Graduation Present Purchasing Advice
Hello everybody, I'm sorry if I'm in the wrong place or wrong topic forum; it is nothing compared how lost I am with which laptop to buy for college (major in Mechanical Engineering.)
Now I understand that I might be recieving somewhat biased feedback, but I would appreciate your understanding of the benefits of a normal laptop as well compared to a MB or a MBP.
Here are some things to consider:
1. I've used PC's my whole life, but I am amazingly impressed with the ease of use and efficiancy of the Mac OS. I have no idea if learning the notebook will be a challenge or not.
2. As a Mechanical Engineer, I'll be using CAD systems that require lots of RAM and a fast processor. Additionally, most CAD programs are built for PC. (It probably wouldnt kill me to use the CAD systems at school though.)
3. The less $$ I spend on a laptop, the more I can throw towards tuition.
4. I don't play and games and will primarily use the laptop for safari and word processing, unless I am able to use the CAD systems on my Mac.
5. If new Macbooks are coming in June, I'm willing to wait!!
So, on that note, what would you do if you were me? PC? Current Macbook? Wait for new Macbook? Drop out of college? Any advice on this general issue would be greatly appreciated.
Now I understand that I might be recieving somewhat biased feedback, but I would appreciate your understanding of the benefits of a normal laptop as well compared to a MB or a MBP.
Here are some things to consider:
1. I've used PC's my whole life, but I am amazingly impressed with the ease of use and efficiancy of the Mac OS. I have no idea if learning the notebook will be a challenge or not.
2. As a Mechanical Engineer, I'll be using CAD systems that require lots of RAM and a fast processor. Additionally, most CAD programs are built for PC. (It probably wouldnt kill me to use the CAD systems at school though.)
3. The less $$ I spend on a laptop, the more I can throw towards tuition.
4. I don't play and games and will primarily use the laptop for safari and word processing, unless I am able to use the CAD systems on my Mac.
5. If new Macbooks are coming in June, I'm willing to wait!!
So, on that note, what would you do if you were me? PC? Current Macbook? Wait for new Macbook? Drop out of college? Any advice on this general issue would be greatly appreciated.
Comments
Welcome to our very biased boards, but be aware there are plenty of folk here who know their stuff.
You might enjoy knowing that a Mac can run your Windows apps natively using Apple's BootCamp (built into the OS) or Parallels (other people can fill you in on this).
From the sounds of it, you might be able to get away with a MacBook, which would certainly save some bucks. You can slip 4GB RAM into it which is the same as the Pro. Just get a large HD to store Windows and Mac OS. However, the graphics performance might not handle heavy CAD work. If you want a great little machine for net and word-processing and other stuff, the MB is fantastic.
On the other hand, and others will join in here, the MacBook Pro has more screen space (which really is a plus for some apps) and has better graphics capabilities that should handle the CAD work. The speed difference will come from the graphics card doing the work instead of the CPU. The MBP is a bit bigger and heavier, but it is a workhorse that doesn't slack.
The MB is much more portable and has a certain cute factor about it. The MBP is a little less portable but will handle all your work.
Thanks for the advice; lord only knows how little the Apple website helped with information on the new notebooks due out this summer.
"Although I don't know anything about unreleased products, I am more than happy to help you with our current hardware."
Apparantly even geniuses have their limitations.
The MBP just had a rather major overhaul so the announcements in June will likely be speed bumps and other minor changes, nothing that would render a purchase now as obsolete, but if you can and want to wait, then there would be no harm done. Nobody will no for certain whether Apple will release a new MBP in June or not until July 1!
Personally, I own a MBP and an MBA (Air) and the wife has a MB, so I can see first hand the strengths and weaknesses of the three. For some things, such as running around town or off to meetings, I prefer my MBA for its portability. When I plan on doing page layout while away from home, I take my MBP because of the size of the screen. If you are leaning towards the MBP, you certainly will not be disappointed.