Considering MacBook over MacBook Pro, good choice?

[ChickenSwartz]

So I have been eyeing a MBP for a while now, since May. From day one I assumed I would get a MBP. I have been thinking for a while now that a MacBook would be all I need.

I am a first year engineering graduate student in bioengineering. I am doing class work as well as lab work.

Software I will be using (ranked from most to least):
1. Web browsing and e-mail
2. Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
3. iLife (making my website, organizing photos and music that are on external HD)
4. Matlab for numerical methods homework, maybe some lab realted work
5. Maybe LabView, programming only (no data collection)
6. Maybe ABAQUS, object creation, meshing and simulations on remote server

I will be taking this to and from class/lab to home everyday for the next 4...5...well, let's say 5 years (or life of computer).

I have a lot of resources for more intensive computing.

I am mainly looking for the software above and portability (take when traveling, etc.).

Right now I have a 1.7GHz P4 Toshiba, 768 MB Ram, 40 GB HD, nVidia GeForce4 440 (32 MB dedicated). I have had it for 4 years and it has at one point run all the software above without a problem, but it is about done.

I will be purchasing 2.0GHz, 1gig ram (2x512), and 80GB HD

My comparison:
MBP: Better video card, bigger screen---$2128 (w/AppleCare)

MB: 0.4lbs lighter, up to 6 hrs battery (1.5 more than MBP), 12.16 cubic inches smaller, I like black color---$1672 (w/AppleCare)

Difference: $456

Am I missing anything?

Anyone have experience with the software, specifically Matlab and Labview?

 

[thedude110]

I have a lot of resources for more intensive computing.

That's all I needed to read.

Save the $500 and get a MacBook -- I doubt you'll miss the extra oomph of the MBP.

I'm even going to be brave enough to suggest you look at refurbished iBooks, -- $999 for a 14".

 

[ChickenSwartz]

I'm even going to be brave enough to suggest you look at refurbished iBooks, -- $999 for a 14".

Being that I am in an engineering lab, I need to have the option of running Windows.

 

[dukebound85]

Im a senior mechanical engineering student. Got by on a 1ghz emac for my first 3 until I decided to but a macbook with a 19in screen. So far its perfect for my needs.

Also, keep in mind all the big engineering software titles may only be able to run via the labs due to liscensing.

Labview was almost always been on the computers in which we captured data so no issue there. I mean usually you capture data off labview export to excel and then mess around with it and write the report.


Trust me, the macbook is more than good and if anything cut costs now and upgrade in the future.

Personally once the mini gets alot better chips then the macbook ill just get one of those to replace my macbook as my desktop or not .....lol

EDIT: also most school i would believe offer a vpn service so you can access all of ther applications if you need to

 

[ChickenSwartz]

Im a senior mechanical engineering student. Got by on a 1ghz emac for my first 3 until I decided to but a macbook with a 19in screen. So far its perfect for my needs.

Also, keep in mind all the big engineering software titles may only be able to run via the labs due to liscensing.

Labview was almost always been on the computers in which we captured data so no issue there. I mean usually you capture data off labview export to excel and then mess around with it and write the report.


Trust me, the macbook is more than good and if anything cut costs now and upgrade in the future.

Personally once the mini gets alot better chips then the macbook ill just get one of those to replace my macbook as my desktop or not .....lol

EDIT: also most school i would believe offer a vpn service so you can access all of ther applications if you need to

Yeah, it would be tough to capture LabView data onto a MacBook. I don't even think it is possible. I just want to be able to have LabView to program the data aquisition files, and of course Excel to manipulate the data.

Btw...1995 Toyta Celica here.

 

[dukebound85]

Yeah, it would be tough to capture LabView data onto a MacBook. I don't even think it is possible. I just want to be able to have LabView to program the data aquisition files, and of course Excel to manipulate the data.

Btw...1995 Toyta Celica here.

Nice car! My bro has a 97 st and has been modding it (lowering, jdm's,clear corners, gt4 wing)

A cool forum for celica owners is 6gc.com or alltrac.net if you like talking about celicas

Damn elevation robbing me of my horsepower lol

 

[miles01110]

If you need your notebook to last 5 years, then I think you will definitely need to go with the Macbook Pro. Personally, I don't see any computer lasting that long- but the Macbook is going to date much more quickly than the MBP.

The MBP boots into windows quite easily- I don't have parallels installed yet but Boot Camp works just fine. Matlab under Rosetta is quite slow, be warned. PS instead of Word, use a LaTeX editor.

 

[ChickenSwartz]

If you need your notebook to last 5 years, then I think you will definitely need to go with the Macbook Pro. Personally, I don't see any computer lasting that long- but the Macbook is going to date much more quickly than the MBP.

The MBP boots into windows quite easily- I don't have parallels installed yet but Boot Camp works just fine. Matlab under Rosetta is quite slow, be warned. PS instead of Word, use a LaTeX editor.

I don't plan on it lasting 5 years. I would be happy at 4.

I went into the Apple store today to take a look at both, again. I don't like the big space around the screen on the MB and I am not a huge fan of the glossy screen. But then again, the MB did burn me when I was using it.

So, needless to say, I am still undecided. I might wait a few weeks and see if Core 2 Duo pops up.

 

[miles01110]

I don't plan on it lasting 5 years. I would be happy at 4.

I went into the Apple store today to take a look at both, again. I don't like the big space around the screen on the MB and I am not a huge fan of the glossy screen. But then again, the MB did burn me when I was using it.

So, needless to say, I am still undecided. I might wait a few weeks and see if Core 2 Duo pops up.

Waiting can never hurt. My vote is still for the MBP though- I was a little surprised that Merom wasn't announced today....oh well, another week or two before mine is "old."

 

[ChickenSwartz]

Waiting can never hurt. My vote is still for the MBP though- I was a little surprised that Merom wasn't announced today....oh well, another week or two before mine is "old."

Yeah, maybe next Tuesday.

I can wait for a while. Although I would be a more productive person if I got my new computer. Not becasue mine is THAT bad but then I would get off these damn forums and get to work...

 

[FFTT]

If you're going to run a Windows partition on a regular basis, I'd move up to the
100 GB HD.

Mac OSX and the formatting uses roughly 15 GB of HD space.
You can knock that down quite a bit with a lean custom OS install.
Even so, you should still allow 20GB for your Windows partion.