Mac book or macbook pro?

[NineEleven]

Hi, I just like to listen to your opinions.

I've been a window user for over 20yrs now... been always lusting @ the design of new Macs & now we can finally have a double environment in it.

I'm pondering between the 2.4 McBook or the entry Pro. Both upgraded to 4Gb ram for free. Specs are very similar except a better graphic card, firewire & speaker + the larger screen for the pro.

I travel a lot & the laptop goes inside my camera bag now so weight saving is nice which makes the 13" ideal but that 15" is very useful when I do photo editing & surfing web. Sound is not that important as I always mute it & I intend to have that fabulous wireless Time capsule thing.

Which one do u Mac users go for? I'm ok with the $600 diff but that pro is 500g heavier.

Anything else u guys would recommend that I should pick up or software to add on to sync contacts etc. & is that 3yrs Applecare necessary?

Many thanks.

 

[Ninja23XX]

Hi, I just like to listen to your opinions.

I've been a window user for over 20yrs now... been always lusting @ the design of new Macs & now we can finally have a double environment in it.

I'm pondering between the 2.4 McBook or the entry Pro. Both upgraded to 4Gb ram for free. Specs are very similar except a better graphic card, firewire & speaker + the larger screen for the pro.

I travel a lot & the laptop goes inside my camera bag now so weight saving is nice which makes the 13" ideal but that 15" is very useful when I do photo editing & surfing web. Sound is not that important as I always mute it & I intend to have that fabulous wireless Time capsule thing.

Which one do u Mac users go for? I'm ok with the $600 diff but that pro is 500g heavier.

Anything else u guys would recommend that I should pick up or software to add on to sync contacts etc. & is that 3yrs Applecare necessary?

Many thanks.

Get the MacBook Pro, if you can, other wise the MacBook is quite alright for your needs. Apple care is useful, though apple products are generally well made, we cannot say that the electronics would not fail. So be safe than sorry.

Hope it helps.


GMAN

 

[GoheadGostern]

Being a user of both MBP and MB. i would recommend u to get the MBP. given that you dun mind the $600 difference. the weight. bare with it. the pros that comes along outweigh the weight.

mayb when u get ur MBP/MB you might want to instal the istats and the SMCfancontrol as it allows you to control the speed of ur MBP/MB fan. so when u duin heavy processing on photoshop, you can increase the fan rpm to cool down your MBP/MB slightly.

Cheers
Shaz

 

[bousozoku]

It comes down to a few things:

resolution and 3D capabilities
ExpressCard/34 slot
price
weight

Someone who needs to do 3D work or uses an application which makes a lot of use of it, such as Apple's Aperture, games, or a 3D modeler, the MacBook Pro will be much better. The screen size shouldn't be much of an issue but any extra resolution could be. 1440x900 vs. 1280x800.

The ExpressCard/34 slot may be of use to someone who wants to use a mobile internet connection or have a faster way to transfer photos.

I don't see the issue with weight. Once it's in my backpack with camera equipment, while it's noticeable, the camera equipment is much heavier.

I'd say to always get AppleCare. I needed it on this one in the last few weeks. Otherwise, you can take the money you didn't spend on AppleCare and get a netbook, just in case.

 

[2evans]

What does the TS use to edit photos? If using Photoshop CS4, even though it's now fully gpu enabled, it's still not as gpu bound as say using Aperture. Will this be the main computer or will this be a secondary machine to say a desktop where most of the photo editing will be done?

 

[FLiNcHY]

The macbook pro screen is also ALOT better

it uses a different panel all together.

Way better contrast and blacks. Compare both screens side by side and you will see

The screen quality difference alone is worth choosing the macbook pro over the macbook.

Screen resolution is another factor.


I also use esata on my macbook pro, getting a blazing fast transfer of 55mb/s (real time) from external harddisk over.

Totally wipes the floor with USB 2.0

 

[Shoooters]

Hmmmm.. if i were u.. i would go for power.. weight is not an issue for me..0.5kg more only.. you cannot carry?

 

[foxwagon]

Buy something that would suit your budget and operational needs.
500g is nothing, like a bottle of mineral water?
The time spent working on the lap top is so much longer than the time spent on carrying it around.

 

[NineEleven]

Thanks for the inputs guys. Glad to hear many things that I didn't know about. I intend to have CS4, office & not sure about aperture/elements. I was almost ready to buy the 13" but the mobile internet connection can be useful in places where internet is not available or very expensive. Also thought that AC is redundant since they are well built. Hmm.....

