Help me convince a friend! MBP over MB!

I have a friend who's thinking about getting a MB. Now the Apple Refurb store sells a fairly decent 2.16GHZ C2D MBP (128mb x1600; 1gig ram; 120gb harddrive) for $1499. I know--just know--that the MBP would be a better buy than the MB but I don't really know how to explain it to him. I'd do it just for the graphics card alone, but I might need more reasons to convince him! You have any?

The regular Core Duo machine is the same price-ish of the MB but I'm recommending against it because it's a 32bit processor and Leopard utilizes 64bit processors. Am I right about this?

 

bigger display with a higher resoltion with minimal weight increase.
better resell value too.

 

It has a real screen.

1280x800 at 13" is impractically small, IMO. Unless he wants to have only one window open at a time, he should go for the MBP.

 

Also I would have to say that the chassis is a good selling point because it seems more sturdy and more travel capable without worries. Hope that helps some!

 

Only one gig of RAM? Dude, I bet leopard will need two, especially when you're factoring the graphics card in as a reason to buy the thing. Even if its card is nice, one gig may not be enough to utilize it.

 

Actually, I'd say Leopard will run fine on 1 GB of RAM if previous OS X upgrades are any indication. But of course 2 GB of RAM is better. The original poster can always add more RAM later on.

 

I will second that.

 

Tell him that Apple refurbs carry a full warranty and he can purchase AppleCare to extend it. Also the Express Card Slot can prove to be quite useful for many add-ons. Only the MBP has this.

 

does your friend want to play games / 3d rendering / simulation? i think a new macbook might actually be better if he isn't interested in that.

oh wait you just info on how to convince him...

larger screen is more practical, better keyboard, backlit keyboard, sweeter looking, less feminine (if its a guy)

i would play that last card strong. that will most likely do it.

 

The MBP has recently been updated with the Santa Rosa platform, while the MB hasn't been really updated in quite a long while (I don't consider a 133Mhz increase in clock speed a proper upgrade). Either tell your friend to wait a bit longer until the MB is updated, or get the MBP.

 

If your friend really wants a MB though, why stop him? He might like the look or the portability. Make sure it's what he wants before he goes out to get a MBP.

Also is the MBP a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo? In the specs it seems to be C2D but you say it's a regular Core Duo. If it's only a Core Duo, I wouldn't get it as those MBP's have a lot more problems than the CD Macbooks. The C2D one's are fine though.

 

What's wrong with him wanting a macbook? My macbook works perfectly.

 

If he isn't a gamer and doesn't need the frilly things like backlit keyboard, higher res screen, and LED-backlight, then he doesn't need an MBP.

MacBooks are great for pretty much everything but intense gaming. And they are SLIGHTLY more portable.

 

I'm pushing for the refurb model that's only 300 bucks more expensive than the MB that he's looking at. It's the previous generation and doesn't have the LED-blacklight or Santa Rosa. But it is Core 2 Duo.

He doesn't really play games (only game he plays is this korean game called Sudden Attack) but he's heavily involved with Graphic Design with me. Lots of Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. I heard from the people here that a GPU isn't that important for Adobe though, so maybe he's better off with a MB after all? He can always use an external monitor.