Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Pulled The Trigger- New Macbook Pro On the Way- Advice

J

Josheua

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 2, 2007
171
0
United States
I did it... For numerous reasons.

1) I couldn't pass up the refurbished price of 2,099 which I feel is a good deal
2) I though long and hard about and Just can't live with vista till February when the new macbook pro's will probably come in
3) I don't think we will see a major redesign of the pro till June (but that's me)
4) I am just ready to switch...

So any advice you have for me. Any things I should do to ensure that my macbook pro has no problems? Anythings like heating up the system (thermal paste issue) etc? Any software to download? Any upgrades to get?

Thanks for the advice.

-Josh "A Happy Switcher" :apple:
 
Same here :)

I did the exact same thing. Ordered this past Sunday -- it arrived yesterday. It's in 100% perfect condition -- brand spanking new! 2099$ was an amazing price.
 
Congrats new switchers!

The only thing I'd recommend is downloading Rember and letting it run for a good long time. (It's a memory test tool.)
 
I bought one recently as well, knowing well that they'll be updated in a few weeks. The current prices and rebates are too good to pass up, and it's nice to have a fast machine over the holidays.

Run the Apple Hardware Test. To do this, boot from the system DVD #1, hold down the D key while booting. Run the extended memory test. It'll take an hour or so. Most kernel panics are due to bad memory. Upgrades? Definitely go for 4GB RAM (check ramseeker.com for good prices). Or if you're brave, install a 200GB 7200RPM drive, or the new Western Digital 320GB drive, which is probably just as fast. I chose the Hitachi 7k200 200GB, and it's almost desktop-fast.
 
I so enjoy reading about people who can't wait another month for the next update, but are happy as hell with their order.

I mean honestly, would you really be any happier if you waited for an unnoticeable speed bump?
 
Nope, I wouldn't have been much happier(or really at all for that matter) I am so ready to switch to mac and being able to run downstairs on christmas morning and rip through those boxes with my MBP, keyboard, mighty mouse, neoprene cover, and such is going to be great. Not to mention the sheer joy as I get all my stuff updated, download some widgets I want, and get everything set up just the way I want (all while my vista running dell wimpers in the cold outside :D ) I look at it this way, no matter what the hardware is in a month. I will still be running the latest and greatest operating system, and in the end that is what counts. Becuase you can have a super computer and if you are running windows 3.0 it isn't worth Bill Gates' evil heart. :D

Any other advices. What about the thermal paste issue? Is there something I need to do about that?

-Josh :apple:
 
Congrats on your new machines. You guys got great deals on great Macs, regardless of what happens in the future. Refurb seems to be the way to go; even forgetting about the price break it appears to be the way to get a perfect Mac.

I'm a "waiter", but I definitely understand the urge to buy it now. I wish I had the fortitude to buy it now and then not suffer the remorse next month when Penryns are announced. I also have no urgent or immediate need, it's just about time to retire the PowerBook.

13" MBP with real pro specs still my dream...

Enjoy your new Macs, you did great!
 
Congrats!

I did the same thing last week and bought the same exact refurb. It was such a good deal. Awhile back I could never justify spending over 2k for a laptop, but it was so worth it. I absolulety love my MBP. :) I did upgrade to a WD 250GB HDD though, it was another good deal I found although it's 5400rpm. It's fine for me although I don't know any different to be honest.. I'm more about the space I guess.

Great for those of you who are waiting for the new Penryns.. but as for me, I don't think I need for the things I do. I think Photoshop is about the heaviest app I use, other than that it's basic productivity. So I think for now my SR model suits me well.

And I agree refurbs are really the way to go. Even my Dyson is a refurb and it works great.

Congrats again. :)
 
You'd definitely want to open up two terminal windows and write 'yes> /dev/null'

and execute both of them. This will max out both cores and make it hot hot hot. Make it run for around 8 hours or so.
If you have iTunes, repeat a song over and over (you can just turn the volume down if it bothers you, don't mute it though).
This will heat up the laptop and show you if something is wrong. It will also heat up the termal paste and make it settle better, ultimately making your laptop cooler in the future.

Install a 3d intensive game (any game will do) and make it run by itself at full brightness, for instance at a pausescreen or such) for around 8 hours. This will have the same effect as the dev/null before but on the GPU instead.

If your new laptop can take this 'abusive' excercise, it will probably last you a long time.
 
How do i stop yes> dev\null\ after I start it. If it overheats and messes up my computer, am I liable? How big of an issue is the thermal paste? Why do I need to heat up the graphics card? Doesn't intensive heat mess up my battery?

As for waiting, I was so sure I was going to but with all this crud being about the 13.3 inch aluminum powerbooks, I knew what i wanted was the 15 so if all the attention they are getting is a penryn speed bump, why wait? Also, i won't come back in January winning about upgrades, yes it is inevitable. So is montenieva, 3-dimensional computing, and holographics, but you don't see me waiting for those either now do you? :D

-Josh :apple:

P.S. December 25th Can't come fast enough. I wish I had Time Machine now? (and when do you think Apple will add the feature for time machine where I can go into the FUTURE and get documents. Like that research paper I don't want to write but will have in the future? :D)
 
Josheua said:
P.S. December 25th Can't come fast enough. I wish I had Time Machine now? (and when do you think Apple will add the feature for time machine where I can go into the FUTURE and get documents. Like that research paper I don't want to write but will have in the future? :D)
Click to expand...

