Best MBP for college?

That's pretty much it. I want to take into account portability and power. I'm nervous about my purchase because I don't know what my college experience will be like. I don't know if I'll be hauling my laptop everywhere or not, but I would like to be prepared for it!
Checking the university's site, the basic 13" fits the min. requirements, but I don't mind going beyond. I'd like to stay below $2300, so money isn't too much of a hindrance.
The Genius at Apple said I was smart for wanting a portable 13", but is 15" really so bad?

Thanks very much for the response! Very informative. Yes, I continue to lean towards the 13" for portability. I know some people say 15" is hardly a difference, but I am a very petite person and want very little load on me when I'm getting across the expansive campus.
Yes, I am interested in the computer sciences (I have a lot to learn, but I am luckily a quick learner!). But heck, who knows? I might change my major around a bit. I also love British Lit--two very different majors. One needs a lot of processing power and one needs hardly any.
I don't know what the college experience is like yet. I'm hoping that if I decide to go for the smaller screen, that the computer labs are at the ready if I need more real estate. On the other hand, maybe I'll hardly need to ever take my laptop out of the dorm. In that case, there's really no reason to go with the 13" and I might as well get the biggest and best I can afford (and really, I could afford the 17"--been saving for awhile).
What I need to do is visit my future campus and talk to some of the students to learn their computer habits. It would be great to visit during Christmas break but unfortunately I just had mouth surgery and am not really up to traveling and socializing.
I'm sorry I'm sounding like a hopeless undecisive case to you all! Thanks again =)

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MBP for college?

Hey all, I've had an HP laptop for a few years but it's real crap especially with vista, and the MBP looks rul sexy. My only problem is I'm looking to major in Civil engineering in college, and don't know whether certain programs are supported by Macs. Are Macbooks a good pick for engineering majors?
Secondly, I know apple has graduation deals every year so i'll wait for those, but what specs would be best for me? I definitely want a 13 inch. I want it to be fast, and able to run AutoCAD smoothly. (if it runs AutoCAD at all?)
Thanks!
Message was edited by: C3dries

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
AutoCAD is not the only DWG & DXF reader on the block. There are many others, some made for Macs. On the other hand, you can now run Windows natively on Macs for those few applications that don't run natively in Mac OS X. See my FAQ*: http://www.macmaps.com/macosxnative.html#WINTEL
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Best laptop for college

Can you help us with any thoughts about the best lap top for our daughter entering college this fall.
Thanks

Contact her major department for their recommendations.
Some schools say, "Bring whatever, you'll be fine."
Others say, "We want you to use specific Hardware because that is all we are prepared to support."
Others say, "To be in this major, we want you to use the xyzzy package, which runs only on this specific system."
Still others say, "Bring a few pens, and maybe a typewriter."

What's the best MBP for me ?

Hello, I would like to save as much money as possible when buying my MBP. Which one should I take with what options ? What I am planning to do with it is listening to music, watching movies, working (word, excel, iwork, standard softwares like those) internet browsing, and play games. The games I will play with it are probably going to be games like Age of Empires III, Rise of Nations, or sports games like Winning Eleven, NHL 06 and some shooters like Far Cry, Half Life 2. What MBP should I choose with what options to save as much money as possible ?
thanks for the help,
Best regards.

World of Warcraft and Far Cry are well...a Far Cry apart. WoW is not near as demanding on the video card. Most people who play Far Cry will agree that despite the recs saying minimum of 64MB video RAM a more realistic minimum is 128MB. Sure the 128 will meet that minimum but thats about it. Future games will be even more demanding on video memory.
Better to future proof now then think later #$#@ I shoulda spent a little extra for the 256MB. You can easily add more RAM to your MBP down the road, your not going to up your video memory.

Best Television for college student with PS3

Hello Guys,
I had purchased a 22" 720P Element television back in June for $170(it was a store model on sale), this was my first HD television. However, many of PS3 games, such as Final Fantasy and GTA:IV are so detailed, that I have to look directly at the television less than 5 feet away in order to see the screen properly, even though I have good vision(I don't need glasses). And yes, I do use an HDMI cable.
I was thinking of giving this television to my uncle to use as a computer monitor, and buying a larger television for myself, however my budget is about $300-$500.
Here are my questions for you:
1.) Considering my budget is about $300-$500(depending on how long I wait to purchase), and that this television will be mainly used to play PS3 games, would there be much point?
2.) If yes to #1, what should I look for when buying a television? I find the HDTV market slightly confusing, especially with the new monitors with 4 colors(RGBY vs. RGB).

Within your price range, the only thing you can do is upgrade to a 32" TV. It sounds like insufficient screen size is probably your problem anyway.
Really, all you need for gaming is: Get a good brand for the purposes of reliability and build quality. LG, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba. Avoid the store brands like Dynex, Insignia, etc. Avoid the "Formerly big" brands like RCA and Zenith - these brands now exist solely to license their name to noname foreign manufacturers.
People have had bad experiences with the 120Hz motion processing present in 120Hz TVs, so stick with 60Hz.
As to the new Sharp Quattron (RGBY) units - It's interesting as to whether there is anything within the x.v.Color colorspace (RGB over HDMI with wide gamut) that can't be representative by traditional RGB pixels. (RGB is not necessarily always RGB - there are cases where monitors can't display certain RGB triplets, and the yellow pixel in Quattrons may improve this.) However, the smallest Sharp Quattron is 40", and significantly more expensive than non-Quattron units, about twice your maximum price.
*disclaimer* I am not now, nor have I ever been, an employee of Best Buy, Geek Squad, nor of any of their affiliate, parent, or subsidiary companies.

Need advice on new MBP for College

Hey everyone, I am currently a Senior in High School and will be attending UMass Amherst in the fall and will most likely be studying Computer Science there. I have narrowed my search down to either the 13 inch 2.9ghz MBP or the 15 inch 2.3ghz.
Now with the 13 inch, I wouldn't be upgrading anything as I don't believe spending $270+ on a SSD is worth it. But if i get the 15 inch, i would upgrade the RAM from 4gb to 8gb and I'm thinking about adding the Antiglare screen. However, which would be easier on the eyes for starring a computer screen for hours programming, the 13 inch or the 15 inch? I know the 15 inch supports a couple more screen resolutions than the 13 inch but is it worth the extra money?
Also, which would be more portable to take to places like the library and to classes? I know its about a 1 pound difference but which is actually easier to lug around everyday?
Thanks for the help everyone.

If you are looking at the standard mac notebooks, not a retina model, then don't upgrade anything from apple. Just buy the base system that apple offers and you can do the ram and hard drive upgrade yourself for much less money then what apple charges for those same upgrades. Doing those upgrades yourself will not void your warranty. In fact the aftermarket ram and hard drive will come with a longer warranty than apple supplies.
I also suggest you buy the applecare warranty because to fix any mac computer once the standard warranty runs out can be costly. The applecare extended warranty will give you 2 more years of hardware warranty, making it a full 3 years of warranty, along with increasing the free phone tech support from 90 day to 3 years.

Best MBP for Graphic Design: 15in or 17in

I'm going into graphic design, should I get a 15 in or 17 in?

Graphic design is almost always better on the biggest possible screen because you often work with so many palettes that eat up screen space. But, you buy a laptop for portability. So you need to figure out how portable you want the computer to be and then you'll have your answer.
I do design and I love big monitors, but for me, the 17" is just too much to carry around. So I have always bought the 15" model, but also have a big monitor on my desk so that when I am at the desk I can plug in the monitor and use the portable with a much larger screen. That is one good solution that gets you a big screen but preserves portability.
The users who must have the 17" are those who require the most possible screen space BUT they are always on the go, rarely at the same desk. They need to have their large screen wherever they go, and they are willing to pay the price in money, size, and weight. Ask yourself if you are one of those people, or not...

Best MBP for basic HD video editing?

So I am staring to get into some basic video editing and want to upgrade to a macbook. I do video game stuff (reviews, walkthroughs, etc.) but I record in HD. I dont plan on editing the video too much. Just voice overlay, cropping, and basic title transition screens. Can a 13" do this? If so, how much better would a 15" do it? Im concerned solely with performance. I can deal with screen size and I will have a external for stoarge. Thanks in advance!

Macbook Pro 15" (or 17") high res, anti-glare 2.2/2.3 Ghz with a 500Gb 7,200 RPM drive, 8GB of RAM
(or replace the HD with a larger one youself and add more RAM yourself, won't void your warranty if you don't break anything)
External RAID 0 Firewire 800 drive or Thunderbolt (new)
SSD is overrated and way too expensive per GB still, can't secure delete and has limited writes.
Case and AppleCare is a must, a external drive or two for Carbon Copy Cloner which is hold the option key bootable.
Software.
Come back in 5-7 years. Lowest cost of ownership (provided you don't abuse the machine)
The 13" is all poor integrated graphics, the 2.0 Ghz 15" has a poor video card, mostly consumer level machines that overheat.

Will this model work for college (or should I wait for an udpate)?

