Which MAC

[mandy200587]

OKay so let me explain my current situation, I have a year old HP 17 inch widescreen. Battery is going, charge plug is going. I can't burn data discs, computer won't load sometimes when I have class. I'm looking at MACs due to student discount. I use it for both school and fun. I want something that I'm able to watch movies on. OKay so can someone explain to me which one. I'm leaning more towards the Mac Pro just not sure which one.

 

[Amity 3]

if you have the money to splurge, the MacBook Pro is the way to go. if not, the upgraded MacBook (not the black version) will do everything you need. you need to hit the upgraded version because the base MacBook has shared graphics. you need to bump the RAM.

 

[crcormier]

if you have the money to splurge, the MacBook Pro is the way to go. if not, the upgraded MacBook (not the black version) will do everything you need. you need to hit the upgraded versin because the base MacBook has shared graphics. you need to bump the RAM.

What they said. And have fun with it!

If you have questions, just ask.

I'm posting on an original MacBook Pro.

 

[mandy200587]

the top of the line 15 inch is going to cost me around 3,000 which is about what I paid for this I believe. What makes it different from like a PC? I'm just trying to figure out the best way to go cause I have to have a computer for school. I take my notes on it.

 

[mandy200587]

Like with memory it asks if i want 2gb or 3gb. If I get the 3gb I'm looking at 517 more for it.

With hard drive I have three options:
120gb @ 5400 rpm
160gb @ 5400 rpm (90 dollars more)
200gb @ 4200 rpm (180 dollars more)

For display I can choose glossy or standard and I don't know which one.

What about the programs? I need Word for school.


So help!

 

[Amity 3]

the top of the line 15 inch is going to cost me around 3,000 which is about what I paid for this I believe. What makes it different from like a PC? I'm just trying to figure out the best way to go cause I have to have a computer for school. I take my notes on it.

Macs are much more efficient than PC's when it comes to hardware. a Macbook Pro can run OS X and Windows at the same time on separate monitors.

Macs are more friendly when it comes to creative applications.

 

[mandy200587]

Macs are much more efficient than PC's when it comes to hardware. a Macbook Pro can run OS X and Windows at the same time on separate monitors.

Macs are more friendly when it comes to creative applications.

Can you explain that to me? I can understand PCs but Macs never where my thing.

 

[Amity 3]

Like with memory it asks if i want 2gb or 3gb. If I get the 3gb I'm looking at 517 more for it.

With hard drive I have three options:
120gb @ 5400 rpm
160gb @ 5400 rpm (90 dollars more)
200gb @ 4200 rpm (180 dollars more)

For display I can choose glossy or standard and I don't know which one.

What about the programs? I need Word for school.


So help!

stick with 2 Gig memory.

go for the glossy display.

stick with the base hard drive you think you need. Mac's run FireWire so you can always buy an external hard drive pretty cheap if you ever run out of space.

 

[mandy200587]

I have 512mb of Ram I believe right now. Is the basic one more?

 

[crcormier]

If you are planning on just using this for schoolwork I don't think you really need the top of the line 15 inch. Unless you are doing heavy duty video editing or photoshop work, the lower processor computer is more than sufficient. But whichever you choose:

2Gb is good for memory. 3Gb is great, but not needed, unless as I said before you're doing a lot of video editing or photoshop work.

160Gb is good for the hard drive, the 200Gb gives you more storage, but is a lower speed hard drive. But it's up to you.

Get yourself a copy of Office 2004 for students. This has Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Entourage (the Mac version of the Outlook e-mail software.) It isn't included so you will need to add it to your order. What will be included is iLife (iTunes for music, iPhoto for photos, iWeb for web pages and blogs, iMovie for movie making, and iDVD for burning movies.)

Glossy screen will be more like a television screen or an old fashioned monitor. Non-glossy has the finish of a flat panel monitor. I prefer the non-glossy because you don't get the glare.

 

[crcormier]

Can you explain that to me? I can understand PCs but Macs never where my thing.

Because Macs tend to work more the way people think, so they're a little more intuitive than PCs. That being said, it will take you some getting used to the Mac OS after using Windows, but once you get the hang of a few things, you'll get the feel on how things work.

 

[mandy200587]

then I have office taken care of.

 

[mandy200587]

Because Macs tend to work more the way people think, so they're a little more intuitive than PCs. That being said, it will take you some getting used to the Mac OS after using Windows, but once you get the hang of a few things, you'll get the feel on how things work.

That's not a problem. I worked with Mac in hs, but that's it. I picked up working my ipod like that. I can do it usually if it's front of me.

 

[Amity 3]

That's not a problem. I worked with Mac in hs, but that's it. I picked up working my ipod like that. I can do it usually if it's front of me.

if you can work iTunes, you can work anything in iLife. in frontrow, it's like having a 15" iPod in front of you. if you're the kind of person that likes to learn by doing, Macs are designed for you.

 

[mandy200587]

if you can work iTunes, you can work anything in iLife. in frontrow, it's like having a 15" iPod in front of you. if you're the kind of person that likes to learn by doing, Macs are designed for you.

I can work itunes without a problem. I can work things I just don't always understand the technical ascept.

 

[mandy200587]

Do they come with Ilife or do I have to buy it seperately? What else would I have to buy seperately?

 

[crcormier]

Do they come with Ilife or do I have to buy it seperately? What else would I have to buy seperately?

iLife is included with all Macs.

As far as the technical aspect, there's not a lot of 'techy' stuff you need to do to configure them, and the things you do need to do are very easy and helpful telling you how to do them.

 

[crcormier]

BTW, is that you with Rascal Flatts? That's pretty cool! :

 

[mandy200587]

BTW, is that you with Rascal Flatts? That's pretty cool! :

Yes it is, it's from the 06 Vanderbuilt Concert.

 

[mandy200587]

I'm looking at for a 15-inch mac, protection plan, office 2004 for students, and a case for about 2,747.85

Is that good or not?