Looking to buy a MacBook Pro. Advice?

[Tybee]

Hi guys,

A lifelong PC user, I’m finally looking to make the switch to a Mac within the next month or so. I’ve used Mac Pro for work for a couple years now (I work in publishing), and it helped me make the decision to go the same route at home.

I’m pretty set on a 17” MacBook Pro. Ideally, I’ll be able to use this machine to work from home occasionally (programs I use frequently for work are MS Word, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat). But it would primarily be my personal computer.

What advice can you guys offer me when shopping for a Mac? I’ve been looking at the refurbs mostly, but some of the specs on the new Penryn machines are tempting…like the multi-touch pad and the substantially bigger hard drives.

Some questions I have:

- I’d kind of like to have LED backlighting, both for its lower power consumption and (presumably) more even and color-accurate light. But as I understand it, this is only available on the 17” if I get the high-resolution configuration. At first this sounded great, but from what I’ve read, 1920 x 1200 can be hard on the eyes at 17”, especially given that I would often be working with text. So would I be better off just going with CCFL at the lower resolution?

- How hard is it to swap out the hard drives on MBPs? Most of the refurb models I’ve been looking at top out at 160 GB. Seeing as this will be my primary computer, I’m a little concerned that I might need more space down the road.

- Is it foolish to buy directly from Apple? Those taxes really hurt, so finding an online-only place to buy would be nice. Where are some good places to look?

- Is Apple Care a must-buy?

 

[Nowell]

1) The LED backlighting would be worth it in my book. Just because the resolution goes that high, doesn't mean you have to set it that high. The added brightness/power savings would be worth it.

2) I've never changed any hardware in a mac, but it's safe to assume they've got some special part for their HDD's that you can only buy from an authorized retailer, and it's going to cost you $400 or something. But you can always just snag a small external HDD to use without a problem.

3) I'd buy direct from apple, even though you get hit in the wallet a little extra. Honestly, If my laptop were to break, I'd rather go directly to the source than dealing with a retailer too.

4) Considering how little technical support there is for macs outside of their own support (no mac computer shops around that I know of), I'd say it's a must buy. Especially with the fact that as a laptop, it's going to be moved around alot. So the chances of something messing up are higher. Better safe than sorry.

On an unrelated note, love your avatar (but wtf, why is anne frank wearing a mask?). Neutral Milk Hotel is one of my favorite bands ever.

 

[munch]

Can't speak for 1, but:

2) I've heard MBPs are a lot easier to change than iBooks. There are tons of tutorials. Check around other forums. I wouldn't let that keep you from getting one.

3) I don't think it matters. If you find a good deal from a place you trust, get it there. I bought my ibook from Amazon when it was on sale and don't regret it at all. Just go where you can get the best deal.

4) I'd say no, but if you want piece of mind go for it. I got one for my ibook, but I bought it on ebay for way less than MSRP. Plus, you can buy it anytime within your warranty to get it. I'd hold off on that decision. AppleCare is expensive.

Hope that helps.

 

[Tybee]

Yeah, I think I'm definitely going to get it from Amazon. $40 cheaper + $150 rebate + free shipping + no sales tax (which works out to $200+) is a huge incentive. I can get the top of the line, newest-of-the-new with the Multi-Touch trackpad, 250 gig HD, faster processor with smaller chips and faster bus, etc. for just a tad more than a refurbed last-gen model direct from Apple. And they actually have an LED-backlit 17" in the standard resolution, so I wouldn't even have to compromise on that.

Someone suggested that I go with a 15" and add a 23" display for using it at home, which is a tempting suggestion. But the 17" calls to me, especially with my big mitts. I plan a trip to the Apple Store soon to help me make a decision.

And yeah, I was informed that eBay is definitely the best place to get AppleCare (looks like it can easily be had for half the retail price) and that I don't have to get it right away (just before the original 1-year warranty runs out). So that is helpful.

Thanks for your help, guys!