Hello all, I purchased my MBP a couple of weeks after it was introduced in June. I have the stock matte 2.2 MBP with the 128mb Nvidia 8600gt.
I had owned a Core Duo Macbook Pro with 2 gigs of ram before, and I was missing it. I had to sell it in order to pay for my car and housing... But that is besides the point.
The Santa Rosa chip-set Macbook Pro is the latest incarnation of Intel's mobile duo platform. This chip-set is very powerful because it is clocked higher at 800 mhz fsb and is capped at 4 gigs of pc-5300 ram as opposed to 3 gigs. Apple made the LED backlight standard on the 15" MBP.
I took the plunge on the Macbook Pro because I needed to run Final Cut Studio and the new Universal Binary Adobe CS3 collection. I was skeptical at first because I have seen many people run Final Cut Pro and After Effects on the quad desktop towers. However, I am a novice but my it turns out that my machine runs these programs flawlessly. Rendering times are minimal and when compared to others, the Macbook Pro can hold its ground.
The aluminum powerhouse gives a potent first impression that screams professionalism and seriousness. My friends ridicule me because I am using a Mac, but when I tell them the hardware specs, they are blown away. A friend of mine was in awe when the backlit keyboard turned on. The Nvidia 8600GT is direct 10 compatible and can run Vista flawlessly. It can also run laps around their components and Windows. It also gets higher and smoother frame rates. This is a portable desktop, my only gripe is that I should of configured it with a larger internal hard drive.
My uses:
Business:
It lacks multiple USB ports, but simplicity is Apple's philosophy. The vast array of ports make it a powerful and versatile machine. The 2.0 internal bluetooth for fast data transfers and longer range. 2 USB ports for peripherals (you can always connect it to an ACD for more ports or a USB hub). Firewire 400 is crucial backups because it is faster in sustaining 400 mbs as opposed to USB which claims a data transfer rate of 480 mbs through data bursts. The winner here is Firewire 800 which yields 800 mbs which is necessary for transferring DVC Pro or large files. Firewire can also Daisy chain, which I love because I can capture to an external scratch drive and use my connect my camera via the firewire port at the same time.
Leisure: I am an avid movie watcher and I can vouch that DVD's look phenomenal on my screen. The LED backlight is brighter and is crisper. It is a joy to have your screen be optimized to its full potential in seconds rather than minutes. I compared my 2.2 LED with a 2.16 CCFL MBP with the same HD trailer from apple.com and the LED has a more vibrant and truer color with the greens and blacks. What is really important to me is that I can watch 1080 hd trailers without a hitch, that in itself is worth the investment because the way the market is heading into hd and videos that will consume more raw processing power. Browsing the web is a joy because I can have multiple browsers with multiple tabs running. I usually have about 10 or more open.
Games: I can play the latest games on my MBP via bootcamp without a hitch. CS Source and HL2 run great. Bioshock is a whole different other story guys. My friend averaged about 10-15 fps on a 2.4 MBP.
Work: I can edit SD on Final Cut Studio 2 without a hitch. I can run Color (although it is still buggy and crashes often) and After Effects. I believe the bottleneck with my computer is the lack of an external scratch drive and 4 gigs of ram.
Final thoughts: People say, you don't need Firewire 400, an Expresscard/34, Firewire 800, or a DVI input that comes standard on the MBP or wireless N card or a 2.2 ghz, a wide trackpad or OSX. Seriously? Who are you kidding? Most laptops lack DVI which is the way of the future, how many laptops can drive a 30 inch display with so much ease? Why isn't firewire 400 with a real plug supported as opposed to having to purchase a dongle when it is the industry standard? Did I mention, this laptop weighs 5.4 lbs with an LED backlight? Everyone company will soon implement LED backlights on their machines .
Pro's: Looks Professional, is a simple as a laptop can get. No bloatware, tons of free software with OSX. Lifesaving connections: Firewire 400, Firewire 800, standard DVI output, gigabit connection, wireless N (you are future proofed). You can run any software on earth (almost). OSX, Vista and XP (32 bit and 64 bit), Linux, and standard the fastest processors on the planet 2.2 and 2.4. Oh and I forgot, the magsafe... This is the only machine you would ever need.
