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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Macbook or Pro
Justin Sorensen, Photographer, Assistant
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Fairmont | MN | US | Posted: 9:35 PM on 05.07.08 |
->> I am recent grad looking to purchase a Macbook. From what I see, the Macbook has made leaps and bounds, and I'm wondering if it's necessary to purchase a Macbook Pro forfuture jobs, since the Macbook fits my budget better.
I understand with the Pro, a non glossy, bigger screen is a plus, with a card reader and some other frills, but performance wise, the 2+ Ghz and 2G ram with the Macbook seems sufficient.
Do many employers require a Pro?
Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this decision.
Thanks for your time and advice!
Justin Sorensen |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 10:01 PM on 05.07.08 |
->> I have a MacBook Pro (a little over a year old) and have just bought a MacBook as a gift for someone else. I compared them side by side. Same software, same RAM, etc. and aside from the bigger screen and better input/output in the Pro (that I could easily live without) I'd say they were about even.
If money's tight get the MacBook.
You can easily upgrade the MacBook from 2Gb to 4Gb of RAM if you have a small screwdriver and 10 minutes. The extra RAM will cost you all of $130 from www.crucial.com (as opposed to the $400 that Apple want for the upgrade...) |
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David Seelig, Photographer
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Hailey | ID | USA | Posted: 10:06 PM on 05.07.08 |
| ->> If you are running aperture you might want to get the pro as it is hard on the graphics card the one area where the macbook is weak. You can find the older models on sale inlcuding robert's one of our sponsors. Daivd |
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Chase Smith, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Costa Mesa | CA | United States | Posted: 10:22 PM on 05.07.08 |
->> I don't know how much (if any) multimedia/ video editing you plan on doing in the future, but the small screen of a MacBook is unbearable for such tasks. An external monitor would solve the problem, but then your tied to a desk.. just my 2cents.
Cheers,
Chase |
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Richard Orr, Photographer
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Longmeadow | MA | USA | Posted: 10:41 PM on 05.07.08 |
->> I am going to put on my "Dad" hat and give you some advice.
If the macbook works, and it is appears it does, buy it. Don't spend a nickel more than you can afford until you have a job that can cover it.
When I worked at a bank, I saw way too many kids out of college--up to their ears in debt--buying new cars, top of the line computers, and everything else. Two years later they were in real trouble-looking for a house or a kid on the way.
I appreciate that this is a tool that you will need for your job. But lets be honest...if you are not yet working in your field could you get by on what you are using now? And buy the better stuff later?
Just some food for thought. Start out right and you wont be sorry down the road. |
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Scott Morgan, Photographer
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Rockford | IL | United States | Posted: 10:45 PM on 05.07.08 |
->> The performance difference really makes a difference when shooting raw and using Aperture, since it uses the video card to process images. Also, if you're going to edit with Final Cut Pro, you need a MB Pro.
If I were looking, I would seriously consider a refurbished last-gen MBP. I have the 2.2 ghz w/ 2 gigs of ram, and it is plenty speedy for me. That said, the regular MacBook is a great machine also.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?sf... |
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Albert Brown, Photographer
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 11:19 PM on 05.07.08 |
->> Justin,
In my person opinion, the Macbook Pro is going to last you longer in almost every way when compared to the Macbook. My mom has the Macbook, my dad has a 15" Pro and I am still using a Powerbook g4 17in 1.33Ghz. While they are entirely different beasts at this point, the Powerbook G4 is still rocking with everything from FCP 6 to Adobe CS2.
What I would recommend to you is to browse by the Apple Education Store and just the get base 15" Macbook Pro model which is like 2.4Ghz with 2GB RAM, 200GB, a much, much better graphics card than the Macbook line will offer you. It's really worth the extra money for the better graphics card. Not to mention that a 13" screen is smaller than a 15" screen. I know, I know, it's only 2 inches, but believe me, I've used a 13" Macbook extensively and the small size, while portable for sure, is a significant compromise in my opinion. Nevertheless, a Pro model should last you 4+ years and they have a lot more ports and options built-in.
Also, if you're pinching pennies, think about using a credit card that gives you some decent cash back like Discover or Chase Freedom Visa card (3% cash back from the Apple Store right now). This, naturally, doesn't work for everyone, but it's worth a look...
Good luck! |
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Allan Campbell, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Portland | OR | USA | Posted: 11:23 PM on 05.07.08 |
->> On the Macbook you need to watch out for the plastic case. The one I have been testing for work is cracked, has missing pieces and the white is now gray.....
My old 12inch G4 pawerbook with the metal case has held up for much longer than I fear the Macbook will. |
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David Seelig, Photographer
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Hailey | ID | USA | Posted: 12:41 AM on 05.08.08 |
| ->> do not hesitate to buy a used macbook pro or look at the used stores www.smalldog.com and others on the web for a slightly older macbook pro get one that will take 4 gb ram and a 256 card should be able to find one for 1300 to 1400. David |
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Erin Schrad, Photographer, Assistant
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Glen Allen | VA | United States | Posted: 2:42 PM on 05.08.08 |
->> I am not one to encourage someone to spend more money than they have to, but I would recommend the MBPro over the MacBook simply because of the graphics card. More than anything, the lack of an independent graphics card in the MB is what keeps it from efficiently running high-end graphics and photo software (and if you are into that sort of thing, some graphics-heavy games).
