The "New" MacBook Pro.......

[BiikeMike]

So right now I am on my few month old 15" Powerbook G4.

I graduate college on Saturday, and my mom is going to buy me a MacBookPro if I give her my Powerbook. Pretty Sweet Deal

So now that the Macbooks have come out, there are a few new options on the MBP.

This is the spec I'm going for:

# 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo
# 1GB 667 DDR2 - 1 SO-DIMM
# 100GB Serial ATA drive @ 7200 rpm
# MacBook Pro 15-inch Widescreen Display
# SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
# AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth
# Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
# AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro/PowerBook (w/or w/o Display) - Auto-enroll

Is there anything I can do on my current PB that the MBP can't do? My roommate just got an MBP, and I tried to get him Flip4WMV, and it doesnt work.

As far as I understand, Adobe CS2 will run under Rosetta at comprable speeds to my current PB, and FCP will run as well. Is this correct?

Lastly, I have Virtual PC now, how much better performing is running Windoze in a Sandbox?

Thanks a lot!

 

[BiikeMike]

Oh yeah, one more thing..... Moving all my stuff from my current PB to the new MBP, how hard is that?

Do I have to reinstall all the programs, or when you do a switch does it move your applications and library folder as well? (i'm assuming not)

 

[jsw]

A couple of things....

(1) Intel Macs hog memory, much more so than PPC ones, and so that 1-stick GB option is a wise one, because you'll want more later.

(2) Numerous things still don't run at all on the Intel Macs, but the number goes down daily. Be prepared to complain occasionally, at least now.

(3) File transfer is easy. Post back when you're ready for it... but, if you have the PB handy when you first boot the MBP, it's trivial - it'll ask you if you want to, and tell you how to do it. However, that's just your personal folder files. Apps, etc. need to be reinstalled or - sometimes - just copied over. Be sure to respect licenses.

(4) Windows on an Intel Mac - no matter how you do it - simply blows away Virtual PC, but 3D graphics are still relatively poor.

 

[BiikeMike]

I understand respecting licenses, but if its my software, its my software, yes? As far as I can understand, as long as i'm running only one instance of the software at a time on one of my personal machines, its OK.

So in that case, if I copy my applications folder, and copy all my libraries, it should work, right?

 

[PatrickF]

(1) Intel Macs hog memory, much more so than PPC ones, and so that 1-stick GB option is a wise one, because you'll want more later.

Intel Macs don't hog any more memory than PPC simply because they're Intel. Unless of course you're running a PPC app under Rosetta, THEN it seriously hogs memory. But agreed, 1GB minimum is pretty much standard advice on any machine nowadays.

(4) Windows on an Intel Mac - no matter how you do it - simply blows away Virtual PC, but 3D graphics are still relatively poor.

[/QUOTE]
There are several options here, including virtualisation and emulation where 3D performance will be poor to say the least. If you install Windows natively, however, 3D performance is on par with other machines. Apart from the fact that the X1600 is underclocked in these machines, you sill get good performance when running Windows natively.

 

[BiikeMike]

why is the video card underclocked?

And am I correct that the 2.16 version has 256 of video memory, and that the slower one only has 128?

As far as I can see, the processor speed and video memory are the only two differences. Maybe someone a little better versed could point out some other differences?

 

[MovieCutter]

(4) Windows on an Intel Mac - no matter how you do it - simply blows away Virtual PC, but 3D graphics are still relatively poor.

I have to disagree with this. I've been playing Call of Duty 2, Battlefront 2, Battle for Middle Earth in Boot Camp on my MBP and the graphics are amazing!

 

[PatrickF]

why is the video card underclocked?

And am I correct that the 2.16 version has 256 of video memory, and that the slower one only has 128?

As far as I can see, the processor speed and video memory are the only two differences. Maybe someone a little better versed could point out some other differences?

I'm guessing they underclocked the graphics card to keep the heat down.

Correct, the 1.83GHz has 128Mb and I think the 2.0 and up have 256Mb of video memory.

 

[danny_w]

Is there anything I can do on my current PB that the MBP can't do? My roommate just got an MBP, and I tried to get him Flip4WMV, and it doesnt work.

It probably doesn't matter to you, but if you have any Classic apps they won't run, bcause Classic isn't supported in the Intels. Probably not a big deal, but I know that some people still depend on those apps.

 

[aristobrat]

My roommate just got an MBP, and I tried to get him Flip4WMV, and it doesnt work.

If you can handle QuickTime running in Rosetta until they release a Universal of Flip4Mac, there is a workaround for this.

Lastly, I have Virtual PC now, how much better performing is running Windoze in a Sandbox?

Wow. Parallels Workstation on your MBP running a Windows guest OS is soooooo much better than VPC. The Windows guest OS will run damn near as fast as it does natively (with Boot Camp), with the exception of graphics. And, Parallels doesn't hog your MBP's CPU, so you can easily be using OS X at the same time.

 

[BiikeMike]

The more I hear about it, the more excited I get! I just got back from the Apple store, and they have everything in stock, totally ready for Sunday!

My only question is should I go with the 5400RPM drive, or the 7200? Originally I was thinking the 7200 for Video and Photo stuff, but does that use up considerably more battery? The 100 or 120GB difference doesnt really bother me, I have a 400GB external Drive, and a 160GB XP Box as a remote file storage area

 

[aristobrat]

I've read that the battery life isn't noticeably affected by the 7200.

I don't know if you've seen this:
http://www.barefeats.com/5472.html

If you work on audio or video where large blocks are captured or played back, the 7200rpm internal drive of the MacBook has a clear advantage over the stock 5400rpm internal drive.

Sounds kinda like what you wanted to do, so I'd go with the 7200 even if it shaves a few minutes off of the battery.

 

[milo]

Intel Macs don't hog any more memory than PPC simply because they're Intel. Unless of course you're running a PPC app under Rosetta, THEN it seriously hogs memory. But agreed, 1GB minimum is pretty much standard advice on any machine nowadays.

Not true. Intel macs use more memory for the same apps, even when those apps are native. Rosetta takes even more. Generally I'd recommend a higher ram config on the intel macs.

 

[Nar1117]

Yeah i also have a small question: for 3d gaming, is the 256 mb vcard really worth it, compared to the 128 mb card? Its basically a $300 value, but is it worth it?

 

[PatrickF]

Not true. Intel macs use more memory for the same apps, even when those apps are native. Rosetta takes even more. Generally I'd recommend a higher ram config on the intel macs.

That would indicate that the compiler isn't optimised properly. What would make an Intel Mac use more memory running the same app as a PPC Mac? Yes, sure there will be some discrapancy, however, there is no reason why there should be a big difference.

Got anything to back this up?

 

[imacintel]

(4) Windows on an Intel Mac - no matter how you do it - simply blows away Virtual PC, but 3D graphics are still relatively poor.

Are you kidding me? My stock 128 MB Graphics card and 512 MB ram provide amazing performance when using high-powered 3D games such as Microsoft Flight Simulator. Also good if you have a Creative Zen and need windows software.

 

[mmapples]

Just from experience I do get the sense that the Intel Macs use more memory for the same apps (iPhoto, Mail, etc.) than PPCs.