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Macbook vs. Macbook Pro

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Dobies.
Posts: 1835 - Karma: 205
Ok, I am going to buy a new mac soon, however i am not sure whether i want to spend the extra cash for the pro. do any KNOWLEDGEABLE people know the key differences of the two? Which is better in your opinion? oh and this is not a " hate on mac " thread for all you hardcore gamers. i don't need responses like " get a PC " or " get the pro ( just because someone thinks more money means better ) thanks.
Jul 19 2008 8:35PM
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fragglemuffin
Posts: 3312 - Karma: 444
what will you be using your computer for? just AIM, NS, and downloading? Video editing? etc?
Jul 19 2008 8:44PM
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Bepo
Posts: 8195 - Karma: 17
why was my post deleted? macs are so over rated
Jul 19 2008 8:48PM
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MC_
Posts: 692 - Karma: 33
yea right, macs are so sick.
Jul 19 2008 8:54PM
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fragglemuffin
Posts: 3312 - Karma: 444
thats exactly why your post was deleted.
Jul 19 2008 9:02PM
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kylemiller
Posts: 316 - Karma: 16
false.
Jul 19 2008 9:05PM
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fragglemuffin
Posts: 3312 - Karma: 444
^^^wow +++Karma
Jul 19 2008 9:14PM
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MC_
Posts: 692 - Karma: 33
holy shit
Jul 19 2008 9:16PM
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soup
Posts: 6320 - Karma: 4,261
basically man it will come down to the screen size on this one.  You can have pretty much the same components in a macbook as the pro it will just have the 13" screen.  If you do choose they macbook pro you are going to want to get the lowest priced one and just upgrade to a bigger, hard drive and more memory.  You will save about 300 bucks doing this and will get pretty much the same computer as the top of the line macbook pro.
Jul 19 2008 10:11PM
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DHogg
Posts: 3462 - Karma: 235
if you dont do video editing or use applications which need a lot of video capabilities, you dont need the pro. Other than that, you wont notice a difference in performance. Personally i'd get the macbook but upgrade the ram. Faster. Cheaper.
Jul 19 2008 10:23PM
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ryanwar6
Posts: 1134 - Karma: 114
This is the LEAST helpful post that anyone could have possibly posted. I tried to give you less karma, but realized I already had you at 0, and for good reason. Anyone could find that information with relative ease, but he didn't ask for all the specs of the two computers, he asked for differences.

The main differences you will need to be aware of are the following...

-Screen Size-
the Macbook has a 13.3" screen while the macbook pro has either a 15 or 17" screen

-Video Card-
the macbook has its video card built into the motherboard that shares the computer ram to run. The macbook pro has a separate video card with its own memory that does not take away from the system's memory.

-Ports-
The macbook pro has a few extra and different ports than the macbook. Rather than having a mini-dvi port that requires an adapter to plug in an external monitor. It also has Firewire 800 along with firewire 400, where as the macbook only has firewire 400. The macbook pro also has an express card slot which the macbook doesn't have.
-Weight-
The macbook weighs 5lbs while the macbook pro weighs 5.4 lbs in the 15" and 6.8lb for the 17".

There are some other small differences between the two such as the backlit keyboard on the macbook pro, but these are going to be the important differences.

So you really have to ask yourself what you are going to use the computer for. If you are going to be using your computer for intensive tasks like REAL video editing, gaming, and etc., then get the macbook pro. If you are going to be doing anything less, get the macbook. It is more compact, and does a damned good job for what it is made for. I have a macbook right now and love it, but am upgrading to the pro because I do a lot of video editing in HD, but otherwise the macbook would be fine.

What I think you should probably do...
-Get a used macbook that is less than 1 year old.
-If it doesn't have it, get applecare.
-Upgrade RAM through a company that has notoriously worked well with macs (4gb if you can, but 2 should suffice)
-Enjoy

Cheers,
Ryan
Jul 19 2008 10:47PM
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finssidedown
Posts: 509 - Karma: 10
Why didn't you just fucking link this?  For that I'm going to quote your entire post and ruin the thread.
Jul 19 2008 10:50PM
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ryanwar6
Posts: 1134 - Karma: 114
whether you were making fun of him or me, I laughed
Jul 19 2008 11:15PM
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.jr
Posts: 5313 - Karma: 356
haha as I was scrolling down I just kept thinking why the fuck do people keep quoting this guys post.. its too fucking long.


then  I chuckled. ha
Jul 20 2008 1:35AM
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,891
i agree with you on that, but after your post i'm afraid you just included yourself in the dumb crowd. you just copy/pasted a fucking novel. n00b.
Jul 20 2008 6:48AM
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ryanwar6
Posts: 1134 - Karma: 114
My first post was not meant to contradict you, it was meant to simplify the novel that you copy and pasted and actually answer the question that was asked in the first place.

