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need help convincing

celebrian23

celebrian23

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Mar 12, 2006
1,186
0
Under the sun
Usually it's the parent who wants to save money and the kid who wants the most expensive model, but my case is reversed. For my graduation, I was allowed to pick any laptop under 2000. After some time, I decided the macbook was better for my needs- the games I play don't use 3D graphics, I'm not a professional or someone who needs top performance on professional applications and I think the macbook is just a great college laptop. Because I insisted on the mbp for 3 months, my dad doesn't want me to get the macbook. He says I'm making a huge mistake and I'll regret it. What should I do?
 
just get the mbp. it couldn't hurt to have more than you need right? but if it turns out later you want to do something that the macbook wouldn't let you, you will regret it.
 
Accept the offer. Bigger screen + resolution and a better case IMO.
In class the 13" might be a better choice. But when at home you will appreciate the bigger 15" screen.
The better graphics might come in handy some day when you need the power. Future games, video etc.

If the price difference doesn't bother your parents then go for the MBP. Why not?
 
The mbp is too problem ridden for me. And I shall never play 3D games. I am a minimalist- I'd rather get more HDD and RAM then get the stock MBP.
 
wow this is a rare case indeed, perhaps you could work out a compromise of some sort? idk. you just need to talk to them and explain that the MB is perfect for your needs and the MBP would be simply a waste of money. either way you'll get an amazing machine and good luck.
 
celebrian23 said:
The mbp is too problem ridden for me. And I shall never play 3D games. I am a minimalist- I'd rather get more HDD and RAM then get the stock MBP.
Click to expand...
The MB has it's problems too. Many similar to the MBP. The better graphics would also help in GUI performance in Vista. I bet that Lepard won't be less graphics intensive either.

You can always get an external HDD and more ram. I did :)
 
Thanks. It's just that why buy a stock mbp when I can get a white 2.0ghz, 1GB ram and an 80GB for much cheaper. I don't care about screen resolution- I don't see so well anyways. Any way you spin it, my face will be 2 inches from the screen. I can't afford more RAM if I get a MBP. I know theirs cons and pros to each, but the refurb MBP is the only offer I would accept.

So tell me, can an mbp run on 512MB of ram?
 
celebrian23 said:
Thanks. It's just that why buy a stock mbp when I can get a white 2.0ghz, 1GB ram and an 80GB for much cheaper. I don't care about screen resolution- I don't see so well anyways. Any way you spin it, my face will be 2 inches from the screen. I can't afford more RAM if I get a MBP. I know theirs cons and pros to each, but the refurb MBP is the only offer I would accept.

So tell me, can an mbp run on 512MB of ram?
Click to expand...
Sure. Mine did for about a month with no probs at all. The extra ram comes in handy if you want to run ram extensive programs. Like video editing, Photoshop etc. Or if you want to run several programs simultaneously.

If you're just surfing, using iTunes and typing then the 512 should be fine.
 
hmm... it was the same case with me... because my parents wanted to give me the mbp not mb... but you know what? i don't play that many games, not the really complex kill everyone 3d games anyway. i don't really do video editing and though i do like photoshopping, its not the end of the world if i can't have that magical graphics card which seems to me (in my very non computer proficient way) the main diff between mb and mbp- oh and the screen but i always thought 15' was a bit big (now everyone are going to tell me mbp and mb are the same size since i haven't actually seen them side by side)

i told my parents for my needs i only need a mb and basically said i wanted the higher end white one because they gave me a black i pod and i ended up getting a white case for it (doh!) and i listed out all the differences i can think of between the two and the fact i want to have the possibility of bring the thing to the library and that they are saving big bucks on a mb for my needs and they said yes. and stuck 2 gig of ram in for me and threw in a ms office. and feel that they got a good deal all round as i also gave them price comparisons with comprable ibms, fujitsu and sonys at cost (the others we were considering)

i don't know. if you really want a mb and tell them exactly why the mb is better for you then i don't think any parent will mind not shelling out lots more? and may be you can get them to get you something for the money they 'saved' like an ipod, a psp, a new sound system, new clothes whatever...
 
Thanks fatties! I think listing the differrences will help my dad. The other good thing is the college I'm heading to in the fall offers a lot of free software (with the big one being office:mac). Thanks for the advice!
 
I would say go for the MacBook, bump up the Ram from Crucial or somewhere else with quality Ram, and stick a 7200RPM Hard Drive in it. The 13.3 inch wide screen is good for portability. Although, when writing papers for classes, I have found the you need a lot more room than than even a 15 inch laptop can provide. Generally to have two or three pages displayed at once. I would suggest that you ask your parents to get the MacBook, and use the extra money for an inexpensive display for home or dorm, as well as a separate keyboard and mouse. These things make writing papers much more enjoyable.
 
keep this in mind, my personal experience...

I got the 12" PB to 'take to class' and use for portability, but when i actually got ot college, I realized that NO ONE at my school brings laptops to class and so my reasoning for buying was caput. I wish i had gone for the 15" because as a business major i'm constantly using firefox/excel/word at the same time, and i wound up never taking the PB off the iCurve and hooking up an external display/KB and BT Mouse to it. Think about what you're losing, the weight and size don't differ much, but the more screen realestate the better IMO.
 
celebrian23 said:
Usually it's the parent who wants to save money and the kid who wants the most expensive model, but my case is reversed. For my graduation, I was allowed to pick any laptop under 2000. After some time, I decided the macbook was better for my needs- the games I play don't use 3D graphics, I'm not a professional or someone who needs top performance on professional applications and I think the macbook is just a great college laptop. Because I insisted on the mbp for 3 months, my dad doesn't want me to get the macbook. He says I'm making a huge mistake and I'll regret it. What should I do?
Click to expand...
Wait until fall and hope that a revision of the mbp comes out.
 
I strongly recommend buying the MB and upping RAM/HD space. The MBP is great - I have one through work - but it's not going to be any fun with 512MB. FWIW, 1 GB is a minimum on the MB. I'd recommend buying the stock model (well, getting one with 512MB RAM) and replacing one of the 256MB sticks with a 3rd party 1GB stick. 1.25GB is better than 1GB (matched/paired or not... more RAM trumps less RAM), and it gives you and upgrade path to 2GB.
 
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