New MBP Vs. Old MBP

[TheBiggmann]

Well, I've been waiting for the refresh to buy one, and now I'm wondering if it's worth it to upgrade to the new one or go with an old one off Amazon. The glossy screen is kinda a bummer, so the matte is a bit of a selling point for me. I'm gonna be a college student so it will get used for the typical college stuff, along with some photo/music stuff and probably a bit of gaming. So what do you guys think? How worth it is it to go to the new one? Or isn't it really worth it at all considering you can get the old $2499 book for $1779?

 

[sourceninja]

I'd personally buy the old one. There is nothing compelling to me about the new ones. (Unless you want the better video card).

 

[Keitero]

If you want a matte screen, then the only way to go is the 4th gen. If you want DDR3, nVidia chipset/faster GPU, and all glass touchpad, then the new one is the way to go.

 

[bearxor]

If you don't like the glossy screeen and refuse to buy anything where you can spend all of your work time admiring your sexy self, then go with the old MBP. The video card isn't a significant step down and the processors are from the same family. The downsides are the hard to replace HD and the latching mechanism. The latches on older MBP's cause warping on the outer edges of the notebook's top lid, because of the amount of pressure being exerted on the lid in the middle.

Now, if you're just CONCERNED about the glossy screen, but it's not a deal breaker for you, then by all means, go for the newer MBP unless you just don't have the money. There's a lot to like about the new MBP.

When I switched to laptops, I was focused on buying machines with integrated graphics cards so I could do some light gaming, but nothing hardcore. My Inspiron 6000 came with a 128MB X300 and I was happy enough with it while I had it. I got my MBP for almost nothing ($200) and so I was happy I got the one with a dedicated graphics card. If I were buying now, since the MB now has a GF9400, I'd seriously consider picking that one if Matte was an option. I'd like a smaller form factor with a decent graphics card. Before I got my MBP I was looking at an XPS 1310 with an GF8400.

 

[TheBiggmann]

The glossy screen worries me, but probably isn't a make or break point. My dad said hed never buy another glossy screen laptop, but my moms macbook iis glossy and I don't think its terrible, but I haven't used it in fluorescnet light. When you watch cnets video from the conference, it looks like there is a ton of glare. Maybe its not as bad as it seems tho. As far as the graphics card, in any case the 512 mb 8800 gt is probably better than the integrated 9400 in the regular mb right? And you said the difference wasn't huge in the current mbp. I was either gonna go for the $1999 mbp or the $1599 mb. But in assuming the 4th gen mbp is better than this gens mb. As far as the new features, is there anything I'm really gonna miss iif I go for the last gen? Ill still get multitouch and led screen, I don't think the chassis differences are that big of a deal besides weight and maybe a little more rigidity right? Glass trackpad isn't a huge deal either I don't think is it? I just wanna make sure you guys don't think I'm really gonna miss something going with the previous gen.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

I don't think the glossy screen is a deal breaker. I've never had a problem with reflections on both the macbook and the glossy macbook pro, and it's a matter of preference, but sometimes people make it seem as if the glossy screen is a damn mirror - it's not.

If I had the money, I'd go for the newer MBP just because this is technology we're talking about. I think all the improvements they've made on the line, while minor when evaluated individually, is pretty major when you look at the big picture. The result is a damn sexy piece of machinery that is an improvement over the last gen. Hell, then again I may be speaking out of envy as I've got the penryn mbp.

 

[intogamer]

I have a suspicion that Apple will re-release a matte version for the 15" when they refresh the 17"

They didn't kill matte on the pro because of the professionals that want it.

 

[TheBiggmann]

How long will it be until they refresh the 17'' though? It won't be soon I'm sure, will it? It sounds as if the battery life on the new ones leaves a little to be desired. What do you know about that? It's really gonna come down to the current 2.4 GHz Pro or the 2.6 GHz last gen Pro. The benchmarks that I saw really made it look like the last gen has a bit of an advantage though, but that could be due to the difference in processor speeds. However, they made it sound like the new MBP bus will make up for it when you get into bigger chunks of data. Why does Apple have to make this so difficult!

 

[bearxor]

Originally posted by: makoto00
I don't think the glossy screen is a deal breaker. I've never had a problem with reflections on both the macbook and the glossy macbook pro, and it's a matter of preference, but sometimes people make it seem as if the glossy screen is a damn mirror - it's not.

I can do my makeup on some friends MacBooks. So yes, yes it is.

 

[intogamer]

No idea about the 17" refresh. It's something to keep in mind. I personally would go for the latest offerings by Apple. They always maximize the capabilities of their products. It took a year for the App store to come out for the iPhone. With the imagination of Apple there's infinite possibilities. I really am interested the click-less touchpad. I would try to push myself to double tap on the pad on the regular macbook. I believe there will be more updates to maximize the touchpad for even quicker computing.

