HELP - MACBOOK PRO recommendations please

[bungee]

No PC - MAC arguments please. I am a complete MAC convert

I want to upgrade to a new MACBOOK PRO from a 17" PowerBook G4 1.5GHz with 2GB RAM and 120GB HD.

Please give me your ideas as to what I should get.

Feelings about current system

Screen- I love the 17" monitor
Portability - The weight/size is not a problem and it fits nicely into my CompuRover AW
Power - I need more grunt. My memory is maxed at 2GB and still CS3/Bridge combo struggles a bit on this platform. Also the memory seems to leak when using CS3 (ie, it gets slower and slower)

I love the external durability, toughness and scratch-resistance of the aluminium case. I hate that the Hard Disk died a year ago (I think it was an Hitachi) and trust Apple have stopped using that supplier.

I would consider hooking up an external monitor if someone can recommend a good one (say 24 to 30"). I run a few other applications - mainly utilities, Canon apps and a specialist resizing app.

Thanks

[jaisai01]

i can tell you i have a CD 1.83ghz MBP, and it has 2gb ram and an 80gb hdd. with cs3 and the 2gb running natively on the MBP, it is wonderful. but the machine runs great. i would go with the 15" MBP, and an external monitor for when ur at home, and that way you save on weight when ur traveling

[johnms88]

I have the 15" mbp and love it. I'm going to upgrade to 2 gigs of ram soon.
The biggest advantage to the 17" that i like (other than screen real-estate) is that the battery life is a little better. Bcap has a 17" and its a speed demon.

This may be completely wrong, but the memory leak you speak of may be because your running a g4 on the new intel written program (they probably didnt spend as much time on the PPC part of it)

Everything aside, I would wait if i were you. The rumor mill has the new core duo (i dont remember the name) being placed in the notebooks in the near future.

Edit:
I think the mbp can only handle an external monitor up to 24" if im not mistaken. (I dont think the external monitor port gets enough power for a resolution higher than that)

[bungee]

I believe the 17" MBP has a higher screen resolution. Is that so ?

Is the glossy widescreen display better for photographic display and/or post processing ?

Is there a way to spec a 17 " MBP with a single 2GB SO-DIMM rather then 2x1GB ? Then I could cheaply add another 1GB as it has a 3GB maximum (which seems so little these days).

Thanks

[bungee]

Edit:
I think the mbp can only handle an external monitor up to 24" if im not mistaken. (I dont think the external monitor port gets enough power for a resolution higher than that)

Apple offer a 30" Cinema display as an add-on accessory with the 15" MBP so it might be safe to assume it can be supported

[timnosenzo]

I have a 15" MBP and went with the matte display, and very glad that I did. I feel it is more accurate than the glossy screen. YMMV. :)

[timnosenzo]

Apple offer a 30" Cinema display as an add-on accessory with the 15" MBP so it might be safe to assume it can be supported
The 15 & the 17 can definitely run the 30" CD.

[bungee]

Is anyone running an external monitor on a MBP and, if so, what type is it and how does it perform ?

thanks

[jaisai01]

i have a 24" Dell Widescreen and it runs great off of my MBP.

[bungee]

i have a 24" Dell Widescreen and it runs great off of my MBP.

How do Dell perform in regard to image quality, colour reproduction etc ?

[jaisai01]

i have been very impressed with dells quality for the price., color repreduction and brightness is all well...

[JohnJ80]

I have the 15" mbp and love it. I'm going to upgrade to 2 gigs of ram soon.
The biggest advantage to the 17" that i like (other than screen real-estate) is that the battery life is a little better. Bcap has a 17" and its a speed demon.

This may be completely wrong, but the memory leak you speak of may be because your running a g4 on the new intel written program (they probably didnt spend as much time on the PPC part of it)

Everything aside, I would wait if i were you. The rumor mill has the new core duo (i dont remember the name) being placed in the notebooks in the near future.

Edit:
I think the mbp can only handle an external monitor up to 24" if im not mistaken. (I dont think the external monitor port gets enough power for a resolution higher than that)

The memory leak in CS3 is also evident on the MBP. I suspect they will fix it shortly. There are some other quirks too.... But that is all Adobe and not Apple.

That said, the MBP runs CS3 blazing fast compared to the G4 and even CS2 on the G4.

The size of the monitor is meaningless - it the resolution that counts. The MBP 17" supports external monitors at (from apple website) "2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors" .

The MBP is a very nice machine. Make sure you max it out with memory.

J

[shesgotthepic]

I have a 15" MBP and went with the matte display, and very glad that I did. I feel it is more accurate than the glossy screen. YMMV. :)

Ditto. My first MBP died so while waiting for a new I had a macbook with a glossy screen on loan. Didn't like the gloss at all.

Have seen others with MBP and glossy screens and they seem happy with it. Each to his own, and all that.

The 15" can run a 30" cinema without sweating.

I'm on a core 2 duo now and love it. I used to have 12" powerbook. *If* Apple would release a 12" MBP I *might* be convinced to downgrade just for the portability. At the same time - for photographers the 15" is really the minimum.

I think 17 are far too big to lug around.

[Rumjungle]

17" MBP with the 30" cinema display sounds like an awesome combo. You'll want 2gb-3gb of RAM and either a big (200gb) hd or a fast (7200rpm 100gb) one.

[bungee]

17" MBP with the 30" cinema display sounds like an awesome combo. You'll want 2gb-3gb of RAM and either a big (200gb) hd or a fast (7200rpm 100gb) one.

Your enthusiasm for spending my money is infectious :lol:

I can't be too flash or my wife will be cheesed off that she only gets my old machine. Still, she only uses it for web & email.

[Rumjungle]

Didn't realize you were married. You'll have to be considerate of the wifey. Here's what you do: back down the RAM to a paltry 2gb (and keep the rest as is). Let her know that you're doing this for HER. It should go over well but I make no guarantees. Let us know how you get on.;)

[bungee]

Didn't realize you were married. You'll have to be considerate of the wifey. Here's what you do: back down the RAM to a paltry 2gb (and keep the rest as is). Let her know that you're doing this for HER. It should go over well but I make no guarantees. Let us know how you get on.;)

She did ask "why would you replace your notebook (G4 Powerbook) with one that looks the same ?" So perhaps I'll just spec it up quietly to 3GB...:lol: