Buy new MBP 17" or Alienware M17?

I have an iMAC and am trying to decide on he new MBP 17" or an Alienware M17.
I use the computer for HD Movies and streaming and some gaming.
The cost is about the same.
What do you think?

They offer a better video card, Blueray . . .
All my DVD's are encoded into digital media files, which play in HD (not as good as Blue-Ray but very impressive nonetheless). Why would I want to carry about a pile of Blue-Ray discs along with my notebook when I can have all the movies encoded onto the hard drive of my notebook?
Physical optical media is a thing of the past. Just like floppy discs before them. As the H.264 codec is further developed Hi Def media in digital file format is the future (think MP3 sales much higher than physical CD sales). DVD / Blu-Ray will go the same way. Less production costs for the manufacturer = bigger profits = digital downloads.
I am not familiar with the Alienware machine, I have the 15' 2.53GHz MBP (to replace my old 17" MBP) and it is an absolutely fantastic machine. You may have more options on your Alienware, but it lacks one major option . . .it doesn't run OS X. Enough said.

Similar Messages

Buying new MBP, should I go for 2.8 or 3.06 (CPU)?

Hi,
I am going to get a new MBP 15''. Usually I get the fastest option available (I am a Graphic Designer). I am concern that the 3.06 could be running too hot. Can somebody tell me if that is the case? There is a noticeable increase in performance and/or temperature?
Thanks for your help!
Gus

So far as performance goes, you'll never notice the difference between those two processors.... you're basically looking at 2800MHz vs.3060MHz... a difference of about 200MHz. When you're talking about processors in the 3GHz range... 200MHz is pretty much nothing. Also, for processors in this range, that slight difference in performance "should" not amount to anything to more than maybe a degree or two. But since I don't have machines with both processors to compare and I haven't seen benchmarks yet... I can't say that with absolute certainty. It's a very hard comparison to make since temperature changes that small can vary from machine to machine based on the smallest variations. You would have to compare two identical machines (less the processor)... under identical loads... under identical fan speeds (with those fans being at those speeds for identical times as longer or shorter periods would impact the temp as well).
If you're looking to get the faster machine and your only concern is whether or not the speed and heat may be issues... I would say that they shouldn't be. The speed and heat differences would be nominal.

Crazy to Buy New MBP Today?

Would it be outright stupid to purchase a MBP today given that new models are imminent? I really need a new laptop asap but hate to think I could have acquired a significantly better machine for the same cost had I waited a few extra weeks. What to do? How to think about this problem? Any thoughts?

Depends if what you've got can still do what you need it to do. I ended up limping by with my old Aluminum for several months longer than I wanted (Adobe CS dictates my every move and requirements... sigh...) but wanted a Matte 15". They became available in August, and I ordered it in August. You can always second guess your purchase, and there'll always be a newer and better machine coming out (I've been surprised mine's been the top 15" for 6 months!).
The other consideration is, as was mentioned, if it's an entirely new beast, will there be any problems? I bought my Aluminum refurb as my Titanium hinge cracked just after the Intel's came out (and, as I said, Adobe rules my life, and they weren't quite ready yet...). I make my living on my computer, and couldn't risk any incompatibility issues.
Basically... if you really need it, you might as well get it. If you can wait, wait a bit. Though you'll still have to buy it eventually, and no matter when you do, a better machine could be coming out! :P

Moving to Paris from Shanghai, wife wants to buy new MBP.

We'll be in Paris for three years, should she buy it here or wait until we get to Paris?
Fluent in English and Chinese, but French is a work in progress. Are there various pros and cons to this other than price?
Many thanks
S

