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MBP Users -- Your Likes/Dislikes?

ryanflucas

ryanflucas

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 28, 2006
148
17
Milwaukee, WI
I had originally planned to buy the new iMac 24" after the next refresh, but I've revisited the idea of a MacBook Pro 15". I would be using this for wireless web browsing, web design, day to day needs with organizing my consulting business, no gaming. I'm self employed as a IT Consultant, and while 99% of what I fix and use is PC/Windows, I plan on moving my entire business over to Mac. While still repairing PC's I want to see if I can make at least 25% of the business Mac orientated. The only other Mac I own right now is a Power G4 1.2GHZ (OWC cpu upgrade) 1GB ram, 80GB Hard Disk, DVDRW Burner, 64MB Radeon Video, 10.4 Tiger.

I like the idea of the iMac because of the large display, but I think I'd rather get a MacBook Pro and just hook up an external display if needed. I like the idea of a MacBook Pro for portability, the backlit keyboard, and the Nvidia based video card. I don't really like ATI products all that much, I've been a better fan of the Nvidia series.

So far I'm considering the 15" 2.4GHZ Core2Duo Penryn, 200GB 7200rpm option, glossy option, applecare warranty option. I'd buy 4GB of ram and install it on my own to max out the memory. I like some of the options that .Mac offers, but don't feel the cost is that good. Is the yearly renewel rate for .Mac any cheaper then the retail price?

So those of you that own the MacBook Pro's, what are your likes/dislikes? My buying time is probably 1-3 months. Thanks! :D
 
Perfect

I own the new 17" MBP Penryn 2.6, and I love it. I am a professional video editor and also use it for web design. Some people have had complaints, but mine is perfect. I use it with a 23" hd monitor when editing and it works great.

It is strong, fast and portable. Definitely a good decision. I got the 5400 250GB drive because I wanted the extra space. I edit on externals anyway, so the drive speed doesn't really matter. I have owned both speed of drives and can't really tell the difference on the internal, but I never edit on an internal drive.

Go for it!!!
 
I have a 17" MBP 2.33GHz and my only complaint is quite minor and not exclusive to Macs, (happened on my Alienware laptop too). I hate that dust can get trapped in the speaker grill. It's really obvious in altering it's appearance slightly (to me), and I've tried to vacuum it out to no avail. I am not brave enough to try sticking a pin in there to dislodge it. Other than that, nothing but love. :)
 
I, too, am a video editor and so far running Avid and FCP on my new Penryn MBP has been a delight. I am concerned that it does run a little hotter than I'd like, even for normal tasks like using word and just chatting and going online.

My other complaint and it might just be cause mine is new is that there seems to be some sort of dusty, powdery residue on my macbook pro that causes these weird blotches when my wrists sweat (cause it's running warm) on the wrist area.

Btw, I dont know if it'll matter to you but I would spend a bit more for the 2.5. I forget the specifics but it has something to do with the 6MB of shared cache or something like that. While a .1 bump in processor speed is negligible the shared cache thing will make a difference. I use a 24" iMac at home and when I'm away I use my 15" MBP and it runs just as fast.
 
Mine stays very cold, but perhaps it's because I have 4 gigs of ram and use the 5400 HD instead of 7200?

Anyway it's amazing, Im VERY happy.
 
As an independent IT Consultant myself who does Microsoft Training and services Microsoft computers / servers. I love it. I wish I had bought one sooner.

The only issue I have is that the front latch lid can be a pain for me to open, i wish it had the mac book air magnetic latch.

Other than, I've only had it less than week, and It's been great.
 
Likes: Fast, looks great, nice screen, pretty decent battery life

Dislikes: None that I can think of. The only thing I miss from my macbook is the magnetic latch system. I wonder why Apple doesn't include that function on the MBP?
 
I've only had mine 24 hours or so. I like it but watch out for the yellow screen issue. Mine has it. Also, do some research on Leopard networking issues. I'm typing this from my MBA because my MBP is dead - no network connectivity and Apple Care is closed.

Likes:
Fast, fast, fast
Solidly built
Screen size vs my MBA
Keyboard feel and backlight


Dislikes:
Yellow screen (generally not as nice as my MBA)
Leopard network issues
Lid snaps vs magnetic
Runs hotter than my air, but it's also more powerful
 
My Likes
Totally Fast.
Awesome Build.
LED Backlighting.
Keyboard With Backlighting.
Non Magnetic Latch.
Built In Speakers sound great.
Runs Quite Cool.
USB Ports on both sides.
Pretty much everything about this laptop.

My Dislikes
Dust gets stuck in the speaker grills.
 
i own apple macbook pro peryn base model. so far its been great veryyyy fast machine im shocked simple to use. there are a few annoying things that bother me. hot laptop lid not closing completley even. slight yellowing on the bottom of the screen im sure thats normal. for 2gs apple should really fix those lil problems but what can u do.
 
Getting to the hard drive takes some work...not hard at all, but if only some way they could design it like the macbook's. If only their superdrives were more reliable and consistent. LCD panels could be better too. Its pretty much a lottery to get a good one.