Hello everyone! This is my first post--hopefully it is in the right thread!
For the past few years I have been saving up for a MBP for college. Finally I have enough money and was planning to buy one after graduation. Yet, I was completely shocked to find out my family worked together to get me one for Christmas! I am so grateful because this frees up the money I would have spent for other college expenses.
They explained to me that this is a placeholder. I can open it now, or I can wait for a future update.
Here are the specs:
I just got the upgraded 13" MBP. Next fall I'll be going to college. I do not know what my major will be, but I might be going into some sort of film editing or design.
Here are the specs:
13-inch: 2.66GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB Memory
320GB hard drive
SD card slot
Built-in battery (10 hours)
NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
I am not quite sure of my major for the next few years but I know there is a possibility that I will go into film editing or design.
I know a 15" would be more powerful, but I really want the portability of the 13" for college and an Apple Genius agreed. Yet, I'm worried that the processor and graphics card isn't up to snuff. I don't know much about specs--will the computer suit my needs or should I take it back and wait for a 13" update?

Thank you very much! That is my point exactly--I have no idea what the next 4 years will be like and it is driving me crazy to try to find the perfect Mac that will suit all my needs. It took me 3 years to save up for this, and I'd prefer a laptop that could last me for at least 4.
Luckily my family helped me a lot, but I am just so nervous! I don't want to have to buy another. I'm not a big spender, but when I do make a purchase, I want it to be the best for my needs.
Danielle

What is the best product for me?

Next year I will be a college student and want an apple product that can be my notebook. I currently use OneNote on a Toshiba tablet, but want to upgrade to apple. I know that apple does not make a tablet, but I figured I could get an ipad with a stylus for when I need to write things like math. I could also get one of those attachable keyboards for essays and such. Does this sound like a logical system for a college student? Can OneNote even be downloaded on an iPad? I've seen the styluses and they seem a bit weird, with a round rubber tip. It seems as though that isn't very efficient for writing as you wouldn't know exactly where what you draw would show up, am I right about that? If I am, I guess I would just get a normal Macbook and simply use paper for math class. Please let me know what you think would be the best system for me. Thank you!

Look at these links.
http://www.cultofmac.com/185805/why-you-should-buy-an-ipad-instead-of-a-macbook- for-college-back-to-school/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2013/06/10/whats-the-best-tool-for -college-a-macbook-or-ipad-and-wait-what-about-windows-8/
http://techland.time.com/2012/08/28/ask-techland-ipad-with-a-keyboard-or-macbook -air-for-an-adult-student/
http://www.gizmag.com/2013-macbook-air-11-inch-vs-ipad/27993/
http://www.imore.com/imore-tv-25-buy-ipad-11inch-macbook-air
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/apple/3420938/macbook-or-ipad-what-shou ld-you-get/
 Cheers, Tom

Which OS, Version, Best Setup on like-new 2008 MBP for non-HD archival DV?

