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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > need some quick MBP owners!

need some quick MBP owners!
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MattJeff
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Oct 8, 2006, 03:45 PM
 
ok i have been holding off for this MBP for a loooong time because every one says "its gonna be upgraded next week for sure" should i wait any longer? i would love to just buy it but w/ my luck it will be updated in a few days. i need advice from ppl who own a MBP, is it worth it? should i get it now or wait? i want this to last me 4 years at least.
and second question for MBP owners, matte or glossy screen?
Thanks
     
ericssonboi
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Oct 8, 2006, 03:48 PM
 
If you can wait.. i'd wait it out. Maybe change this into a poll.
If you want it to last longer.. wait for 64bit..

If you NEED it now.. then just buy one..
If not.. wait.

Matte for me.
15" 2.33 MBP 2GB Ram, 120GB HD - Main Rig
     
MattJeff  (op)
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Oct 8, 2006, 04:47 PM
 
haha looks like i changed my mind in the middle of the title.....but 64 bit wont really make it faster from what i hear
     
kylemacr
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Oct 8, 2006, 04:52 PM
 
Originally Posted by MattJeff
haha looks like i changed my mind in the middle of the title.....but 64 bit wont really make it faster from what i hear
64 bit will be faster when it's running an OS and applications that are specifically written for 64 bit. So, it may not be faster immediately, but in the future you would notice an increase.
     
bimmerkid
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Oct 13, 2006, 01:01 AM
 
It's better to buy a last rev. of a computer than buy a first rev. Think about the MacBook Pros that had all the whining and overheating issues. Would you like to have a 200˚F computer that MOOS all the time and has a shorter battery life? Trust me, I've been with Apple since 1984 and owned about 30 apple computers. I would buy a last rev. over anything. If you don't like it then trade it in for the new ones... You have 14 days.
     
rplatt1
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Oct 15, 2006, 09:21 AM
 
Originally Posted by bimmerkid
It's better to buy a last rev. of a computer than buy a first rev. Think about the MacBook Pros that had all the whining and overheating issues. Would you like to have a 200˚F computer that MOOS all the time and has a shorter battery life? Trust me, I've been with Apple since 1984 and owned about 30 apple computers. I would buy a last rev. over anything. If you don't like it then trade it in for the new ones... You have 14 days.
Several months ago I went through five 17 inch MacBook Pros before I finally returned it and bought a newly released Mac Pro. I won't get into all of the gory details here but suffice it to say that anything that could be wrong with the five portables was wrong. I few days ago I took another chance and bought a new 17 inch MacBook Pro with a build date at the end of September 2006. This thing is perfect in every way including the temperature that runs 10 to 15 degrees under any of the first 5 I had. I'm not sure why this is the case but it certainly tends to vaildate your theory of buying a "last rev".
     
Mrjinglesusa
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Oct 15, 2006, 12:38 PM
 
Refurbed 17" 2.16 5400 RPM here. I love it. It's fast, stable, and beautiful. No problems whatsoever. THe new Core 2 Duos will not be that much faster than the current Core Duos. And these Core Duos are FAST.
     
hldan
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Oct 15, 2006, 01:17 PM
 
Originally Posted by MattJeff
ok i have been holding off for this MBP for a loooong time because every one says "its gonna be upgraded next week for sure" should i wait any longer? i would love to just buy it but w/ my luck it will be updated in a few days. i need advice from ppl who own a MBP, is it worth it? should i get it now or wait? i want this to last me 4 years at least.
and second question for MBP owners, matte or glossy screen?
Thanks
Unless you just "need" it like today I would highly recommend that you try and at least wait it out through October. Apple is notorious for 2 things around this time. First it's the holiday season and they always revamp the notebooks in October to wet your taste buds and they generally offer some nice stuff. Secondly, just when you get home with the lastest piece of hardware for the holidays Macworld comes around in January and Apple releases something that will just piss you off for buying your machine a couple of months too early. This was definitely the case when the 17" PowerBook was announced in 2003.
Apple had just released the hotest Titanium PowerBook for the holidays and then in January the 17" was born for nearly the same price point.
Just wait it out this month. They are a bit late updating the MacBooks but it's probably for good reason and probably worth waiting for.
Don't be the victim of making a rash decision on an impulse buy when you could possibly get better. Patience is a virtue.
iMac 24" 2.8 Ghz Core 2 Extreme
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Proud new Owner!
     