On the other hand, this post IS meant to contradict you and will be the end of the discussion.

The macbook has a 13.3" screen, as I originally posted. Not a 13" screen, not a 13.5" screen (not sure where you got that number from). Here is a picture and a link straight off apple's website...

Click for larger image

http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html

Oh, and no... I didn't read your first post.
Jul 20 2008 2:47PM
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Dylan_
Posts: 9824 - Karma: 1,403
owned
Jul 20 2008 3:32PM
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STwoops
Posts: 2941 - Karma: 5,126
Hey, thinkin about a macbook-should i get a bigger hard drive and more gbs? or just go with what they give you without add ons.
Plus you can get a free ipod with it which is sick.
I edit a lot on imovie and want a very fast internet connection-should i get more?
This is for anyone who has a regular macbook
Jul 20 2008 4:54PM
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Justin.B
Posts: 2257 - Karma: 721
I was fucking around on the apple online store and if you put all of the mac book pro features to the maximum they can be it comes to approximately 25,000 dollaz
Jul 20 2008 4:57PM
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Justin.B
Posts: 2257 - Karma: 721
sorry not macbook pro just mac pro
Jul 20 2008 5:02PM
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Bepo
Posts: 8195 - Karma: 17
Yes, more ram and a faster processor will make you're internet faster
Jul 20 2008 5:07PM
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ryanwar6
Posts: 1134 - Karma: 114
if you get a macbook I would not recommend getting ram or the larger hard drive from Apple, it tends to be a rip off.

Get the minimum amount from apple and then add it later through 3rd parties. The most important add on is RAM, this will boost the speed of your computer more than you could ever imagine.

Your internet speed is dependent upon your carrier and what type of internet connection you have, you can do nothing to increase this.

If you are just editing on iMovie, you will be fine withe the macbook and the extra ram.
Jul 20 2008 5:21PM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
I have the 15 inch Pro and I absolutely love it. Though I wish now that I had the 13 inch. Sometimes it's a pain in the ass to lug around since she's a little bit on the heavy side, and I'm not doing graphics that much anymore.

For everyday shit - surfing the interwebz, downloading music, watching videos, making small edits - go with the MacBook.
Jul 20 2008 5:32PM
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Jacuse
Posts: 1792 - Karma: 1,549
There is no 13" macbook pro.  Do you mean you have the 17 " and wish you had the 15"?
Jul 20 2008 5:42PM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
WOW, Sherlock.

I never said there was a 13" MacBook Pro. I said I have a 15" MacBook Pro, but I wish I had a 13" MacBook.
Jul 20 2008 6:25PM
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Microcosm
Posts: 4765 - Karma: 153
what if I'm doing lots of photo editing?
pro or not for editing pictures in photoshop with pictures transferring to my computer too, music playing, and browsing NS at once? I can't do that with my current setup. mainly I want lots of power for editing large picture files.
Jul 20 2008 6:57PM
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t-rent
Posts: 3038 - Karma: 63
if you are going to be using it just for internet, aim, music, and just simple things than get the mac book

now if you will be editing, making movies and photo shop, stuff like that, then i say get the mac book pro
Jul 20 2008 7:09PM
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ryanwar6
Posts: 1134 - Karma: 114
macbook with maximum amount of ram will be fine
Jul 20 2008 7:23PM
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ryanwar6
Posts: 1134 - Karma: 114
I was basing my decision off of these considerations...
-he is asking. meaning he probably isn't too big into photoshop/computers
-he has no photos in his profile except for pictures that he took of his mullet and a confederate flag, so I assumed he probably does little amounts of photoshop work... I might be wrong though
-Most people who say they do "photo editing of large pictures" or "lots of video editing" are probably dealing with consumer level cameras and just doing it every once in a while.

Considering I have a macbook and work with dvcpro hd on a consistent basis and it works fine, I figure he will be okay "editing large pictures" and going on NS at the same time as long as he has 4gb of ram.

PS if I am wrong about any of these assumptions... I am sorry
Jul 20 2008 7:55PM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
Well, the reason I got my MacBook Pro was because I was doing a bunch of yearbook stuff in InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator and some things in Corel. Only get the Pro if you are really serious into editing stuff, otherwise don't even bother.
Jul 20 2008 10:36PM
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threejay
Posts: 2584 - Karma: 15
black macbook if you're an average user. Macbook pro if you NEED the video editing capabilities. Otherwise it's completely pointless....
Jul 20 2008 10:48PM
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Microcosm
Posts: 4765 - Karma: 153
hm, sure you're talking about me here?
-I'd say I'm pretty big into photoshop considering I use it several times daily and I'm pretty big into computers as well, but it's never bad to get a second opinion that could save me some money. I was already leaning towards the pro.
-no idea about the mullet or confederate flag pictures (never had either..?.. someone elses profile?)
-I shoot a Canon DSLR and I take tons and tons of pictures and I'm typically playing with them daily and editing them all the time. I'd definitely be taking it further (batch editing, photoshop constantly open, always using raw files, not jpg) if my current computer weren't so old and incapable of handling this.
no need to be sorry for anything.

