Which Macbook (Pro) to get...

I am looking for a laptop for school and I have no idea which one to get. I am going to school for video game design so I will need to run windows. I am thinking about the Macbook because its small and cheap, but then I dont get an express slot or dual layer burner. I'm also contemplating a 15" Macbook pro because its powerfull and has a video card incase I want to play computer games. i am also contemplating a 17". i think the large screen and resoulution will be nice along with the large HD and lots of RAM, but it's heavy and expensive. the thing is, about using the computer for gaming, i have an xbox 360 and am getting both a ps3 and wii, so i may not need it. it the video card the only downside to the macbook? also, is it powerful enough to play full HD? I know i asked a lot of questions, but any help would be excellent. My main question is what notebook would be best for me and what are some advantages or disadvantages of the different models? any help would be appreciated. thanks

the macbook is a huge increase over the ibook and even the powerbook and is close to the macbook pro as far as processing power for things like compression, etc. for what you are doing, however i would choose the macbook pro, because it has 256 MB of dedicated vram, whereas the macbook only has 64 and it's integrated. if you look at the benchmarks the macbook pro is at over 60 frames per second, while the macbook is only at around 18. the macbook would be a poor choice for gaming. other machines that are not apple machines are probably even better for gaming than the macbook pro, but that is about all they're good for.
the expresscard slot is great if you're going to use it, but it may not be a necessity, and because of the macbook pro's thin design, the dvd burner is a bit slow and does not support dual layer burning. i use it for small projects, but for full length and dual layer dvds, i have an external burner. note also that you can upgrade the regular macbook to add dvd burning capabilities. it is an option when you order it.
another advantage of the macbook pro over the macbook is the dual link dvi output and pci express architecture. if you need to hook up to an external display, not only will you be able to mirror your desktop, but you can extend it over two monitors as well. the macbook pro will also support all of apple's external displays, whereas the macbook only supports the small one. both machines play high definition well.
as far as hard drive and RAM, the macbook pro comes with more, but the macbooks are upgradeable to the same level as the macbook pro for hard drive size and RAM. the only difference is you can upgrade to a faster hard drive on the macbook pro.
so, overall, i would say that there are many more advantages to having a macbook pro if you are doing serious video or game design work. the macbook should be able to handle most of what you need, but i would be worried about not having powerful enough graphics.

Similar Messages

  • How do I get a licence for Photo shop which ran out (they didn't tell me that when I bought the MacBook Pro - I get error 150/30

    how do I get a licence for Photo shop which ran out (they didn't tell me that when I bought the MacBook Pro - I get error 150/30?

    Download Adobe's License Repair Tool: Error "Licensing has stopped working" | Mac OS
    Additional information you may find useful: http://blog.erikphansen.com/adobe-cs4-error-15030-aka-i-hate-adobe-reason-34/

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Which MacBook Pro suits me best?

    Hello,
    I am wundering which MacBook Pro suits me best? I am going to study computer science in Colone soon.
    So the MacBook will mainly be for university, but I also want to use it for:
    - Photoshop
    - Xcode
    - Surfing the internet
    - Virtual machine with Windows, Windows Server, and Linux
    So after all I hast two questions:
    1) Is 8 GB of RAM enough or shall I upgrade to 16 GB?
    2) Should I buy the Core i5 2.6 GHz of the Core i7 2.8 GHz model?
    That you for your help
    Se7enUltimatePro

    If you want to save some money don't bother with the Moshi or Belkin.  You're paying for the name like buying Monster cables, which are overpriced too.  Get the following adapter from monoprice.com.
    Mini DisplayPort | Thunderbolt® to HDMI® Adapter w/ Audio Support

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • My macbook pro just gets stuck at grey startup screen

    my macbook pro just gets stuck at grey startup screen

    Reinstall OS X:
    Reinstall Snow Leopard without erasing the drive
    Do the following:
    1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
    If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed with reinstalling OS X.  Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files.  After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
    Download and install the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.
    OR:
    Reinstalling Lion Without Erasing the Drive
    Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
    Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
    When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Continue button.
    Note: You can also re-download the Lion installer by opening the App Store application. Hold down the OPTION key and click on the Purchases icon in the toolbar. You should now see an active Install button to the right of your Lion purchase entry. There are situations in which this will not work. For example, if you are already booted into the Lion you originally purchased with your Apple ID or if an instance of the Lion installer is located anywhere on your computer.

  • Which Macbook Pro do you recommend for CS6?

    I need to purchase a new laptop because I recently got a copy of CS6 Design & Web Premium. My old Macbook won't run it so I was wondering which MacBook Pro model is best to run the program. I mainly use Illustrator and Photoshop to make fashion illustrations and technical sketches. All the feedback is appriciated. I need to buy a new laptop ASAP!

    I would recromend the macbook pro retina for adobe CS6, this computer should sufice for years to come. If however you have insufficient funds, another choice would be the above (Macbook Pro 15'). Like he said you should get 8GB Ram, so Go to crucial.com and you could get the same ram with lifetime warranty for 60 $ instead of apples 100 $

  • When trying to connect to the itunes store on my MacBook Pro, I get the following error message: "iTunes could not connect to the iTunes Store.  An unknown error occurred (-54) Make sure your network connection is active and try again."

    When trying to connect to the itunes store on my MacBook Pro, I get the following error message: "iTunes could not connect to the iTunes Store.  An unknown error occurred (-54) Make sure your network connection is active and try again."

    I've had the same problem for a month and yet I still cant get iTunes to work, I've heard different solutions but none have worked for me
    This may or may not work for you but its worth a try even though it didnt seem to work for me, Good Luck!
    Control Panel
    Internet Options
    Connections Tab
    Click LAN Settings
    Uncheck "Use A Proxy Server"

  • 17" MacBook Pro (2008) Getting hot while being used

    Recently I have been noticing that my macbook pro is getting very hot when it get used, especially if it is used for video or for extended time periods. The computer gets very warm, almost hot to the touch, particularly above the keys and on the bottom.
    I installed the iStat Pro widget so I could monitor the internal temps, and the CPU and GPU heatsink are approaching 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit quite often. Is this a problem? If so, what are some suggestions?

    you would probably have a better chance at advice in the macbook pro discussions;
    http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=190

  • What is the best way to safeguard my files and pictures before I send off my MacBook Pro to get fixed?

    What is the best way to safeguard my files and pictures before I send off my MacBook Pro to get fixed? I am running Mavericks and use an AirPort Time Machine to back-up all my files.

    Back up all data on the internal drive(s) before you hand over your computer to anyone. You need at least two independent backups to be completely safe. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional—ask if you need guidance.
    If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you know how to restore to an empty drive.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.
    Keeping your confidential data secure during hardware repair
    Apple also recommends that you deauthorize a device in the iTunes Store before having it serviced.
    *An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.

  • HT1386 When I sync my iPhone5 with my Macbook Pro I get the following message "iTunes could not sync calendars to the iPhone because the iPhone disconnected". The strange this is that the phone did not disconnect because it sync my contacts and is chargin

    When I sync my iPhone5 with my Macbook Pro I get the following message "iTunes could not sync calendars to the iPhone because the iPhone disconnected". The strange this is that the phone did not disconnect because it sync my contacts and is charging.
    Why does this happen? I have tried several cables and it does the same thing.

    Try:
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/15519179#15519179

Maybe you are looking for