Mac advice

fionaraven on Wed, August 16, 2006 11:58 AM

After lots of thinking which laptop to buy, I''m leaning more towards getting a new MacBook Pro. But I''m not sure which one I should go with - 2.16 GHz 15.4 inch or 2.16 GHz 17 inch?

- I''ve heard that the 17 inch one is too heavy, battery doesn''t last long and gets heated fast
- on the other hand, it would be nice to have a bigger screen size, but is it worth it? Won''t the 15.4 inch one be enough to do some design work in PS or AI?

Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Another question I have is where would be the best place to get a Mac laptop: online from apple.ca or from stores like FutureShop or London Drugs (prices are the same everywhere)? Where would I get a better service if something goes wrong with the laptop?

Thanks,
Vivien

Replies:

shaigini on Wed, August 16, 2006 1:21 PM

You need to ask yourself how crazy you are about carrying around a heavy laptop. If the res is good pick the small one. I have an IBM Z60m with a 15.4 inch wide-screen and it is more than enough room to do my PS, and AI stuff. Mind you, the 17 inches of display would probably eat a hell of a lot more power than the 15.4 inch display. Ultimately aim for a combination of high screen res, with long battery life. And if you aren't going to be lugging it around that often, then you don't have to worry about weight or battery longevity, pick the 17".

fionaraven on Wed, August 16, 2006 5:47 PM

Thanks for your answer.
That's exactly what I wanted to hear: whether 15.4 inch display gives you enough room to work with PS and AI.

ewoods on Wed, August 16, 2006 7:17 PM

15.4 inch gives plenty of room for PS -- not sure about AI. Although I do use it for Flash.. a little cramped but not too bad.

ignignus on Wed, August 16, 2006 8:37 PM

Thanks for this post mang, I've been contemplating the exact same things... I wonder if the regular MacBook would be enough for this type of work (Flash, PS, Dreamweaver) or if I should just go for the MacBook Pro...

Cheers,
Anders

mrehder on Wed, August 16, 2006 9:23 PM

Here's the diff b/n the 15.4" and 17":

Screen res: 1440x900 vs 1680x1050
Hard Drive 100GB SATA vs 120 GB SATA (whatever that means)
Optical: Superdrive vs DL Superdrive (again, Geek to me, I mean Greek)
USB Ports: 2 vs 3
Fire Wire Ports: 1x400 vs 1x800
weight: 2.54 g vs 3.1 (g? that can't be right!)
Price: $2799 vs $3099

Sorry, I hapened to have an article about it handy.

oh wait, there's 2 versions of the 15.4" screen, doh! Oh well, i listed the higher end one. The lower end 15.4" is $2199. 512 MB RAM

Where to buy it from? Hmmm, I dunno, Dell?

JK

fionaraven on Wed, August 16, 2006 10:04 PM

Well, the regular MacBook is only 13 inch, so obviously it's better to go with MacBook Pro if you're going to use it on a daily basis, especially for graphics.

But then, there's MacBookPro 15.4" vs. 17". I'm not concerned so much with having more hard-drive space, or one extra USB. What's much more important is the screen space for all my graphics/design work and battery life, and the weight (the lighter the better).
From what I hear, it's best to go with MacBook Pro 15.4 inch. Any other ideas/suggestions?

And where should I get it from - online from apple, or from a local store?

Heydary Hamilton LLP on Mon, September 25, 2006 10:41 AM

I probably would get the 15" inch one and get a second monitor.

I can't imagne doing serious design work on a laptop. I have 2 20" monitors at work and it is a pain working at home on a 15" powerbook.

If you do need a laptop, go with the 15". It is easy to carry arround. Get a second monitor to do some serious work at home.

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