500g is not a lot but when u have a full kit of camera+few lenses, tripod, water etc to walk a full day, every 100g counts. In fact, I'm trimming down my lenses to pack as light as possible & I have a slipdisc suffered during NS days & it hurts.

 

[2evans]

If you're going PS CS4, the mac book is the better choice. I'd put the dedicated graphics card as a nice to have versus a need, and since you travel a lot, lighter is a higher priority.

Editing on a 13" or 15" isn't really that comfortable either way, and you would probably want an external monitor.

 

[xhui]

If you're going PS CS4, the mac book is the better choice. I'd put the dedicated graphics card as a nice to have versus a need, and since you travel a lot, lighter is a higher priority.

Editing on a 13" or 15" isn't really that comfortable either way, and you would probably want an external monitor.

i second this. i'm currently using a macbook with external monitor + keyboard + mouse. (of course when at home). and when i'm on the go, i just unplug everything and go. the weight is reasonable - at least something i won't curse and swear after, or worse, puts you off and you wouldn't want to bring it out in the end. your RAM's going be maxed, so running programs like CS4, office should be no problem too.

But having said that, I also crave for the speed and power of a MBP.

 

[Agenda]

Before you change, you will probably know that Windows and MAC OSX have completely different interface. As a windows user all my life, counting the years I've been a serious pc user, only 3 years.

I tried my friend's macbook, totally user-unfriendly to me, especially msn.

If its speed, you can wait for the new Windows 7 to release, I've tried it beta and it's as fast as XP, slightly better. For looks, I'm sure for the money you'll be putting into a mac, you can get a laptop that is as slick.

Rather than just physical looks, you have to consider getting used to and stuffs before you switch.

just my 2 cents.

 

[2evans]

Before you change, you will probably know that Windows and MAC OSX have completely different interface. As a windows user all my life, counting the years I've been a serious pc user, only 3 years.

I tried my friend's macbook, totally user-unfriendly to me, especially msn.

If its speed, you can wait for the new Windows 7 to release, I've tried it beta and it's as fast as XP, slightly better. For looks, I'm sure for the money you'll be putting into a mac, you can get a laptop that is as slick.

Rather than just physical looks, you have to consider getting used to and stuffs before you switch.

just my 2 cents.

Yep, OSX is quite a different beast and there is some re-learning involved. As an option, the TS can always run boot camp to boot into a flavour of windows or run a virtual session inside OSX.

 

[xhui]

Before you change, you will probably know that Windows and MAC OSX have completely different interface. As a windows user all my life, counting the years I've been a serious pc user, only 3 years.

I tried my friend's macbook, totally user-unfriendly to me, especially msn.

If its speed, you can wait for the new Windows 7 to release, I've tried it beta and it's as fast as XP, slightly better. For looks, I'm sure for the money you'll be putting into a mac, you can get a laptop that is as slick.

Rather than just physical looks, you have to consider getting used to and stuffs before you switch.

just my 2 cents.

I guess before the Windows vs Mac war starts, let's focus on what TS is asking opinions for? He mentioned the benefits of a dual OS on one, and i would assume TS will also be using Windows on the Mac machine too.

Usually when somebody says "user-unfriendly" or "hard to use", my question would be, is it just something different thus the "unfriendly" or is it really user unfriendliness. Most people would had used Windows for who knows how long and wouldn't even have touched or gave Mac a chance (not just a one touch thing, who learns a new OS in just a few touches?).

Mac is different, its not Windows, expect changes to the "usual" way of doing things because it is another OS all together, simply put. The only friend whom i've heard said he can't adapt to mac was because he's not IT-savvy (don't even know how to email) at all nor was he open to changing the way of his usual way of doing things (Windows platform), thus the verdict of "not used to it". But even my gal-friends who changed to mac, they were all praises and they never knew using a mac was so friendly and "no brainers" to use.

Because its a different OS from Windows, of course there's different applications and programs for different needs. You need not use MSN for mac (by windows) but there's so many more programs like Adium, Fire, aMSN etc etc not just for MSN but also multiple other chat apps.

So i guess let's try to see how we can give suggestions towards what TS seeks. ;p

 

[Harry Potter]

Of course a MacBookPro lah. I find MacBooK too slow.

