wparsonsgisnet Posted May 13, 2010 Share #1 Posted May 13, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Alas, and it's about time! I've been waiting for my 5-yr-old windoze machine to push me to a Macbook. It seems the time is here. I am looking at the 17 inch with 500gb-7200 drive, 8gb ram, the i7 processor, and the anti-glare screen. Anyone want to discuss the merits of the glossy vs matte screen? I plan to use this "device" for both photo and video, so will be putting C1 and PS on it, and acquiring Final Cut Pro. For the latter purpose, I wondered about the solid state drive. Any recommendations about this, too? Many thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 13, 2010 Posted May 13, 2010 Hi wparsonsgisnet, Take a look here Gotta buy a Macbk Pro -- which screen?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted May 13, 2010 Share #2 Posted May 13, 2010 I have a new iMac with the glossy screen and, while it does look fantastic, at least it stays put on my desk and I can therefore control the reflections, such as they are. For a laptop, I can imagine a glossy screen being a PITA. My advice would be to get to an Apple Store or dealer and have a play with the screen options in a well lit environment. Solid state drives are still pretty tiny compared to HDs, and if you have a 7200rpm drive, you should have no problem with the video. I have 8 gig RAM in my iMac, and I find that PS and Aperture and all my other programs run fine. You will love a MBP after an old PC laptop btw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mby Posted May 13, 2010 Share #3 Posted May 13, 2010 Dear Bill, Excellent decision, I went Mac for personal usage back in 1987 and never looked back... With regards to the MacBook Pro, I'd suggest getting the glossy screen, razor-sharp and great quality, I'm extremely happy with it. Fpr screen size, I'd suggest limiting yourself to 15", the 17" is quite a surfboard; I have a 24" 2nd display, which is also more color-accurate. From a price/performance ratio, I decided against an SSD, you can always upgrade later.... Best regards, Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldhrads Posted May 13, 2010 Share #4 Posted May 13, 2010 I'll be upgrading my first gen macbook pro next month. The new non glare screen is the same style that I have on my first gen machine. I will pay the extra for this!!! If you use the device a lot for photo /video you will probably appreciate the non glare as much as the 8 GB ram!! Good luck Bill Lawrence Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted May 13, 2010 Author Share #5 Posted May 13, 2010 Thanks, Guys. I appreciate the feedback. I am glad to hear that the SSD is a possible later upgrade, as I didn't want to drop another kilobuck on that. I will audition the 2 screens. Regards, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
57andrew Posted May 13, 2010 Share #6 Posted May 13, 2010 I also have the 17" with glossy screen - wonderful piece of kit but it is heavy and arguably too big for a laptop. CS4 runs like a dream and the mac has never crashed in 6 months. I suspect the 15" would be fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEB Posted May 13, 2010 Share #7 Posted May 13, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Bill, I'm on my second MacBook Pro. The current one is a 15" that I have had for about 5 months. It is a wonderful computer but I very much regret getting the glossy screen. Unless I am in a very controlled situation, the reflections are a serious problem. While you do lose a slight amount of contrast using the matte screen, that is a small price to pay for being able to actually see what is on the monitor. I was in an airport two weeks ago trying to watch a movie to kill time (weather delayed my flight by 3 hours). I gave up because the reflections were so bad that I couldn't follow the action on the screen. Other that that mistake, I would highly recommend the Mac laptops for almost any purpose. Mark Blumer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpattison Posted May 13, 2010 Share #8 Posted May 13, 2010 and the 15" has a built in SD slot, the 17" doesn't seem to.... any one know more? John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted May 13, 2010 Author Share #9 Posted May 13, 2010 At this point, I am thinking of the 15-inch, i7, 8gb, 500gb-7200, with anti-glare. I'm gonna have to steal the bluetooth kb I got the bride for her iPad-3g which, BTW, is a smashing success. I need this computer now as my windoze box is failing (4.5 years, not so bad) or I'd wait to hear more about the 3g macbook. But the bride will be around some with her 3G iPad. Good thing the disk farm is relocatable. Thanks for the feedback and regards to all, (This is all probably worth a picture at delivery time.