Jul 20 2008 11:07PM
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TerminatorX
Posts: 3087 - Karma: 169
looks like he viewed t-rent's profile. he posted right  bellow your first post.
Jul 20 2008 11:12PM
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Microcosm
Posts: 4765 - Karma: 153
haha okay dude I just looked and you were looking a t-rent's profile, not mine, which could explain the mix up. either way I haven't put anything in my profile in a long time.
Jul 20 2008 11:13PM
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charmander
Posts: 10636 - Karma: 372
well, if you have it for what i do, internet, garageband, sketchup, itunes then a regular macbook would be fine.
Jul 20 2008 11:15PM
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Jmanski
Posts: 1152 - Karma: 13
i would highly recomend a macbook pro, in the long run if your gunna ever upgrade you computer its better to get the pro, i added a gig of ram and a new 250gb hard drive to mine and its great except that its pretty old and the processor is decent
Jul 20 2008 11:27PM
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ryanwar6
Posts: 1134 - Karma: 114
haha man, my bad. Definitely wasn't your profile.

Anyway, for what you do, I could see it going either way. It really depends on what you are using right now and how much better you want your experience to be. Again, like I said before right now I am running a macbook with 4gb of ram to edit dvcpro hd video footage in Final Cut Studio 2, and it works reasonably well, but I have finally decided to upgrade to the pro.

So again, you won't be sorry going with either one... for you I would say it all depends a lot on the money situation. Good luck, and again no hard feelings.

Cheers,
Ryan


Jul 20 2008 11:32PM
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Pippin
Posts: 4846 - Karma: 661
i believe the best bet for ram is to get a small amount and then buy third party ram, as apple's ram is near the top in terms of pricing for RAM
Jul 20 2008 11:33PM
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Microcosm
Posts: 4765 - Karma: 153
yeah, def. helps a lot more when we're on the same level with one another haha. photos won't need the same power as hd video takes I'm sure, I just have to figure out what is and isn't sufficent.
thanks for the help, and definitely no hard feelings. I think my sister is loading photoshop onto her macbook sometime soon so I'll test hers and see how that works. I wonder if the store would let me spend some time with each of them as well, I just have to get myself there.. anyways, thanks man.
-pete
Jul 21 2008 1:28AM
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Jacuse
Posts: 1792 - Karma: 1,549
You never actually said a 13" macbook just 13" thats why I was a little confused. You seem angry that I didn't understand what you meant, I just didn't quite understand what you meant at the time, but now I do. :)
Jul 21 2008 8:38AM
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KSdesign
Posts: 687 - Karma: 175
I am a Graphic Design major at school so I got a Macbook Pro, because it has more memory storage, the screens a little bigger (i got the 15,4"), and serves all the purposes I need it for... but im sure the macbook works just as good... it all really depends what ur going to be using it for.... if ur using it for intense media work u might wanna drop the extra cash for the pro... btw i got my pro $1500 on ebay... brand new, u might wanna try ebay
Jul 21 2008 9:33AM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
I'm sorry. It was just that there is no such thing as a 13" MacBook Pro, so I just assumed that I could just say '13"'.
Jul 21 2008 1:30PM
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.jr
Posts: 5313 - Karma: 356
pretty much..
Jul 21 2008 4:40PM
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Campeador
Posts: 7516 - Karma: -1,227
So overrated. Open your eyes beyond the Apple garbage kids.

I have a PC with almost all the same components as the most expensive MacBook Pro and I paid half. Now that Macs use the Intel cores they're basically the exact same thing, the only difference is the operating system (which I personally very much dislike) and the specialized mac programs such as iMovie, iPhoto, ect.

I'm tired these lies that mac users "actually want to be able to do something with their computers"

Well you're partly correct, if you're a dumb ass you just wants to make videos on iMovie from the get go, then yes the macbook is for you.

If you're not a dumb ass, you'll realize you can do everything a mac can do, only better, on a PC. Just simply not as "OMG! User friendly!" as the apple. All thats required is some time to actually learn how to use your computer.
Jul 21 2008 4:56PM
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finssidedown
Posts: 509 - Karma: 10
Yeah dude.  The UI is basically the only thing I like about Macs.  Everything does oh so cute swishes and jiggles.
Jul 21 2008 5:23PM
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Dobies.
Posts: 1835 - Karma: 205
These hard core PC people just didn't have it in them to not comment on this thread even though i said i didnt want people just hating on macs here. dam they must be jealous they dont have a mac to spend the time and mock them on this thread...
Jul 24 2008 8:26PM
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