 

[FLiNcHY]

I use cs4 all the time on my macbook pro, and honestly speaking, the geforce 9400 is all you need.


Switching to the 9600 will cause the macbook pro to heat up like an oven, and its fans will start going all noisy and scary.

So since i hate it being so hot and noisy, i've always used the 9400 only. Which is more than enough for photoshop.


Speed wise, the macbook's processor is so close to the macbook pro. I don't think it's that big of a difference.

I would get the macbook pro because

1: Screen quality and resolution (top reason to get it. Editing pictures on a 13 inch screen is NO fun at all.)
2: Expresscard slot for eSata
3: Glow in the dark keyboard.


That being said, i feel like selling my macbook pro to get the 17 inch one. Editing pics on a 15 inch is now too small for me. lol

 

[NineEleven]

I use cs4 all the time on my macbook pro, and honestly speaking, the geforce 9400 is all you need.


Switching to the 9600 will cause the macbook pro to heat up like an oven, and its fans will start going all noisy and scary.

So since i hate it being so hot and noisy, i've always used the 9400 only. Which is more than enough for photoshop.


Speed wise, the macbook's processor is so close to the macbook pro. I don't think it's that big of a difference.

I would get the macbook pro because

1: Screen quality and resolution (top reason to get it. Editing pictures on a 13 inch screen is NO fun at all.)
2: Expresscard slot for eSata
3: Glow in the dark keyboard.


That being said, i feel like selling my macbook pro to get the 17 inch one. Editing pics on a 15 inch is now too small for me. lol

hahaha, we can never have enough, do we. I concur on hooking it up to a table screen & asked the salesman to throw in a VGA/DVI cable for me. The Mcbook I'm after has the nightglow keyboard as well but I didn't know we can choose which graphic card to operate while operating PS???

Initially, I wanted to have two OS in it but realised that I only use Office, skype & PShop so it might not be necessary.

Noob questions.

1) I was told that you never need to update patches & have anti-virus in Mac? If that's true, then u guys are saving a lot of time & $!

2) Where is the icon to "safely remove external hardwares/drives" in Mac? Or do u just unplug them?

I've tried Mac's OS & getting a hand in it, it's quite straight forward but will need more time to learn how to go into the registry to check on files like how we would do in windows. My regret now is I've sold my Iphone & Ipod :cry:

 

[GoheadGostern]

you can use open office as a replacement to MS Office

Mac will have an auto update if there is any updates for the Mac. they prompt you when it occurs. but do note that Mac has so far only 1 trojan. but it can be removed. no worries.

2) you just need to windows equivalent of left click and choose Eject Device.

Hope tat helps

Cheers!

 

[NineEleven]

you can use open office as a replacement to MS Office

Mac will have an auto update if there is any updates for the Mac. they prompt you when it occurs. but do note that Mac has so far only 1 trojan. but it can be removed. no worries.

2) you just need to windows equivalent of left click and choose Eject Device.

Hope tat helps

Cheers!

Hi, thanks for the fast reply. These help a lot & I was thinking of open source softwares too, will try it out & hope that my colleagues can read/edit them with their PCs.

 

[xhui]

hahaha, we can never have enough, do we. I concur on hooking it up to a table screen & asked the salesman to throw in a VGA/DVI cable for me. The Mcbook I'm after has the nightglow keyboard as well but I didn't know we can choose which graphic card to operate while operating PS???

Initially, I wanted to have two OS in it but realised that I only use Office, skype & PShop so it might not be necessary.

Noob questions.

1) I was told that you never need to update patches & have anti-virus in Mac? If that's true, then u guys are saving a lot of time & $!

2) Where is the icon to "safely remove external hardwares/drives" in Mac? Or do u just unplug them?

I've tried Mac's OS & getting a hand in it, it's quite straight forward but will need more time to learn how to go into the registry to check on files like how we would do in windows. My regret now is I've sold my Iphone & Ipod :cry:

hi NineEleven,

To eject your ext hdd, or we call it unmount, you can either,

- Select the drive from the desktop and drag it to the Trash, or click the little eject icon next to the drive’s name in a Finder window.

Once the external drive is no longer visible on the desktop or in a Finder window, you can safely turn its power off. If you prefer, you can also just shut down your Mac. The shutdown process automatically unmounts all drives. Once your Mac has shut down, you can turn off the external drive. hope that helps, and enjoy your mac!!