kurt188 wrote:
I know how to change default languages, becasue I read and understand English. But as I said, if the default language is one you don't rread or understand, it can be difficult to change to another one.
Goodness gracious me! The prospective owner is buying a Mac in Shanghai or in Paris. Either way, she's not going to get one set to Maltese or Mongolian! It's going to be Chinese, French, or English. She's Chinese and does business in English and French. If it'll take her more than 30 seconds to change the language in Mac OS X, I'll eat my hat.
There are four considerations, other than price.
(1) Return & exchange. That's the most important. In theory, it shouldn't make too much difference. In practice, it's much easier to handle this where you bought it.
(2) Keyboard. That depends on the user, and what she's accustomed to. If she learned to type in France or Wallonie (francophone Belgium), then she's accustomed to AZERTY -- default in Paris, difficult to get in Shanghai. But that doesn't seem likely. If she learned to type in Shanghai, chances are she learned Pinyin on QWERTY. If she's from Taiwan, chances are she learned on Zhuyin, which is also based on QWERTY. I don't know if Apple even sells MBPs with Zhuyin key labels, but, if it does, I suspect they'd be very difficult to get in Paris, and perhaps difficult to get even in Shanghai. If she doesn't need them, then she'll be OK with QWERTY, which she can get in either location. The only caveat is that she might have to wait a little in Paris. When I got a Mac in France (not in Paris, though) I had to wait for several days, because they had only AZERTY in stock.
(3) Documentation. The days when Macs came with a thick wad of manuals, beautifully typeset and illustrated, printed on thick, glossy paper, are long gone. What they come with nowadays doesn't even deserve the name. And she's trilingual, so it really doesn't matter.
(4) Bundles or special offers -- if any.
Overall, if it were me, I'd buy in Paris, because, as eww said, that's where it's going to be used. And I'd also get the extended AppleCare.

About to buy new mbp 2.5 or 2.6

hey guys, finally the pros are updated and I am about to make the purchase, but do you think that I should go with the 2.5 or 2.6. Is 100mhz really worth 250. Or is the 2.6 chip way more advanced than the 2.5 .

solsun wrote:
Kin Hui wrote:
solsun wrote:
It is not way more advanced, and for most purposes the extra 100 mhz would hardly be noticeable.. However, the 2.6 has a 6mb cache as compared to the 2.5's 3mb cache, this will make a difference. The last generation had a 4mb cache across the board.
Actually, the 2.5 ALSO has 6Mb cache - I'm looking at the information on the system profiler of my NEW 17" MBP 2.5 as we speak - with a big grin no less. It's the "new" 2.4 has the 3Mb of cache.
Well I just re-checked the MBP tech spec page and I guess it just depends on which model you choose.. The base 2.5 at $1999 has a 3Mb cache. The mid-range 2.5 has a 6Mb cache..
There is no base 2.5 with 3MB cache. It's a base 2.4 with 3 MB cache. All the 2.5 and 2.6GHz CPUs have a 6MB cache.

Thinking about buying new mbp and have a 2009 mbp

would I be able to just simply get the non ssd model and then take the ssd out of my old one put it into the new one and it should just work? I don't like the idea of backing everything up, taking my ssd out of the old one putting it in the new one then reformatting it doing a clean install and then restoring from time machine.

I think the OP doesn't want to move stuff from the old drive to the new drive; quite the opposite. They want the old drive (the SSD) in the new Mac (which they would get with a regular drive, to be replaced).
It's possible to move things to the old drive but will require some drive and file shuffling. I think what might work would be to take the old drive out, and put it into the newer machine, but don't start the new machine normally. Start up from the software installer resource (do they still provide these on discs?) and install the newer OS version over the old version on the old drive. I think that will work, but make sure you have a backup first.

Should I buy the MBP retina now or wait for the new one?

Hey
I wanna buy a new MBP retina 15" before my uni starts in fall so after like a month and a half. I already have a 2011 MBP but wanna get a new and better one so I am just wondering what is the latest 15" retina by Apple? and when is the approximate date for the release of new retinas? like I mean if Apple has a date for new releases like it has for iPhone and iPad usually like to know if it worth waiting or not
Thanks

I haven't heard anything as far as a new retina models. I just upgraded from a 13" mid 2012 non-retina pro to a 13" late 2013 retina pro. Either way I don't think there will be any major improvements to their retina pros if they do release a new one in the fall. I would say go ahead and get your retina now. Also Apple has a reuse and recycle program along with a student discount. You can take your old mac in and possibly get a store credit towards a new one but I doubt you'll get a huge discount. For my last MacBook, I would only have gotten about $350. But make sure you get what you need in it when you buy it because you can't upgrade the parts.

When should I buy a new MBP?

