Macbook Pro Advice
Hey,
I'm a college student and I'm planning on buying the lower - end Macbook Pro model, which with my Student Developer Connection Discount is about $1,599.
This is actually my first Apple laptop that I'm thinking of purchasing, and I'm wondering that if the laptop customized to the following specifications will be able to run Battlefield 2/Counter Strike/Halo 2/America's Army. I know that the laptop will be able to run the games, but I'm wondering if they'll be playable on at the very least, medium settings:
15.4-inch TFT display with 1440x900 resolution
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo with 2MB shared L2 Cache
667MHz frontside bus
1GB 667 DDR2 - 2x512 SO-DIMMs
100GB Serial ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
Slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Would the 128MB graphics card be okay for the type of gaming that I'm thinking of, or will I be better off purchasing the higher - end model with the 256MB card?
Also, I've added a 2x512 variation instead of a single 1GB RAM chip in order to save a bit of money. I know purchasing RAM directly from Apple isn't the best idea of saving money, but I don't want to open up the laptop and replace the memory myself, though I know how easy it is to do. Will having a 2x512 variation show different performance compared to if I only had one single 1GB RAM chip?
AppleInsider reported earlier that a new Macbook Pro 17" is going to be introduced soon, perhaps next week, and a friend of mine said the price of the Macbook Pro 17" would logically be about $2,500, as with the PowerPC G4 version of the Powerbook line. Therefore, he said, it would lower the price of the other Macbook Pro's. Does this seem logical? I'm not really sure, lol, I've only been using Apple for a few years
Oh, and when might Intel roll out a 64 bit processor? I don't wanna spend so much money on a laptop when a 64bit version comes out a few months later lol
Thanks guys, and I love this website and the forum, keep up the great work
I'm a college student and I'm planning on buying the lower - end Macbook Pro model, which with my Student Developer Connection Discount is about $1,599.
This is actually my first Apple laptop that I'm thinking of purchasing, and I'm wondering that if the laptop customized to the following specifications will be able to run Battlefield 2/Counter Strike/Halo 2/America's Army. I know that the laptop will be able to run the games, but I'm wondering if they'll be playable on at the very least, medium settings:
15.4-inch TFT display with 1440x900 resolution
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo with 2MB shared L2 Cache
667MHz frontside bus
1GB 667 DDR2 - 2x512 SO-DIMMs
100GB Serial ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
Slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Would the 128MB graphics card be okay for the type of gaming that I'm thinking of, or will I be better off purchasing the higher - end model with the 256MB card?
Also, I've added a 2x512 variation instead of a single 1GB RAM chip in order to save a bit of money. I know purchasing RAM directly from Apple isn't the best idea of saving money, but I don't want to open up the laptop and replace the memory myself, though I know how easy it is to do. Will having a 2x512 variation show different performance compared to if I only had one single 1GB RAM chip?
AppleInsider reported earlier that a new Macbook Pro 17" is going to be introduced soon, perhaps next week, and a friend of mine said the price of the Macbook Pro 17" would logically be about $2,500, as with the PowerPC G4 version of the Powerbook line. Therefore, he said, it would lower the price of the other Macbook Pro's. Does this seem logical? I'm not really sure, lol, I've only been using Apple for a few years
Oh, and when might Intel roll out a 64 bit processor? I don't wanna spend so much money on a laptop when a 64bit version comes out a few months later lol
Thanks guys, and I love this website and the forum, keep up the great work
Comments
Buy it from ramjet or a third party, you will save A LOT of money. It is a very simple process, it takes two or three minutes. There is nothing to configure, it just works.
I have a 1.83 and recently disassembled the entire machine (first time I took apart a laptop) and upgraded the harddrive. I even think that was pretty easy. It took about forty five minutes, I followed a video online. Changing the ram is nothing compared to this. You take off the battery. Unscrew three screws which then expose the memory slots. You stick it in screw it back together and you are done.
I think the MBP will be a bit more than. I can see it starting at 2800 or 3000. As nice of a machine as it is, it isn't a portable notebook. It is for use on a desk. Like I said it is great, but don't plan on taking it to class.
One of my friends actually did something to his Macbook Pro and actually tweaked some of the settings so that he could get about 4 hours of battery life and he takes it to class every day while completely shutting it off between classes. I'm not too interested into taking it to class, but I'll be planning on taking it to the library and Starbucks a lot lol
Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it
I have a very early macbook, one of the first, and it had the first rev logic board. The week I got it I also upgrades the ram to 2gigs of RAMJET ram. The logicboard was replaced under warranty, with the after market RAM in the machine.
I have an extra for mine, it helps me out, especially when traveling. It was worht the one-hundred, or whatever it costs. I wish they would release a stand-alone charger though. I charge it at night and use my PowerMac at home and it is a pain to have to change out the batteries.
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showt...threadid=62936
BTW I'm also holding out for a merom powered MBP. It's getting hard though, the more I read about ICD.