MacBook Pro 15"
(Early 2008)
2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo
4GB RAM
720GB 7200rpm Hard Drive (original 360GB 5400rpm drive also available)
OS 10.6.8
(6GB RAM possible but additional $100+ for 4GB module needed now for software upgrades)
    I first and last used Final Cut Pro 2-3 in film school on a Titanium PowerBook (500MHz!) during the OS9/X transition. Next, was an Aluminum PowerBook (1.67Ghz) but because of life changes, I did little editing other than occasionally in iMovie. Then as an early adopter of iPhone/Pad, I rarely used my AlPB other than for back up, writing, and occasional simple editing.
    Now I'm finally entering the early MacIntel age with a pristine "early 2008" MacBook Pro bought for $250 from an elderly original-owner couple who used it only at home for email and iPhoto. Though at the end of its supported life, it's practically new with a known history of light graphics usage (no video or gaming rendering ever) delivered in the original box with original battery (only 46 cycles!), discs, manual, like-new charger, and no sign of wear. The original internal wrapper was even saved and put back on the device! Furthermore, because the wife was a photo enthusiast, the Apple Store swapped out her internal hard drive for a Western Digital 720GB 7200rpm drive and the husband just gave me the original 360GB drive!
    I want to do several things with this "new" device. I've done a lot of research but the world has changed since FCP 3 and the G4 processor and I'm overwhelmed with all the possibilities. I need guidance and have always appreciated the wisdom and generosity of the gurus here. I thank you all in advance!
iCloud integration: I'd like it since I'm an iPhone/Pad user. I could upgrade to Mountain Lion but Mavericks, under the best of conditions, is doable on my device and may give me improved CPU and battery performance. I realize this is best left for the OSX forums. HOWEVER...
Final Cut Pro: I want to also return to editing in FCP an unfinished documentary using primarily archival film and video converted to non-HD DV. This may greatly impact how I set up my drives and the decision as to which OS is best. So, this should probably be my initial decision.
Hard Drive: First and foremost, I should probably swap the drives and place the 7200rpm drive into an enclosure (Firewire or is that stone-age?) for FCP media, correct?
OS: With Mavericks, I must use FCPX which is beyond my current non-HD needs and will most likely strain my system resources. However, the new simplified interface is appealing and I've read some users are running it on "early 2008" MBPs. If an earlier OS is better suited, then which one? And also...
FCP Version: Which is most stable given my model? And which is best for non-HD needs? What about FCExpress? I want to explore more possibilities than what's available in iMovie and would appreciate the simpler interface found in FCE and FCPX, especially since I haven't used any Final Cut since FCP 3 but will gladly embrace what's best. I want to relearn the program and hope to continue using it for other projects.
Partitioned drive: Finally, what about partitioning my drive, one for daily life running Mavericks or other OS, the other solely dedicated to an optimized OS/FCP for non-HD editing? Even at 360 GB it should be doable if I keep it lean and the bulk of storage externally (I ran FCP 3 adequately on a partitioned 40GB drive back in the day). How much space should I dedicate to an FCP partition?
    Finances are tight and I'll need to upgrade Office, other apps (I know there's Rosetta in Snow Leopard but must weigh that with iCloud integration; decsions, decisions!) and probably locate an older copy of FCP on EBay or elsewhere which could be expensive. I must wait a bit before swapping in a 4GB RAM module and possibly upgrading to an SSD. Meanwhile, I'd like to experience this like-new MacBook Pro now, both as it was during its heyday and with what's still possible today. It seems doable and I appreciate any and all suggestions.
Thank you all and have a great day!
Evalyn
PS: I realize my FCP3 files are probably useless and plan to reimport everything into a new project. And sorry for the lack of paragraph spacing. Can't get it formatted right on the iPad!

CyberFinch wrote:
FCP Version: Which is most stable given my model? And which is best for non-HD needs? What about FCExpress? I want to explore more possibilities than what's available in iMovie and would appreciate the simpler interface found in FCE and FCPX, especially since I haven't used any Final Cut since FCP 3 but will gladly embrace what's best. I want to relearn the program and hope to continue using it for other projects.
Just to note that there is much more commonality between FCP3 and FCP7 and/or FCE than with the early version and FCP X. IMO, learning FCP X is worth the effort, but it will require some effort since it is so different than traditional NLE's. You could "get by" with FCE for many types of projects and you should be able to find a copy on eBay or Amazon for a few hundred dollars. However, you will not be able to open a FCP project of any version with it. Also, I don;t think I would agree that its UI is simple; it's essentially the same as FCP.
As for partitioning, some people advise against editing from drives that have been partitioned. I use a partition on one machine and I've not had any problems, so I think it is an option.
As you can see from the replies you've received so far, you have reasonable choices. Good luck.
Russ

Best back up for college lap top

We currently have 3 mac computers all connected to external hard drives for the time machine use only. We just purchased a macbook pro for my daughter for college in the fall and are curious on the best back up source for that. The apple consultant sold us the "mobile me" software and told her she can back up most all her needed files on the mobile me account and that would be good. I, being older and having lost valuable info in the past, am not convinced that mobile me is the absolute best thing she can do. Would there be a reason to not connect a laptop to an external "time machine" type drive once a day and use the mobile me account for school files as well?
Additionally would there be a reason to use a smaller "mini" type drive that requires no additional power or would we want a standard A/C plugged in back up drive. Currently we are using all g-technology back up drives and have never had a problem with any of their operation or the time machine operation when we needed to fix a "human" error! I like the small mini type drives, but if it's used basically as a back up for the entire machine anyhow, would it be more beneficial or just simply smaller. I did note that there does not appear to be a kensington lock slot on most of the smaller drives and she is worried about locking things up in her soon to be dorm room.
All you help is very appreciated and please ask me anything if I rambled and didn't make sense!
thanks!