Con's: Pricey at 2k (the cost of a car), limited upgrade features, no standard e-sata (no hd-dvd upgrade or blueray yet). No high res (stuck at 1440X900)
I had owned a Core Duo Macbook Pro with 2 gigs of ram before, and I was missing it. I had to sell it in order to pay for my car and housing... But that is besides the point.
The Santa Rosa chip-set Macbook Pro is the latest incarnation of Intel's mobile duo platform. This chip-set is very powerful because it is clocked higher at 800 mhz fsb and is capped at 4 gigs of pc-5300 ram as opposed to 3 gigs. Apple made the LED backlight standard on the 15" MBP.
I took the plunge on the Macbook Pro because I needed to run Final Cut Studio and the new Universal Binary Adobe CS3 collection. I was skeptical at first because I have seen many people run Final Cut Pro and After Effects on the quad desktop towers. However, I am a novice but my it turns out that my machine runs these programs flawlessly. Rendering times are minimal and when compared to others, the Macbook Pro can hold its ground.
The aluminum powerhouse gives a potent first impression that screams professionalism and seriousness. My friends ridicule me because I am using a Mac, but when I tell them the hardware specs, they are blown away. A friend of mine was in awe when the backlit keyboard turned on. The Nvidia 8600GT is direct 10 compatible and can run Vista flawlessly. It can also run laps around their components and Windows. It also gets higher and smoother frame rates. This is a portable desktop, my only gripe is that I should of configured it with a larger internal hard drive.
My uses:
Business:
It lacks multiple USB ports, but simplicity is Apple's philosophy. The vast array of ports make it a powerful and versatile machine. The 2.0 internal bluetooth for fast data transfers and longer range. 2 USB ports for peripherals (you can always connect it to an ACD for more ports or a USB hub). Firewire 400 is crucial backups because it is faster in sustaining 400 mbs as opposed to USB which claims a data transfer rate of 480 mbs through data bursts. The winner here is Firewire 800 which yields 800 mbs which is necessary for transferring DVC Pro or large files. Firewire can also Daisy chain, which I love because I can capture to an external scratch drive and use my connect my camera via the firewire port at the same time.
Leisure: I am an avid movie watcher and I can vouch that DVD's look phenomenal on my screen. The LED backlight is brighter and is crisper. It is a joy to have your screen be optimized to its full potential in seconds rather than minutes. I compared my 2.2 LED with a 2.16 CCFL MBP with the same HD trailer from apple.com and the LED has a more vibrant and truer color with the greens and blacks. What is really important to me is that I can watch 1080 hd trailers without a hitch, that in itself is worth the investment because the way the market is heading into hd and videos that will consume more raw processing power. Browsing the web is a joy because I can have multiple browsers with multiple tabs running. I usually have about 10 or more open.
Games: I can play the latest games on my MBP via bootcamp without a hitch. CS Source and HL2 run great. Bioshock is a whole different other story guys. My friend averaged about 10-15 fps on a 2.4 MBP.
Work: I can edit SD on Final Cut Studio 2 without a hitch. I can run Color (although it is still buggy and crashes often) and After Effects. I believe the bottleneck with my computer is the lack of an external scratch drive and 4 gigs of ram.
Final thoughts: People say, you don't need Firewire 400, an Expresscard/34, Firewire 800, or a DVI input that comes standard on the MBP or wireless N card or a 2.2 ghz, a wide trackpad or OSX. Seriously? Who are you kidding? Most laptops lack DVI which is the way of the future, how many laptops can drive a 30 inch display with so much ease? Why isn't firewire 400 with a real plug supported as opposed to having to purchase a dongle when it is the industry standard? Did I mention, this laptop weighs 5.4 lbs with an LED backlight? Everyone company will soon implement LED backlights on their machines .
Pro's: Looks Professional, is a simple as a laptop can get. No bloatware, tons of free software with OSX. Lifesaving connections: Firewire 400, Firewire 800, standard DVI output, gigabit connection, wireless N (you are future proofed). You can run any software on earth (almost). OSX, Vista and XP (32 bit and 64 bit), Linux, and standard the fastest processors on the planet 2.2 and 2.4. Oh and I forgot, the magsafe... This is the only machine you would ever need.
Con's: Pricey at 2k (the cost of a car), limited upgrade features, no standard e-sata (no hd-dvd upgrade or blueray yet). No high res (stuck at 1440X900)