Buying a MacBook

The Fixer · December 2013

Never had a Mac, but need a new computer and leaning towards a Mac. My Lenovo (never buy a Lenovo) is about to shit the bed, so I'm looking to pull the trigger asap.

I will be using this computer primarily for work (I'm in medical device sales...I'm always working, which means using my computer), so my most important features are...

1 - speed
2 - storage
3 - ease of use (I'm not a tech guy)
4 - ability to access and/or convert word, excel, powerpoint files

My questions...

1 - how much storage do I need (I also have a shit-ton of music/pictures to store)??
2 - can you tell difference in 2.6 to 2.8 GHz??
3 - Will I be able to sync my calendars/emails with my iphone, ipad? (can't believe I'm becoming an 'apple guy'...barf).
4 - what 'extras' do I need to include?? microsoft office suite, speakers, itunes software, etc...I have NO IDEA

Price is not important...I use my computer every day, and I'm a big believer that you get what you pay for and I'd rather pay for shit up front than have to go back and add stuff. I am leaning towards a 13 inch MacBook Pro w Retina Display. I have heard that the MacBook Air is better. I have no idea. Can anyone help?

Someone told me I should have two hard drives (one for work and one for pics/music)...do I need to purchase that? if so, how many GB/TB?? They also mentioned SSD, but I have no idea what that is. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

lando · December 2013

I have a MacBook Pro 13 that I use for law school so it gets worked hard with loads of documents plus pictures and iTunes. Go with the bigger size, 2.8ghz. You'll def need Microsoft office and all the programs and you can synch just about anything on to it. They are really easy to use once you get the initial hang of it. Now that I have one I wouldn't use anything else and 90% of the people in my program use them as well

evsgjamm · December 2013

I ran with IBM ThinkPads for 6 years. Then I started thinking outside the box and really started considering MacBook Pro's. NEVER going back to anything as long as these Mac's are around. The issues I had with my PC's were sickening. Constant updating of virus software, constant glitches, crashes, slow performance... all the typical BS a computer user hates. Once I switched to my first MBP (MacBook Pro) in 2008, it was like a breath of fresh air. I never had any experience with them, but running a laptop is like driving a car. You can learn the ins and outs of a new car that's different from the one you drove for 10 years. Just takes getting use to and once you do, it's sooooooo so nice.

Anyways my advice:

Go big: as in Hard drive space. At least 500 GB.
Processor: Go as big as you can afford. Choose the 2.8 if that's what you can afford. I'm on my 2nd MBP now (2010 model) and it's a 2.53 GHz. Works like a charm.
RAM: Go as big as you can afford again. I'm using 4 GB RAM... you might be looking at 8GB of RAM. I'm just assuming: newer models = bigger specs.
Get an external hard drive that's 1TB in size. DO NOT get the kind that you have to plug into the outlet in the wall. Too much of a hassle. Just get one that plugs into the USB in your computer. Back up your entire computer on your external hard drive. My current MBP has 300 GB of stuff. I backed it up onto at 1TB drive and I still have 700GB of room. Mind you, I keep one external hard drive for the computer back up, and a different external drive for movies, music and photos. Spent $90 on each external drive.
SSD means Solid State Drive - they are usually much smaller hard drives (256 GB is standard these days) and VERY expensive. WHY? Because they last longer - solid state means there are no moving parts in the hard drive. Honestly, I don't recommend them just because they cost so bloody much and the storage is small. If you treat your computers well, just stick to the basic hard drive that is NOT SSD. And like I said earlier, get a laptop with at least 500 GB hard drive.

If you can, get your MacBook pre-installed with all of your office needs. Excel, Word and Powerpoint are all available for Macs. You can have an excel file that was created on someone's PC and if your Mac has the Mac version of excel, it'll still open the file and you can work with it. No worries there.

BIG QUESTION! Have you considered buying a used Mac? That's what I did for my current MBP and my first MBP. Actually right off eBay. People love upgrading their computers to the latest models and so eBay is always loaded with MINT condition used Macs for HALF the price of the new models. I spent $1000 on each of my mac's whereas to buy them new were each at least $2000. Be smart with your money!

For added comfort, get a Mac with Parallels installed on it. NOT BOOT CAMP - just Parallels. The Parallels software runs Windows on your mac beautifully. I think I paid $75 for the software off the Parallels site and it's so convenient.

I'm a geologist and use my Mac in the field A LOT. Never failed me once. I use Parallels to run Windows, I use excel and word all the time, and I use the Mac side of the computer alllll theeeeee time!

Oh and both of my mac's were/are 15 inch. Skip the Mac Air - you never know when you're going to need that CD/ DVD drive. I know you can buy the external CD / DVD ROM to go with the Air, but that's an inconvenience in my mind. Just get the 15" where it's already built in. The price difference from the Air to the Pro isn't that drastic when you're looking to buy a used model that's 1-2 years old.