Whether MobileMe is good backup for your daughter is all relative. Off-site backup is the best kind of backup you can have, so in that respect, MobileMe is good. However, there are some major drawbacks. First, it's slow. A large backup might need to run overnight. Second, space is very tight. You've only got 20 GB to share between all MobileMe features (mailboxes, backups, web site, iDisk storage, etc), and since it's shared, you won't want to fill all 20 GB up with backups. My user folder is 51+ GB. Third, you have to use the Backup app, downloaded from the MobileMe iDisk, to perform backups to MobileMe. Backup kinda stinks. There are far better backup apps out there... Backup is just not one I can recommend relying on.
Now, if your daughter's data fits fine and she can schedule large backups for times when it won't get in the way, MobileMe might be a good part of a backup strategy. Keep in mind that she needs to have a couple different backups at a minimum before ditching MobileMe outright.
Another option would be Time Machine with any drive you like. Since she's worried about things getting stolen, maybe make sure she's got a long USB or Firewire cable and can lock the drive up in a drawer or closet while it is still connected to her machine. Or look into a second online backup, like Carbonite.

My daughter is a college student. she needs to write and compile c programs on her mac for a class this semester. what is the best place for her to start to get the correct compiler etc. to use ? thanks

my daughter is a college student. she needs to write and compile c programs on her mac for a class this semester. what is the best place for her to start to get the correct compiler etc. to use ? thanks

If you know that you will not be asked to design GUI interfaces, and the C programming course will adhere to command line compilation environments, then get the Xcode command-line developer tools, and skip the extra complication of Xcode until you absolutely need it. Apple has kicked GNU C to the curb and is rightly so, using Clang/LLVM compiler technology.
Sign up for a free Apple Developer account using your Apple ID, and then visit the Mac Dev Center, and towards the bottom of the page, you will see additional downloads. Click on the associated, all down loads link. Know your OS X version beforehand, as the command-line tool releases are tied to general operating system versions, and the most recent Xcode version. That said, there are currently two March 9, 2015 command-line tools for Xcode 6.2 — one for OS X 10.9 Mavericks, and the other for OS X Yosemite.

Best backup drive for college student

Need recommendation for backup drive for college student using MacBook Pro.

Basic Backup
For some people Time Machine will be more than adequate. Time Machine is part of OS X. There are two components: 1. A Time Machine preferences panel as part of System Preferences; and, 2. A Time Machine application located in the Applications folder. It is used to manage backups and to restore backups. Time Machine requires a backup drive that is at least twice the capacity of the drive being backed up.
Alternatively, get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
SuperDuper!
Synk Pro
Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.
Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.
Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;
Cool Drives
OWC
WiebeTech
Firewire Direct
California Drives
NewEgg
All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

MBP GOOD FOR COLLEGE?

Will be buying a laptop for college and wonder if MBP or a PC would do me better. I will be running typical applications; internet, word, and the like. I have always used pc but am curious about all the buzz for apple lately and I will definately spend the money if I know its a better investment.
I see some online concerns about performance. I definately had issues with performance with pc's. They would get slow as ****. Is this evident on mbp? Should I load up on ram and get the 2.16 processor?
I am looking for speed and reliability. I was also curious...am i reading correctly when people say they are running apple os and microsoft os at the same time?
Happy to pay the money if the switch to apple is truly worth it in the long run.
Any advice would be greatly appriciated...Thank you in advance.

There are two things I would consider, having used a ThinkPad in college and now owning a MBP for work and going to med school next month.
First, how do you plan to use the laptop? The MBP is rather large compared to the tiny pullout desks in lecture halls and rooms. It also runs rather hot and probably not a good idea to use on the lap. It's also a bit heavy for an ultra-portable. The MacBook is smaller, but still heavy. As an undergrad, I brought my ThinkPad to class every day but never did I take notes with it, rather I used it to keep myself entertained. So, if you don't plan on using a notebook in class, the MBP is a good desktop replacement for the dorm or apartment.
Second, what major are you, what apps will you need? Make sure apps you may need will run on a Mac if you get a Mac. I was a bio major and didn't need anything beyond Word and Powerpoint. Both run great under Windows, but the Mac versions are strange (and I almost hate them in comparison, while others love Mac Office). Until Microsoft releases the next version of Office that will run natively on a Mac, using Office on a Mac under Rosetta is rather slow.
You can use Parallels to run Windows within OSX or use BootCamp to run Windows on the MBP. The latter isn't very convenient. I use the former to run some molecular modeling and database software on occasion an it works well. I don't know that it would satisfy me if I had to use it regularly. In other words, don't count on either feature to make up for needing a Windows PC.
Anyway, if you're just going to be running Office and internet, I'd get a MacBook, and perhaps use the remaining $5-800 and get a 20, 23, or 24" widescreen LCD (cheaper from someone other than Apple) for the dorm or apartment, which would make a nice little setup.

Best MBP for college?

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