I'm leaving for college in the fall and I would like some help deciding when it makes sense to buy a new computer. I'm planning on buying a new MBP with Retina display, but I'm not sure if it's totally worth updating yet. I currently have a Late (October) 2009 White Macbook (2.26Ghz, 8GB RAM, 250GB HD), that works decently, but isn't wonderful--it's slowing down. I would appreciate some ideas and thoughts on when it makes sense to upgrade: now, before I leave for college; sometime during the fall semester, after I really know my computing needs (my least preferred option); or, this Christmastime? If anyone has some advice, it would be much appreciated.
Cheers!

ccshaw wrote:
Wouldn't it just make sense to put the money for the 7200rpm drive towards one more upgrade on the MBP? I could just cut that up front cost.
You can choose to forgo the hard drive upgrade, however 250GB is quite small, meaning your likely using a great portion of the second 50% of the drive, which the read/wrire performance is substancially reduced.
7,200 RPM doesn't make that much of a battery life dent that one will notice it, but one will notice the speedier response.
S0 by incrreasing the RPM's and the storage size, plus newer drive with better read/write speeds through technology improvments combined with a zero erase + fresh install of 10.6.1 (your original disks) and Software Updated to 10.6.8 (10.7 is slow) should make a dramatic improvement on that model.
However a erase + fresh install of 10.6 on that present 250GB can do the job well too, 10.7 is slow and you likely have other problems the 10.6 install will also cure.
How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6
How to revert your Mac to Snow Leopard
I'm not sure where I can get a copy of 10.6.8. Do you know where I could obtain that?
Your computer came with 10.6.1 install disks, hold c or option key down and boot off the disks, use Disk Utility to erase the entire drive (select the drive makers name and size on the left) with Security Option > Zero all data, wait, then when finished quit and install 10.6.1 and Software Update fully to 10.6.8.
If you no longer have the 10.6.1 disks, call Apple for a machine specific replacement disks for your 2009 Late 13" White MacBook.
You can also use the $29 10.6.3 white Snow Leopard retail disks sold here
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A
f it turns out that I do need Windows for class applications, do I install it on a partition by using disk utility and partitioning my HD (also, how big does that partition for windows need to be)?
There are two methods to use Windows on a Mac.
1: Apple's Bootcamp, which takes the bottom free space on your boot drive (250GB isn't much if you have a lot of OSX data) and allows you to direct install Windows 7 (only) there.
2: Virtual machine software, which allows one to run Windows (any flavor and Linux's) in a window in OS X.
You can read about both (pro's and cons) here:
Windows in BootCamp or Virtual Machine?

Should I buy a new MBP? (Lots of small issues with mine)

Hi,
There are a number of small but irritating problems with my MBP. Talking with a friend who has had her macbook into apple service 3 times now for replacements a lot more serious than my problems, I'm sure Apple won't replace the computer. A friend who has bought a couple MBPs now (later week version) has had very little problem with his.
Specifically, the issues I'm having are as follows:
1) CPU whine (I know this can't be fixed)
2) Fan "moo"/clunk. The computer sounds like a small helicopter at times and at the best of times is always noisy..
3) Heat issues - using the comp anywhere but on a flat surface (i.e. on my lap) and it heats up intensely. I know this is an issue with all computers, but compared to my powerbook it's night and day.
4) Lag Issues. Doing ANYTHING takes a "long" time. I need to reformat but from opening firefox to booting up the computer or even sometimes mousing over the icon tray.
5) Red headphone led. My internal speakers no longer work. I've read the problem has something to do with the headphone jack being stuck. Some fixes I've read include using a match stick, plugging in the headphones again (doesn't work).
6) My display flickers slightly now also. Seems to synch with the fan "moo"ing.
I'm using macintosh now because I like avoiding hassles. I switched from PC a few years ago after going through lots of issues and the powerbook was AWESOME. I'm assuming the macbookpro is going to eventually stabilize and work well also, is it there yet? Shall I buy a new one and just dump the current or will it be the same thing all over?
Macbook Pro / 12" Powerbook Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Thanks for all the advice, it's appreciated. Particularly the advice to go down to the mac store and talk to a guru. I'm going to do that tomorrow.
I've been able to tolerate things up until the latest bug, the fan now periodically starts spinning like a helicopter. It's way beyond anything I've dealt with.. I can't listen to music it's so loud and it disturbs anyone else around (clearly needs a fix).
I can't send it in to be repaired as I can't do without a computer for that long. This said I thought to connect the new and old machine and copy the most important files over.
(No I won't dump this lemon on someone else without letting them know about the issues. It may well be worthwhile to someone willing to nurse it through the various mac warranty & update issues. Eventually they may well end up with a new MBP).
Macbook Pro / 12" Powerbook Mac OS X (10.4.6)
Macbook Pro / 12" Powerbook Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Is the fact that the new MBP with Retina display, has choppy scrolling in safari, a reason not to buy it? Can it be fixed through software?

