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Finally making the switch

R

RyanTheGeneral

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 10, 2009
228
6
Finally after all this time waiting and wanting a apple Mac. I am now getting one. Today is my bday and I decided to make the jump today. Later on when the Apple store opens im driving down there and treating myself to a nice MBP. Only thing i am contemplating is which one do I want?

I am torn between the 13" and the 15".. because I am going to be also hooking it up to my 42" tv when I am in my room so I am still deciding which one. any advice? wish me luck and it feels good to finally be joining the mac family.
 
To drive a 42" tv then I would possibly go with the 15" MacBook pro.

You will love your new mac!!!
 
I really hope I do.. I been wanting one for awhile especially since I self proclaimed myself and apple fan.. whats the difference putting out the video to the 42" from the 15" and the 13"?
 
If you're talking about the 15" with the 9600M GT, Vs. The 13", then the 15" has the extra GPU, so it will prevent any lag or video problems which you may see whilst going with a 42" tv with a 13" MBP
 
I'm sure the 13" would be able to power it, but with the 15" you get the option of the discrete graphics card, the 9600M which is more powerful and would provide a better experience. They are more expensive and like I said the 13" would probably suffice most of the time.

How much you looking to spend if you don't mind me asking?
 
Ok am taking all this into consideration. Like I said an going to the apple store in a couple hours. Going to take a quick look at both but since I am spending money that was givin to me as gifts I am open to either and most likely will be picking up the 15". Goin to check weight and all that good stuff I will be carrying it with me to school and everywhere else I travel
 
I would think most of the time the 13"/15" MacBook pro with the 9400M would be more than adequate for what you would want to do on it I would imagine.

Don't forget that you will also need the right cable to connect it too your tv!
 
Already planning on buying mini display port to VGA. I have to find find my VGA I know I have one. If not just going to buy new one.
 
First off happy birthday hope you have a great one. Personally I'd say go for a 15" with a 9600M GT, worth it for the extra power especially for powering up a 42" tv. Carry my 15" about and find it easy enough, it's light for a laptop of that size. Whatever you decide enjoy and let us know what you go for :D
 
the 9400 is MORE than enough to view 1080p on your TV. It doesn't matter whether it is a 42" TV or a 32" like mine as long as they both are using the same resolution 1920 x 1080 (thats full hd) heck it could even be 100" and would require exactly the same to run smooth.
i say that for sure the 13" macbook with the 9400 card would do as my moms 4-5 year old IBM thinkpad with 1.8 celeron(i think) and intel-something IGP can run this smooth and that 13" macbook is way beyond this old IBM.

paying that much extra for the 9600 card would be overkill especially if you do the upgrade just to hook it up to your tv
 
FnuGk said:
the 9400 is MORE than enough to view 1080p on your TV. It doesn't matter whether it is a 42" TV or a 32" like mine as long as they both are using the same resolution 1920 x 1080 (thats full hd) heck it could even be 100" and would require exactly the same to run smooth.
i say that for sure the 13" macbook with the 9400 card would do as my moms 4-5 year old IBM thinkpad with 1.8 celeron(i think) and intel-something IGP can run this smooth and that 13" macbook is way beyond this old IBM.

paying that much extra for the 9600 card would be overkill especially if you do the upgrade just to hook it up to your tv
Click to expand...

Point is, can a Macbook Pro (whether 13", or not) handle 1080p content?
 
Thanks everyone in advance. I am leaving in few min to pick it up. I'm going to look in the store and see which one does the job and which catches my attention. Because the money not really an issue
 
Pro tip: Don't get help from the staff untill you're (almost) decided. That way, they can't talk you into the bigger one just to sell more.
 
RyanTheGeneral said:
Thanks everyone in advance. I am leaving in few min to pick it up. I'm going to look in the store and see which one does the job and which catches my attention. Because the money not really an issue
Click to expand...

Personally, unless you use the extra video card for gaming and such, it is a waste of money. Not only do you have to get a 15 inch, but you have to get the high end one. I chose the 13 over the 15, and with the etra money picked up applecare, 500gb hd, 6gb ram, and the beats by dre. Think about it. And btw, i took the 13 because of portability and weight. It truly is an option you must consider, as i was in the same boat as you
 
imachack said:
Personally, unless you use the extra video card for gaming and such, it is a waste of money. Not only do you have to get a 15 inch, but you have to get the high end one. I chose the 13 over the 15, and with the etra money picked up applecare, 500gb hd, 6gb ram, and the beats by dre. Think about it. And btw, i took the 13 because of portability and weight. It truly is an option you must consider, as i was in the same boat as you
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm going to weigh all options and might get the 13 and get AppleCare and to tofa yes I plan to basically know which one I want before I talk to them although a friend of mine works there and I think she would give me an honest opinion. But I still want to have my mind basiclu set up before I jump to them for help. Good advice
 
Happy Birthday! :)

I bought my MAC 6 weeks ago (thanks CoconutBattery ;)) but up until a few days ago had been using a Toshiba until it died on me. I was so nervous about making the big switch, as really I knew nothing about apple computers except that they look pretty.

I got the MBP 15 inch, and so far I love it. I do think the 13 inch has it's pros because a) yes, it's cheaper and b) it's much easier to carry around which actually would be handy for me as I'm constantly traveling but having had a 17 inch screen - to go to a 13 inch screen was too big a difference, it felt tiny. I am a real noob when it comes to computers and I'm so grateful for this forum as I've searched about 100 questions in the last day or so and always found the answers here. So thanks everyone!

Enjoy your new Mac and I hope you have a great day.

Carmy
 
JoelKelly said:
If you're talking about the 15" with the 9600M GT, Vs. The 13", then the 15" has the extra GPU, so it will prevent any lag or video problems which you may see whilst going with a 42" tv with a 13" MBP
Click to expand...

Why is this topic filled with such crap? Seriously, suggesting that the 13" MBP might struggle driving a 42" TV is just ridiculous! If you don't know for sure, don't post crap! It is highly misleading, and the OP obviously doesn't know much about that, so you aren't helping at all in the decision on what Mac to get.

The 9400M is a very capable chip - and for integrated graphics, it really flies. Handling 1080p content in its strive..
 
Thank you all so much for all the suggestions and feedback. I decided to go with with high-end 13". I am currently typing on it right now.. So far so good... How the hell do I maximize the window(safari, itunes,etc)? i figured out how to right click using the two clicks took me a bit doing it by myself and not reading about it of course lol.

so if anyone can shed some light on how to do that would be great.

im changing my sig. to CURRENT mac user.

thanks kilamite.. I had already purchased it before I read this but thanks for the support.
 
if you want TRUE fullscreen web grab the latest build of google chrome browser from http://build.chromium.org/buildbot/snapshots/chromium-rel-mac/
and shift+command+f to make it FULLSCREEN

an easy way to get safari to takeup the whole screen is just zoom in on any webpage and then click maximize button (green one) for itunes or any other app just resize it to take whole screen it'll remember on next load
 
Azathoth said:
Steve Jobs doesn't want a window to fill the whole screen.





Yes, that's a lacking OS X feature that annoys me.
Click to expand...

Thats pretty stupid.. but i just stretched the screen to as far as its goes, so far that is working good. Im slowly learning everything that I need to know about the Macintosh. I just learned(from this website and apple site) that I should leave the MBP plugged in most of the time. And my friend who has one says he keeps his plugged in most of the time. so I think im going to keep it plugged in and continue learning more stuff..

p.s. funny little story I spent over 3 hours getting use to my MBP, and when my girl ask me to help her with something on her comp. (she has a pc) I tried to click her trackpad and almost tried to scroll with two fingers.
 
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