Just ordered a MBP! Excited!

Z

Zinn

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I've never owned a Mac before, but I wanted a laptop. After dealing with Vista for the last year, I realized that I don't like the direction Microsoft is pushing its OS. So I took the plunge!

I got the 2.4 / 15" one and upgraded to 200gb @ 7200rpm. I'm pretty excited! Going by specs, it should actually be faster than my current PC at stock speeds (except in Crysis). With student discount, I was out the door for $209.

So I can't wait! I'll be sure to post back here when it shows up.

Also, is Applecare a good investment? I've actually heard horror stories about Apple's support, so opinions on this matter would be appreciated.
 
Go for the Apple Care. You might hear about a horror story every once in a while (and you can bet they're sensationalized to a degree), but the support is solid for the most part.

Going with the 7200RPM drive was a smart thing to do if you need the speed. If you can live with the space, I would think about buying a mini-DVI cable and using the MacBook Pro with the lid closed at your desk instead of the computer. It's nice to have everything in one place.
 
I'm getting rid of my desktop PC (once I zero out all the hard drives) and repositioning things on my desk. I plan to use the Dell 2407 as a main display and do secondary stuff on the Macbook display. It should make for some serious kick-assery.

Also, I'm pretty sure the Macbook Pro uses a regular DVI hookup--at least it looked like it in the pictures. Do I still need some kind of adapter? It wouldn't surprise me with Apple...
 
Zinn said:
I'm getting rid of my desktop PC (once I zero out all the hard drives) and repositioning things on my desk. I plan to use the Dell 2407 as a main display and do secondary stuff on the Macbook display. It should make for some serious kick-assery.

Also, I'm pretty sure the Macbook Pro uses a regular DVI hookup--at least it looked like it in the pictures. Do I still need some kind of adapter? It wouldn't surprise me with Apple...
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It is a normal DVI port on the macbook Pro. It'll hook up directly to your monitor just fine
 
I'd get a cooling pad, and perhaps the program "coolbook" to undervolt.

As a desk duty machine, these things get mighty warm :)

You'll love it, I promise.
 
Zinn said:
I got the 2.4 / 15" one and upgraded to 200gb @ 7200rpm. I'm pretty excited! Going by specs, it should actually be faster than my current PC at stock speeds (except in Crysis). With student discount, I was out the door for $209.
Click to expand...

$209 or $2009? If it was $209 after your student discount, I'm transferring!
 
Andrmgic said:
It is a normal DVI port on the macbook Pro. It'll hook up directly to your monitor just fine
Click to expand...
Sorry about that, Andrmgic is correct. The MacBook uses a mini-DVI port, and the MacBook Air uses a micro-DVI port. The Pros use a standard DVI connection.
 
Arcygenical said:
I'd get a cooling pad, and perhaps the program "coolbook" to undervolt.

As a desk duty machine, these things get mighty warm :)

You'll love it, I promise.
Click to expand...

coolbook i have confirmed to work on the new machines, the penryns. But i dont need it, the laptop runs cool.

when using handbrake, the temp gets to 70c, but the fans never full bore, EVER. only 3500
 
how hot are these things supposed to get? when i'm installing a lot of software, the area to the left of the trackpad gets super hot... so hot that it's kind of uncomfortable to type on. is this normal?
 
Just got my Griffin Elevator (stand thingy)... it's nice for dual monitor-ing, and it leaves me space underneath for my sound card! I like :D

macbook.jpg
 
Sexy. I'd skip Applecare and buy an insurance plan instead. It can actually be cheaper if you already have insurance from a major carrier and you'll be protected from theft and drops, spills etc.
 
Zinn said:
I've never owned a Mac before, but I wanted a laptop. After dealing with Vista for the last year, I realized that I don't like the direction Microsoft is pushing its OS. So I took the plunge!

I got the 2.4 / 15" one and upgraded to 200gb @ 7200rpm. I'm pretty excited! Going by specs, it should actually be faster than my current PC at stock speeds (except in Crysis). With student discount, I was out the door for $209.

So I can't wait! I'll be sure to post back here when it shows up.

Also, is Applecare a good investment? I've actually heard horror stories about Apple's support, so opinions on this matter would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Congrats...Youll love it!

