Need Some Comments Guys on Converting. Long Rant.

Need some help guys, first let me give you some background.

I'm a power user.

I bought a xps1530. Got a horrible screen (Samsung), scratchy surface and clicky noises when i put my palm rested below the keyboard.

Returned it tried again. Better, but the same problem with the screen. Grainy. Although the resolution is very nice and high. Going to return this one too.

I'm a gamer, but I do that on my desktop. I do games on my laptop on the side. WoW and DOTA (warcraft 3 mod), and some random small time PC games with my friends who have less then desirable computers.

The other thing I do is program. I am an IT major. I use Java, python, and VB. I am also going to start doing C# code and would like to do that.

I have been looking into getting a MBP for about 2 months now. I just don't know if I am going to have a ton of hastle with it if I choose to go that route.

I love the MAC screen, I love the fact that my GF is having orgasms over the fact that I would get a mac (She thinks I have a chance in hell to be converted).

What I am not too thrilled about are the hard drives they provide are whimpy things with low speed and low capacity unless you want to be over charged for a proper hard drive. Same with their ram. Their GPU is alright, it is only 128 MB but it can run WoW almost flawlessly (some issues in high density crowds. I raid.). Keyboard seems weird or smaller, but that isn't a big concern since I am sure I would get use to it.

Regardless of those negatives I have some possitives.

The screen is rediclously good (at least I thought it was, comments?), the MAC OS is really cool. I like the Spaces App. Be really helpful when programming multiple things. What other perks does the OS have you find really good over windows? Also the touchpad is really awsome compared to any PC touchpad I have used before. I thought having only one button would suck bad on a Mac, nope, works just fine.

The other thing that picks at my mind is the update. I am sure if they updated the GPU that problem would be solved once and for all. I would also like a higher resolution screen but 1440x900 is alright and that might get updated as the trend to higher resolutions usually do that.

What are they supposed to update but the processeror though and new touchpad? Don't think much else. No one knows I suppose.


Anyways, comments, responses, rants to my rants please?

Thanks.

 

The running estimate is next Tuesday for MBP refresh, or the Tuesday after that, or the one after that or the one after that, with the latest estimate being in March . So either next Tuesday, or within the next two weeks, or within the next 2 months, or within the next 6 months, but certainly within the next year. (how's that for usefulness? )

The MBP refresh is supposed/almost-certainly will have a multi-touch touchpad, since you mentioned you liked the touchpad.

The 15" LED MBP also comes with either LG or Samsung screens - luck of the draw which one you get though.

There's a slightly more expensive version with 256MB GDDR3 instead of 128.

I don't see a problem with 7200/200 and 350Gb HDDs....?
slightly expensive yes, but eh....

Giving your gf more orgasms is always a good thing....

You can upgrade the RAM yourself without voiding warranty (unlike HDD), so just buy the least amount of RAM built-in and swap your own in afterwards.

Programming isn't a big problem - and you can always use Windows if you really need on your Mac too.

 

A lot of programmers like osx and macs, because its unix based.

As for gaming, theres nothing wrong with the macbook pro, it can run most games on the market in native resolution with high/ med-hi settings.

1440 isnt that bad of a resolution on a 15" screen, but I guess everybody has their own opinion on that. Some say it makes things too small, others like it.

As for an update, there probably is going to be one soon, either with newer cpus, 8800~ video card, and probably the gesture touchpad. But thats all speculation, and as much as it might come soon, it might be a while off as well.

Umm some last things, the keybaord is perfectly fine, the only weird thing is that the function button, is where the control button is normally. So for gaming it takes some getting used to, or just use an external keyboard.

Apple does overcharge on ram, so just buy some online. Its a lot cheaper.

And you CAN upgrade the hdd yourself, but I heard it voids the warrenty, might be better to get an external esata setup. I have one, and I game on it with no problems (although WoW and WC3 would run fine off of a 5400)

Hope that helps.

 

I have a m1330 with a Chi Mei screen and it has some similar issues.

You have picked a good time to consider going with a Mac. Prior to using Intel CPUs and the emulators (Parallels or Fusion) the decision to go with a Mac was a bit more difficult. Now it really isn't an issue at all.

The LED backlit screens on the the MBPs are very good. You just have to decide if you want glossy or matte. Each has its benefits. My wife loves her MB and I'm pretty sure she would give me up before the MB.

You can install a larger/faster HDD. It won't violate or void your warranty unless you toast something else while you're in there doing the swap. Obviously, the Apple warranty will not cover the replacement drive, but the OEM warranty on the HDD will cover any problems if you run into any.

