Macbook pro 15" 2.53 or 2.66

giomacgiomac
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I?m thinking getting a Macbook pro 15? but not sure which one suits me.



I don?t play computer games but will use it to what movies. Also, Photo Shop for a bit of photo touch up and Live Interiors 3D application for simple floor plan and 3D drawing.



Do I need the Macbook Pro 2.66 with the extra graphic card or just the basic 2.53 is good enough for what I do?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    rokcet scientistrokcet scientist Posts: 962member
    2.53Ghz is plenty for watching movies, Photoshop, and Live.



    But 15" isn't.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    If you plan to do those things on the move, the 15" would be best as it's not as heavy or bulky as the 17" but avoids the 1280 x 800 resolution of the 13", which is way too low for doing that stuff on the go.



    If you plan to do that stuff at a desk and you will be carrying the machine around for presentations etc, I'd suggest the 2.53GHz 13" instead and get a large static display with external keyboard and mouse.



    Whether you get the 13" or 15", check out the refurbs of both to save some money and you can get a big display either way:



    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB...co=MTA4MzI0OTE

    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC...co=MTA4MzI1OTk
  • Reply 3 of 7
    modernmagicmodernmagic Posts: 25member
    The original post wasn't asking about deciding on a 13", 15" or 17".



    I also have the same question as the OP.



    If I will be using the 15" macbook pro for 3d architectural software, photoshop, movies etc will the extra video card be worth it to buy the 2.66 over the 2.53?





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    If you plan to do those things on the move, the 15" would be best as it's not as heavy or bulky as the 17" but avoids the 1280 x 800 resolution of the 13", which is way too low for doing that stuff on the go.



    If you plan to do that stuff at a desk and you will be carrying the machine around for presentations etc, I'd suggest the 2.53GHz 13" instead and get a large static display with external keyboard and mouse.



    Whether you get the 13" or 15", check out the refurbs of both to save some money and you can get a big display either way:



    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB...co=MTA4MzI0OTE

    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC...co=MTA4MzI1OTk



  • Reply 4 of 7
    modernmagicmodernmagic Posts: 25member
    SPECS:

    All 15-inch models: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory



    2.66GHz model: Additional NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR3 memory



    QUESTIONS:

    1. Is the second video card (9600M) of the 2.66 only for external displays or does it run the internal display?

    2. If so, then what would the 9400M be used for on the 2.66?
  • Reply 5 of 7
    kingofsomewherehotkingofsomewherehot Posts: 4,180member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by modernmagic View Post


    SPECS:

    All 15-inch models: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory



    2.66GHz model: Additional NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR3 memory



    QUESTIONS:

    1. Is the second video card (9600M) of the 2.66 only for external displays or does it run the internal display?

    2. If so, then what would the 9400M be used for on the 2.66?



    You can choose to have either the 9400 or the 9600 running. The 9600 may give you much better performance, the 9400 will give you MUCH better battery life.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    modernmagicmodernmagic Posts: 25member
    I just got off the phone with an Apple rep. Here is what she told me:



    1. the 9400 and 9600 will be used simultaneously for processing and display on the internal display.

    2. the 9400 will be used for the external Mini Display Port.

    3. The 9600 can be turned off. The apple engineer stated the the battery life will not be significant and he could not give an example of why a user would want to turn it off.

    4. "Memory available to Mac OS X may vary depending on graphics needs. Minimum graphics memory usage is 256MB." The 9600 would reduce the main memory usage and therefore allow more memory for the OS.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    mactrippermactripper Posts: 1,328member
    I think the differences between the two machines is minimal.



    However, do seriously consider the drawbacks of glossy screens.



    If you haven't used one before, perhaps you should try one first if possible.



    With laptops it's a pain the arse not being able to see the screen in most all places like a matte screen can.



    But the glossy is flashier, colors more vibrant and the screen image a bit sharper. The "wow" factor is there, but if you use a computer for long hours, you might have wished for a matte screen.





    You can apply a matte film to the glossy later if headaches, eyestrain, neck pain from the reflections and glare are a issue, but it will need replacing time to time and may peal off, collect dirt, yellow etc and make your computer look trashy.



    I would get a extra charger, seems the cable is a bit flimsy and wears out quickly.
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