calling mac gurus- about to order a macbook pro

[jpars]

Yes, forgot to mention that. Get the add ons that are non-Apple specific elsewhere.

done.
well im sitting looking at it here........pretty amazing.
also picked up for 40 bucks a Kensigton *2 button* mouse and an apple keyboard.
and guess what i just realised?


my friends have some pcs coming in the mail. they come with windows install disks.
im gonna partition about 5 GB, install my friends XP, install my friends CS Source, etc etc etc and get every game i want and be able to play them all.

In reality, if you look at the specs, i essentially just bought what many pc companies are calling one of their top of the line .


however, i might not do that (mac is bulletproof- i feel like im welcoming satan into my garden of eden) and running windows on ANYTHING i own would create a bit of an identity crisis

time to go data transferring.......this things awesome

 

[GSequoia]

Definatly get RAM elsewhere.

I got mine from a source at pricewatch.com - paid $250 for four 1GB DDR2 4200 sticks.

 

[mdl]

done.
well im sitting looking at it here........pretty amazing.
also picked up for 40 bucks a Kensigton *2 button* mouse and an apple keyboard.
and guess what i just realised?


my friends have some pcs coming in the mail. they come with windows install disks.
im gonna partition about 5 GB, install my friends XP, install my friends CS Source, etc etc etc and get every game i want and be able to play them all.

In reality, if you look at the specs, i essentially just bought what many pc companies are calling one of their top of the line .


however, i might not do that (mac is bulletproof- i feel like im welcoming satan into my garden of eden) and running windows on ANYTHING i own would create a bit of an identity crisis

time to go data transferring.......this things awesome

You cannot install their version of XP because their software requires a Tattoo that is on the motherboard of their PCs unless it is a stand alone software that has more than one licence (because you need to activate it and you only get one usually).

Secondly, you cannot install you're friends CS source either because you need to login to Steam to play with THEIR ID. You won't be able to use it when they are.

Thirdly, 5gb won't be enough for a winblows partition. Windows will take up around 3-4gb and if you do end up installing CS source or any games, each one will take up 1-3gb in itself. If you are going to go partitioning and adding windows split you're drive in half.

 

[jpars]

You cannot install their version of XP because their software requires a Tattoo that is on the motherboard of their PCs unless it is a stand alone software that has more than one licence (because you need to activate it and you only get one usually).

Secondly, you cannot install you're friends CS source either because you need to login to Steam to play with THEIR ID. You won't be able to use it when they are.

Thirdly, 5gb won't be enough for a winblows partition. Windows will take up around 3-4gb and if you do end up installing CS source or any games, each one will take up 1-3gb in itself. If you are going to go partitioning and adding windows split you're drive in half.

he doesnt play it anymore
and with my friends pc it comes with boxed XP Professional not just instlal disks, almost positive its not coputer-specific. and dedicating half my comp to windows scares me........i think ill lay off that idea.

 

[Rocketman]

Here's the deal. I'm a long time IT manager and go back to mainframe days and am both PC and VERY Mac savvy being the IT mgr for a big advertising agency.

Your choice depends on WHAT you are going to do with it. Are you a graphics/design pro? IF NOT there are better alternatives especially if you are a gamer. As of the last few days, many of the big game developers have announced their games will run on Apple Intel's without needing a Windows OS. YES YOU HEARD RIGHT. Rosetta is a big deal in legacy apps. That's why there is no tower Intel Mac yet. They are waiting for Adobe CS3 which will be universal to arrive. THEN you'll see the Mac Pro series. The next version of MS Office will also be universal/native

The Macbook Pro is nice machine but costly for just faster firewire and a dedicated graphics card. Macbook is a better value. I have both platforms at home but my main machine for working and playing (except photo and graphics work) is an HP nc8430 notebook. Notice I say notebook. A marketing ploy is to stop using the term laptop since the small outbreak of fires and excessive heat some of these puppies can generate. The Macbook Pro gets HOT on the bottom. Enough where it's uncomfortable to have in your lap. If you have it sitting on something cloth covered it tends to get even hotter. You need good airflow underneath.

On installing Windows... you need a version with SP2 already part of the build or it will NOT run on an Intel Mac. SOME big box install disks will work if you have the product key. The "tatoo" the guy above speaks of is from some manufacturers. The disks aren't generic MS disks and are proprietary and sense the hardware and determine if it will load on the machine or not. Besides, that is software theft...

JMHO... hope it helps.

 

[jpars]

Here's the deal. I'm a long time IT manager and go back to mainframe days and am both PC and VERY Mac savvy being the IT mgr for a big advertising agency.

Your choice depends on WHAT you are going to do with it. Are you a graphics/design pro? IF NOT there are better alternatives especially if you are a gamer. As of the last few days, many of the big game developers have announced their games will run on Apple Intel's without needing a Windows OS. YES YOU HEARD RIGHT. Rosetta is a big deal in legacy apps. That's why there is no tower Intel Mac yet. They are waiting for Adobe CS3 which will be universal to arrive. THEN you'll see the Mac Pro series. The next version of MS Office will also be universal/native

The Macbook Pro is nice machine but costly for just faster firewire and a dedicated graphics card. Macbook is a better value. I have both platforms at home but my main machine for working and playing (except photo and graphics work) is an HP nc8430 notebook. Notice I say notebook. A marketing ploy is to stop using the term laptop since the small outbreak of fires and excessive heat some of these puppies can generate. The Macbook Pro gets HOT on the bottom. Enough where it's uncomfortable to have in your lap. If you have it sitting on something cloth covered it tends to get even hotter. You need good airflow underneath.
\.

nice! im too not into gaming or obviously i wouldnt have bought a mac, but thats good news. as far as macbook being a better deal........could not disagree more.
and 13 inches just doesnt cut it for me, period.
the integrated graphics does not work for me at all. i need some power in that department. also once i get my other gig of ram in this baby it will fly. im already very impressed with it.

as far as heat i was not bugged. i did not think it was signifigantly hotter then my dads g4 powerbook or old black g3 book. i really dont see why everyone is complaining so much about the heat.

i also had a copy of office we were running on our g5 tower. just put it on the macbook, and, whatever people want to say about rosetta, word, excel, and powerpoint all opened in 1 bounce with only a few (no more then 4) seconds on the load screen.......holy crap that was fast

 

[Rocketman]

You aren't taxing it if you haven't gotten it hot. Try rendering a video. That'll get that sucker smokin!

The new MacBook now has dual monitor capability so you can always add a 19" monitor if you'd like. Before, iBooks only allowed video mirroring. The cable is extra and NOT the same one used by the iMacs and previous iBooks.

From a price/performance perspective and total capability, you are paying a LOT more for a bigger screen and the video card. ALSO, with the Core Duo and chipset do NOT underestimate on board graphics capability. They can hold their own against many stand alone cards except when you get into gaming. You'd be hard pressed to see a difference in video in everyday apps between onboard and standalone video these days.