University student, can't decide on which Macbook Pro to buy?

Hi everyone, I'm starting Television Production at University and they use Avid Media Composer 6.5 for all their editing. I looked at the system requirements for a Mac, and I know for a fact my macbook pro atm would never be able to cope with it. It's from early 2006, it has an outdated graphics card/processor and not near enough RAM or the right OS X to run it smoothly. And since I'll be at University for another 3 years, I've considered getting a new Mac because I'll need one eventually. I get a £1000 overdraft from my bank, question is, which Macbook Pro do I go for? I'd prefer to have one with 6/8GB RAM (recommended to run Avid), and i5/i7. Is there much difference in the specs between 13" and 15"? Does RAM/processor really matter when it comes to editing software? All in all I'm looking for a Macbook that'll last me for a long while and won't become outdated anytime soon, for under £1000.

For video editing I recommend 15". You will be happy you have the extra screen real estate. I also recommend buying with minimum installed ram then upgrade with 3rd party ram to 16GB. If you opt for the retina display order it with 16GB ram.

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MacBook Pro smell and need help deciding on which MacBook Pro to buy

So I bought a 17-inch MacBook Pro from my brother in August of 2009. He bought it in March of 2008. A couple days ago I noticed that my MacBook Pro has been releasing a really bad smell almost as if burning plastic. But the smell isn't that bad. What could be wrong with my MacBook Pro? I'm getting a New 15 or 13-inch MacBook Pro in June so idk if I should just not worry about it? And I need help deciding if I should get a high end 13-inch MacBook Pro or a low end 15-inch MacBook Pro?

What could be wrong with my MacBook Pro?
Take your computer to an Apple Store. The staff will be able to check as to the cause of the smell.
I'm getting a New 15 or 13-inch MacBook Pro in June so idk if I should just not worry about it? And I need help deciding if I should get a high end 13-inch MacBook Pro or a low end 15-inch MacBook Pro?
Why not ask in the MacBook Pro (Late 2008 and 2009) forum area?

I am going to college this fall and can't decide which MacBook pro to buy!

I am going to college this fall and can't decide which MacBook pro to buy the 13in or the 15in. Mainly to type, browse the web, watch videos, and maybe some light gaming. I am worried that the 15in might be too big to carry around all the time. And worried about the 13in being too small and hurting my eyes over time. Once I do get one, I am most likely going to use it for the full 4 years. Please Help !

The 13" will do the trick for what you describe as your needs, Be sure to consider how you will backup your data -- need an external drive?
Also be sure to check with your college or division of study to see what they recommend. If they are hostile to Macs, you may be on your own for finding support. But in most major cities, that will not be too hard.

Which Macbook Pro to buy as a college student?

There are 3 different Macbook Pro's out there that I can buy with the rebate / reduced price / free iPod Touch. The problem is I don't know which one to buy. Many people said that the difference between a 2.4 and 2.5 core 2 duo cpu is only 5%. Then there is a bit of difference from 256mb to 512mb of the 8600m graphics card.
Basically I will outline what I will be needing from a laptop so you guys can help me make the right decision. But for now before I say what the outline is, you bought your Macbook Pro; did you choose the right one? If you didn't and you could go back in time, which one would you have bought?
Anyways, obviously the laptop is for college work. So Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Photoshop and such. But of course there will be some gaming here and there. I am a Blizzard fanatic and I only play Blizzard games. From diablo 2, starcraft and now Warcraft 3 is pretty much all I play. I am not even going to try WoW as it could probably ruin my college carreer.
But the game I'm really anticipating is Starcraft 2. Which Macbook Pro would be able to handle that game in your opinion?
But I hope these information is good enough so you guys will know which one I should buy. But if you guys have any other questions on what I will be using the MBP for then let me know so I can help you help me pick the right decision.
Thanks!

