My macbook pro is running slow after a month

Question

Ok, so i purchaced a macbook pro about a month ago, no more. I have experienced minor problems with speed and browsing within this time period.
a few examples of this would be
extrodinarilly long starup times
after log in, around 20 seconds delay before it loads my desktop (it will stay frozen at log in screen)
frequently occuring SBBOD will all programs (including simple ones like safari, or pre installed apps)
random drops in fram rate and response time with applications. eg if i type/erase a word and pause the word will not appear for a moment; or if i scroll up and down there will be seconds delay in response befor it scrolls up or down.
low intensity apps taking extended periods of time to launch.
safari will not load web pages completely (blue bar will pause mid way through opening the page)
graphics like thumbnails on browser will not appear immediately on browser, or never appear.
computer generically acting sluggish and slow like an old computer
there are a few more minors ones, but none of them i havent seen on my pc.
These dont happen all of the time, but very often, and much too often for a 2300$ laptop
i have talked with my friends who also own macbooks and they say none of this happens ever. (they have owned them for multiple years)
i am a first time mac owner and this has not made a good impression, however most reviews i have read, and personal anecdotes from friends, seem to consider their macs to be great.
other than the recent, random dips in speed i love my mac
Specs:
2012
15 inch (non retina)
2.7 ghz 17 quad core processor
750gb 7200-rpmhard drive
8gb memory
NVIDIA GeForce 650M with 1gb memory
I Have already upgraded to Mountain Lion
Background:
i bought it for graphic design and i run it about 3 hours a day every day. i use programs such as photoshop, after effects, maxon cinema 4d, illustrator, while multi-tasking on the internet for the majority of the time. im not sure if this is working my computer too hard, but for 2300$ it shouldnt be a problem. however, these problems occur even when i am not running any applications besides safari.
ive tried all the generic steps like clearing caches, reseting permissions, etc. and i have plent of free ram.
Is it a problem internally? Should i take it to apple and see whats up? please answer, all responces are appreciated.

Answer 1

First, back up all data immediately, as your boot drive might be failing.
Take these steps when you notice the problem.
Step 1
Launch the Activity Monitor application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Activity Monitor in the page that opens.
Select the CPU tab of the Activity Monitor window.
Select All Processes from the menu in the toolbar, if not already selected.
Click the heading of the % CPU column in the process table to sort the entries by CPU usage. You may have to click it twice to get the highest value at the top. What is it, and what is the process? Also post the values for % User, % System, and % Idle at the bottom of the window.
Select the System Memory tab. What values are shown in the bottom part of the window for Page outs and Swap used?
Next, select the Disk Activity tab. Post the approximate values shown for Reads in/sec and Writes out/sec (not Reads in and Writes out.)
Step 2
You must be logged in as an administrator to carry out this step.
Launch the Console application in the same way as above. Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left.
Post the 50 or so most recent messages in the log — the text, please, not a screenshot.
When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
PLEASE DO NOT INDISCRIMINATELY DUMP THOUSANDS OF LINES FROM THE LOG INTO A MESSAGE. If you do that, I will not respond.
Important: Some personal information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Edit it out before posting.