One time purchase for a few years...

D

Decko87

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
2,712
I want a mac for school/recording/video editing/photo shop ect. I have some money to buy a laptop and I like the new macbook pros quite a bit. However, if I do buy a laptop that is this expensive it's going to be the last one a get for a good 2-3 years. Is it a bad idea to buy one since it's the first generation of this new macbook pro? When I was using the glass screen in the store it turned me off a bit. Is there any chance that the second generation of this laptop will have the matte option? Also I'm using an Mbox 2 pro for recording. I'm not sure if it uses firewire 400 or 800. I checked digidesign's website and it doesn't list which iteration it is. I'll probably call them or send them an e-mail tomorrow but if anyone knows the answer to that question as well, I'd appreciate a reply.

Also how is gaming on it? I'd like to run some games, but I have a pretty decent PC that I might get a gtx260 for relatively soon so it's not as important. But if I just feel like sitting on my couch and playing on my laptop, what kind of settings should I expect in a game like COD 4? Does the 9600m GT even come close to my 8800 GT?
 
I wouldn't count on matte showing up for the second generation.

As for the Mbox 2, don't worry unless you have multiple FireWire devices: a simple cable or adapter can convert a FireWire 800 port to 400 if you need it. You don't lose the performance or compatibility of the device.

Gaming should be good enough; I don't know if you could run COD4 at 1440x900 with everything on, but a lower resolution or moderate detail should be more than fine. Based on some other benchmarks, the 9600M falls somewhat short of the desktop 8800 series but is definitely playable with "real" settings. You'd need a big chunky desktop replacement notebook with a 9700M or 9800M to get on par:

http://www.barefeats.com/mbpp05.html

On a last note: the glossy display is only really a problem if you've got particularly black background and conspicuous lighting behind it. In most low light or even many broad daylight situations, it's surprisingly fine. Just remember to control the lighting conditions if you're altering a video for color accuracy!
 
phide said:
The Mbox 2 Pro is FW400 only.
Click to expand...

So what you're saying is that even with a simple FW800 to FW400 cable adapter it woun't work?

Even if that is the case you can get and Expresscard FW400 card for not a whole lot of money.
 
That makes no sense. All a FW 800->400 cable does is lose the extra pins. It will work fine with a cheap cable or adapter.
 
Not necessarily. Digidesign hardware (made by Focusrite) is pretty notorious for being incredibly picky with hardware interfaces and even hard drives that Pro Tools works with (the Mbox 2 will freak out if you happen to use FW800 hard drives, for instance -- FW400 drives are fine, so long as they're riding on the right controller).

One simple rule about Digidesign gear: unless they specifically mention the configuration as being operable, assume it will not work. You may get lucky, though it's just as likely you won't.
 
I researched it a bit online, it seems like my mbox will absolutely not run on firewire 800. This was going to be my first mac in a long while... can't say I'm not disappointed. I'll still get in touch with digidesign and apple before I make any decisions. Is there windows laptops similar to the mac book pro in specs? (Size, weight, gpu, cpu, ect.)? Suggestions will help, or further information on my apple dilemma.
 
Decko87 said:
I researched it a bit online, it seems like my mbox will absolutely not run on firewire 800. This was going to be my first mac in a long while... can't say I'm not disappointed. I'll still get in touch with digidesign and apple before I make any decisions. Is there windows laptops similar to the mac book pro in specs? (Size, weight, gpu, cpu, ect.)? Suggestions will help, or further information on my apple dilemma.
Click to expand...

You can get an expresscard with a FW400 port on it as far as I know.
 
Would a firewire 400 express card work? I don't see why not, but who knows with digidesign.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top