Which Apple Laptop?

[Caly]

I had the last gen core duo 15in MBP and lost it in a fire.
I'm in need of one, and the new MBPs just came out.

Should I get pretty much the same 'old' one I had before, or should I get the new one? I'm on the fence about Matte & Glossy screens, though I'd imagine if I got a glossy screen someone out there has invented an anti-glare film to put on it.
If I get the old MBP I think the 250gb drive can still be upgraded to 320GB if I buy an OEM drive somewhere, and the RAM can also be upgraded I hope, though not through the Apple store.

So... option 1
MacBook Pro 15-inch 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (previous generation)
2GB (two SO-DIMMs) 667MHz DDR2 memory (PC2-5300)
200GB Serial ATA; 7200 rpm
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB of GDDR3 memory
One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, two USB 2.0 ports, and ExpressCard/34 slot

or option 2
MacBook Pro 15-inch 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
320GB Serial ATA @ 7200
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor with dual-link DVI support;
512MB of GDDR3 memory
One FireWire 800, two USB 2.0 ports, and ExpressCard/34 slot, Mini Display Port

 

[IlllI]

i personally hate glossy. unless you like looking at your reflection all the time

 

[sindows]

I would get the new one simply because its new and I love tinkering with new machinery.

 

[TheStu]

Well, the new one is not that much more powerful than the Santa Rosas that they replaced. At least not as I can figure looking at the specs. The new trackpad should be interesting, and the new unibody design is allegedly going to be more sturdy/resilient

 

[DangerRanger]

My vote is for the previous gen 2.6 you mentioned. I have a MBP 15" glossy 2.4 w/ 2BG RAM and love it to death. I had a bit of a debate with myself about the matte vs. glossy, but after my experience as an Apple Tech working on laptops all the time, I came to like the look of the glossy much more. Oh, and it will def. be able to 'see' the 320gb drive. Also, upgrading the RAM is a piece of cake, just need a 00 phillips and 10 min. When I get my next paycheck i'll be upgrading mine... Just my .02

 

[Commodus]

Current gen. Whatever quirks you have with the new model's display, you can't upgrade to the more modern architecture.

 

[IlllI]

but all that modern architecture wouldnt be much use if you cant stand looking at it

 

[LOUISSSSS]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2332325,00.asp
you're aware of all the problems with Nvidia chips and Apple laptops right???

if i HAD to chose between the two i'd chose the newer one. if i were to get a better laptop than them for the same or less price, i'd get a lenovo

 

[BullsOnParade]

I wouldn't get the 2.6GHz previous gen. I'd go with the 2.5GHz previous at $1500, it's a better bang/buck. I think the rancor over the glossy display is crap. It gives superior direct light view ability because it reflects incident light instead of allowing it to wash out the display and it gives awesome saturated colors and contrast. I've heard more people whine about accurate color space representation than I know do actual print work so ignore it and go with what dazzles you. The new MBP is pretty sweet, 1066MHz FSB, slick design, quality Al rigid chassis, glass screen, mulit-touch track pad (Big fan of the two finger scrolling and probably some custom 3-4 finger gestures would be really useful.) I'm probably going to throw down on the $2500 new MBP.

 

[Caly]

Thanks guys.

I found a deal on a previous gen 2.6 matte for a lil less than 2k that was hard to resist.
Though I do think that unless something strange happens the future is glossy.
But I can wait for them to iron out the kinks. ^^

In the interim I need to figure out the best place to buy RAM and a new internal 7200rpm hard drive that's larger than 200gb.
Is it something I can do, or should I take it to be done... hmmm must research.

 

[DangerRanger]

I would check newegg.com for the RAM, or just froogle it. As for the 7200 RPM drive, just know that it will KILL your laptop battery. As long as you have it plugged in most of the time you'll be fine, but those 7200 RPM drives, in my experience, really suck down the power. And yes, I would say you could def swap out the HD yourself if you have a little bit of time and feel frisky. It'll take a Phillips 00 and a Torx T6. Hope this helps!

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: DangerRanger
I would check newegg.com for the RAM, or just froogle it. As for the 7200 RPM drive, just know that it will KILL your laptop battery. As long as you have it plugged in most of the time you'll be fine, but those 7200 RPM drives, in my experience, really suck down the power. And yes, I would say you could def swap out the HD yourself if you have a little bit of time and feel frisky. It'll take a Phillips 00 and a Torx T6. Hope this helps!

From information that I have seen, the 7200RPM drives, particularly the ones being sold now, do not adversely affect heat generation, or power consumption. It is a bad rap that they have from earlier days.

 

[Caly]

I can definitely change the RAM myself but I'm hesitating about the hard drive because I think it voids the Warranty. :/

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: Caly
I can definitely change the RAM myself but I'm hesitating about the hard drive because I think it voids the Warranty. :/

It sorta does, yes...which is making me want to kick myself in the chest because my 120GB is filling up fast (I have a bootcamp + Parallel VM).

Really hoping there will be bigger and faster SSD ExpressCard 34 drives available soon so I can get one for my MBP.