Disadvantage to purchasing the recent MBP 13"?

Is there any disadvantage to picking up the latest 13" even though it is still using the older C2Ds as opposed to the i5/i7s?

 

Disadvantages as opposed to getting a UMBP 15"?
Or disadvantages as opposed to getting a Windows notebook?

 

Disadvantage because Apple chose to use old tech in the 13" and there will more than likely be a refresh soon.

There was nothing wrong with the Intel C2D P8600 performance wise but I'd hate to see a new version of the 13" with an i5 in the Fall.

 

Oh... in which case, rather big in terms of performance between say the P8600 and an i5-520M, should notice 10-30% improvement just from Hyper-Threading alone, in many applications, for a total for 45% improvement (according to linear benchmarks).

However, the P-series tend to run cooler on high loads than the 32nm Arrandale, which I find kind of ackward. Probably TurboBoost warms up quickly..

 

It will do what you would expect with the stats. It's no more special than an equally equipped PC, except for having OS X, which is a subjective matter.

Disadvantages? No, the MBP 13" is adequate.

 

If you're the kind of guy who will feel disappointed when a Ferrari pulls up next to you at the lights, when you're only in a BMW, then you might be disappointed by the MBP13, but I'm happy with the performance of mine. And sheer speed is not the only thing to consider of course...

 

How is the 320m on the 13" ? Is it actually a dedicated gpu or is it an integrated thing? thanks

 

It's integrated.

 

The 320M is not a bad GPU even though it's integrated. I'm coming from a M11x with a 335M and yes it is slower but the games I play are running fine on the 320M. I have no regrets switching from the M11x to the MBP.

 

I wouldn't blame you. 11 inches is terrible. Plus the M11X felt crappy, at least the one I tested at BB.

 

The only disadvantage is the 1280x800 resolution IMO

 

Rather low resolution
Heavy for a 13"
If you are going to use Windows kind of a lot, the Windows drivers suck

Thats the only ones I could think of

 

1280 by 800 is not a low resolution for a 13" screen. The heft of the 13" is of course due to the sturdiness of the aluminum frame.

A noticeable disadvantage for the MBP is undoubtedly the lack of ports. Apple's proprietary miniDisplay port requires that you purchase an adapter (you'll find that Apple loves selling ppl adapters), and the 2x USB ports may be inadequate for those with peripherals.

Perhaps another disadvantage is the manner of cooling; the unibody frame is essentially one big heatsink. This can be uncomfortable for many who use their Mac on their lap.

 

For a 13" screen, that is not a low resolution. However, 1280x800 is 1280x800 regardless of the size of the screen. When compared to today's laptops, that is pretty low. However it is not necessarily a disadvantage, depending on the usage of a person. But for those who edit photos or prefer to have two windows open side by side, 1280x800 is not going to cut it. Not even close.

I'm also thinking that the heftiness of the MBP 13" isn't much of a disadvantage. Though it's comparably heavy compared to other 13'ers, it's still relatively light. The heft just adds a premium feel (personal opinion, though).

I also don't find the fact that the unibody frame acting as a heat-sink is a disadvantage when used on the lap. Unless a person if playing games on their lap (an impossibility for me), I find that it always stays cool to the touch.

However, the disadvantages of the MBP 13" (from personal experience) are:

- Low resolution
- Glossy screen
- IGP

Personally the IGP is more than enough for what I need from the MBP 13", but I can imagine that it would be too weak for heavy gamers.

 

It doesn't make much sense to say that 1280x800 is fine for a 13" screen, only then to complain that the low resolution on the MBP 13" is a disadvantage.

 

I come from a Windows preferred lineage and would still get a Windows notebook if it were specced right. This was not the case so I bought an MBP13.

There are of course disadvantages with this notebook, as there are with many products out there, but the most annoying for me have been the lack of ports.

 

No the resolution is too low my friend has a Vaio Z with a 1080p screen + 330m.

The resolution on the MBP13 should be higher its a premium laptop the only thing is the screen is better (screens aren't just resolutions) but still, something like 900p would be nice.

Maybe its just me but I like high res screens.

 

The MBP13 is > $1200. The VAIO Z is > $1900. They're not even close to the same price point, so it doesn't seem reasonable to say that the resolution on the cheaper machine is too low, especially compared to a rare machine like the VAIO Z.

 

add dual SSD drives to the MBP 13" and they are pretty close

 

$700 for 2 64GB proprietary SSDs located on a single card seem like a lot... I like the z a lot but the proprietary SSD is what kept me away from the thing. I can put a nice 128GB in the MBP 13" for a lot less than that.

The z screen is nice though. But I use an external monitor so the lower resolution is less an issue for me.

To stay on topic... The main disadvantages I see from my MBP are:

Lack of USB 3.0
Build quality, there's very few notebook out there that are built as well as the MBP. Going back to a Windows Based notebook may be difficult imho. I know some will disagree...

 

who buys a Mac and uses windows "a lot" on it?

 

I'm glad I happened to read this thread.

I had no idea there were two similarly named GPUs. The GeForce GT 320 is a dedicated card, while the GeForce 320 is an integrated.

If only these naming schemes could make even the slightest bit of sense.

 

I DO I DO!!!

 

definitely the CPU, im waiting for i3 or i5. C2D is so 2000s.

 

So is Blu-ray, DDR3, 2.5"(and 1.8") hard drives, Nvidia 3xx(they still pwn in games), etc.

 

My wife and I went to look at the Macbook Pros tonight. It was the first time she tried one and upon typing one sentence, she noticed that you cannot right delete as you can on most Windows based laptops. There is the delete key which is the same as backspace, but there isn't the second delete key. Upon pointing this out to the Apple store employee, he said that only the full sized keyboards with the number pads had both keys, and that none of the laptops did. He pointed out a way to do it, I think it was by pressing the function and delete key.

I never would have picked this up as I don't use right delete!

 

some PC laptops are the same way... yes on the smaller keyboard size here its Fn+Delete for a PC delete, and normal Delete key for a backspace. The full sized keyboards have both keys on their own. Its actually not that big of a deal as I thought it would be when I started using Macs.

 

Lol. Well that answers one of my long-standing questions.

 

I probably never would have picked up on this.

 

I hope people trying out macs know that its not going to function exactly like a pc. seriously people read the switchers guide.