Need help deciding whether the MacBook or the MacBook Pro is better for me

[iW00t]

It sounds crazy but you really should go take a look at the screens before you buy it.

The 17" on the other hand is a great machine though, at the cost of portability.

 

[orangemacapple]

i've seen acers other displays and they look great. figure the 26 will be great too. and if i'm not happy, newegg has a great return policy.

 

[CaptainCaveMann]

Sorry for posting a question like this again, but I have been reading the boards for hours (literally) and the things I've read have helped a ton, but I think it would be easier to just make my own thread. lol
I am looking to buy a MacBook or MacBook Pro after the MWSF this January (barring any new model being introduced then, which seems pretty far off), which is not too bad because my birthday is soon after and my parents will hopefully get it for me around that time. I have narrowed it down to a White MB 2.0 GHz C2D model with the 120 GB HD and 1 GB RAM (at least for now) and a 15" MBP 2.16 GHz C2D with the standard 120 GB HD and 1 GB RAM.
I will be using this computer as mostly a desktop replacement (I know that many would right away say to get the MBP), but will probably carry it around when I go on any trips. I will not be using my notebook for any intensive tasks like constant video editing, or any professional web/photo design of any sort. I love the way both machines look aesthetically, but the keyboard of the MB seems a bit awkward. I don't know just how small the MB will actually look (I know that it has a 13.3" screen), and I don't want one that is too small. Portability is not my main concern, as the 15" seems to have a balance of portability and the power to be a desktop replacement. Still, money is a bit of an issue, so I am not able to easily buy the MBP as I may feel. I have recently read of how cheap the MB feels, so I hope that MB users can tell me more on that. This will be my first Mac (pretty much the first one in my whole family), so I want it to be a good one. I am pretty sure that I will be able to look at both models at an Apple Store, but I would still appreciate some insight to help me out in the future. Going to the store to see them would also help me decide if I like the glossy screens, or prefer the matte ones. If the matte ones are better, I will probably push for the MBP. Thanks in advance for your time.

Go with the MBP! You wont regret it

 

[orangemacapple]

caveman

my vote is to go with the mb.

there's nothing cheap about the way the mb feels -- or operates. i tried the mbp, and like the mb better. spend some of the xtra $ you save between them and get a desk monitor.
there really is very little diff in screen size between them, albeit the mbp screen does have a little wider field of view.

and go with the 80 Meg drive and upgrade it later to 7200rpm.

 

[iW00t]

my vote is to go with the mb.

there's nothing cheap about the way the mb feels -- or operates. i tried the mbp, and like the mb better. spend some of the xtra $ you save between them and get a desk monitor.
there really is very little diff in screen size between them, albeit the mbp screen does have a little wider field of view.

and go with the 80 Meg drive and upgrade it later to 7200rpm.

If money is the issue a refurbished MBP gives super good bang for the buck as well.

It is barely more expensive than a new 2.0ghz MB and you get so much more.

 

[interlaced]

I like the Macbook a lot better than the MBP I had. I love the portability and the screen isn't that small. For at least the next year I'll only be using it for schoolwork and other basic stuff rather than any intensive video editing that I was planning on doing with the MBP. I say save the cash and go for the Macbook.

 

[dale.albiston]

having just been through this..

I've got the macbook pro, the low end 15" one. I'm happy with it. the 13" on the macbook just looked a bit too small for me to use everyday, as a desktop replacement (which mine is) I'd have an external monitor, the 15" is justabout big enough not to need one.

still getting used to the 'widscreen' format though.

apart from the screen the other diferences may or may not matter, the glowing keyboard is very nice when i've got the telly on though.

I may drop a ram u/g into it, not sure yet I'll see how i go with only* 1GB. the screen was the selling point for me, and worth the difference between the MB & MBP.

plus its big enough to have my egalto hybred running when at the inlaws and still be 'working'... ahem..

headphones.. most useful invention of our age.

* how the hell the word 'only' can be used with 1GB for pities sake.. my old atari managed with 4MB and no virtual ram... but anyway.

 

[netdog]

I find the keyboard on the MacBook to be one of its key advantages over the MacBook Pro.