Hello, i just signed up to this forum hoping this would be the right place to ask my questions regarding a macbook pro.

In september i'm heading back to college to take film production and they use G5's and probebly Final Cut Pro, so i was looking at getting a 15 inch Macbook Pro.

So i was looking at the 2, 15 inch models and i have to say i can't see the value in spending 500$ more to get the 2.5 GHz version. Hoping i will be able to get the educational discount but its still gona be 500$ more which i could use to upgrade the HDD to a 7200 RPM one and get the extended warranty. Will the 6MB Cache on the 2.5GHz and the 256 MB more on the videocard really give me that much of an improvement in preformance to warrant spending an extra 500$. I should also mention that i will be using Boot Camp to install XP for games and the few application that i use that arn't availblie for OSX.

I was looking at an ASUS and DELL laptop to and both had the same CPU and Videocard as the Macbook Pro 2.4GHz C2D and a Geforce 8600GT 256 MB.

My opinion:
I have to agree, the extra $500 is really not worth it. Spend the money on 4gigs RAM (less than $100!), and a faster hardrive, which will REALLY help you with your video editing. You will not tell the difference between 2.4 and 2.5 ghz, I mean 0.1ghz? The extra cache improves performance by about 3-5% on average, so again, very little difference there. The 256mb video card is really powerful too.

I have read this at many places, the base model Macbook Pro is the best value, the $2499 model is a bit of a ripoff in comparison.


I would say go for the Macbook Pro, it's really worth it for Final Cut Pro, not to mention all the other Mac software.

What do you think about the Extended Service plan from Apple, is it worth it. I work at a Local Staple's Business Depot and for the little while we did carry mac's, which we just stop, i didn't see many come back because of issues, mind you we didn't sell many either.

I'd say it's worth it, it will probably more than pay for itself if you just use it once. You don't even have to get it at the same time, you can extend the plan up until it runs out. Personally, I just feel a lot more safe knowing I still have a warranty.

Ah so unlike a Staples or Futureshop ESP you have until the 1st year is over to get it? If thats so then that would save me alot of money.

get the warranty, ive had to replace the fans and the hard drive in my mbp when it was out of warranty. Luckily when i had the whine they paid for it under warranty all of those problems are ironed out though, but even still you should go for it. ive learned my lesson, it was a big mistake for me not to get one.

Well i guess i will get it, but will wait a little to get it. Also I'm planing on building myself a new PC also as much i can save off the purchase of the Macbook Pro will help towards that.

I'd probably get AppleCare if I were you. While I do not own a Mac (yet) I still think that it would be a good investment considering that if you have a problem with your computer and a major component needs replacing, then your warranty will have paid for itself. Lets face it, Apple's software may be great but in terms of hardware reliability, they often leave much to be desired.

On a side note, I still think that Apple's service leaves much to be desired. Unlike the major PC laptop manufacturers (Dell, HP, Asus etc.) Apple doesn't have competitive warranty coverage. For their laptops, (in Canada atleast) you have to bring the computer to an Authorized Service Center (most of which turn out to be Futureshops, Best Buys, or the Source). I can safely say that trusting the aforementioned stores with your apple computer is like trusting your neighbour's teenager with a brand new BMW M3. Also its worth mentioning that taking it to them means that your computer is probably sent to a third party repair service provider where your data may be stolen by the technician and your computer may suffer from physical damage due to mishandling. If you choose to go down the Apple Store option, first you have to book an appointment with an Apple "Genius" where he/she will diagnose your computer and determine the appropriate course of action. Apple doesnt allow you to talk with Geniuses on the phone and as such you have to book an appointment with one on the internet and their schedule is such that you can only book an appointment a maximum of 48 hours in the future. Ofcourse since most Apple stores are located in extremely busy areas of your local city, you will have to often drive a long distance and struggle with parking before you can even get to the store. All this because in Canada, Apple doesn't allow mail-in service.

In stark contrast, most of the major manufacturers offer a Next Business Day OnSite service option for 3 years where if you live within 200km of a major service area, you are guaranteed this service. It's worth noting that I was able to get this on my XPS M1530 for $250 (an upgrade from the 1 year mail in service). Atleast when the technician is in your house, you can monitor his progress and if you still have a problem with the computer you can tell him to double or triple check. With a mail-in service you are at the mercy of the repair depot and there is no guarantee your computer will come back fixed. Also the major manufacturers cover accidental damage (should you purchase that coverage) and while I have never seen the value in the service, its still something that Apple could offer. I'm not trying to bash Apple here but I am just pointing out the problems in their service and I still think that even though Apple's warranty can leave a bad taste in the mouth, you should still buy AppleCare.

The base 2.4GHz model will be fine for you. I can run Final Cut Pro on my Santa Rosa and it only has 128MB of RAM. It could be better, but it's fine for what I have to do. All you need to do is buy an AppleCare, $349.99, bump up to the 7200RPM hard drive $100 and get a 2x2GB kit from Crucial $100 and you'll be all set.