Macbook Pro Specs for editing?

[enarchay]

I personally prefer to use desktops, but since I'm transferring to NYU this summer, I don't want to lug my desktop right away, and I also want a laptop for taking notes and the increased freedom and mobility.

However, I'm having a hard time deciding between the 15" and 17" models. I was originally planning to get the 15" for a balance between size and power, but a few people recommended I go for the 17" due to increased expandability and cheaper external HDD options (which will be a must). Even so, I'm not sure how crazy I should go when making the purchase. There are options for 2.0, 2.2, or 2.3 GHz; 4GB or 8GB RAM; 750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm, 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm, 128GB Solid State Drive, 256GB Solid State Drive, or 512GB Solid State Drive; glossy or antiglare screen; and so on.

I'm trying to stay as close to (or under) $2000 as possible (I should get a $200 student discount), and I'm not sure what specs to select.

I plan to use the laptop as my primary editing unit for Final Cut Pro, but again, I'm also looking for an all-around college laptop.

What would you guys recommend?

 

[enarchay]

Both 15" and 17" MBPs support external HDDs.The main difference between them is the screen resolution;furthermore,17" runs cooler

I heard that for video editing, it would be a bad idea to write to an external HDD connected by USB. Yet, I don't think the 15" allows for eSata connection. That's what I'm worried about primarily.

 

[Maziar]

Then get the 17" You also get more room to work with

 

[halcyon]

Then get the 17" You also get more room to work with

Agreed! Again, I've auditioned the latest 17"...both the 2.2Ghz Glossy and the 2.3Ghz anti-glare. The 2.2Ghz is all you need and the Express Card slot is going to give you those expansion choices...everything from USB 3.0 to eSATA. Given what the OP has written, I think this would fit nicely.

 

[r3xx3r]

I looked at the Sager again, ...after I configured it with a 2920XM, 500GB 7K RPM drive, it cost more than my MBP. It specs nicely though...but I'm not familiar with Sager and again, I'm preferring OS X right now...I run Windows when I miss/need it.

your wrong. the processor you chose for the sager is better than the processor in the macbook (at least as far as the website goes now). i spec'd both out,

I went with rhe 15" MBP just so the screen size would be the same, with the 17" MBP vs the 15.6" Sager there was a $700+ difference, which doesnt really account for an extra 1.4" but w/e)

2.3GHz Intel Core i7-2820QM

8GB DDR3 1333MHz

256GB SSD on the macbook / 250GB SSD on the Sager (as close as i could get, but basically the same)

and a Geforce GTX 580M on the Sager (just to prove a point)

and the Sager was $472 cheaper, and way faster (due to the video card)

 

[Jglitch]

OP im in the same position as you really trying to decide between the two either the 15" anti-glare hi-res or 17" inch anti-glare hi res. I really think the best thing I would do is go look at the models for yourself in the store. The 15" hi res is great, but for me I am 95% sure i will be going with the 17" for more screen real estate. Besides you have a return period window so I would purchase the either one and if you feel its too small or too big screen depending on which you purchase, go back and get the other one. I know everyone says to just install the extra 4 gigs of ram yourself, I myself will be paying the extra $200 just having a piece of mind if some rare thing did go wrong when adding more ram (yes i know its easy, i just don't feel like risking it on an expensive machine). As for the HD i am going to get the 500GB with the faster speed, and hopefully when SSD's go down in price replace it with one. Everyone seems to recommend sagers and asus' as great laptops which they are, but i think the issue for me at least comes down to battery life, neither of those two companies can compare in my opinion.

However, most configurations will be topping $2000 especially if you buy apple care

 

[halcyon]

your wrong. the processor you chose for the sager is better than the processor in the macbook (at least as far as the website goes now). i spec'd both out,

I went with rhe 15" MBP just so the screen size would be the same, with the 17" MBP vs the 15.6" Sager there was a $700+ difference, which doesnt really account for an extra 1.4" but w/e)

2.3GHz Intel Core i7-2820QM

8GB DDR3 1333MHz

256GB SSD on the macbook / 250GB SSD on the Sager (as close as i could get, but basically the same)

and a Geforce GTX 580M on the Sager (just to prove a point)

and the Sager was $472 cheaper, and way faster (due to the video card)

I had spec'd the higher end processor intentionally as part of an earlier discussion. When I spec'd the Sager similiarly with mine (as purchased, not as upgraded) the sager is cheaper and the graphics card in it is faster. The way I spec'd the Sager it came out to $2,309. ...and it has 2x the RAM as the MBP. I'm not a gamer so I'm not sure what the faster graphics card would do for me. Heck, the Sager may even have 2x the battery life, be thinner, and be 1lb lighter and have a LCD that is more accurate. Its clearly the hands down better machine. Next time...maybe I'll get one.