 

[intogamer]

Originally posted by: bearxor

Originally posted by: makoto00
I don't think the glossy screen is a deal breaker. I've never had a problem with reflections on both the macbook and the glossy macbook pro, and it's a matter of preference, but sometimes people make it seem as if the glossy screen is a damn mirror - it's not.

I can do my makeup on some friends MacBooks. So yes, yes it is.

The good about it - is that you can see the reflection of people; behind you.

 

[AmigaMan]

If I had a choice, I'd get a brand new MBP. My 1st gen MBP is getting a little long in the tooth. I'm also pretty sure once I put my old MBP out of commission, global warming will be reduced. Even though I have the matte screen, I don't think the glossy would bother me. I've used a couple MacBooks and it seems fine to me.

 

[bearxor]

Originally posted by: intogamer

Originally posted by: bearxor

Originally posted by: makoto00
I don't think the glossy screen is a deal breaker. I've never had a problem with reflections on both the macbook and the glossy macbook pro, and it's a matter of preference, but sometimes people make it seem as if the glossy screen is a damn mirror - it's not.

I can do my makeup on some friends MacBooks. So yes, yes it is.

The good about it - is that you can see the reflection of people; behind you.

Holy crap! I never thought about that. I might reconsider after all. I swear I have people come in to my office and stare a me for 30 seconds or so before they announce their presence and then it scares the crap outta me.

 

[dclive]

I'm still plodding along with a 1.83 ghz MBP with Core (not Core 2) CPU and Radeon 1600 GPU. If you want to save money, you can always go used and save lots and lots. NEW MBPs are $1399, so used MBPs should be $999 and less. For me that would be very tempting.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: dclive
I'm still plodding along with a 1.83 ghz MBP with Core (not Core 2) CPU and Radeon 1600 GPU. If you want to save money, you can always go used and save lots and lots. NEW MBPs are $1399, so used MBPs should be $999 and less. For me that would be very tempting.

I think you are thinking of the MacBook when you quoted that $1399 price. The new (9600m) MacBook Pro starts at $1999

 

[TheBiggmann]

Yeah, the money isn't a huge deal, I can go with either one. I'm just wondering if it's WORTH IT to go to the new one. If the extra $300 to go from the last gen 2.6 to the 2.4 current gen is worth the money for the features you get. And also the difference in speed.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

If money isn't an issue, go with the newer model. It is worth it to have the newest stuff, especially in light of all the various improvements.

It sounds like you are having a hard time deciding. Only you can decide if it's worth it. If it was me, I'd go with the new model hands down.

 

[LtPage1]

If you're serious about only a bit of gaming, get the old one.

 

[TheBiggmann]

Alright, it will be more like a moderate amount of gaming, not enough to be considered hardcore, just some warcraft 3 every now and then and I'm sure diablo 3 once it comes out. But yes, I am having a heck of a time deciding. How does the old one have better battery life if the only option you have is the 8800? Shouldn't the new ones get better battery life considering you can use the onboard gpu to conserve battery? I can't imagine that integrated graphics suck that much more power to the poinr where you get worse battery life than a model with only a discrete card. How's the sound on the new ones too? When I was shopping a while back the mpb was quite a bit better than the mb, and the sound on my moms mb she just bought is pretty week.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: TheStu

Originally posted by: dclive
I'm still plodding along with a 1.83 ghz MBP with Core (not Core 2) CPU and Radeon 1600 GPU. If you want to save money, you can always go used and save lots and lots. NEW MBPs are $1399, so used MBPs should be $999 and less. For me that would be very tempting.

I think you are thinking of the MacBook when you quoted that $1399 price. The new (9600m) MacBook Pro starts at $1999

No, new (last-gen) MBPs are $1399. Check Amazon and the places with remaining stock.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB...&qid=1224387879&sr=8-1 shows one for $1444, not far off from $1399. Look a bit more and you'll get $1399 for a new (last gen) MBP.

 

[EngenZerO]

so far im loving my new 2.53 mbp. its just plain sexy!

 

[manly]

Originally posted by: EngenZerO
so far im loving my new 2.53 mbp. its just plain sexy!

:beer: You got it at the Apple store?

In theory, Snow Leopard will better utilize the GPU in processing besides 3D acceleration. In practice, I wouldn't get too hyped up about future software implementations in this area.

For example, Quartz 2D Extreme was touted for Tiger but quietly shoved under the rug. It was hoped that Leopard would be resolution-independent but that didn't happen either.

 

[intogamer]

Or you can buy a used MBP and do a 1920 x 1200 LCD mod.

 

[TheBiggmann]

Engen, what do you get for battery life? I'd like to know if the lower battery life rumors are true. Will it matter for snow leopard which one I go with because they both have discrete gpu's?

 

[BullsOnParade]

You seem to have an aimless generic need for the laptop in the first place and are deciding based on matte or glossy. If money's not an issue simply get the new one. Everything looks better with the glossy screen and in full light outdoors the screen doesn't wash out nearly as badly as the matte does. You'll have to compare a matte and glossy with regard to the reflections, they didn't bother me which is to say slight adjustment always alleviated any distracting reflections.