Frugle
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Oct 15, 2006, 09:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa
Refurbed 17" 2.16 5400 RPM here. I love it. It's fast, stable, and beautiful. No problems whatsoever. THe new Core 2 Duos will not be that much faster than the current Core Duos. And these Core Duos are FAST.
same for me, but a non-referb 15"... not a single problem. I wouldn't worry about about buying one now if you need it... but if it is not, I would def. wait till macworld.
15" MacBook Pro | 2.16GHz | 2GB DDR2 | 100GB 5400 rpm | 256MB X1600
     
Burn
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Oct 16, 2006, 12:32 AM
 
Bought a 17" MBP 7200rpm drive in June... flawless. No problems. None.

Best computer I have ever owned. It was already mentioned... but yeah.. if you use creative apps some of them will not be updated until the spring '07 anyway... the same clock speed Merom is supposed to be up to 20% faster with SOME apps... but I don't think it will be as drastic as the leap from the 2.0 to 2.16.

It's a tough game. Good luck!
     
Ela
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Oct 16, 2006, 04:00 AM
 
It sounds like others had quite a few problems with early 17-inch MacBook Pros. But just for the record, I got mine in early May and it's also been flawless. It's one of the best machines I've ever owned.

So maybe last rev. machines are more likely to be problem free, but it's also possible (maybe even likely) that first revision machines are also largely problem free. But we'll probably never know for sure unless Apple releases their sales and warranty repair data.

My point is that although 5 bad machines in a row is annoying, it doesn't necessarily mean there's a widespread problem, especially if another 100k were delivered with no problems.
     
rplatt1
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Oct 16, 2006, 07:04 AM
 
Originally Posted by Ela
It sounds like others had quite a few problems with early 17-inch MacBook Pros. But just for the record, I got mine in early May and it's also been flawless. It's one of the best machines I've ever owned.

So maybe last rev. machines are more likely to be problem free, but it's also possible (maybe even likely) that first revision machines are also largely problem free. But we'll probably never know for sure unless Apple releases their sales and warranty repair data.

My point is that although 5 bad machines in a row is annoying, it doesn't necessarily mean there's a widespread problem, especially if another 100k were delivered with no problems.
I tend to agree with your premise but I must add that "5 bad machines in a row" was much worse than "annoying".
     
MattJeff  (op)
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Oct 16, 2006, 03:44 PM
 
how fast will santa rosa be? are we talking 2.6?
     
Javizun
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Oct 16, 2006, 06:30 PM
 
core duo is a damn good processor-any variation until 5 years from now is just minor upgrades.
every 4-5 years or so a revolutionary processor is released so why not buy what you want now
and use the computer like your suppoed to wear it out till its death get every pennys worth instead of focusing on whats new?

if you want it get it you will love it and wont regret it there i said it.

hey in 3 years they are going to have a 3.0ghz system with 2ghz front side bus why not wait for that one? and put off buying a computer now.

and i love matte glossy is for girls
     
rplatt1
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Oct 17, 2006, 09:38 AM
 
Originally Posted by MattJeff View Post
ok i have been holding off for this MBP for a loooong time because every one says "its gonna be upgraded next week for sure" should i wait any longer? i would love to just buy it but w/ my luck it will be updated in a few days. i need advice from ppl who own a MBP, is it worth it? should i get it now or wait? i want this to last me 4 years at least.
and second question for MBP owners, matte or glossy screen?
Thanks
Here's a good review of Core Duo vs Core 2 Duo: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=2808 The bottom line is that Core Duo is and will remain a very competitive processor.
     
Zeeb
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Oct 17, 2006, 10:41 AM
 
Originally Posted by MattJeff View Post
ok i have been holding off for this MBP for a loooong time because every one says "its gonna be upgraded next week for sure" should i wait any longer? i would love to just buy it but w/ my luck it will be updated in a few days. i need advice from ppl who own a MBP, is it worth it? should i get it now or wait? i want this to last me 4 years at least.
and second question for MBP owners, matte or glossy screen?
Thanks
You will drive yourself insane waiting for just the right upgrade before buying. However, once you've made the decision that you are going to buy a particular computer you should not purchase whatever the current model is but wait for the very next revision and get that one.

Buy the next model and you will have the satisfaction of having the latest model when it comes out for at least a little while. If that's Santa Rosa with Core 2 Duo then great. If not, it will still be a fantastic machine. As others have pointed out, the benefits of 64 bit will not be fully realized for a few years anyway.

I have a 15 inch rev a MBP and I think its awesome. Personally, I like the matte screen.
     
EdipisReks
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Oct 17, 2006, 11:39 AM
 
at this point i would wait, at least for a little while. i prefer the matte screen.
20" iMac/2.4 C2D/4GB RAM/320 HD + ViewSonic VX2025WM
13" MBP/2.26 C2D/4GB RAM/250 HD
16 GB iPhone
     
   
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