then buy one with your discount :)
 
Justin said:
Wait until the 11th June to see if any updates for the MacBook Pro are released then buy one with your discount :)
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Especially as leopard will be priced fairly, with just the one version. :)
 
r44b said:
Im gonna be doing lots of photography, image editing, animation, writing, design, html/php/mysql/java website based stuff etc. Im aware that Mac's are extremely fast efficient machines but now that im getting to the point where im seriously looking into them ive become a little wary of the price.
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You have no choice, any high end Mac will do you fine, there is no better computer available than a Mac. I have a 17" MacbookPro, maxed out, and it is the best computer I have ever owned (my third Mac after a G5 20" iMac and a 2.33 Intel 24" iMac). It simply kicks arse; it can run the most advanced OS on the planet, OS X, it can run Winblows and any flavour of Linux flawlessly.

Photos and animation is where it is at on a Mac, get a 17" MacbookPro and Iguarantee you will not regret it. Plus, you will appear more attractive to the opposite sex. :)
 
I'm presuming 11th June is WWDC then?

Someone told me that September/October is the best time to get laptops as they target students with cheaper prices, is this true?
 
AJUK said:
You have no choice, any high end Mac will do you fine, there is no better computer available than a Mac. I have a 17" MacbookPro, maxed out, and it is the best computer I have ever owned (my third Mac after a G5 20" iMac and a 2.33 Intel 24" iMac). It simply kicks arse; it can run the most advanced OS on the planet, OS X, it can run Winblows and any flavour of Linux flawlessly.

Photos and animation is where it is at on a Mac, get a 17" MacbookPro and Iguarantee you will not regret it. Plus, you will appear more attractive to the opposite sex. :)
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Haha! You sound exactly like Jungiantheology off youtube, checkout his vids, very good!

You didnt have you 24" iMac for long did you?

I also have a MacBook Pro 17" and its awesome!

My PowerMac Dual G5 still kinda feels more responsive though.

Josh
 
thanks for all your posts guys, i checked out that youtube vid and that pretty much answered all my questions :P

So ive decided im gonna go for it, but ill hang on untill WWDC to see what happens in terms of updates.
 
gumbald said:
I'm presuming 11th June is WWDC then?

Someone told me that September/October is the best time to get laptops as they target students with cheaper prices, is this true?
Click to expand...

I'm not to sure about the student thing but, yes the WWDC is on 11th June to the 15th and also if you did wait until October, Leopard will be out most probably along with even more new hardware.
 
newmacbook.png


I removed the link because it had OcUK competitor adverts, most of you will know where it's from.
 
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Yes, it's likely an update to the MBP will come on June 11th.

I stick by the belief that getting a MBP in October/November when Leopard is out to be more beneficial though, as no doubt they'll bump the MBP just to P off the people who bought in June ;)

Oh, and if they don't.. don't panic cos you'll have Leopard to play with (+ you'd have more time to save)
 
Interesting about the lighter MBP with LED screen technology.

One of the criteria is that it's light, quick and stable with a good battery life.
I'll probably wait and get a MBP 15" with 2 or 4GB (depending on the battery impact vs performance).

Anyone know about long term MBP batteries - so if the battery fails in 2 years time, that a replacement is easy to get?
 
NickK said:
Interesting about the lighter MBP with LED screen technology.

One of the criteria is that it's light, quick and stable with a good battery life.
I'll probably wait and get a MBP 15" with 2 or 4GB (depending on the battery impact vs performance).

Anyone know about long term MBP batteries - so if the battery fails in 2 years time, that a replacement is easy to get?
Click to expand...

The MBP meets all those things; it's light, very quick and if you're using it for office work i'd say a good 4 hours battery :)

(I have a 17" MBP with 2GB RAM, FYI: chipset limits you to a soft limit of 3GB if you install 4GB)

Also, Apple sell batteries for £89 @ http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=6C04E0D7&nplm=MA348
 
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