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Should I do it right now? *worried*


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Hi guys,

 

My 18 month old Fujitsu laptop blew out with a catastrophic motherboard failure last week and is beyond economical repair. New laptop time.

 

I'm thinking of getting a Macbook, but I'm concerned. I've used Macs extensively but never actually owned one.

 

Here goes:

 

1) I don't like the standard Macbook as much as the Pro. However, MacRumors says the Pro is due to be replaced soon whereas the Macbook is "Neutral - mid cycle", and the Pro's too expensive anyway (even with academic discount - I'm a University student).

 

2) What's Santa Rosa, and will it affect me? What about Leopard, I'd guess it's worth leaving it for a while because it looks to me like it'll be released unfinished and be loaded to hell with bugs. So, is it worth waiting for Apple's completely unpredictable product cycles?

 

3) Standard Macbook has terrible, terrible video performance from its graphics card, so I'm told. I do programming, and may evolve into doing some 3D work with OpenGL and possibly mucking around with apps like Blender. Will the poor graphics card hinder me doing any of this? I heard most of that's to do with problems within Tiger which are being fixed with Leopard, is that true? I used my old Fujitsu for gaming sometimes as it had a beefy dedicated video card, but I'm sick of PC gaming and now own an XBOX360 so I think lower graphics performance won't be too much of a problem.

 

4) I've used Windows for 13 years and am sick of it. However, most of my apps are Windows based as I use MS Visual Studio for some things. What's Parallels/Bootcamp like in case I can't find an OSX based alternative?

 

5) Any serious, noticeable performance differences between the standard and Pro?

 

6) Video editing - I won't be doing Mission Impossible 4 or anything, maybe the odd clip or two needing edited for YouTube. Is the standard Macbook okay for this sort of thing?

 

Other than that, I'll just be surfing the net, music, working e.g. report writing, perhaps a Powerpoint presentation or two, a little bit of coding and web design, perhaps the odd very light game but that's unlikely - I spent c. £400 on an XBOX 360 for a reason.

 

So here's the problem. I'm worried about getting a Macbook purely because Apple are so damn unpredictable - if I buy one right now even specced up, chances are 3 months down the line Apple'll come out with super-duper spanking new gazillion core Macbooks with 6GB of RAM onboard as well as Leopard, for £100 more than what I paid for the model available now. I'd probably feel very ripped off and a total idiot. That said, I'd probably be getting the black Macbook with 2GB of RAM and a 120GB HDD. My Fujitsu's 2 drives ran at 5400rpm so I'm not too concerned with access speed.

 

What are your thoughts? Should I just bite the bullet and go for it? It'd most likely be the standard Macbook, though, although the screen seems a little small. I'm feeling a bit apprehensive as I can see PC-based alternatives with similar/higher spec for less money, but I'm bored of Windows. I had Vista Business on the old Fujitsu and it was a high performing machine, but Vista was really really bloaty and very irritating in some ways. I used XP Pro just fine, so I'm not too sure whether or not I should be enthusiastic about Leopard as I doubt I'd use things like Spaces and Time Machine.

 

Thanks for your help!

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Hi guys,

Hey!

1) I don't like the standard Macbook as much as the Pro. However, MacRumors says the Pro is due to be replaced soon whereas the Macbook is "Neutral - mid cycle", and the Pro's too expensive anyway (even with academic discount - I'm a University student).

Possible. Nobody knows for sure unfortunately! But if they do it's not going to be a HUGE change.

2) What's Santa Rosa, and will it affect me? What about Leopard, I'd guess it's worth leaving it for a while because it looks to me like it'll be released unfinished and be loaded to hell with bugs. So, is it worth waiting for Apple's completely unpredictable product cycles?

That is the codename for centrino pro, the replacement for centrino (what macbook/macbook pro use). It's due later this year, search the web for more information. Apple will probably use this for their next laptops. It has slightly faster processors, a 965 based motherboard, new wireless, some other stuff. --> Link 4 more info

3) Standard Macbook has terrible, terrible video performance from its graphics card, so I'm told. I do programming, and may evolve into doing some 3D work with OpenGL and possibly mucking around with apps like Blender. Will the poor graphics card hinder me doing any of this? I heard most of that's to do with problems within Tiger which are being fixed with Leopard, is that true? I used my old Fujitsu for gaming sometimes as it had a beefy dedicated video card, but I'm sick of PC gaming and now own an XBOX360 so I think lower graphics performance won't be too much of a problem.

I had the same card for a while on my desktop (GMA 950). It's not THAT bad, seriously. Full QE/CI. You can even do some light gaming on it. For most 2d related and light 3d work, it's just fine. Yes there are benifits to a better 3d card, of course. I doubt that it will have problems with Leopard. Blender should work, but will be faster with ATI graphics, much faster!

4) I've used Windows for 13 years and am sick of it. However, most of my apps are Windows based as I use MS Visual Studio for some things. What's Parallels/Bootcamp like in case I can't find an OSX based alternative?

