Is a MacBook Pro for me??

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funnydude393

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May 20, 2006
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Hi, I will be going to ITT in the Spring and I for sure need a laptop. I have heard many great things about the MacBook Pro. My question is, will it be enough to handle intense editing in FinalCut, 3D Modeling, & some intensive gaming on the side without slowing down? I usually just play Half-Life 2 & Company of Heroes, but nothing too demanding such as F.E.A.R.. I am am interested in the MB Pro 17" display with 3G of RAM, 2.33 Merom Core2, ATI X1600, 160G HD. Help me a little guys, I really want a Mac, i'm really tired of Windows and it's security issues.
 
Well, if you're going to be playing CoH or HL2 you'll need windows. You can use Bootcamp (I play CoH on my MBP just fine)

It all depends on WHAT you will be doing?

You mention final cut... so I assume then that a Mac is definitely a need.

You might want to go for the 7200rpm drive for video editing. trust me.
 
7200rpm is a definite "yes"

It's more important than those extra mhz if you ask me...

In windows on the MBP, you can play almost everything short of Oblivion at high quality.

These machines are powerful.
 
It has been quite sometime since I have used a Mac, but I will be fine, memory will kick in sometime :D. Bootcamp easy/user friendly? Or do I need to be a computer whizz to use it?
 
Bootcamp...

Download a few updates, download the program and install it.

Run the program, which burns a CD and partitions your HD (non-destructive, so it saves your data)

Then you boot up into "windows" and install XP from a disk somewhere

Then install the drivers that the bootcamp program burnt for you on the CD.

Very simple.
 
So I have to buy XP? Alright, I'm ok with that, i'll purchase XP Professional. When it comes to installing all of that, is there a manual online I can follow just to make sure I don't screw things up? If I successfully install bootcamp, how do I boot to whichever operating system I want to use. Sorry for being a noob, just asking a lot of questions for knowledge.
 
funnydude393 said:
It has been quite sometime since I have used a Mac, but I will be fine, memory will kick in sometime :D. Bootcamp easy/user friendly? Or do I need to be a computer whizz to use it?
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It's easier to install windows on a Mac than it is on a PC.

No kidding.
 
Should you get a MBP? Yes in a heartbeat. I got one and am truly happy. Is it easy to install windows? Lets put it this way. First day i got my mac i learned the operating system. Second day, i installed windows through bootcamp. Kids stuff. The whole experience was a pleasure. Of course there are tricks and such you will learn through extended use. But the general basics, you will pick that up so fast its not even funny. And yes you can play most games. But for me its conjecture because i dont play games on mine but i did use it for editing and such and it works wonderfully. I got the 17incher because when im on business this machine is my primary machine.
 
Thank you to everyone who has provided me with all of their wonderful knowledge. I am now convinced to get a MB Pro. Thank you all for your help!
 
The video card is merely OK, not a screamer by any measure. You won't be able to turn on AA/AF/HDR in games because the frame rates drop too low. You will be able to play any current game however. That laptop is just awesome in any other respect and will run pro apps just fine.
 
I'll use dxtweaker and force triple buffering to allow me to get decent framerates with AA/AF/HDR. Plus, I usually just play Half-Life 2 Mods, DOD, CS, and so forth. That game was built around ATI technology, so that helps even more. It's mostly for school anyways, I just didn't want to have to get rid of games I had purchased. I play graphically demanding games on my X-Box 360 anyways :D
 
Get the MBP you will be happy. In fact you will be so happy that you will run to the internet and tell us how happy you are (well at least i hope so).
 
Not to thread hijack, but for those of you for (or opposed) to 7200rpm drives. How much of a noise/heat difference does it make? Also, does it impact battery life? Thanks!
 
Wouldn't buying a MacBook and using external Firewire 7200 RPM drives be a better option?
 
sgt said:
Not to thread hijack, but for those of you for (or opposed) to 7200rpm drives. How much of a noise/heat difference does it make? Also, does it impact battery life? Thanks!
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Noise? minimal.

