XP on an MBP + questions

I am considering an MBP 1.83 (my univ store has stock left over, selling for $1400 with a 2GB nano free) and I was wondering what were the idiosyncracies of running XP on the intel macs. Theres the no right click thing, cause 1 mouse button and no option to do the 2 finger click thing on the 15" ones, and also no pg up/down buttons. are there any otehrs?
Also, other than the glossy screen option and faster cpu, were there any changes to the MBP after the update? Did they figure out how to cool the notebook, or is that up to me?
Can it be upgraded to a Merom CPU later on?

Thanks.

 

I don't know the answer's to your questions but correct me if I am wrong, isn't the MB 1.83 1099. Online, and you get a free ipod nano? So what is the extra 300$ for?
~Arman

 

Certainly the MacBook is $1099, 1049 after edu discount. The extra $300 is becasue this is a MacBook Pro. hehe.
Here is full product specs: 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo - 512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM / 80GB HD / 4x Super Drive / ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 Memory
yea, its the 15.4" 1.83GHz one from before the updated cpus. for $1399 and free nano. This is from a university btw.

 

oops, oh yeah my bad lol I mis read. That is a great deal then! I was wondering why there was an extra 300 dollars, haha that made my day!

 

I don't think the 1.83 was quite as bad in regard to heat, compared to the 2ghz. If you're decide to buy it, check the serial number; try and get one with a part number W8612 or above, because they changed the logic boards from that point on to "Revision D". Apart from that, I think you're getting a great deal.

Windows on the Macbook Pro runs pretty well. You can remap the keys so that control-click or function-click acts as right-click, or if you use an external mouse it'll work like a normal windows mouse. Battery life isn't phenomenal in Windows mode; you'll be getting around 2 hours, but that still isnt that bad, and with tweaking you can improve it. Apple will be releasing OSX Leopard soon, with an improved "boot camp", and hopefully a few other issues will be resolved, like the inability to use the built in webcam in Windows.

You cannot upgrade the processor to a Merom in the future, because it is soldered to the motherboard in the MBP.
Hope that helps,
Steve

 

Thanks so much for your help!!! I will upgrade to leapord when it comes out, so I will be getting the improved features.
Now the question is how important will 64bit be in the next 3 years (when I am slated to build my next desktop)? Will it be all that prevalent? I will end up running OSX/XP even after Vista comes because Vista is just a copy of OSX, and XP is new enough to last me a long time. Will Leopard be 64bit? Will it run on the older 32bit intel macs?
Thanks for teh info.

 

Well I'm not sure what OS your targeting with the home built desktop, but if microsoft doesn't push back vista 20 more times, it'll be big, everyday things are travelling faster towards 64 bit.

Mac OS X is already 64 Bit. I read an article that the Duo Cores right now are actually 64 bit processors, don't recall the site and not sure about the creditbilty but it would make sense because Macs have been 64 bit for quite a while now, it seems like it would be a step backwards for Apple if they went back to 32 bit just for a processor change.

 

No, the current core duos are not 64bit. they arent even 64bit compatible. the next gen Meroms are 64bit, which is why I am concerned. The desktop is going to be Vista media center thing (home premium??), maybe ultimate edition SP1 (it will hopefully be out by summer 2009).
And the thing aout Leapord is will it be 64bit _only_, or would I be able to run it on the 32bit MBP??
My overarching question is will I be able to survive another 3 years with a 32 bit cpu?

 

No, Leopard will not be 64-bit only. And, yes, you will be just fine for 3 years with 32-bit. In fact, 32-bit will be fine for probably 4 or 5 years at least. There is no real tangible advantage for most programs in 64-bit. Take a look at Apple's switch to Intel. By the time ALL current apps on Apple are moved to Universal Binary it will have been nearly 2 full years from the original announcement of the switch and 1 1/2 years since the first Intel Macs shipped. Now, take that to the PC world. The first real 64-bit Windows (64-bit XP does not count) won't ship until January or so. By that time pretty much every new chip sold will be 64-bit (say 70-80%). So mark January as your start. Even if they move as fast as the Universal Binary switch you are looking at June 2008-January 2009, and it will likely be January 2010. You see, they can't just shut out the majority of the market (32-bit) until it is no longer the majority. Remember, most consumers and businesses do not need/want the latest greatest and are slow to upgrade.

DO NOT try to futureproof! It does not work! Buy when you need to buy and don't worry about what comes out next week. Your computer will be just as fast when Merom comes out as it is now.

 

Ok, thanks a lot for the info!!
Those were pretty much all of my concerns about the MBP, except for the heat problem. How hot really does it get? I have heard like in the 100 degree celsius range, is that actually true?

 

Cahsmonee,

"DO NOT try to futureproof! It does not work! Buy when you need to buy and don't worry about what comes out next week. Your computer will be just as fast when Merom comes out as it is now."

That is the best advice I've ever seen on these forums [and there's tons of goodies here]. Every time I try to future proof I end up upping my meds because it's a never ending game and it drives me nutsss.
Then I think back to my first computer 11 years and how I agonized whether to get 1 or 2 gigs of HD and I was reassured that 1 gb was MORE THAN ENOUGH for all my needs for the next 10 years :>)

 

I absolutely love watching these kind of people struggle "I should wait just a bit longer for this to come out" it's like "Well, you're gonna be waiting a LONG TIME"

Usually after a long while people learn to just give up, or they give in to temptation. Seriously get whatever you want in the current market as soon as you can afford it, most likely you'll upgrade your stuff in 2-3 years anyways.

For me basically, I upgrade every 2-3 years and sell my older unit to help go towards the newer one, its a good system, and it helps you keep sane.

Cheers

 

Thanks for the replies.
I heard about a whine issue with the MBPs. Is that a major problem, or is it a mnor annoyance? What exactly is it, and what causes it?? Thanks for the help.

 

Yeah, the G5 is 64 bit, and whatever Apple puts in the New Mac Pro or what ever it will be called that replaces the Powermac will be a 64 bit processor no doubt, but the G5 has been out for quite a few years now, and when it was released the laptops were G4s, and were untill this febuary or March, and all G4s are 32bit, and for most people, a fast G4 (1.5GHz+) is still plenty fast for 95% of the stuff you, and the Intel Core Duos are 4-5 times faster than those (according to apple...) so you should be perfectly fine, and the 64bit cre duos might not be out untill as late as december, so dont waste 6 months waiting...