Before buying the 17'' MBP

[adlos]

Ok, so I'm new in this forum, and will be new in the mac world as well. I've been longing for MBP since I can't remember, and now the time has come to buy one. I'll buy it this weekend, though I have a few questions before I do it. Now, I know that a lot of questions are asked in this forum and most of all are by newcomers and all, and I did read a lot of them before posting this, but I don't think they relate that much, but I apologize in advance if this is annoying to frequent posters.

So my questions are the following:

1) A friend of mine bought the MBP of 17'' at the beginning of the year (If I remember correctly) and I remembered that it got pretty hot after 2 hours of use probably, or more, and it was running on battery so I don't know if that's why, but , how is the heating issue on 17''mbp? Or more correctly, does the mbp overheats often? I asked this because I'm a heavy, heavy user. (As in, is ON almost all day, more than 8 hours, and all).

2) Will I regret buying it now and not wait for January? I honestly cannot wait any longer, my notebook is far to old (ok, not that old but for my needs it is) and it has only 512 megabytes of RAM. =(


3) Will I adjust to it quickly? I'm in the middle of final exams and final projects of this semester in school and I'm gonna need it a lot these days. I've read that it takes 2-3 days to adjust from pc to mac..

So , I guess that's all, I apologize if this has been asked and if this is "One of those noobie threads again", but I appreciate all the replies =) thank you.

 

[bntz313]

I have an 17in mbp and although it does get hot, i dont think it gets that hot. But then I havent used it on my lap for like 5 hours(3 max for my on lap usage) This is my first mac and I'm loving it.

 

[theGrindle]

I'd do it...

I just got a new MBP 17" on Friday and it is also my first Mac. I had been using a PC for work (web development) usually 8 - 10 hours a day. I'll give you my input on your questions:

1) A friend of mine bought the MBP of 17'' at the beginning of the year (If I remember correctly) and I remembered that it got pretty hot after 2 hours of use probably, or more, and it was running on battery so I don't know if that's why, but , how is the heating issue on 17''mbp? Or more correctly, does the mbp overheats often? I asked this because I'm a heavy, heavy user. (As in, is ON almost all day, more than 8 hours, and all).

I have been using the computer a lot, somewhere around the amount you described. I have noticed it has gotten very warm, not overly hot. But definitely warm. It definitely gets warmer than my last laptop (HP). I wouldn't really say it's an issue, but just something to be ready for.

2) Will I regret buying it now and not wait for January? I honestly cannot wait any longer, my notebook is far to old (ok, not that old but for my needs it is) and it has only 512 megabytes of RAM. =(

Obviously I was in the same boat as you. The way I justified it is that the next update is probably not going to provide a great performance boost. In fact what I read it will probably focus on the ultra portable that Apple has brewing. (13" mac book pro) and the current mbp is a great computer and ahead of the other laptops out there. So it's not like the technology in it now is out dated. So I say get it now.

I also upgraded from a PC notebook, but it's stats weren't as bad as yours sound. 1.66 Dual Core, 2GB RAM Windows Vista Home Premium(eww!) And the decision was still easy to make.

3) Will I adjust to it quickly? I'm in the middle of final exams and final projects of this semester in school and I'm gonna need it a lot these days. I've read that it takes 2-3 days to adjust from pc to mac..

I took more like 2-3 hours to adjust and I had spent absolutely no time on a mac prior. Leopard and the MBP is such a breath of fresh air compared to the PC that learning the new OS is fun.

A couple of things that could help...

One weird thing was the absence of a right mouse button. You can use an external mouse alleviate that or press the Ctrl key with the track pad click to simulate the right button. Or just go without it.

Also use 2 fingers to scroll browser windows or any other thing that needs scrolled.

 

[Illan]

Ok, so I'm new in this forum, and will be new in the mac world as well. I've been longing for MBP since I can't remember, and now the time has come to buy one. I'll buy it this weekend, though I have a few questions before I do it. Now, I know that a lot of questions are asked in this forum and most of all are by newcomers and all, and I did read a lot of them before posting this, but I don't think they relate that much, but I apologize in advance if this is annoying to frequent posters.

So my questions are the following:

1) A friend of mine bought the MBP of 17'' at the beginning of the year (If I remember correctly) and I remembered that it got pretty hot after 2 hours of use probably, or more, and it was running on battery so I don't know if that's why, but , how is the heating issue on 17''mbp? Or more correctly, does the mbp overheats often? I asked this because I'm a heavy, heavy user. (As in, is ON almost all day, more than 8 hours, and all).

