Suggestions for a new computer

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djbobbyrhodes

Well-known member
I'm planning on using student loans to pick up a new computer sometime soon.

I was thinking that I should get a macbook pro, but I'm not really sure how I can manage to get the best bang for my buck. And I wonder if the laptop is cool to handle what I want to do with it.

I will be editing using FCS and After Effects. I probably will be editing a feature on it some time in the next year or so, as well (I hope (obviously on external hardrives)). AND I may eventually get into some minor 3D animation in blender or a similar app (just for effects to be used in AE, not actual 3D animated films). ALL of this will be on TOP of my day to day stuff, like school work, projects, internet and the usual.

So, can I get away with doing all that good stuff on a macbook pro? And, where should I definitely upgrade i.e. and where can I skip the upgrades?

I'm sure this has been asked a million times before, but I serached around for a quite a bit, and couldn't find the right solution for me. Plus, I figure, technology is changing all the time...
 
Have you considered getting a desktop? My friends do alot of that stuff on their macbook pros, it is slower and the laptop overheats. I however have a MacPro, it is upgradeable (To a extent) and it is alot faster at doing things in final cut then a laptop would be.
 
I usually film with a cannon xh a1 in SD, but we might eventually do some HD.

As for the desktop option, I considered that as well, but I was hoping to enjoy a little portability in my life. If I can't get away with the laptop, I guess I could go with the macpro.
 
Are you willing to do a Hackintosh laptop? You would be violating the OSX EULA, but you'd still be paying for the software. There are a few good laptops out there with specs equal or better to the MBP's, for much less, and are almost fully compatible with OSX. Plus you can still dual-boot with Windows.
 
Eximious said:
Are you willing to do a Hackintosh laptop? You would be violating the OSX EULA, but you'd still be paying for the software. There are a few good laptops out there with specs equal or better to the MBP's, for much less, and are almost fully compatible with OSX. Plus you can still dual-boot with Windows.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting idea. How much money would I be saving if I went this route? Because, I have access to a student discount, or I also have a friend who works for XYZ electronic component company that has a decent discount on apple products.

I dunno...I think just getting the MBP would be easier because it's already assembled for me and whatnot.

AND the dual boot isn't a really big deal because, from what I understand, macs can now run windows and/or windows emulators pretty easily.

-------------------------------------------
Ok, so here's what I'm looking at:

I'm thinking that I want to get the 15" model because I'm not too worried about having the 17" screen for $500. Forget that. If I want a bigger screen, I'll hook it up to an LCD monitor or something for a similar price.

The 15" model goes from 2.53GHz to 2.66GHz and 2.8GHz.

Where should I go with this? I figure, obviously, that the higher the better. But do I need the highest version? Do I even need the 2.66?

and after all of that,

Am I really going to need to upgrade the RAM as well, from 4GB to 8GB?

Would I be better off getting the minimum processor speed with the upgraded ram? or With the better processor and only 4GB of ram?

This is rambling, but I hope it makes sense.

Thanks for the responses thus far guys.
 
I don't know of any PC laptops that can be hacked in the 15" range.

The ones that work are based on the GMA 950 GPU, which replicates what the Mac Mini has.

Even those netbooks, which are really the only ones with the 950 and an acceptable chip set, not all work.

don't throw good money away.
 
David S. said:
I don't know of any PC laptops that can be hacked in the 15" range.

The ones that work are based on the GMA 950 GPU, which replicates what the Mac Mini has.

Even those netbooks, which are really the only ones with the 950 and an acceptable chip set, not all work.

don't throw good money away.
Click to expand...


I'm probably going with the MBP that I can buy online or at the mac store. So, I'm not worried about "hacking" the laptop.

-------------------------------------------
My concern is the following:

Mac Book Pro's (w/o discounts)
17” 3.06GHz MAXED (8GB RAM and maxed out hard drive)
$3,899.00

15” 3.06 MAXED (8GB RAM and maxed out hard drive)
$3,649.00

15” 2.66 MAXED (8GB RAM and maxed out hard drive)
$3,149.00

15” 2.53 MAXED (8GB RAM and maxed out hard drive)
$2,899.00


Should I really be worrying that much about the processor speed, if I'm maxing out the RAM? OR should I max out the processor speed and keep it at 4GB of RAM?

I mean, if the processor speed isn't a concern from 2.53-3.06 I can save around $1,000. OR if I can max out the processor and skip upgrading the ram, I can still save $1,000.
 
Don't worry too much about RAM. Four gigs is more than enough for most applications today. You can look at this recent memory round-up from Tom's Hardware to see the very limited gains having more memory yields in most applications:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264.html

Obviously more memory allows better multitasking, but by how much is difficult to say. Basically, you should worry more about your processor speed than memory.

As for a Hackintosh, it sounds like you have enough money to buy the real deal. Unfortunately, I'm more familiar with desktop hacks than portables, so I can't make any specific recommendations. Still, you can check the hardware compatibility list for laptops and netbooks here:

http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/HCL_10.5.2/Portables

The integrated Intel GMA 950 is one supported GPU chipset, but by no means is it the only mobile chipset supported.

Hope that helps!
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone. Upon further research, it appears that upgrading the RAM on a macbook pro is actually pretty easy to do. And somewhat cheaper if you do it yourself, rather than pay apple to do it for you.

So, I think I'm gonna go with the 15" 3.06GHz MBP with 4GB or RAM for $2,599 (w/o discounts).

And after getting a feel for how everything works out, I can decide if I want to upgrade the RAM at a later date.
 
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