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mby Posted May 13, 2010 Share #10 Posted May 13, 2010 At this point, I am thinking of the 15-inch, i7, 8gb, 500gb-7200, with anti-glare. I'm gonna have to steal the bluetooth kb I got the bride for her iPad-3g which, BTW, is a smashing success. I need this computer now as my windoze box is failing (4.5 years, not so bad) or I'd wait to hear more about the 3g macbook. But the bride will be around some with her 3G iPad. Good thing the disk farm is relocatable. Thanks for the feedback and regards to all, (This is all probably worth a picture at delivery time.) Great choice! - Did you consider the Apple LED Cinema Display (24" flat panel) - I own one and can very highly recommend it, and you will need a 2nd display; of course, there are also non-Apple alternatives... Have fun with your new tool/toy! Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danyves Posted May 13, 2010 Share #11 Posted May 13, 2010 At this point, I am thinking of the 15-inch, i7, 8gb, 500gb-7200, with anti-glare Perfect choice. You should enjoy it ! You will have a power horse this way. Anti-glare is best for photographers. Am using a 2006 second hand Macbook Pro 15', 2gbto which I have offer a 500gb 5400 disk. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted May 13, 2010 Author Share #12 Posted May 13, 2010 The best thing would be for them to have a refurbished one just like this when I go to buy. lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted May 14, 2010 Author Share #13 Posted May 14, 2010 I spent some money last nite. I ended up with a new 15-inch MBP, with i7 chip, 4GB ram, 500GB 5400 disk, and matte screen The purchase of Final Cut Studio is what made the deal expensive. I have a problem in that my software for making video or the computer has failed. Consequently, the one-to-one deal that Apple has is just what the doctor ordered. For $99, I get 1 year of one-on-one training -- and I need to learn how to use Final Cut Right Away. Of course, with video stuff going on, I may not get to do any still image stuff for a bit. I'll post my experiences. Nevertheless, Apple/Final Cut 1; windoze 0. Nice, fast machine. Again, many thanks for the input. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruderwind Posted May 14, 2010 Share #14 Posted May 14, 2010 I am using a 13-inch with glossy screen and a 15-inch matte screen and I definitely prefer the matte screen for working purposes. To display the pictures to somebody else the glozzy might impress more. And for travelling for example the reflection on the glossy are a nuisance. At home the reflections are manageable depending on the lightning situation. However, with a light at the rear side of your working place you will have no fun with a glossy screen. Please bear in mind that these are very personal statements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruderwind Posted May 14, 2010 Share #15 Posted May 14, 2010 Sorry for being late. I just read what you bought. Good screen choice! Depending on how deep you would like to go into video Boinx Foto Magico Pro might interest you. With FM I combine pictures and HD videos (from Canon D5 Mark II). Works perfect! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted May 14, 2010 Author Share #16 Posted May 14, 2010 Thanks for the tip. I'll check out the program. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lejos Posted May 18, 2010 Share #17 Posted May 18, 2010 One important consideration regarding 15-inch vs. 17-inch Mac Book Pro is that the 17-inch model has an ExpressCard/34 slot, that can be used to add an E-sata card. It makes a world of difference if you are using external hard drives. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share #18 Posted May 18, 2010 Yeah, I was torn, and went with the 15 and the SD card slot. I am using firewire-800 drives. Hadda buy some 6-pin-to-9-pin adapters. This machine kicks butt! Regards, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share #19 Posted May 18, 2010 I put Capture 1 Pro (v 5-something) on it today. The images with the matte screen are fantastic. The result of the w/b is much clearer on this screen. This thing is really gorgeous! And Fast! I've been waiting a long time for the windoze machine to die. The prince is dead; long live the prince. I also really like Time Machine. This is so slick! Regards, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
symmetron Posted May 19, 2010 Share #20 Posted May 19, 2010 Not sure if it's offered where you are, but I would recommend that you also purchase Apple Care if it's available. Three year warranty and excellent support. Typically about $250 additional. It's worth it just for the Tech Support. Also, at some point you will possibly be interested in running Windows. If you do so, I'd recommend that you use Parallels running on top of a Boot Camp partition. That way you can boot into your Mac and run Windows side-by-side or you can also boot directly into the Windows partition if you desire. If you install a WIndows partition, you will also have to select either NTFS or FAT32. Although NTFS is more versatile, FAT32 in spite of its limitation on a 32 GB partition allows you to access WIndows and OS X files, folders, etc. cross operating systems. You're gonna luv your Mac! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.