Likes:
-how small the logic board is in comparison to other laptops.
-the smooth finish of clean aluminum. I just like running my hand over it..and then cleaning it off haha.
-all intel macs have this, but the ability to boot into windows. A lot of people (mainly windows users) still do not know this fact.
-backlit keyboard
 
Deadaim357 said:
My Likes
Totally Fast.
Awesome Build.
LED Backlighting.
Keyboard With Backlighting.
Non Magnetic Latch.
Built In Speakers sound great.
Runs Quite Cool.
USB Ports on both sides.
Pretty much everything about this laptop.

My Dislikes
Dust gets stuck in the speaker grills.
Click to expand...

Wow man. Totally... I'm going to put the Dyson to my speaker grills in a few days.
 
15" 2.5Ghz 2GB RAM


Likes- Everything but...

Dislikes- Randomly becomes slow when on Safari and other apps. Freezes alot and apps randomly close.
 
This thread should be a sticky for prospective MBP buyers..

Likes:

* My 2.6 with 7200HD is lightning fast, as fast as my 2.66 Mac Pro, no jokes.
* Backlit keyboard
* Great speakers when not using external monitors
* Widescreen Hi res display, beautiful!

Dislikes:

* Scratchy plastic keyboard feel
* Slippery casing, need to hold on very securely when carrying
* Occasionally over active fans when charging


Overall my likes outweigh my dislikes 99% to 1%. I love this machine! :)
 
kfordham281 said:
Likes: Fast, looks great, nice screen, pretty decent battery life

Dislikes: None that I can think of. The only thing I miss from my macbook is the magnetic latch system. I wonder why Apple doesn't include that function on the MBP?
Click to expand...

because the 15 and 17 inch laptop screens are too heavy to be held by magnets, they could use stronger ones but the latch is dangerously close to the hard drive
 
Thanks for all the replies!

I'm still interested, but I'm concerned about many of the quirky issues I'm reading. I probably shouldn't since I'm primarily a PC user and fairly used to getting quirky, sometimes non working items but I guess I would expect it to be almost perfect for the amount I'm investing. I would buy AppleCare either way, and actually think 3 years is too short, I'd be willing to pay for an extension to for example 5 years. I haven't known anyone that really had to put their AppleCare to the test, I'm patient but would expect that if I did have an issue most Apple stores would work with me to fix it. While this is a very small portion of the whole pool of MacBook Pro users, it's still something to think about.

Have those of you who own both a MacBook and a MacBook Pro see some issues in the Pro that are not in the regular? I may not even need dedicated video and some of the other bells/whistles, but being a PC user I'm used to always buying way more then what I need. Putting aside the obvious hardware differences, but putting emphasis on overall feel, which do you like better, the MacBook or the MacBook Pro?
 
duykur said:
because the 15 and 17 inch laptop screens are too heavy to be held by magnets, they could use stronger ones but the latch is dangerously close to the hard drive
Click to expand...

Weight has nothing to do with it. There are plenty of 15" laptops with magnetic latches on the market right now (look at the Alienware Area-51 m15x).
 
ryanflucas said:
Thanks for all the replies!

I'm still interested, but I'm concerned about many of the quirky issues I'm reading. I probably shouldn't since I'm primarily a PC user and fairly used to getting quirky, sometimes non working items but I guess I would expect it to be almost perfect for the amount I'm investing. I would buy AppleCare either way, and actually think 3 years is too short, I'd be willing to pay for an extension to for example 5 years. I haven't known anyone that really had to put their AppleCare to the test, I'm patient but would expect that if I did have an issue most Apple stores would work with me to fix it. While this is a very small portion of the whole pool of MacBook Pro users, it's still something to think about.

Have those of you who own both a MacBook and a MacBook Pro see some issues in the Pro that are not in the regular? I may not even need dedicated video and some of the other bells/whistles, but being a PC user I'm used to always buying way more then what I need. Putting aside the obvious hardware differences, but putting emphasis on overall feel, which do you like better, the MacBook or the MacBook Pro?
Click to expand...

I have worked briefly with the macbook but the macbook pro is my machine. It is almost flawless in all honesty. If you decide to go ahead with it, you know all the issues associated with faulty MBP's. So test it out and send back if you come across any problems, easy. If problems emerge after the 14 days, you still have 11.5 months warranty. I took my 2.4 in for surgery after a heat issue and it came back a 2.6! Apple are professional, they value customer experience above all else..in my experience at least.
After using PC for 6 years, Mac OS is well worth the purchase!!
 
Likes:
* Backlit keyboard
* OS X

Dislikes:
* Life of battery (i.e. number of cycles before it holds little charge)
* Magsafe connector fixing to wire is weak.

Really thinking about it, I don't honestly see much of a difference between the MBP and other decent PC laptops. OS X is why I bought a Mac, not any feature of the actual laptop (that has really surprised me too.)

As for the comment that the performance is similar to the Mac Pro above -- nonsense. My Mac Pro is much, much more powerful than my MacBook Pro.
 
CarlosG said:
As for the comment that the performance is similar to the Mac Pro above -- nonsense. My Mac Pro is much, much more powerful than my MacBook Pro.
Click to expand...

Your experience will be different to mine, carlos. My mac pro is quad 2.66, the difference between that and my macbook pro 2.6 is not noticeable. I'm running logic as intensively on both machines. Sure the mac pro has more cores and more potential power, but as it stands i see no difference in performance.

The macbook pro 2.6 with 4GB RAM and 7200rpm hd FLIES, end of story.
 
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