...but I'm not arguing that you can't get a cheaper Windows machine that performs the same or better than a Mac. ...and if you want something even more economical you can get Ubunto.

 

[halcyon]

OP im in the same position as you really trying to decide between the two either the 15" anti-glare hi-res or 17" inch anti-glare hi res. I really think the best thing I would do is go look at the models for yourself in the store. The 15" hi res is great, but for me I am 95% sure i will be going with the 17" for more screen real estate. Besides you have a return period window so I would purchase the either one and if you feel its too small or too big screen depending on which you purchase, go back and get the other one. I know everyone says to just install the extra 4 gigs of ram yourself, I myself will be paying the extra $200 just having a piece of mind if some rare thing did go wrong when adding more ram (yes i know its easy, i just don't feel like risking it on an expensive machine). As for the HD i am going to get the 500GB with the faster speed, and hopefully when SSD's go down in price replace it with one. Everyone seems to recommend sagers and asus' as great laptops which they are, but i think the issue for me at least comes down to battery life, neither of those two companies can compare in my opinion.

However, most configurations will be topping $2000 especially if you buy apple care

Please don't buy the RAM from Apple. If you want to throw away $200 send it to me. Send me a PM and we'll work out payment (I do have a PayPal acct.) Other World Computing's RAM is well tested and I've purchased 3 kits for 3 different Macs and have never had any issues.

 

[r3xx3r]

Please don't buy the RAM from Apple. If you want to throw away $200 send it to me. Send me a PM and we'll work out payment (I do have a PayPal acct.) Other World Computing's RAM is well tested and I've purchased 3 kits for 3 different Macs and have never had any issues.

dont even bother with that site. just go to newegg and buy this apple kit:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226167

you save $20 and shipping is free

 

[enarchay]

I had spec'd the higher end processor intentionally as part of an earlier discussion. When I spec'd the Sager similiarly with mine (as purchased, not as upgraded) the sager is cheaper and the graphics card in it is faster. The way I spec'd the Sager it came out to $2,309. ...and it has 2x the RAM as the MBP. I'm not a gamer so I'm not sure what the faster graphics card would do for me. Heck, the Sager may even have 2x the battery life, be thinner, and be 1lb lighter and have a LCD that is more accurate. Its clearly the hands down better machine. Next time...maybe I'll get one.

...but I'm not arguing that you can't get a cheaper Windows machine that performs the same or better than a Mac. ...and if you want something even more economical you can get Ubunto.

Does anyone have any links to reviews or info on this alternative laptop? I've never heard of it, and I don't feel comfortable buying a brand I've never heard of.

 

[r3xx3r]

no, and i wouldnt buy that one. i would buy the asus g series of laptops. they are great, come in both 15" and 17" laptops.

 

[cbrunnem]

yeah mac is a little behind with USB 3.0 it seems.

regarding battery life. i can stretch five hours out of my 15 inch i7 2630qm nvidia gt 540m while browsing the internet. it only has a 48wh battery compared to the MBP 17 in 98wh battery. something is fishy there since macs are supposedly the best on batteries? maybe its just cause they shove huge batteries in them. my laptop gets more time from 1wh then the MBP(5 minutes per to 4.375 minutes per). just dug that up doing a little research and was very surprised

 

[cbrunnem]

the 15 inch has a 78wh battery too

 

[Jglitch]

In all honesty I'd rather pay the premium of having the ram installed by apple, to save myself a little time and so my machine is ready to go as soon as i get it without having to do anything. Basically i just consider it a convenience fee added on top of the price the ram would actually cost.

 

[cbrunnem]

the sager? its a highly respected custom laptop dealer. their customer support is said to be one of the best in the country. i dont know that first hand but that is what everyone on here says. if you were to buy from them, you would not face anymore problems then you would with a MBP

 

[r3xx3r]

a $120 convenience fee. that is pretty ridiculous.