2) Will I regret buying it now and not wait for January? I honestly cannot wait any longer, my notebook is far to old (ok, not that old but for my needs it is) and it has only 512 megabytes of RAM. =(


3) Will I adjust to it quickly? I'm in the middle of final exams and final projects of this semester in school and I'm gonna need it a lot these days. I've read that it takes 2-3 days to adjust from pc to mac..

So , I guess that's all, I apologize if this has been asked and if this is "One of those noobie threads again", but I appreciate all the replies =) thank you.

If you need it now buy it. i understant what are going through i had this semester a old but trusty HP with a pIII 650mhz 10gb and 256mb of ram, it was driving me crazy because i installed xp on it and it was painfully slow for many things. mine gets warm,but these mac like AC they dont get that warm in AC.

 

[bntz313]

you can also set you track pad so that if you hold two fingers on it and then click it's a right click, this has ben helping me out alot.

 

[adlos]

Just to inform how my decisions are going.

I decided to buy it this weekend, the thing is that the closest place to buy it is either in best buy in mcallen texas , or compusa in the same city. The problem is that non of them has the new 2.6GH , 200~something GB macbook pro!! Any idea on why? They just have the 2.4gh 160gb models..... , but the thing is that I can only buy it this weekend and they say those models arrive in 2-4 weeks!!!!
Any advice?

 

[squeeks]

you can also set you track pad so that if you hold two fingers on it and then click it's a right click, this has ben helping me out alot.

or better yet, two finger taping for double click? surprised no one has mentioned that its the thing i love the most, i wish the PC laptops i had to use had this feature and i really miss it on my ibook g3

 

[creator2456]

Just to inform how my decisions are going.

I decided to buy it this weekend, the thing is that the closest place to buy it is either in best buy in mcallen texas , or compusa in the same city. The problem is that non of them has the new 2.6GH , 200~something GB macbook pro!! Any idea on why? They just have the 2.4gh 160gb models..... , but the thing is that I can only buy it this weekend and they say those models arrive in 2-4 weeks!!!!
Any advice?

It's a custom option so no store will carry it unless a reseller get one as a return and sells as a refurb. You are going to have to buy online.

 

[amac4me]

Congrats on your decision to buy your first Mac.

 

[theGrindle]

That's a tough one...

I guess you have to consider if the marginally faster processor and larger hard drive are worth the extra time and money.

I was in a similar position and went ahead and bought the 17in 2.4 GHz and 160 GB model they carry at the store. I love it, I doubt I would notice a difference in the speed of the 2.6 GHz model, if I had decided to wait and pay more.

Also I have an external HD hooked up during a good part of the day at my desk (for time machine) so the extra space it affords me (500GB) helped me feel better about not buying a larger internal hard drive.

And the money I saved is probably going to upgrading the RAM from 2Gigs to 4Gigs from a third party vendor.

Good luck with your decision and congratulations on getting your first mac.

 

[macbookprofan07]

what keyboard do you prefer: current MBP or macbook?

so, what keyboard style do you prefer on a MBP Update: the current style or the macbook one?

and would you buy it?

 

[nines]

If you want one now, just get one. That waiting is a neverending story...

Got a 17'' Hi-Res in late June but decided to get a refund because the resolution was just too crazy for me and turning it down resulted in a rather blurry experience. I highly recommend you only to get a 17'' machine if you need such a high resolution for professional reasons otherwhise it's overkill and the non Hi-Res 17'' currently has the 'worst' display of all the MBPs not being LED or ultrasharp 'HD'.

With a 2.4GHz CPU you will be fine for a long time, same with the 2.2GHz version. Again the 2.6GHz CPU is only necessary if you need to squeeze out all the processesing power you could eventually get because you need it for professional reasons.

In my opinion the 15.4'' 2.4GHz MacBook Pro is the most well balanced of the series. Great performance and decent battery life. I got the stock HDD and will swap it for a bigger and faster one if I get the feeling that I need more space. For that matter I will go to an Apple Store and let one of the technicians do it so I wont lose my warranty. The old HDD I'm going to put into an 'Icy Box' or any similar product to use it as external storage.

So if you need the computer for your final exams, don't occupy yourself with brooding about what MBP, update rumors and if you could regret not getting the biggest and meanest out there. Even the 2.2GHz MBP is already a killertool and just performing a tiny bit worse then the 2.4GHz model when playing games in Windows, that's it. Good luck with your decision and exams! =)