is MBP 13 really for me?

Hey Guys,
So as a newly switched PC guy I'm going thru a process of adjustment to the new environment. So far it was a pleasant journey, but I have some concerns on which I hope you'll be able to provide feedback with:

1) The Office: The only thing I can't accept as an alternative software on mac is office. I tried both Office 2008 for Mac and iWork09 and both are very limited in my opinion. I hate the interface, missing functions etc ( especially that I'm participating in Office 2010 Beta - and it looks awesome). At this point I'm running Office 2007 thru Parallels. Unfortunately there is a slight lag/delay when switching tabs/windows etc. What do you think is causing the lags? ( I have 2.26ghz and 4gb of ram).

2) I hate the low resolution of mbp13. I'm thinking about either upgrading to MBP15 ( is it worth it?) or actually going with MBP17( how much portability I'd loose? - keep in mind I used to drag around an old HP dv9700 back in the day, still I love how I can take mbp13 to class and take notes on it, and study in bed with the 13. Is 17 too much to take to bed?).

3) Would processor upgrade from 2.26 to 2.53 would make a significant difference in my Parallels experience?

4) Do you think that MBP 15 or 17 would allow me to run Win XP thru Parallels without any visual performance decrease?

Your feedback is highly appreciated...

 

1) The lag is caused by running it through Parallels.

2) Only you can decide if it's worth it or not. I have a 13" Unibody MacBook and I've never thought once that I needed/wanted a higher resolution screen. As far as portability with the 17", I personally don't think a 17" anything can be considered portable by any stretch of the imagination.

3) Not enough to notice.

4) The bottleneck is Parallels, no matter what machine you run it on.

 

the low end CPU you have there doesn't have the Intel VT tech if I remember right, which makes Parallels and VMWare run slightly slower.

From what I've seen Office 2007 runs pretty good in Crossover Mac... Wine based solutions will be so much faster than any virtual machine could ever hope to be... if you can get it to work that way... but Office is a supported program that works good.

no Mac is too large to bed

but no.. I don't like the size of the 17". Proportion wise though, the 15" at 1440x900 isn't much different than the 1280x800 on the 13"... hopefully the new Macbook Pro 15"s soon will have a 1680x1050, that would be a nice option.

you'll have to check the processor model numbers... I'm not totally sure, but if the higher end one has Intel VT tech, then yes, it'll make a big difference in Parallels, or VMWare or anything that supports using it.

no computer in existence can run a virtual machine without a decrease in performance. if you have a CPU that has VT tech, then it will run a lot better, and simple things that aren't 3D rendering will look almost the same as running natively.

 

That is incorrect the processor should be P8400 according to the specs listing at Intel.
It supports VT.
If VT is not enabled it is Apple's fault then.
To utilise Intel VT it has to be enabled in both hardware as well as software.

 

thats cool... i might have been thinking about the old aluminum Macbooks.

 

Lets just say that even a 17 mbp is easier to carry around than an old 15" windows laptop.

But if you want portability and a higher resolution, go with the 15".

 

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=42014

Is the cpu in the low end 13" mbp (mid 09 refresh). Just checked with cpuz.

 

There are other models using P8400 according to this
You are just one unlucky guy.
Either way -1 for Apple using Non-VT Processors in their expensive machine.
Basically 3 models 8400 VT = Yes, P7570 VT = Yes, P7550 VT = No

 

I have a 2.4ghz 13" Aluminum MacBook and it has VT enabled.

 

the *current* Macbook has the 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (P7550) processor does NOT have VT... I thought the Macbook Pro 13" 2.26 was the same processor.

dont know how muchi trust wikipedia, but it has listed that it can come with 1 of three.... 2.26GHz (P7550, P8400, or P7570) which weinter also pointed out above... if it has the 7550, it doesn't have VT

i found this little program someone wrote... cpu-x, which will show you info about your processor so you can see what you have.

http://netkas.org/?p=72

 

The P7550 in the Macbook does support VT. It's known as VMX, and can be seen to be present as per screenshot:

 

from Toms hardware forums. and applies to some of the 7000 series as well

 

Unlucky? I bought my mbp 13" in late August. I am now on my 5th unit (that means this is my 5th brand new complete unit). All cpus have been p7550.

There was a thread on this forum a month ago about which cpu it was.

 

That is why they are actually pretty smart.
By not listing the Processor Model they are free to choose which model to include in their notebooks.
For 1 they will be less likely to run out of stock.
Next the Processor prices are subjected to availability hence they can save cost.

 

OP: Which version of Parallels are you running?

The new version 5.0 allows some better use of the Graphics card in your MBP, enabling WDDM-compliant 3-D acceleration and better display of transitions/refreshes on screen when using applications in "unity" or "seamless" mode. I'd also suggest VMWare Fusion 3.0 as an alternative if you're going to upgrade. Feature wise, they're neck-and-neck, but I've always had better VM performance and Boot Camp VM performance from VMWare. Configuration is nicer too (subjective opinion I know).

Getting back to your root issue - What are you missing from Office 2008? As a desktop publisher and someone who takes a lot of notes, I was a little miffed that they still haven't ported Publisher or OneNote to the Mac Suite, then I learned more about how Word has many modes on the Mac that basically replace those applications. If only they had file compatibility.

I personally have the MBP 13 2.53 model that has the right VT chip, and I don't think there's any real advantage in moving to the 15 or 17 models except perhaps screen res and/or NVidia 9600 capability (I game on my 9400m all the time- No worries there).

Let me know if I can help you at all with more info about the Office 2008 apps, or optimizing your VM config.

 

Hey Guys,

Thank you all for the amazing feedback!!! I just got by from vacation and started to review your answers.

I guess my biggest problem with Office on Mac is not its lack of functions but the cumbersome interface. I really enjoyed Ribbon Interface from Office 2007 as it's slipstreamed and shows you only what you need at particular moment. That toolbox thingy doesn't really cut it for me. But it's just personal preference.

In terms of an upgrade, I really miss a big screen. I just visited the apple store to play with 17ner, and it's really good. The resolution of the screen really makes the difference in productivity and workflow, while system on 2.8ghz seems to be much more snappier than my 2.26ghz. In terms of weight and portability - it's not like your regular 17 incher that required a wheelie to drag around. It feels like a regular 15incher....

I think I'm in love....

For now the plan is to use parallels and try VMware (Thanks Mike - I'll definitely write with questions if any shall arise), and if budget permits, sell my mbp13 and go with 17.Do you think they should be upgraded soon? Should I wait?

 

I bought my niece a MBP15 for her birthday back in Feb 09 and she loves it. She uses it for both business and for fun.

And I am very happy with my MBP17 that I bought fully loaded back in May 09.

My coworker at my office just bought a MBP13 and it is very nice also. But I agree about the screen resolution. I use my for coding/development and I need to see more real-estate on the screen than a 13 can offer. The 15" is a good medium if you didn't want to get the 17

I have absolutely no trouble toting my 17 around. It is very thin in and light compared to any other laptops with that screen size. It is not cumbersome at all. Many times I just grab it without the AC adapter when I go to work in the mornings, if I know it has a full charge. I want to get a 2nd powersupply though. But it is very easy to carry around

- Ben

*edit: I've got VMWARE FUSION 3.0.1. Love it. Works very nice and seamlessly. Helps to have more RAM though.

 

This is correct, I have the lowend 13" MBP and i'm running Windows Server 2008 R2 With Hyper-V. Hyper-V doesn't work without intel-VT