Buy your RAM from a third party like Crucial or Newegg.com. That applies for any computer.

Dell keyboards tend be be a bit firm. The MBP has soft touch keys. The physical size of the keyboard is the same as the Dell. After you use the MBP for a couple of days other keyboards will begin to feel weird.

The touchpad is nice and the multi-finger gestures work quite well. As mentioned in another post the MBP is due to receive a multi-touch touchpad that should mimic what you see on the Macbook Air.

I agree that the 15" screen could use a resolution boost or at least the option of one. With that said the current resolution works quite well especially if you use the machine a few hours each day. Your eyes will thank you for the larger fonts.

There will be an update to the MBP within the next few weeks. No one knows exactly when, but you can expect to see a CPU upgrade at the minimum. We may also see hardware related updates such as a new touchpad, and possibly a change in keyboard style to match the other Mac portables.

 

Not sure where to start off...

Well, I'm running an old x1600 128 mb card in my MBP. It runs WoW almost completely flawless. I've raided in Kara and have not had any graphics lag. If I remember right, I have everything maxed at 1440x900. I do run into a few hickups here and there, but it's very minor. Average FPS is 15, so very playable. The new video card is a lot better, and not clocked at almost half speed like this one.

I'm a software engineer, and the most popular development tools are a) VIM and b) Eclipse. Vim (or VI) is the tried and true classic CLI editor. However, Eclipse is MUCH more powerful, but also a resource hog. And it is also open source, extremely well supported, and can develop any language you can find a *DT (development toolkit) for. There are several other options as well, included one of my favorite editors (not free) called TextMate.

A year ago I was pretty much coming from where you are now. I wanted to give Mac a try after using a friends Macbook Pro. Before, my experiences with Macs have always been bad. I was a heavy mac hater. Then I came to the dark side

While a higher res screen wouldn't be a bad thing, I feel that the 1440x900 res fits PERFECT. Since you mentioned gaming, the biggest drawback to having high res LCD panel is that you will eventually not be able to run games at native res. Lower a res on LCDs... SUCKS! I had that issue with my Sager, going from a 1600x1200 res to 800x600 to run some games. Yikes... not fun

The hard drive upgrade prices aren't that bad. I mean, they're bad... but not overly so. You could always try to replace the HDD yourself. It's not too hard to do, just be CAREFUL! I thought that since it is not considered a user replaceable part, it would void your warranty. OTOH, I hear of people brining their MBP to Apple stores and have them replace the HDD for them.

And ram upgrades should obviously be done yourself. You can get 4 gigs for around $80.

But yeah, an update should roll out anytime.

 

Yeah, the 8600M GT DDR3 on the MacBook Pro is basically the best graphics card for 15.4-inch notebooks right now, other than the Alienware one. So graphics, although not perfect, is pretty good and basically the best you can get for this category of notebooks.

And absolutely, purchase RAM from third parties and install it yourself, its cheaper and easy to do. The new multi-touch trackpad should be with the next update, I don't see any reason why Apple would hold off, considering the MBP is its flagship. And the upgrade to Penryn as well, should be arriving soon.

I'd say hold off for now, the MBP should be updated in the coming weeks .

 

I have been told by people that work for apple that you are allowed to replace your own HD and it will not void your warranty for the REST of the computer. Note i said the rest, when you replace th HD you void the warranty there, but you still have the manufactures warranty so all is good. They also have no way of telling you changed your HD. I have sent my MBP in twice now with a different HD and they have said nothing, which i think is because it doesn't matter. Consider getting the lowest end HD and then buy from a 3rd party a new 7200rpm drive.

 

Well, let's say this...sure, many technicians don't mind, as long as replacing the HDD didn't damage anything else in the process, but I warn against it as technically Apple has the right to void your warranty if you do.

 

Thanks guys, I suppose I will have to consult with a MAC Genius concerning the hard drive replacement. I also heard they would change them out for free. I took a look at their website and they wanted $275 bucks for a 200 GB 7200 RMP drive. YIKES!

I'll go with the default MBP setup. Now just need to wait two weeks and get a ride to the MAC store to pick it up...

 

Just to give the op some comparison, I have everything maxed @ 1440x900 as well, and I get 50fps everywhere. Don't know why it doesn't go higher than that. I don't use fraps, I just use the little tool on the bottom right of WoW's interface.

Setup on the bottom.