MBP15/17 2007 week models info

Question

I have gone through about 6 macs in the last year. The first one being a mbp15, from about this time last year. That one had all the overheating, mooing, etc problems.
After that one got stolen I got a macbook, which was actually a pretty good unit. A little warm but nice and quiet and reliable.
Last week I finally went out and bought a mbp17 2.33 c2d, it was a 8703 model (2007 week 3), with a 9c62 display, so pretty new. I was hoping that after a year most of the issues were fixed. It was pretty close.
The 160 Hitachi drive was a little noisy. Really could tell the spin noise in a quiet room, and the seek noise was loud.
I went as far as using a tool in windows to change the automatic acoustic management of the drive to "quiet", which made a difference in the seek noise, but the constant spin hum was the same.
Temperature was great. It never got warm at all.
The display was not too bad, but I could tell some light leakage at the bottom and bottom corners of the screen. Really noticeable background.
I think I could of lived with those few issues, until decided to use it on my lap reclined back or laying down resting on my knees. The hinge is too loose and just flops close. It may sound like such a little issue, but it is how I use a laptop a lot of the time, so this was not acceptable. I thought this was a faulty unit, until I checked 4 other 17 inch mbps in stores and they all had this loose hinge syndrome. I still can't believe apple would not fix this. So today, I took back the 17, and replaced it with a brand new 15 inch.
I'm writing this on my (8704) week 4, 9c60 display, unit. That's a manufacture date of just over a week ago. This is the closest to perfection I have seen any of the laptops.
Very flawless screen, very quiet. No harddrive noise (120G drive), no fan noise, no other noises.
The temperature is ok too. Much warmer than the 17 inch, but I guess the bigger unit can discipate the heat over a larger area. Even though, it does get warmer, it is less warm than the mackbooks ive had, and the nice part is that even though the unit is warm at the bottom, the top of the unit and especially the hand rest area, stays cooler.
Very acceptable...and I'm picky.
Here is some more things that I have noticed in my quest for the perfect laptop.
17inch
- loose hinge. I don't care that the screen is bigger and that its not meant to be used like that. I'm 6'4" and in my hands it is like a macbook in others, and I want to use it how ever I like. The display should not flop. Just make it like ALL other laptops Ive ever used.
- the speakers in the 17inch are AWESOME and loud. Much more so than the mb, mpb15. I took it apart and the speaker units are larger and there are 4 of them it seems.
- the 17 does have a very deep hand rest area and it is a little awkward when using it some time. I wish they would slide the keyboard down (or towards the front of the unit) That would help
- the 17 had a noisy hd. I don't know if it was just the 160G drive, or maybe it simply is louder as there is more room in the unit and resonates louder. I saw on a site that the new mbps have a noise dampener metal disk on the drives, but when I looked in the unit I did not see one.
I would love to have the mbp17, but until the hinge issue is fixed, it's simply not usable to me. Period.
For now, the mbp15 that I have seems to be great. Could be a little cooler, but it is much better than the old mbp15s and the macbooks.
Just wanted to give back some info.
MacBook Pro 15 Mac OS X (10.4.8)
MacBook Pro 15 Mac OS X (10.4.8)
MacBook Pro 15 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Answer 1

Yes, it does look a little grainy. Especially compared to my macbook with a glossy screen side by side.
It almost looks like a texture on top of a white or light backgrounds. Not noticeable when viewing color photos, but it probably is still affecting the image a bit.
If I focus on it I notice it, but it does not seem to bother me when I am just working.
The 9C62 screen on the 17 inch I mentioned was the same...maybe seemed even worse because of the larger area.
****, you. haha, now that you brought it up, i keep noticing the grain. sigh.
It almost seems that apple does not bother fixing problems but tries to replace things with new products. I assume that instead of trying to fix these non even/grainy displays, they are probably just working on the new LED based solutions and don't give a rats about all of the customers that are stuck with inferior products. I'm sure there will not be an upgrade path either. The stupid part is that I will just go out and buy a new one when it comes out. That said, I suppose apple is doing something right keeping all of us wrapped around their finger psychologically. I don't like it, but it's somehow it's true.
MacBook Pro 15 Mac OS X (10.4.8)