[bentoon]

Hello All,
Need a new laptop, (the old one died a terrible death)
I will get a fully decked out Pro 17 because of high end work

but I am wondering if I should get a 2-bit machine to tide me over for the next few months...is there a great something coming soon to the MacbookPro
Nahelam or Blue Ray or....?

Do you think they will they update them again soon b/c of Snow Leopard?

Thanks
J

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by bentoon 

but I am wondering if I should get a 2-bit machine to tide me over for the next few months...

What's a 2 bit machine ?

-t

[bentoon]

2 bit machine = ebay/ older MacBookP to tide me over

[Simon]

Apple has been sticking to a ~8 month upgrade cycle on the MBP lately. Judging by that we should see new MBPs in February 2010.

BluRay is possible, but certainly not a given. The iTS seems to be a much more interesting option for Apple.

Quad-core Nehalem is possible, but again not a given. The currently scheduled mobile quad cores run either very hot or at low clock speeds. Apple could chose to hold off quad-cores for another cycle giving Intel time to switch to the new 32 nm process (lower TDPs, higher clock speeds).

USB3 is also on the horizon. But I doubt it will be implemented by Apple already in early 2010 as controllers are expected to start shipping no earlier than spring.

There is a lot going on in terms of higher capacity HDDs and faster/larger/cheaper SSDs. But you can always change a disk later on should it become necessary.

With the LED backlighting on the 17", the high-res screen, the fast Penryn CPUs and dual graphics setup I'd say the current 17" MBP is a very solid Mac. It offers an EC/34 slot in case you need to expand it later. It's definitely future-proof value. I see no problems getting one now as I wouldn't expect any imminent major changes.

[bentoon]

Simon,
Thank You !
That was exactly the type of explanation I was looking for
None of those 3 possible upgrades are reasons for me to wait.
Much appreciated!

J

[Jasoco]

I'm so glad I have an interview today. My poor MacBook is dying slowly. The fan has gone out and now only spins at 2400RPM (Instead of 6000) no matter what causing the processor to overheat to super hot temperatures causing the computer to shutdown abruptly to save itself. Which means I can't do anything processor intensive at all.

My own fault for not buying AppleCare. (I bought it once and never had a problem with the computer. Of course, every computer I DIDN'T buy it for has eventually had some problem. HD death, FireWire death... fan death and keyboard crack.)

Thankfully I have an old iBook, a G4 iMac and a G4 Mac mini to use if I have to while we wait for updates.

I've been up for 30 minutes and it's already up to 72ºC and rising. Edit: 77º... no 75º.. 76º.. MAKE UP YOUR MI--74º...

[bentoon]

Eeek.
I am on an old g4 iBook myself ,
but it cant do much of what I need, and i figure it's time to take the plunge
J

[Jasoco]

I'm on an Intel MacBook, and the only things I have to fall back on are G4's and G3's. Not looking forward to it. Must save up as fast as possible!

If there isn't any big huge change coming in the MacBook's (Specifically the 13") I won't feel as bad about having to buy one sooner than I planned.

Poor fan. I can hear it struggling to spin. Just last week it was getting up to 6200 and grinding like it was broken. God, this is gonna cost me a lot to replace, isn't it?

[bentoon]

don't know the cost but
might depends on where you are
In NYC, I would advise you to go (or call) Tekserve

[Jasoco]

In Doylestown, I suggest I just take it to the Mac retailer a mile away.

[seanc]

Or if you're handy with a screw driver, fix it yourself!

iFixit and eBay a second hand fan.

[Jasoco]

Nope. I tried that. Not handy with a screwdriver. Well I am. But I got all the screws out except one. The last one wouldn't budge, is in the WORST POSITION for a screw ever, is tinier than a tick and started to strip.

So I put them all back in and said screw it.

[seanc]

Which screw - is it in the battery bay? Might have to drill it out...

[Jasoco]

The center one behind the RAM cover door. There are three. The left and right ones came out, one being smaller than the other. But the center one would not go anywhere. At all! And is like the load bearing screw keeping the keyboard down. Bah!

Must save up $700-800 for a new MacBook Pro 13"!

If I keep my processor tasks low, I can keep the temperature low for now. I have iCyclone running in the menu right now to tell me how high it's going. It shut off earlier while I was in bed and took that as a sign to get out of bed. Let it cool off then turned it back on at 65º. Now it's just hovering between 70 and 80º. Not sure where the temperature switch is set to auto-shutoff. Probably somewhere around 85º.

[seanc]

Ah, that's a tricky one - it screws into the top case.
Have a go with a new set of screw drivers, perhaps apply pressure to the top of the screw driver and twist it with some pliers - having two people helps.

Alternatively, when you get a new MacBook Pro - send the old to me

[Jasoco]

Only if you pay for it. LOL

The problem with that screw is that it's not angled, and there's a wall for the outside of the case in the way of the screwdriver. So you can't get it to be straight up and down. So it keeps slipping and stripping and I just wanted to stop before I screwed myself. And no, I am not making these puns on purpose.

I didn't plan on getting a new MBP so soon. I thought I'd have this nice white 2007 MacBook for another year. But I am already past my usual lifespan of 2 years per computer.

[seanc]

Pay for shipping? K

I know how fiddly it is in there, I've had mine apart many times - I would have said a bigger screw driver is in order, but those screw heads are quite fine. Sharper screw driver? Just make sure you have a new set before attempting again.

[Jasoco]

Oh this is not gooooood at all.

Booting up and launching iCyclone I am getting 0RPM. Once in a while it pops up to 600RPM but then goes back to 0. The temp is currently 59º working its way up and down. Hasn't reached 60º yet.

I just got back from talking to the guys at MacOutfitters. It will cost $75 to look at the computer. He says it might not be the fan. It might be something else. If it is the fan, it might be the one that's cheap, or the one that is harder to get to. But I didn't know there were two fans. iCyclone has always said 0RPM for the second fan. This is not good at all.

Thank God I got a job today. All my money is going towards a new MBP 13".

Now it's back up to 2000RPM~.

Poor Elizabeth, I hardly knew her.

I got a Kernel Panic last night. Instead of it shutting down abruptly. I am going to go see if I can find some logs.

[seanc]

$75 to look at it?! Also not sure what they're talking about, it only has 1 fan!

Have another bash at getting that blasted screw out, if you get it out, buy a fan

[Jasoco]

They'd have to do diagonostics and crap. It's $65 for labor to replace the fan, IF it was the fan. And $25 for the fan. But I think I'm just going to scrimp my money and work my way to a replacement.

And if the MacBook decides to die, I have a perfectly good G4 mini to use for a few weeks/months. It just won't be as portable. It'll be like I'm in 2006 again.

Viva la MacBook Pro 13"! I used one in the store and all my fears of the trackpad were vanquished when I used it. Soooo nice. I was worried about the clickable trackpad but it seems to work so well. And it looks so beautiful too.

Also, sorry bentoon, I think we might have overtaken your thread.

It's up to 68º now. Kmart has a $20 pad for laptops that adds a USB powered set of fans under the laptop to help cool it. I might buy that and see if it helps a little for now.

[bentoon]

All good.
got the answer: Good time to buy

Good Luck,
J