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New MacBook Pros and MacBooks launched

Terry

New member
Apple just announced the new machines.
Notable:
17" is not LED
MacBooks can now have 4gb of memory
Apple dropped memory prices going from 2 to 4gb was $750 now $400.

Now I need to configure one for myself!

All suggestions welcome!
 

Terry

New member
My bad you can get LED on 17" for an extra $100. Seems kinds dumb to make it an option on the top end machine.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Hmmm maybe I should upgrade . I have a 2.4 15 inch with 4gb of Ram with the LED. Seems like the difference is Multi pad and 2.6 processor . Interestingly the price seems lower by about 300 dollars even without adding the Ram. I paid 3200.00 without that 200 gb hard drive and without the 2 gb of extra ram. Now i did put in 2 more gigs and I also installed a 200 gb 7200 drive myself. But the same config is lower.
 

Terry

New member
Do you think the 2.6 is worth the extra $$$ over the 2.5? The only difference is speed no additional cache, seems like nothing else.
I was thinking the 2.5 with faster HD and 4gb.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Interesting... The 15" MBP I bought in December already had a "new" core 2 duo 2.6 processor and LED display, but the graphics is a GE Force 8600 w/256mb, not 512 . (But it still runs my 30" cinema display just fine :D) I note the "new" processors are 2.4 and 2.5 with a $250 option to upgrade from the 2.5 to the 2.6, so I wonder if mine got the newest 2.6 processor --- reading the specs it appears it is...

As for the 2.6 being worth more, I'd say doubtful -- I mean we're talking a 4% performance increase. (This from the man that just paid the delta to get the 3.2 processors in his desktop, but at least that was a double-digit 12.5% bump over the 2.8's :bugeyes:) As I understand it, they clock all the processors at the fastest speed and measure temps, any that get hotter than a given range get down-graded to run within temp spec. Then again, it's only $250...

My biggest advice is to get the 200G 7200 RPM drive as the speed increase is notable and will serve you better on everything everyday than 50G of extra storage :)

Guy, I would say if you have a 2.4 with the fast drive, there is little reason to upgrade... I mean you won't gain much of anything except a lighter wallet for a minimal (8%) performance bump.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Interesting... The 15" MBP I bought in December already had a "new" core 2 duo 2.6 processor and LED display, but the graphics is a GE Force 8600 w/256mb, not 512 . (But it still runs my 30" cinema display just fine :D) I note the "new" processors are 2.4 and 2.5 with a $250 option to upgrade from the 2.5 to the 2.6, so I wonder if mine got the newest 2.6 processor --- reading the specs it appears it is...

As for the 2.6 being worth more, I'd say doubtful -- I mean we're talking a 4% performance increase. (This from the man that just paid the delta to get the 3.2 processors in his desktop, but at least that was a double-digit 12.5% bump over the 2.8's :bugeyes:) As I understand it, they clock all the processors at the fastest speed and measure temps, any that get hotter than a given range get down-graded to run within temp spec. Then again, it's only $250...

My biggest advice is to get the 200G 7200 RPM drive as the speed increase is notable and will serve you better on everything everyday than 50G of extra storage :)

Guy, I would say if you have a 2.4 with the fast drive, there is little reason to upgrade... I mean you won't gain much of anything except a lighter wallet for a minimal (8%) performance bump.

Exactly Jack with the fast hard drive i put in. I am running pretty fast . Like the Mac Pro for me I am better on waiting for the next gen. Just not enough bump for me right now.

Terry I would go for that 200 gb 7200 for sure and 2gb . I think you can still get that extra 2gb a lot cheaper. But here is the catch . You will have to buy 2 2gb chips because Apple usually will put 1 gb chips in , so you have to waste them for the 4gb increase. Yea i know , i wish they would change that
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Jack that new graphic card maybe able to run the native 30 inch display and enough juice to run the laptop display also . We now can't do that in native resolution with the 256 card.
 

LJL

New member
Apple just announced the new machines.
Notable:
17" is not LED
MacBooks can now have 4gb of memory
Apple dropped memory prices going from 2 to 4gb was $750 now $400.