If you're going to use your new laptop for college use/gaming/general use, my recommendation is going for the $1799 MacBook Pro 2.4GHz. I recommend this one over the others for a few reasons. As mentioned previously, the 0.1GHz in processor speed in essentially unnoticeable. With regard to RAM, its always best to have your system maxed out in order to achieve its full capacity. However, I do recommend going through www.otherworldcomputing.com or a 3rd party RAM merchant to purchase your additional RAM. You can get it for a drastically reduced price there, and then have an AASP install it for you. Bear in mind that installing RAM yourself could void your warranty. My point about the RAM is, the 2GB standard in the $1799 MBP version is sufficient. Also, the graphics card. 256MB should be sufficient to support your gaming, and unless you plan on getting a large display, it shouldn't be necessary to double the VRAM. So, based on the information you provided, the lower-end model should be plenty enough for your needs. Hope this helps.

Which macbook pro to buy for editing?

I will be buying a macbook pro for my future editing as i will be traveling a lot. I use after effects, premiere pro, sometimes fcp 7 and occasionaly blender and cinema 4d. I will be watching a lot of movies and playing games occasionaly. I have a late 2009 imac with 4 gigs of ram, 3.06 ghz dual core processor, 500gb hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256 MB. It is quite slow in rendering. I use full hd footage and put effects in my videos such as muzzle flashes or maybe a planet in the sky(that kind of stuff). What software requirements do you guys recommend for a faster editing and rendering? I am ok if it takes some time in rendering but ofcourse not ages. And also which macbook pro do you guys recommend (also from the previously manufactured mcbp)?
Thanks in advance.

Both will work fine with 1080p AVCHD but you will notice an increase in performance simply because Premiere LOVES a good GPU and the 750M is a good one as far as laptops go. Yes, its more but if you're serious about performance go with the better GPU.
That being said...save a bit and go with this below (same as your 2nd option but cheaper):
Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display - Apple Store (U.S.)
It'll save you $400. Bam! Thank me later. Apple's refurbished program is top of the line. Comes fully warrantied and you can get apple care, etc. if you want as well. It's like buying it new. These refurbished computers are often just ones bought and then returned within a few days by customers trying things out and there's absolutely nothing wrong with them. They can basically be looked at like new.

Can't decide on 13inch MacBook Pro or 15inch

II'm seeking some advice on whether to go for purchasing a 13inch MacBook Pro retina or 15inch MacBook Pro retina.
A few factors need to be considered:
My preference is for the smaller form factor of the 13inch
My preference for a quad core
My preference for 16gb ram
My preference is for i7
CIrca 80% + of files will be saved on a WD MybookWorld 2Tb external drive
To provide an understanding of intended use thus will be:
General web browsing. 60%
LIghtroom and Photoshop, for DSLR photo editing 20%
ITunes/music 10%
Creating/editing word documents and spreadsheets 10%
Im aware that apple do not do a 13inch quad core, and have concerns that the dual core may not be enough for my usage?
Finally regarding my budget I do not wish to spend anything more that $2499, based on the current cost of a 15-inch: 2.5GHz with Retina display
If the advice from the community is that I can get away with a setup lower than $2499 then that will be a bonus.
I think what I'm asking is would the following set be acceptable for my needs
Hardware
3.0GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics
Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)
Accessory Kit
OR
Hardware
2.8GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics
Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)
Accessory Kit
The issue of "future proofing" in getting a quad core 15inch is attractive, but I like the 13inch form factor and also want to reduce costs if possible. However no quad core 13inch option is a disappointment.

For video editing I recommend 15". You will be happy you have the extra screen real estate. I also recommend buying with minimum installed ram then upgrade with 3rd party ram to 16GB. If you opt for the retina display order it with 16GB ram.

Which macbook pro to buy?

