original macbook pro 17" vs current macbook pro 13"

[dop16mm]

price of current 15 or 17 is not an option. The 17 obviously wins on jacks an connectivity, still has firewire 400 which is important to me as well as express card. But has original core duo processor and limited to 2 gigs ram.

I'm currently on G5 dual core 2.0, so obviously need an intel machine for certain funtions and would not use laptop all the time. FCS 2.

I can get the used 17 for enough less than a new 13 to give it a try, but would the ram limitation hold me up enough to make it a no go.

Also can you upgrade from 10.4 to 10.6 without a 10.5 disk. To do a clean wipe would go back to original system 10.4 and seller is using 10.6 family license on other machines. Any thoughts?

 

[david_p]

i also have a 17" core duo with 256mb graphics & 2 gigs of ram. never had to use it much since i have had several 8 cores for my routine work. the worst part of it is the 2 gig ram limitation but for FCP i never saw that as a problem but for photoshop a horrible problem where that 2 gigs dissipates very fast. for Motion the lack of ram would be a problem. for simple FCP editing it was pretty good. the express card slot is great for me since i use sony SxS cards. for simple (not many layers with effects on them) the 17" still does a good job. ive never edited anything serious on it though. it is an out of town computer for size and convience. my hunch is that it would be nicer than the smallest 13" model and has a much nicer screen size. the 2 gig ram is the biggest potential drawback as i see it for some software.

david

 

[life4eva]

Apple just released their new computers today ( laptops ) don't even think of buying that old 17" laptop as that technology is TOO DATED. Connections mean nothing when your limited by your ram and processing power, that is what creates a bottle neck. 2gbs of ram is NOT enough, at the bare minimum you would want at LEAST 4gbs, but why even push it? Spend the money NOW on a computer that will last you for the next 3 years........


http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?mco=MTM3NjU5MzU