Heat? nothing.

Battery... Well, the 7200 probably uses 10-15% more battery than the 5400... So, only a few watts at most...
 
I was looking at some benchmark test scores with the MB Pro running Half-Life 2, Day of Defeat: Source, Counter Strike: Source, and Episode 1, HL: The Lost Cost. With the ATI X1600, and everything turned up all the way, i.e. (AAx4/AFx16/HDR Full/1200x1024 res.) it got 66-79 FPS depending on the game. Some people even got 33-35 FPS playing TES: Oblivion at medium settings. Now I don't know if that is official, but that sounds like a pretty damn good card to game with for the MB Pro; i'm sure it really really helps to have the 2.33 Ghz Core2 Merom chip and 2-3Gb of RAM.
 
funnydude393 said:
Is 2G of RAM for this comp more than enough, or should I get the 3G of RAM just to be sure?
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2GB is more than enough I think. I have 2GB in my Black MacBook and it's extremely snappy.

I like to have two sticks of the same capacity, plus, 2GB sticks are expensive, from Apple or not.

Stick with 2GB, you'll save money and not notice any performance difference I think.
 
Currently running with 1GB, you guys think I'll see any benefit going to 2?
 
MrSneis said:
Currently running with 1GB, you guys think I'll see any benefit going to 2?
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1GB or more with OS X is a nice sweet spot. If you do any virtualization you'll want more. 2GB is I think the perfect amount for MacBook's and MacBook Pro's.
 
If you stay in either ONLY OS X or ONLY XP (bootcamp) then 1gb is fine.

If you load more than 1 OS at a time, you should seriously consider the 2gb option.
 
I would defintely buy 2gigs. I bought my machine with 1gig module and put the other gig myself. Bought it way cheaper from newegg. To upgrade the memory is very pathetically easy. unscrrew, memory in, and rescrew the back flap. No more than 2 minutes and thats taking your sweet time checking the darn thing wants you have the flap off.

Anyway just make sure you specifiy one memory module when you do purchase the laptop. Even if you dont want to upgrade now at least you have that option later when you do decide.
 
Arcygenical said:
If you stay in either ONLY OS X or ONLY XP (bootcamp) then 1gb is fine.

If you load more than 1 OS at a time, you should seriously consider the 2gb option.
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Uhm, why would that make a difference?

Each OS gets exclusive access to the hardware when it's booted.

It's not like it mysteriously shares memory when you bootcamp.
 
KaosDG said:
Uhm, why would that make a difference?

Each OS gets exclusive access to the hardware when it's booted.

It's not like it mysteriously shares memory when you bootcamp.
Click to expand...

Umm, virtualization?

BootCamp XP is just XP on a PC, Virtualized XP is XP on top of OS X, hence the need for more memory if you're running both at the same time, instead of each one independently.
 
Optional87 said:
Umm, virtualization?

BootCamp XP is just XP on a PC, Virtualized XP is XP on top of OS X, hence the need for more memory if you're running both at the same time, instead of each one independently.
Click to expand...

he makes no mention of virtualization in his post
 
KaosDG said:
he makes no mention of virtualization in his post
Click to expand...

I thought it was pretty obvious what he meant when I read it.

Running two operating systems at the same time on one machine means one of them has to be within the other.

Either way, 2GB is a good idea because it leaves you a lot more headroom in the future should you decide to do any kind of virtualization or any other heavily memory intensive apps.
 
My point was that if I go for 2 gigs I will have to fork over 200+ dollars, virtual PC is not for me but say in Gaming or Photoshopping will there be a noticable difference b/w 1Gig and 2? I swear on my home rig I noticed no difference between 1gig and 2, but I'm not so sure this is the case for a MBP.
 
2GB is worth it by anyones count, even if all you're doing is web browsing. It makes everything so much more enjoyable.

However, 1GB is fine and it won't ruin your experience :)
 
Went to Fry's and picked up 2 GB of RAM today, it just didn't feel right with 1 GB lol.
 
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