mac book pro advise

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pmac

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Hi

My laptop recently died and I'm also needing something more powerful for editing on.Ive been using my wife's 13" mac pro and have come to like it a lot. so im thinking about getting one also.

I also had a 27" imac at the start of the year but returned it due to issues with it and never replaced it,but decided that I'm better getting something I can use on the move and later buying a screen to attach it to when in the house.

The question is which to buy... I've been looking at refurbs on the apple store and think I'm going to go with a late 2011 i7 2.5ghz model.

There are two I've been looking at for the same price.

One has the glossy screen (1440-900) but a 128gb ssd.
the other the matt hi res(1680-1050) but a 750gb standard HD.

Opinions seem to be mixed regarding the screen,but most do prefer the matt and I know the ssd is the better option,but is it better to scarifies the screen for the ssd as I know I can always change that later.

At a push I could probably get the 2012 non retina with the matt screen and standard HD,but is that worth the extra 500ish pound.

Any advise would be great.
 
Very easy to change the HD for an SSD. Then get an external drive enclosure for a few quid and you have a good size drive for backups etc.

You can find the step by step instructions Here.
 
I received my new 15" 2.5ghz Late 2011 refurb with 750gb hd & anti-glare on Monday.
I ordered 16 gb of ram from crucial (£75) & a 256gb samsung ssd (most places about £150 with £20 cashback due) You could go for 8gb at about £35 if you think it would be enough.

I swapped the hard drive and ram, purchased Mountain Lion, did a clean install on the SSD and I was all set. Very happy with the purchase.

I thought long and hard about going for the 2012 non-retina too, but the only benefit I could see was USB3 and I could live without it. I believe the newer graphics cards are better too but again for my usage it wasn't worth the extra £. The i7's were close enough that I would probably never notice any difference.

For me I wanted the matte screen more than anything. It is why I didn't consider the retinas as when I tested them side by side in the store it was night & day with the reflections. Many people who have bought the retina find the screen fine though. You really need to decide that for yourself. I even looked at the new samsungs which have anti-glare screens too but they weren't high res & the resolution was too low for me.

At the end of the day it is down to your own personal requirements, but I would advise the anti-glare and upgrade the ssd & ram yourself.
 
pmac said:
Hi

One has the glossy screen (1440-900) but a 128gb ssd.
the other the matt hi res(1680-1050) but a 750gb standard HD.
Click to expand...

128GB SSD? Nowhere near enough space. Think about it - the OS and software will be 30GB give or take, plus your music and other docs (assuming you will use it as a normal laptop - another 20GB). So half the useable space will be taken up from word go. With each raw file you take in the region of 20MB, how much space will there be left after a year of taking photos? Does it even have enoug space on it to hold your existing photos? You could plug in an external drive for extra space, but wouldn't that kinda defeat the purpose of that lovely SSD?

Go for the matt high-res screen and a decent amount of storage!
 
Well I ordered the matt version last night and it should be with me monday or tuesday :)

will upgrade to a ssd when the price drop slightly more for larger ones, as i think i would go 512gb min.
 
spacester said:
128GB SSD? Nowhere near enough space. Think about it - the OS and software will be 30GB give or take, plus your music and other docs (assuming you will use it as a normal laptop - another 20GB). So half the useable space will be taken up from word go. With each raw file you take in the region of 20MB, how much space will there be left after a year of taking photos? Does it even have enoug space on it to hold your existing photos? You could plug in an external drive for extra space, but wouldn't that kinda defeat the purpose of that lovely SSD?

Go for the matt high-res screen and a decent amount of storage!
Click to expand...

really i wouldnt go storing your files on the laptop anyway. far to eggs in one basket.

pmac said:
Well I ordered the matt version last night and it should be with me monday or tuesday :)

will upgrade to a ssd when the price drop slightly more for larger ones, as i think i would go 512gb min.
Click to expand...

you could always replace the optical drive with the 750gb, but again eggs in one basket.

spacester said:
Yeah a 512GB is about £500 at the moment. Severely tempted to upgrade my late 2011 MBP :-)
Click to expand...

you could pick up a vertex 4 for £310 :)
 
neil_g said:
really i wouldnt go storing your files on the laptop anyway. far to eggs in one basket.
Click to expand...

Some of us don't have the £££ for two computers. And as long as it is backed up regularly, I don't see the problem. I also don't see the point of paying for an SSD that is too small, then dumping everything on an external. All the speed advantage of an SSD lost when editing or accessing photos... Then it's also a complete pain to backup..... Better to have a large amount of space, store everything there, then backup overnight onto USB.

neil_g said:
you could pick up a vertex 4 for £310 :)
Click to expand...

If that's for 512GB, then it's a bargain! I am severely tempted to blow £300 of work's money on one :-)
 
Matte screen... My MBP has the standard screen and its near on impossible to see properly in bright light.
 
Agree with the comments, get the screen you prefer the look of as that's not really changeable! An SSD is a must though...you'll never go back!
 
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