Hello all,
I am in the market to buy a macbook pro. Doesn't have to be anything spectacular, just something to serve me in the meantime. I want to spend no more than $1,100, therefore i decided to purchase on ebay.
But my main question is - Is it better to buy a early 2008 macbook pro 17" (A1261) or a current 09'-10' macbook pro 13" (A1278). I will be mainly using the macbook pro for editing video in final cut and editing photos in photoshop/aperture. On ebay - both units are in the same price range. I would love to hear your opinions.
Thank you

jp89 wrote:
Hello all,
I am in the market to buy a macbook pro. Doesn't have to be anything spectacular, just something to serve me in the meantime. I want to spend no more than $1,100, therefore i decided to purchase on ebay.
But my main question is - Is it better to buy a early 2008 macbook pro 17" (A1261) or a current 09'-10' macbook pro 13" (A1278). I will be mainly using the macbook pro for editing video in final cut and editing photos in photoshop/aperture. On ebay - both units are in the same price range. I would love to hear your opinions.
Thank you
Hard decision, I'd admit.
1. Processor. I think they're the same, so call it a tie.
2. Video processor. 13" has a better one, but if you can find a 17" with the 512MB memory, then it might be close to a tie.
3. Warranty. Unless the 17" has the extended AppleCare, solid win for the 13". Laptops just start wearing out after a few years, especially the optical drive and HDD.
4. Display. 17" is much easier for photoshopping and video editing.
5. Outputs. The 17" has a FW800, which is important because if you're doing REAL video editing, then you want a FW800 7200RPM external scratch disk. If you're just doing home video, it's not important.
6. Other stuff. Again, if you're doing this professionally or semi-professionally to use Aperture and Photoshop, then you're going to need to upgrade the internal HDD to a 7200 version, and you will want to consider upgrading to 8GB RAM. You can probably do both for around $250.
If I were an up and coming video/photo artist, I would definitely go with the 17", although I'd probably buy a brand new one. If I was in college, learning everything, the 13" is the better choice.

I am going to university this fall for engineering and I was wondering which macbook pro (13 or 15 inch) would be better.

I am going to university this fall for engineering and I was wondering which macbook pro (13 or 15 inch) would be better. Is the larger screen worth the extra weight ? I will be doing some computer programming and I feel like reading code on a smaller screen could be a bit of a pain. Also, what is the best option in terms of backup? I don't anticipate having a lot of video but I will have some pictures, music files as well as regular documents and spreadsheets. I'd also like to get an idea of how good the battery life is. Thanks in advance:)

The 13" will do the trick for what you describe as your needs, Be sure to consider how you will backup your data -- need an external drive?
Also be sure to check with your college or division of study to see what they recommend. If they are hostile to Macs, you may be on your own for finding support. But in most major cities, that will not be too hard.

I need help to decide which macbook pro is best for photo editing, editing movies and doing all the rest too like excel, word etc. 13"

I need help to decide which macbook pro is best for photo editing, editing movies and doing all the rest too like microsoft office products ...excel, word etc. I am new to the apple world and have liked the idea of the MAC Book Pro 13" but really dont know if this is good enough or if the computer will soon crash?
13-inch: 2.6GHz
with Retina display
Specifications
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage1
Intel Iris Graphics
Built-in battery (9 hours)2

That's a fine machine and, with 8GB of RAM and 512GB flash storage should serve you well for light video/photo editing as well as for 'normal' usage. And it should last you for years to come.
Good luck in making your decision!!
Clinton

Which MacBook Pro ? Who can help ?

Who can tell me which MacBook Pro is best to work with ProTools 10 and Photoshop CS6, without which the processor is fully utilized ?
Thank you for your reply

Likely the 'high end' non-Retina MacBook Pro, mid 2012, with the 15" screen and the 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory.
That's what I'd get for running Photoshop CS6 (which I do on my late 2011 model) if it were me.
Good luck,
Clinton

Hey Guys ! I need help on figuring out which MacBook Air to buy . Please Help Me !

I Need Help Figuring Out Which MacBook Air To Buy.