If I had to make a choice myself, I would go with a previous generation MBP (either refurb, closeout, or used) over a MacBook if this is a computer that will be kept for awhile, and especially if it will be an only computer. For those with iMacs or something else at home or work, they can get by with a regular MB on the road.
Someone mentioned checking Apple's educational prices... that's a good recommendation in theory, but I have found that the edu discount is often cancelled out by the sales tax you pay (assuming Apple has a physical retail presence in your state). You would be better off going to MacMall or some other Mac reseller and paying their regular retail rate and no taxes. Plus, they often have free RAM upgrades or other freebie packages that make them a better deal. They also have a closeout page where they sell of their stock of previous generation models. (http://www.macmall.com/macmall/promotions/custom5.asp?p=mbp_pricedrops)
A good place to go to watch for the best deal on Macs and also to buy used computers from other people is www.pbcentral.com (In fact, they are showing a deal right now that Amazon is selling the current 2.4GHz PB for $1768.99 after $150 rebate!)... here you will see pricing on both current models and previous generation models as well as refurbs.
If push comes to shove and you really can't afford more than the MacBook, yes... it will work for you. What you save in money on the front end, you might pay with time waiting for Aperture or Lightroom or RAW software to process, but you have to start somewhere! |
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Ric Tapia, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Santa Barbara | CA | USA | Posted: 2:59 PM on 05.08.08 |
->> Justin,
Go to an Apple store and tell them what you want to use the computer for. They help me greatly. I decided that for my needs I would need a MacBook Pro because of the video card. The MacBook only has a 64mb video card, while the Pro has a 256mb and the option to upgrade to a 512mb card.
Hope this helps. |
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Erin Schrad, Photographer, Assistant
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Glen Allen | VA | United States | Posted: 4:38 PM on 05.11.08 |
->> Actually, the MacBook doesn't have a separate dedicated video card like the MacBook Pro does (an NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT)... instead, it uses an integrated graphics processor that must share in the overall system memory.
So where the MacBook Pro has a separate video card with its own video memory (256 or 512MB) that it uses to process graphics, the MacBook's graphics processor must use a portion of the overall system memory (a minimum of 144MB on the current systems, plus 16 MB if using an external monitor), which reduces the amount of memory left for the rest of the system. And, because they have to share memory with the system, they also have to share the same memory controller as the processor. The result is that integrated graphics processors are slow performers.
Dedicated graphics cards are superior in almost every aspect except cost. They are a must for any real gaming. They take much of the graphics work off the CPU, leaving the CPU to do other things. |
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Al Goldis, Photographer
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East Lansing | MI | USA | Posted: 11:03 PM on 05.11.08 |
->> Yes, the MacBook has a graphics chip integrated on the motherboard rather than the separate, dedicated and much better performing graphics card in the MacBook Pro.
But if you don't use applications which use the video card's 3D processing hardware (like Aperture, Motion, 3D games, etc.) then you will notice no difference in performance between the two.
Photoshop, Photo Mechanic and most other non-photo software will run equally well on either machine. |
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Justin Sorensen, Photographer, Assistant
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Fairmont | MN | US | Posted: 1:30 AM on 05.12.08 |
->> Thanks everyone for your great info and advice.
I think I'll go with a refurbished Pro. Since it's going to be my long term, main computer, the extra screen real estate, non glossy, durability, and graphics card will suit me well. I guess you get what you pay for in some cases.
As a new member, it's cool to see so many active participants in these discussions! |
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Greg Ferguson, Photographer
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Scottsdale | Az | USA | Posted: 2:47 AM on 05.12.08 |
->> also, do NOT scrimp on a good quality case. when you spend that much on a computer spend $100 or so and get one that stands up to punishment and takes it for the computer.
There is nothing worse than needing the machine and having it be down. |
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Samuel Lewis, Photographer
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Miami | FL | USA | Posted: 7:43 AM on 05.12.08 |
->> If you're going to use the computer for imaging, then you want the Macbook Pro with the matte (non-glossy) screen. From what I understand from various Apple reps, the Macbook's glossy screen (and the Macbook Pro's glossy screen, for that matter) cannot be properly calibrated. While some of the companies making the software for color calibration tools suggest that notebook LCDs cannot be properly calibrated, at least with the matte screen you can get close enough so that you know when the color is seriously off.
That said, I purchased a Macbook and Photoshop Elements for my wife, and the system seems to run well (although I prefer my Pro and find the screen to more accurately represent the color and brightness of the images).
I would not give too much consideration to the plastic versus aluminum cases of the system. From what I understand, the plastic is rather durable, and keep in mind that companies like Dell, HP, etc., still use plastic shells for many of their systems. No doubt if you talk to someone who has used a Powerbook or Macbook Pro with the aluminum case, you will find that the aluminum is rather soft and has a tendency to dent with any sort of impact. In other words, one does not seem to have an advantage over the other. The other potential issue is that the aluminum seems to be a better conductor of heat, which may limit the time you can use the system in your lap (although the newer systems seem to generate less heat than some of the older ones).
Also consider this a strong second on the notion of spending money on a decent case with good protection. Brenthaven make a series of cases with heavy padding that should help ensure your computer survives all sorts of travel. |
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Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
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