 

[cbrunnem]

theres no way you can mess up a ram upgrade. seriously you would have to try to break something

 

[halcyon]

Does anyone have any links to reviews or info on this alternative laptop? I've never heard of it, and I don't feel comfortable buying a brand I've never heard of.

I was being completely facetious in my last post. You above quote was one of my points. If I were you, given what you've written, I'd probably stick with the MacBook Pro, remember, THG, generally, is a geared towards PC (spelled Wintel) enthusiasts. Hey, its one of my favorite sites, but I'm just say'n. A MacBook Pro is never going to be the best bang for the buck...that's not why people choose Apple.

I've heard of Sager, they've been around for years and years. ...and with that model I'm very impressed with amount of customization you can do...reminds me of Falcon Northwest I was considering. ...but I don't believe there are Sager stores to take your computer to if you have a have a problem (if that's relevant to you). If you decide you'd rather have a PC laptop than a Mac do some more research as there are a lot of choices. If, after you've done that research Sager comes out on top for you, then yea Sager.

I don't know...if I were going to get a PC laptop I'd have to at least look at current offerings from Falcon Northwest, Dell, Alienware, Asus, and HP. A Dell Mobile Workstation...very nice

 

[halcyon]

theres no way you can mess up a ram upgrade. seriously you would have to try to break something

Well, its pretty hard to mess up a RAM upgrade, at least...especially if you have any experience whatsoever doing them. ...but it really is the simplest of upgrades. Jglitch, that you'd be willing to pay an additional $120 as you'd prefer not to open up your shiny new Mac. Though I don't agree I do comprehend that.

Its funny, I've had a MacBook for like 2 days in the past and opened it up like 4 times doing hard drive swaps (testing) and RAM upgrades. Remember you're amongst PC enthusiasts and we do love to tinker.

 

[Jglitch]

Yeah, I understand that, and when it comes to my old laptop and desktop pc, I agree. I guess at this point for a new MacBook I enjoy the piece of mind that it is done by the manufacturer regardless of how simple and more or less foolproof it is

 

[enarchay]

Thanks for all the help guys. I ultimately decided to go with the 15" Mac. I understand the argument for non-Mac computers, but given the college I'm attending, I think a Mac is a must.

 

[hpfreak]

Well then, that can change things, hope all goes well.

 

[Maziar]

Hope you enjoy it
But,if you were asking for Sager reviews.Well Sager is now a widely known brand but it makes decent laptops with a great build quality and an excellent price/performance ratio.

 

[halcyon]

Thanks for all the help guys. I ultimately decided to go with the 15" Mac. I understand the argument for non-Mac computers, but given the college I'm attending, I think a Mac is a must.

Nice. Which model did you select?

 

[enarchay]

Nice. Which model did you select?

Macbook Pro 15" - powerful enough for editing, but more portable than the 17" for my student needs.

Here are the specs:

2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200
8x Double-Layer SuperDrive
MBP 15"HR Antiglare WS Display

I'll get more RAM later for cheaper.

I know Macs are expensive, but consider this: I received $200 off this model for being a student, $100 rebate for a printer (=free printer), and a $100 back-to-school gift-card that can be used in the app store.

P.S. Does anyone have experience with shipment via Mac? Since this counts as a "custom" order, it says it could take up to 3 days to ship. I leave for college this Sunday, so I'm hoping it arrives before then (I selected 2-3 day shipping). If not, I'll have to re-route the package.

 

[halcyon]

Macbook Pro 15" - powerful enough for editing, but more portable than the 17" for my student needs.

Here are the specs:

2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200
8x Double-Layer SuperDrive
MBP 15"HR Antiglare WS Display

I'll get more RAM later for cheaper.

I know Macs are expensive, but consider this: I received $200 off this model for being a student, $100 rebate for a printer (=free printer), and a $100 back-to-school gift-card that can be used in the app store.

P.S. Does anyone have experience with shipment via Mac? Since this counts as a "custom" order, it says it could take up to 3 days to ship. I leave for college this Sunday, so I'm hoping it arrives before then (I selected 2-3 day shipping). If not, I'll have to re-route the package.

Sweet, I purchased basically the same machine...you'll like it I think. I went with the 2.3Ghz HR Antiglare.... I have delt with shipping from Apple for my Mac Pro and lot of accessories since. Shipping is fast and my Mac Pro arrived in flawless condition. I'm not sure you'll get it by Friday, though. It may not ship until then.