Avoid the MacBook Pro (non retina) unless you absolutely need to burn or read DVD/CD media on the road and don't want to carry around a small external optical drive. That leaves the MBA and the MBPr as your two choices. The Air's advantage is extreme portability and battery life - especially with the standard CPU. The MBPr's main advantage is its display. Both are perfectly good workhorse computers for school and work. Neither is especially good for gaming other than casual games. In fact many games don't support the Intel integrated video at all.
Once you've decided on which model I strongly recommend that you have at least 8GB of RAM. How large a drive depends on how much you intend to stuff onto your computer. Using my MBA for home and work, which includes a minimal installation of Windows 7 for programming and verifying that websites look and behave acceptably on both platforms, I can fit everything I need on a 256GB drive but could never live on a 128GB drive. My wife, however, could have saved a little cash and gone with the 128GB model.

How can I connect an old macbook pro...

How can I connect an old macbook pro with that does NOT have a Thunderbolt connection to a new 27 inch iMac? I only need to do this for one specific purpose, to be able to see the work I'm doing on the laptop in InDesign on the iMac's larger screen (at a larger size as it were, so I can see a double page spread (or even a whole page would be an improvement) in one go)? I gather it might be possible to get an adaptor but note that Apple don't seem to sell one. I know I could do this with the cinema screen but would rather do it with a new imac as that will have more use to me overall. It's a work laptop which I don't own so I don't own the Indesign to just be able to use that on an iMac. I have tried to connect monitors to the laptop in the past, but with no success at all. I hope someone can help . Thank you.

Im pretty sure you are talking about the M8536 which has an ADC Adapter.
you will have to daisy chain a thunderbolt to DVI adapter with an DVI to ADC Adapter.
the first adapter:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB570Z/B/mini-displayport-to-dvi-adapter
The second adapter is old so you may find used ones on ebay like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/M8661LL-B-Used-Genuine-Apple-DVI-ADC-Display-Adapter-Mod el-A1006-WORKS-/160901961703?pt=US_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item25768117e7

Can I set up my Macbook Pro to boot to Win 7 from an external drive?

Rather than partition my internal drive for having to work with Windows & Office 2010 (specifically Access 2010) can I set up my macbook pro to boot to Win 7 from an external drive?

No, not with Boot Camp. I've never even tried it with a VM (which I use) - I keep all the data on my internal drive. I'm not saying that it couldn't be done with a VM, I've just never tried it.
Clinton

OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 can't be installed on MacBook Pro retina late 2013

OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 can't be installed on MacBook Pro retina late 2013
OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 installer is available in the App Store but it can't be downloaded because "OS X Mavericks can't be installed on this computer".
If the installer of version 10.9 is already in the application folder it can't be updated for the same reason.
I've seen that they are two versions of the updater that are downloadable from apple's website and one is specific for the MacBook Pro retina late 2013.
I suspect that the installer in the App Store is not an universal installer. It is stupid because you can't reinstall that Mac is needed.
I phoned to Apple (AppleCare) and they don't know why this happens.

Hello,
Try to boot the 15" MBPr as target when connected to your MBA (if you have the right cables and adapters).
From the MBA, install on the 15" MBPr's disk, in that order :
The 10.9.1 update for Mavericks except MBPr
Download
and then the 10.9.1 update for Mavericks specific for MBPr
Download
The MBPr should be bootable again. I did it for an external HD.
Hope this helps.
Best,
ÉrIC Miclo

I'm 51 years old and recently retired. I have a new IPad Air. Which MacBook should I buy to go with it? I don't understand flash storage. It feels like I would have a bunch of flash drives to keep up with. Help an old lady out!!!

I'm 51 years old and recently retired. I have a new IPad Air. Which MacBook should I buy to go with it? I don't understand flash storage. It feels like I would have a bunch of flash drives to keep up with. Help an old lady out!!!

Depends on how you want to use it. Flash storage on the newer macbook and macbook air are built in. A macbook air is the most light weight and a very good machine. It will do all you want it to do unless you are running some very intensive programs. If you go to the apple store on line you can compare the different macbook pro" and macbook Air's.

University student, can't decide on which Macbook Pro to buy?

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