I am debating buying a new MBP with Retina or a Macbook Air. I am looking for more info on wat people have been saying about lag in safari. Thanks!

Hey fredryan..did you end up getting the rMBP? I too am a little concerned about the screen performance while I wait for mine to ship. If you have gotten yours do you mind commenting on how Mountain Lion affected it? Is the lag still a big issue? Thanks!

Can I buy the new MBP(updated 2011-10-24) in HongKong Apple Store now?

Can I buy the new MBP(updated 2011-10-24) in HongKong Apple Store now?

I would call them and simply ask.

Im Buying a new MBP In Another week!

Ok folks, although i am not new to Macs this will be my first Mac laptop and i have been lurking on here for a while, my question is what should i be looking for in this new MBP?, i am buying the 15 inch monitor one with the works, i believe it cost 2499, is there a particular serial number i should try and get to avoid alot of the problems others are having here?, i do have the option of buying on the net, or i can go directly to the store and buy it there, thanks in advance for any and all inputs....Ivan!

I purchased a new MacBook Pro 15" (as described at bottom of this message) which is running with 10.5.5. It works just fine. I use to have a PowerMac G4 (Mar 2002) before this (running OS 10.4.11). I will say that the MBP doesn't do as well on battery power (mine uses about 1.3% per hour). But, I don't use the battery unless I am traveling or away from AC power briefly. I like my MBP as it is lightening fast.
I also running VMware Fusion to run Windows (XP SP3) for a few things (I don't use bootcamp as I did not want to create another partition---VMware allows you to access your Mac OS data files and Bootcamp doesn't to my knowledge).
I purchased mine direct from the Apple Store and also purchased Applecare.
Good luck.

Buying a new MBP - hard drive repacement questions...

Does replacing the HD in a new MBP void the warranty? I've searched the forums but it seems there's no firm answer. Basically if I buy a new 13" I want to upgrade the HD (I Think) to the 500GB 7200 Drive (probably Seagate momentus), but I'm concerned about heat and noise issues. is there a huge performance boost between the offered 500 GB 5400 Drive? I am planing on buying the $1400 version so I get the 4GB RAM and the faster processor to start with. Is that worth the price? What about battery life - I'm concerned now that it's not replaceable that a 7200 drive would waste that battery too quickly.

Go with 500 GB, the Seagate is fine. The 7200 rpm vs. 5400 rpm will give a modest performance boost, and there is really minimal additional heat, noise and power consumption with a faster spinning drive (it might mean 10 minutes shorter run time of the 5-7 hours from a full battery charge).
Be sure to order the drive without the G-force protection. The MBP has it's own internal accelerometer, and the two may conflict, so get the drive that lacks that feature.
Instructions for DIY HDD swap are on p. 37 of the manual:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/MacBook_Pro_13inchMid2009.pdf

Buying new 15" mbp. 2.66 refurb vs. 2.4i5 new

So I currently have a 15" PowerBook running 1.66 on the old power pc. I'm in the market for a new MacBook pro. I found a refurb mbp for $1450 running the 2.66 duo core. I know that the new mbp run the new 2.4 i5. If I am just using it for browsing , music and the occasional photo and movie editing will I really see a difference? The price difference is $350 which is a lot considering I have a kid coming. I'm not going to be using final cut or anything like that. I have a kid on the way so it might just be the occasional downloading stuff from the videocamera and putting it onto dvd's. Nothing too hardcore. Probably no video games either. Will the 2.66 be enough? Thanks for any help.

Yes that's the one. So the 2.66 will be good then? I just want to make sure it will be good for what im going to use it for. Don't really want to spend the extra 350 on a new one. Also from what I've heard and read the refurbs work just fine right? And of course I will buy the AppleCare.

Right time to buy a new MBP?

I am looking to buy a new MBP, but I was wondering if the time is right? Are they about to release a new model or should I go ahead and buy one now?

Only Apple knows when new models will be introduced and they only will tell on the day of release. If the current crop of models fulfill your needs, purchase one. If not, you are welcome to wait but you will not know for how long.
Ciao.

Buy new MBP 17" or Alienware M17?

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