As for AppleCare...i have had 0 problems with my macs..the longest ive had one being 4 years...so i really havent had the need for it.
On the other hand i had some compatibility issues between my powerbook and an external monitor, which wasnt apples fault, but the people at apple found a solution!!
 
taylorwilsdon said:
Sexy. I'd skip Applecare and buy an insurance plan instead. It can actually be cheaper if you already have insurance from a major carrier and you'll be protected from theft and drops, spills etc.
Click to expand...

Good idea too...but insurance doesnt cover any tech support issues if you have any...which you likely wont.

Zinn said:
how hot are these things supposed to get? when i'm installing a lot of software, the area to the left of the trackpad gets super hot... so hot that it's kind of uncomfortable to type on. is this normal?
Click to expand...

Mine gets pretty hot...especially when rendering video in Final Cut Pro...Its been up to 140 degrees before and ive had no issues with performance
 
Thanks :) Sound card is a Presonus Firebox. It's breathtaking once you plug some headphones in!
 
Grats to OP! If you are planning on keeping it for a few years, definitely go for the Applecare. You get treated differently, even during the first year. Anything goes wrong, you can just go to your local Apple store and get the problem resolved there. Sometimes they will even send a technician to your place.
 
naid said:
Grats to OP! If you are planning on keeping it for a few years, definitely go for the Applecare. You get treated differently, even during the first year. Anything goes wrong, you can just go to your local Apple store and get the problem resolved there. Sometimes they will even send a technician to your place.
Click to expand...

I believe the last part is entirely untrue. Apple has never nor does currently send service techs to location.

You don't get treated differently unless you have ProCare, which is different. I roll into the Apple store and get things fixed on spot all the time with no Applecare, just the regular warranty (even big stuff, screens, chassis).

I would never buy Applecare. INSURANCE. If it breaks from tech failure, just pour a pitcher of orange juice on it :D
 
taylorwilsdon said:
I believe the last part is entirely untrue. Apple has never nor does currently send service techs to location.

You don't get treated differently unless you have ProCare, which is different. I roll into the Apple store and get things fixed on spot all the time with no Applecare, just the regular warranty (even big stuff, screens, chassis).

I would never buy Applecare. INSURANCE. If it breaks from tech failure, just pour a pitcher of orange juice on it :D
Click to expand...

Never say "never" :)

Check out this page:

http://www.apple.com/support/products/proplan.html

So, I guess the only difference between having and not having Applecare during the first year is phone support after the first 90 days.

However:

I bought one of the first aluminum iMacs last year and was having the dreaded freezing issues a few months later. After bringing it to the Apple store and leaving it there for 2 days, they could not replicate the problem. It was completely random and happened anywhere from once a day to once every 10-15 minutes. So, I took the machine back home, called them again, and they said "Oh, you have Applecare... no need to go to the store again, we'll send someone over". A few days later, a tech showed up, replaced my memory and was going to replace the system board as well, but we decided to give it a couple of days and see if it happens again. It never did, so I guess it was the memory.

And yes, I am aware of ProCare but do not have that.
 
Zinn said:
I've never owned a Mac before, but I wanted a laptop. After dealing with Vista for the last year, I realized that I don't like the direction Microsoft is pushing its OS. So I took the plunge!
Click to expand...

Cool setup! Have you gotten used to the font smoothing in OSX? I'm a hardcore windows guy and everytime I use Macs the font's look blurry. Ive tried playing with the appearance control panel (setting to standard, light, strong) but at every setting, my vista box looks better to me.

Jeff
 
I'd definitely get Apple Care. My girl's 17" Macbook Pro (1st gen) had various issues over a year and it was sent to Apple a couple of times (she has Apple Care). First was a power supply issue, which fried itself. Second was the battery issue which expanded so much it damaged the casing. Then she had various other problems which they replaced the board, etc. She continued to have various weirdness problems. So Apple replaced the whole thing with the newest model at the time, the 2.4ghz core 2 duo, etc. It's been better, but the DVD burner went out in it not too long ago that they swapped out. This has happened over the span of over a year and a half. So Apple Care is definitely worth the money...

Here's some pics of her battery:
http://blkforge.blogspot.com/2007/07/worst-battery-expansion-ive-seen-yet.html
 
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