My newbie Macbook Pro review (15")

Overview and Introduction:

Hey guys, This is my first apple computer ever. I'm not familiar with OSX and apple's softwares so I might not know what I'm talking about sometime but I'll compare this laptop to my 14" lenovo T60. This is a non-bias review, I'm not a fan of IBM or Apple. I'm just a consumer giving honest opinions.

System spec:

MacBook Pro 15"
2.0Ghz Intel Core Duo
512MB DDR2 (Upgraded to 1.5GB)
80GB S-ATA
ATI X1600 128MB
CD-RW/DVD burner
Serial no: W8618LBLVWW (2006) (18th week) (Matte screen)



Where and How Purchased:

I ordered it at Amazon.com with free shipping. Total = $1999 without tax or any shipping charges. item recieved in less than a week.

Build/Design/Screen:

14" IBM vs 15" Apple









I don't think I need to say this but Macbook Pro is beautiful, sexy and tempting. When I first got my T60, I could not believe how thin it was but look at the Macbook pro! Very clean and attrative design, I love it! It also feels very solid in your hand, It doesn't have a rollcage design like the T60 but still very durable.

The screen is my favorite part so far, I wanted the matte screen because text is easier to read and I won't see glare when using outdoor. Web browsing, photos, movies and games looks amazing on this screen. Very bright and crystal clear image. You probably can't tell the differeance in my pictures but the screen quality is so much better than my T60.

The keyboard lights up when you're in a dark room. You can turn it on manually by placing your hands or objects on top of the speakers grille which is the location of the sensor. It will also dim your screen. It's much better than the not-so-useful "Think light" on the T60.

Speakers:

I'm disappointed with the speaker's preformance. It looks big on both side of the laptop but the sound quality isn't very good and it's not loud enough. Make sure you get a nice headphone or earbud.

Processor and Performance:

Very fast! From shut down to desktop takes about 15 seconds and you can start using it right away! I'm sure you guys are familiar with OSX so I won't get into the details but as a PC user I have to say OSX is really impressive. The ATI 1600 is pretty nice, I played World of warcraft on high settings with very smooth framerate.

Changing ram is very easy


Remove battery and a cover with 3 screws.

Heat and Noise:

Ok... Things are gonna get nasty here... This notebook is warm under normal usage but become really hot under heavy usage. The right side of the laptop is cool most of the time but the left side is a totally different story. The left speaker grille close to the "magsafe" is super hot, if you played graphic intensive games for a while and touch that spot it will burn you. No, I'm not kidding. To give you a better idea of how hot is it, look at the 2 pictures below which was taken right after I ran world of warcraft.




The bottom of the laptop is pretty warm but not burning hot like the left speaker grille. Just make sure you wear jean. However, the laptop runs a lot cooler in an air conditioned room (doh! )

Keyboard and Touchpad:

Keyboard is pretty nice, keys feels great but not as good as the T60 keyboard which is very solid and gives you that satisfying click. I don't like the eject button which is located on the top right of the keyboard, I always hit that key by accident...

The touchpad is perfect! Yes PERFECT! Don't worry about the oe button clicker because you can set it so when you touch the pad with 2 fingers it will trigger the alt click and you can scroll pages wen moving 2 fingers in any direction you want. I ***ING love this touchpad!!!

Input and Output Ports:

I don't have much to say here... I only use USB and headphone jack most of the time, only 2 USB slots can be a problem sometime.

Wireless:

Hands down better and easier to use than my T60. The airport extreme is awsome! I can't believe it's better than the T60 consider it's a business laptop. I connected both T60 and Macbook pro to a weak signal and the T60 kept dropping the connection while macbook pro is still connected. Hmm....

Battery:

I haven't run the laptop on battery yet, I'll keep you guys updated.

Operating System and Software:

Like I said, I won't get into detail with OSX. Very easy to use and I like it. Let's talk about Front Row.






You can use the keyboard or apple remote to control front row. It's a pretty cool feature that you want to show it off to friends or families. I think it's good for photo slide show and movie trailers. If you want to listen to music it's easier to just open iTune on the desktop and find your songs. The DVD option is pretty dumb if you ask me, the laptop will automatically play your DVD when you insert a disc. Why would you go into front row to play it?

Conclusion:

Overall, I'm very happy with this laptop. Extremely attrative design with lots of cool functions and stuff to show off. The screen quality gives you a much better experience when web browsing, watching movies or gaming.

It's 15" but it only weight 5.6lbs which is exactly the same as my 14" T60. Just make sure your bag is big enough or this could happen:


Oh no! I can't close it!

Lots of room...

Pros:

Design
widescreen
Preformance
Screen qaulity
graphic card
apple remote
web cam
OSX

Cons:

Too long for most laptop bags
Very hot under heavy usage
only 2 USB slots

Thanks a lot for reading my newbie review... I hope some information is helpful. If you have any qestion please feel fee to ask me.

Have a nice day!

 

A+, would read again

 

great job! thank you

 

nice little review

 

excellent comparison shots between the MacBook Pro and T60 Joey! Glad you're happy with the MacBook overall, the heat issues are a bit of a downer but there are ways to combat that to a degree.

thanks for the review and level-headed opinion.

 

Good review. Nicely written too, and complemented by beautiful pictures. Well done!

 

The thing about the ram being easy replaceable...doesn't really hold up unless you have a Philips screwdriver #00 laying around

I didn't when I bought my unit but quickly wandered out the front door to get one.

Either way, my MacBook Pro has the exact same specifications as yours.

Core Duo 2Ghz
1.5GB ram
Mobility X1600 with 128MB dedicated
80GB Seagate 5400.2 harddrive
4x SuperDrive

 

Good review.

Those are the two computers I am looking at buying. As for the T60, do you have the FireGL 5200? How does it compare with WoW?

How much does the think light up the keyboard?

How does the sound compare to the T60? Are both bad, or is one better?

 

Very informative review — as good as some of the official ones!

 

My T60 came with a X1300 so the macbook pro is better when it comes to games.

The thinklight is not very bright at all. You have to be in a pitch black room to make it useful. Otherwise you probably won't even notice the light.

The external speakers on the T60 actually sounds better in my opinion. The macbook pro is better if you se heaphone or earbud. The digital audio in on the macbook pro is nice.

I think the lenovo T60 is a much better laptop for business or school. It's very durable and reliable.

The macbook pro is much better when it comes to personal entertaining or multimedia becase the screen quality is just amazing. I'm thinking about buying a apple cinema display and use my macbook pro as a desktop lol...

I hope this helped.

 

Hey so what's the serial number of the MBP u got? And does it have the dreaded whine every1 seems to have?

 

Serial no: W8618LBLVWW (2006) (18th week) (Matte screen)

I didn't experience any whine at all, the only issue I have so far is heat.