Made me laugh. :D

That aside, I wouldn't 'stress test' your machine. If it is going to fail, it will do so under normal conditions so why push it? Also, check here for what software is good/necessary to have. You can also look here.
 
creator2456 said:
Made me laugh. :D

That aside, I wouldn't 'stress test' your machine. If it is going to fail, it will do so under normal conditions so why push it? Also, check here for what software is good/necessary to have. You can also look here.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I agree about the stress test. I just don't think it is worth it. I have apple care, if something goes wrong I can take it to my local apple store and pitch a fit :D . Now time to wait to see if I get a great refurbished macbook pro or am one of the unlucky few who get the crappy ones. I am counting on a good-one!

-Josh :apple:
 
Congrats to the new switchers. I'm hoping to be a switcher as well as soon as possible, but the possibility of updated Macbooks pretty much has me pinned down until January 15th.
 
I just wished we knew more on the supposed aluminum MacBooks coming at Macworld. I am literally being paid to buy a new, top-of-the-line "Blackbook," and I'm wondering if I should just go for it now or wait for the aluminum treatment, if it happens at all.
 
I think those aluminum macbook's aren't macbook's but the rumored ultra-thin macbook pro. So if you want a macbook go for a macbook. I personally can't wait till my 15.4 pro gets here. I'm so excited ::tear:: Even if I have to install leopard myself.

-Josh :apple:
 
Quillz said:
I just wished we knew more on the supposed aluminum MacBooks coming at Macworld. I am literally being paid to buy a new, top-of-the-line "Blackbook," and I'm wondering if I should just go for it now or wait for the aluminum treatment, if it happens at all.
Click to expand...

Aluminium laptop? ask yourself, "do I want crap wireless reception" if not, then purchase a Macbook.
 
Josheua said:
I think those aluminum macbook's aren't macbook's but the rumored ultra-thin macbook pro. So if you want a macbook go for a macbook. I personally can't wait till my 15.4 pro gets here. I'm so excited ::tear:: Even if I have to install leopard myself.

-Josh :apple:
Click to expand...
This is what I was thinking, especially as the Buyers' Guide does recommend you get a MacBook now, as they've just been recently updated. And it probably doesn't help that I've already ordered the iSkin ProTouch and Soho for the current MacBook. They may become useless if the casing is redesigned.
kaiwai said:
Aluminium laptop? ask yourself, "do I want crap wireless reception" if not, then purchase a Macbook.
Click to expand...
This is true, as well, but how much worse will Wi-Fi reception be? I mean, last time I used a MacBook Pro, it was able to pick up all the same networks that my MacBook could, so is aluminum really as bad as they say?
 
I don't understand why people keep deluding themselves that an aluminum laptop from Apple could ever be anything other than a Macbook Pro. I mean, is this the kind of "choose your own reality"-thinking that people use when supporting George Bush? It's amazing to watch. All the facts are easily available, yet people persist with "Lalala there's a new Macbook coming filled with all sorts of MBP technology and I'll be able to afford it in January"-madness. Oh well. The forums should be a fun read next year.
 
Quillz said:
This is true, as well, but how much worse will Wi-Fi reception be? I mean, last time I used a MacBook Pro, it was able to pick up all the same networks that my MacBook could, so is aluminum really as bad as they say?
Click to expand...

No. I have owned a Powerbook, macbook, and Macbook Pro. All three seemed to have the same wireless performance. They also all picked up the same networks around my home. One way I real world tested: I use a gym that has wifi in a library close by. I can only use that wifi from one area in the gym, and all three of the laptops had 2 bars from that same spot.
 
Quillz said:
This is what I was thinking, especially as the Buyers' Guide does recommend you get a MacBook now, as they've just been recently updated. And it probably doesn't help that I've already ordered the iSkin ProTouch and Soho for the current MacBook. They may become useless if the casing is redesigned.

This is true, as well, but how much worse will Wi-Fi reception be? I mean, last time I used a MacBook Pro, it was able to pick up all the same networks that my MacBook could, so is aluminum really as bad as they say?
Click to expand...

Every person here who seems to have problems stands behind it - lets remember science class everyone, and what metal can do to reception. Its not rock science, its commonsense.

Side note, god knows why people have aluminium fetish, people whine about marks on their blackbook, a aluminium one is 200x times worse.
 
masse said:
I so enjoy reading about people who can't wait another month for the next update, but are happy as hell with their order.

I mean honestly, would you really be any happier if you waited for an unnoticeable speed bump?
Click to expand...

Exactly——Yesterday I purchased a MBP 2.6ghz, 200 gig 7200 rpm, 4Gig (third party) RAM, 17" High Res Matte unit for use on a project while back East visiting family over the holidays. Needed it now.

With 4gig Ram I am running Leopard, and in VMWare Fusion, Windows 2000, Windows XP Pro and Windows Vista to systematically test the websites I develop in all browsers and operating systems—Can you say Sweet! And all the OS's are running at the same time in the Dock. Wow.

I will have NO regrets if MacWorld produces new stuff.

If there is anything I've learned about Apple right now is that they are willing to take a few more "acceptable quality loss" risks to get products out faster. I am referring to all the problems people had with the "yellow screen tint" on the MBP 15" and MB LED's.

I was happy to get the "outdated" LCD -- Yes it uses a bit more power, Yes, it is a bit less bright. BUT it looks fantastic and works perfectly right now.

No thanks to a new model, or redesign, in January.

I jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, day one and had no regrets, same for the G5 Quad, but not on a powerbook.

Happy I pulled the trigger now. This is one, stable, wicked fast, and usable machine.

Dante
 
masse said:
I so enjoy reading about people who can't wait another month for the next update, but are happy as hell with their order.

I mean honestly, would you really be any happier if you waited for an unnoticeable speed bump?
Click to expand...

Fully agree. There's a lot to be said for living in the present, instead of forever lusting after the uncertainties of the future.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back