Best Time ? and Hard Drive options

Hello,

i would like to know if this is the best time to buy macbook pro im not sure how often apple releases new laptop ( or in this case new macbook pro ) i can wait few months



im buying this laptop for collage work and programming ( Computer science and engineering major ) ( wish me best at my first year )

also i would like to know what the defferince between these options:



Hard Drive:

* 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
* 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm [Add $50.00]
* 128GB Solid State Drive [Add $200.00]
* 256GB Solid State Drive [Add $650.00]
* 512GB Solid State Drive [Add $1,300.00]




whats the pros and cons for each option and whats best suited for me

im mainly going to use it for collage works and lots of programming


Thank you,

satii

 

Comp Sci and Engineering and you aren't willing to do some research yourself to learn about computer components?

a Hard Drive is not as good as a Solid State Drive (SSD) but are much cheaper. 7200rpm means it spins faster and data is accessed faster.. over a 5400rpm drive. SSD's don;t have spinning platters so there is no RPM.

Overall, if your buying from Apple you can save a ton of money just getting the stock drive then buying a drive yourself 3rd party and installing it yourself. When it comes to SSDs you can save a LOT of money that way.

if you need a lot of space cheap... you go for a HDD, if you want high speed but don;t need a lot of space.. you go for a smaller SSD... if you want high speed and tons of space, you spend a fortune.... when you start looking at different SSD drive you'll notice there is different speeds associated with them as well. You really should search the web a lot and do a lot of reading and learning, considering your intended major.

 

doh123 Thank you for your replay and for your time

well asking in a forum isnt considered researching?

as for the major

im still in my first year where we study

Physics I
Physics II
Physics I&II (Lab)
Calculus I II III
Chemistry
Chemistry(Lab)
*Discrete Structures
Linear Algebra
Diff. Equations
*Fundamental of Electrical engineering

For more info check ABET

Note: All engineer student must take these course before starting major courses
(except * for electrical/computer engineers only)

hopefully after that we start Software/Hardware courses that's why im looking to but a laptop buy not in a hurry right now

one more question: is it the best time to buy from apple and when apple going to release new laptop ?

Thank you,

satii

 

key questions:

1.) do you plan on storing lots of music and videos on your computer?

2.) do you have a computer now? if so, how much hard drive space are you using?

 

1/ No

2/ yes < used space 60.3 gb >

Thank you for your replay

 

If you only use 60.3gb right now then the stock 320 5400gb hd will more than enough and probably faster than what you are used to right now.

I would suggest you stick with the stock hard drive and buy a 1TB external hard drive.

 

I can tell you right now that you'll only be using your computer in Physics and Chemistry to type up lab reports and probably to download study guides. You won't even be needing your computer in Calc 1 and 2 unless you have online homework or practice sets...

 

Best time to buy from apple is right now, when apple has their back to school promotion, apple usually updates their MBP lines either towards the end of the year or the March / April time.