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cLin · Aug 19, 2006, 04:48 AM

Ok, so Saturday (which is today or tomorrow depending where you live) I am going down to my university store to get a MBP. They advertise a 1.83 ghz, 512MB RAM DDR2, 80GB, 128mb video card for 1499 vs a 2.16GHz Intel, 1GB RAM DDR2, 100GB HD, 256 meg video card for 1999. I can afford both but if of course the lower the price the better. After taxes it would be 1,622$ and 2,163$

I was just wondering if the 2.16 ghz is worth the extra 541. I mean, I would get an extra 20 gig hdd, bigger video card, higher cpu and a "higher" model machine. But is it worth the extra money? The only thing I can't upgrade would be the video card and cpu. In what cases would I need to choose the higher model over the lower model. I guess I am asking people to convince me to get the lower model, the only reason I can think of getting a higher model right now is because it'll be "better" which I find stupid. In any case, I will be an owner of a macbook pro within 13 hours

edit: oh, if I ended up getting a lower model, i would upgrade the ram so thats another 75~ dollars

harrisjamieh · Aug 19, 2006, 05:23 AM

Well the 1.83 model is no longer manufactured, so it is an old model. this could mean it has more problems than the 2.16, which is a current model, and hence has more problems (for eg, the whine) sorted out.

cLin · Aug 19, 2006, 05:30 AM

How are they to responding to the whine problem? Actually, what is the whine problem? Once I get it I want to check for the heat issue and the "whine" problem I keep hearing about.

tcphoto · Aug 19, 2006, 09:32 AM

Buy the most computer that you can afford. The 1.83 is a discontinued model, so I'd go with the 2.16 Powerbook. Don't worry about the whine issue, if there is a problem then Apple will make good. What if you get a flat tire on the way to buy it? How will you get home? What if some knucklehead pulls in front of you and causes an accident? Just buy the computer and do something productive with it.

Good luck,
Chicken Little

Giblet Jones · Aug 19, 2006, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by cLin

How are they to responding to the whine problem? Actually, what is the whine problem? Once I get it I want to check for the heat issue and the "whine" problem I keep hearing about.

Apple has jusk aknowledged the MacBok whine a few weeks ago. I am not sure whether they offer a (working) solution yet. I know that many users have managed to get rid of the whine by replacing the thermal paste over the processor. Apparently the factory applies way too much. As for which model you should get? Both are extremely fast, and the only things that you can't upgrade (short of buying a new mobo) are the processor and the video card. The dual core 1.83 GHz processor is already very fast, compared to any G4 and most G5s. The ATi X1600 chip is an excellent, powerful chip so it will perform very well with 128 or 256 MBs of VRAM. AS long as you don't need your Mac for any superpowerful (creating 3D animation films, for example) tasks, then the 1.83 GHz model should be perfectly suitable.

cLin · Aug 19, 2006, 03:27 PM

Thank you guys for your responses. I think I will be getting the 1.83 ghz model. I am so excited, I already ordered 1 gig of ram last night so I can install it when I get the MBP

krisneph · Aug 19, 2006, 03:42 PM

How does the X1600 compare to the card I have on my G5 right now the Nvidia 6600 with 256 of vRAM.

I'm gonna sell my dual core G5 with 2.5 gigs of RAM and my 20 in widescreen display and i'm looking to buy a MacBook Pro. What would be a good price to seel my G5 at. I also have bluetooth and Wi-Fi on it. It has a 160 gig HD. I'll prolly sell it with the display.