Now I need to configure one for myself!

All suggestions welcome!
Terry,
Even though the RAM prices are still high, unless you plan to eBay the modules you remove, it may be better to go with the 4GB configuration to start, as the 2GB config will have 2x1GB modules, both of which you will need to remove to replace with 2x2GB. The cost savings is still there if you sell the RAM you pull, but if not, the gap is a bit closer, and you do not have to open the case up. I concur with others, the 200GB 7200rpm drive is the way to go, but that is not an option on any of the MBs, only the MBP. As Jack mentioned, that extra speed on the HD is worth way more than the extra 50GB of storage for doing image work. My thoughts were to go with the bigger drive, then buy the Hitachi 200GB 7200rpm separately, plus an OWC Mercury On-The-Go case ($80). Clone the drives; swap the 200GB fast drive for the 250GB slower drive and install the 250GB into the OWC case. You then have great internal speed and an instant Time Machine external drive that is bus powered.

LJ
 

LJL

New member
Terry I would go for that 200 gb 7200 for sure and 2gb . I think you can still get that extra 2gb a lot cheaper. But here is the catch . You will have to buy 2 2gb chips because Apple usually will put 1 gb chips in , so you have to waste them for the 4gb increase. Yea i know , i wish they would change that
Guy,
Exactly the issue. Apple will most likely not make that change, as the way the systems are configured, you get max performance by having two RAM modules installed in the slots, regardless of what size, so they will always ship with 2x1GB as the MBP minimum, forcing folks to buy 2x2GB to replace, and then being stuck with the 2x1GB they pull out. Apple even charges you for that operation, though the new $400 is a lot better than the previously obscene $750.

LJ
 

LJL

New member
I did replace my drive in my MBP. It's not that hard but it is a little tricky you don't bend the shell. Of course i am sure I screwed my warranty too but get a 7200 rpm for sure in there

Ram at OWC is 160 for 4gb

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/53DDR2SAMP4G/
The drive replacement operation is not hard, just tedious with all the tiny screws, but the 200GB 7200rpm is the way to go for sure.

Those RAM prices ($160 for 2x2GB) are good deals, and it makes doing the replacement a lot less painful on the wallet, plus you can either keep the 2x1GB you pull for spares if something goes screwy, or you can eBay them and recover part of your RAM replacement costs back. Good way to go.

LJ
 

LJL

New member
I did replace my drive in my MBP. It's not that hard but it is a little tricky you don't bend the shell. Of course i am sure I screwed my warranty too but get a 7200 rpm for sure in there

Ram at OWC is 160 for 4gb

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/53DDR2SAMP4G/
Guy,
I do not think you impacted your warranty at all, as Apple considers the RAM and HD (and the SuperDrive, I think) as "user replaceable" items, so the warranty is not impacted. I did it on my MBP and when I brought mine in a while back, I asked about that. The Genius Bar guy said replacing the HD did not void the warranty, and either did the RAM, but only if the RAM was to Apple spec, which the OWC stuff is.

LJ
 

Terry

New member
By the way is a 17" with LED just not worth the extra $$$ and weight to gain the 1.5" of screen space?
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Yes it's a tough call because if you have a Mac Pro you tend to want the MBP as the travel computer and work the real stuff on the desktop which i do BUT if it is the only computer than the 17 inch becomes a interesting choice. But the key to Mac is simply this that no one else has either one you can hook up to a 30 inch cinema and you are running like a normal desktop. Believe me folks there is a lot of power in this fact alone that you can run huge monitors off a laptop and not miss a beat. This to me if not a pig like I am that has to make large graphic files sometimes and other high speed processing a option that for normal users makes the laptop , monitor option a win win. These laptops fly folks so your not losing a whole hell of a lot in speed. The trick if you are a laptop only person is having a good setup for externals and such. This is were having a E- Sata express card and run two E-sata boxes and Firewire 800 stuff just becomes a very important part of your workflow process. Than you can disconnect and go travel. This is very powerful.
 
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