Hope this helps. Ask questions - I know you have tonnes.

anthonybroxterman · December 2013

I'm not a tech guy and I don't remember the specs of my Mac other than we did step up to a MacbookPro. We use it for our everything computer- some work, grad school, games, videos, part time tv and so on. It is now five years old and we haven't had a single issue.

The only extra we purchased for it was Microsoft Office because I use Word and my wife uses Excel.

Stay away from the storefront. Look at others computers and then order online. The bullcrap cult mentality of the store almost made me go postal the day I bought my computer. It took 45 minutes for the "privilege" to spend two grand at their god forsaken 12 year old playground. They then tried to keep me in the store another 20 minutes to sell me add-ons and classes. I apologize to any employees of a Mac store, but holy shit was it bad.

Travelar · December 2013

I use a MBP exclusively. I was a PC guy from 1984 until Windows 8 came out and then made the switch, both at home and at work. It does everything I want and then some. There are still a few pieces of software I miss from the PC, but nothing I can't accomplish on my MBP. I have a 17" MBP which is maxxed out on specs, highest processor, 16GB of RAM, 512MB SSD, etc. I run dual monitors via thunderbolt. Since switching, I haven;t looked back.

Now, for your questions:

1. Like you, I have a ton of stuff. I have an external HD that I keep these on. You will need to purchase this separate. I suggest getting two, one to keep your stuff on, and one to keep a backup of your stuff on.
2. You probably won't be able to tell.
3. Yes. Syncing across all devices is easy, to either Gmail, Outlook.com, or the Apple service.
4. a) I have Microsoft Office. And VMWare Fusion, that I can run Windows in if I need it. (I'm an IT guy, so I often need access to Windows for various career based functions).
b) You may want a CD drive, this would be an extra cost. I suggest looking on Amazon for one. The Apple Superdrive is a piece of garbage for what you pay for it. You can get a nice external USB CD/DVD/Blu-Ray drive for half the price of a Superdrive.
c) If you're using an external monitor and won't be using the laptop monitor for a majority of your work, I suggest a bluetooth keyboard.
d) I suggest an Apple Magic Mouse and/or an external trackpad. Again, Logitech makes a great external trackpad, which is about half the cost of the Apple one.
e) iTunes is included in the Operating System.
f) For photo editing, you may want to look at Aperture or Adobe Lightroom.

MBPr vs. Macbook Air. How much are you going to be using it? And for what functions? The MBPr is much more powerful than a MBA. It also has better graphics card, which may be important is you do a lot of photo processing or video stuff. Conversely, the MBA is a little lighter, and easier on the pocketbook. I'd really suggest that if you have an Apple store near you (or maybe even a Best Buy), that go and test drive each one at the store before purchasing. I would not buy at the store, but use it for research.

Lastly, there are several ways to get a discount, research these. If you are a student, a teacher, or a Federal Employee, there are some decent discounts. There are also companies and other professions that CAN get discounts. Make sure you ask. For instance, I think students get 10%. On a $2000 machine, that's a pretty good savings.

FrankieG · December 2013

My setup:

15 inch Macbook Pro bought in 2009
4 gb ram
320 gb storage (Not enough...)
1 TB Ext HDD (for Backups)
2 TB Ext HDD (For extra files/media)
??? mHz -> Whatever it is works fine
Bought Mcrosoft Office suite and had it preinstalled. That's the only thing I upgraded.

Have you ever used a mac trackpad? That is almost the best part of the whole dam thing. You will hate every other computer after using one.

I love my computer. Fits all my needs. Never going back to a windows as long as I can afford a Mac.

The only problem I did have, was I had to replace the ram once, not really sure the reason but it crapped out on me..

I would also suggest installing Prey: Just in case, better safe than sorry. http://preyproject.com/

amethgr8 · December 2013

funny, just when you think no one else is going thru your own situation...

I won an iPad at a raffle about a month ago. 3 weeks using it and I upgraded from a flip phone to the iPhone. I'm in sales, have about 4 emails, run multiple web platforms, trade specific programs, etc.

then I started researching macs. you can build one to your specs and check the cost online. I have a price point but still want one that is comparable to my desktop and so I also had kindof pricey specs vs. just entry level.

I watched the apple certified refurbished for about 2 weeks prior to having the money in my account for the purchase. one popped up that I thought would meet my needs and I got it. 8gb RAM, 256 SSD, i5 processor, July 2013 MBPRO, $1315 shipped in about 5 days. new online same specs is $1599+tax. I would have liked an i7 and a quad core but they hold their value and I can always sell and upgrade. plus I won't be that freaked out if it get's dinged up a bit since it's refurbished. the new and improved Haswell chips will be commonplace in the MacBooks or other computers within the next year.

all the reviews I've read and all the users I know, no one ever said they went back to windows. I think I'll be happy. I've been on windows since the Commodore64 came out.

amy

Buying a MacBook

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