Very good. Bootcamp works great, it's native and full speed, but Parallels is AMAZING, honestly.Provided you have a gig of ram there's almost NO performance hit, it works very very well indeed if you install it right (install parallels tools in windows - big help!). Speed is basically native except for graphics, which are slow, but that should be just fine for your programming. In fact that's what I use parallels for as well, programming!

5) Any serious, noticeable performance differences between the standard and Pro?

No, except the Pro has Ati X1600 graphics.

6) Video editing - I won't be doing Mission Impossible 4 or anything, maybe the odd clip or two needing edited for YouTube. Is the standard Macbook okay for this sort of thing?

Yeah, the Macbook is a great platform for this. It comes with iMovie so you can start straight away, and has a very fast cpu which is just the ticket :rolleyes:

Other than that, I'll just be surfing the net, music, working e.g. report writing, perhaps a Powerpoint presentation or two, a little bit of coding and web design, perhaps the odd very light game but that's unlikely - I spent c. £400 on an XBOX 360 for a reason.

So here's the problem. I'm worried about getting a Macbook purely because Apple are so damn unpredictable - if I buy one right now even specced up, chances are 3 months down the line Apple'll come out with super-duper spanking new gazillion core Macbooks with 6GB of RAM onboard as well as Leopard, for £100 more than what I paid for the model available now. I'd probably feel very ripped off and a total idiot. That said, I'd probably be getting the black Macbook with 2GB of RAM and a 120GB HDD. My Fujitsu's 2 drives ran at 5400rpm so I'm not too concerned with access speed.

What are your thoughts? Should I just bite the bullet and go for it? It'd most likely be the standard Macbook, though, although the screen seems a little small. I'm feeling a bit apprehensive as I can see PC-based alternatives with similar/higher spec for less money, but I'm bored of Windows. I had Vista Business on the old Fujitsu and it was a high performing machine, but Vista was really really bloaty and very irritating in some ways. I used XP Pro just fine, so I'm not too sure whether or not I should be enthusiastic about Leopard as I doubt I'd use things like Spaces and Time Machine.

Thanks for your help!

It's your decision, of course. But I say go for it! Yes, Apple induces that feeling in all of us. They're just so darn unpredictable! They're like evil geniuses! Keeping you feeling unsure about yourself and everything. It's their strategy.

 

But here's some consolation : If apple do bring out a new laptop, it should be just an incremental change to the current lineup. And I don't think they will for a while. Even if they do, you are still sitting with an awesome, reliable machine which will hold it's value MUCH better than a PC laptop, and the irritation factor totally makes up for the price difference IMO.

 

Personally I'm VERY happy with Tiger, it's fast, pro-oriented and slick as anything. I love it!

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Good post above. The real difference is the graphics card. You are going to console gaming? Smart move. The pc scene is rediculous with the all the {censored} to buy and upgrade. 360 with Live, or without, is a better choice.

 

If you really just can get around the need for higher end 3d acceleration, then go for the Macbook. Leopard will come out in June and you can upgrade toward fall or so, for not much cost. You can do all the movie editing (like you said no high end stuff) and be fine. If you really need to do some blender stuff, then I would suggest buy a Macbook and then get a cheap AMD based tower with a nice graphics card later own or something.

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I can't help noticing that here in Europe PC notebooks can cost as little as half the price as a Mac Pro with similar specs, especially considering that PC bargains are very easy to find. For instance I saw this notebook for 1080 Euro (new from a shop):

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/it/it/ho/WF...0-78133853.html

 

I'd really feel kind of conned if I bought a Macbook.

 

So this what I'd probably do, personally:

 

1)Buy a PC notebook

2)Run Windows XP 64 on it (actually it is quite good) and Linux (probably OpenSUSE, but stay clear from notebooks with ATI cards)

3)Probably you can still run OS X on it, but maybe not as your main OS.

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Yes, if you can get the right pc notebook you could have the perfect solution. But it's tricky, and the macbook works no questions or problems...It all depends on your personality really, are you a hacker at heart?

 

I would try for one with x1600 mobility graphics, it seems to be working.

 

Yes, if you can get the right pc notebook you could have the perfect solution. But it's tricky, and the macbook works no questions or problems...It all depends on your personality really, are you a hacker at heart?

 

Eg. a lot of people had trouble going to the new 10.4.8 kernel with laptops, everyone's crashed at bootup. Read about it...

 

I would try for one with x1600 mobility graphics, it seems to be working.

 

(edit) Or the Geforce go 7600 like Alessandro17 suggested.

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*Further notes*

 

I think in Europe and in the UK there is the same problem that we have here in South Africa, being that Apple overcharge for their Macs and there is nothing you can do about it.

 

If you accept the limitations of a hackintosh, then it certainly represents much better value, which can't be overlooked. Personally, I don't mind being stuck in 10.4.8 forever if need be, if that means I can get way better graphics for the same price.

 

That and you have to choose carefully. For example the Geforce go 7400 is not working, but the 7300 and 7600 do work, and that's just what's reported. You're still taking a chance.

 

I

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