Get the new model, for a few reasons:
The 8600M GT will kill the X1600M. To put it more clearly I will use desktop GPUs in an example - The X1600 was considered a 'midrange' graphics card and was never really all that fast, on the flip side ATi's X1900 series was considered a gaming card and was faster than the X1600 series by a wide margin. At the time nVidia's offering to compete with the X1900 series was the 7900 series. The reason I go through that brief history lesson is for this comparison: The 8600GT is faster than a 7950GT, one of nVidia's fastest last-generation GPUs.
Secondly, earlier MBPs had issues that I would assume have been worked out and then some by the time of the newer models.
Lastly, if you're going to be spending that much already... (;
That's exactly what I wanted to hear 👍. I know relatively
nothing about graphics cards, so that's a big help
.
If you are going to game at all, go for the newer one with the 8600m. Take this advice from someone who games on a MBP with the x1600.
Ok, thanks
Well, not to make a huge bummer post, but will you even be satisfied with Mac OS X. I used to always want one, but now that I realize it, I've just gotten bored with their look. And I've also used one of my family members Mac's and my friends dad's Mac Pro and I gotta say, being with Windows so long and now that Vista came out, I rather stick with Windows sadly
Just saying, don't really look into spending that much for a laptop (Unless it's a MacBook which is perfect priced in my opinion). You can buy a Sony Vaio or a Dell Vostro now for $1200 and have it near the top of the line. Just my 2 cents, re-think OS X.
I can see what you mean. For that price I could have a
hell of a Windows PC... except that I've pretty much decided I never want to see Windows again (apart from for the things I just can't run without it). I'm happy to go for a lower end Windows laptop, but as soon as I hit the £900 mark I feel I'd be stupid not to head in Mac's direction. That's not to say I'll definately end up with one, though.
If you are going to move your computer around, even if it's only half the time, I definitely recommend getting AppleCare. Laptops that move generally get a lot of beating, and AppleCare is a good peace of mind, in case anything breaks. It's three years of parts, labor, service and phone support, especially since the AppleCare that you saw is so... cheap. Do double check that that AppleCare is for the MBP though, since they do cost different amounts for different computer lines, and like AppleCare for the MBP is $349 regularly and $239 with the student discount here in the US (which as of now, would equal about 120 Pounds).
You can always get the computer now and think about if you need AppleCare, since you can buy AppleCare anytime within the first year.
Oh and the regular AppleCare IS exactly the same as the student AppleCare. There's just a discount for students. You can also get AppleCare for refurbished MBPs as long as it's purchased from Apple.
I think I'd be stupid not to at the price I'm being quoted right now. Apple are offering this "EMEA CC-HE Contract Uplift" for £58, and the regular Applecare plan for £231. I thought there
must be a difference, and so I questioned one of the employees over that live chat thing they offer. He assured me that they were exactly the same, only one was cheaper, which I found a little odd. So I asked him why they listed the more expensive one right below it. After about 10 minutes of typing, he came up with the answer "that shouldn't be there!".
That set alarm bells ringing, because that's
exactly what I read on most websites when I googled it - Apple say (and consistently have said for weeks) that it's a mistake that both are listed, which makes
no sense. Why not just reprice the normal Applecare plan? What's with the weird name, y'know? And why can't they get around to removing one or the other? I then asked where exactly the work would be carried out, assuming that it'd be sent off to Apple's HQ for repairs. Nope, apparently it goes to my nearest store that Apple have deemed fit to carry out repairs (that's in my town and I've never heard of). Of course, when I then asked where normal Applecare plan products are sent, he said "exactly the same place!".
It's not the discounted Applecare plan at £231 that I'm worried about, if you see what I mean - it's this EMEA thing that magically appeared when I went onto the education store. It's not actually sold under the Applecare and .mac bit of the store - you have to configure a Macbook Pro before it appears as an add-on option just before you add to your basket. I would link you to the page, but the education store uses sessions that time out. Just stick in some random letters under School and City name if needs be.
If it conspires that it is the same, then I've really got no reason not to. I just didn't fancy doing it and then finding it's dodgy. I'm going to ask one of them again in a little while about Applecare plans without mentioning the EMEA CC-HE thing, and see what they say about repairs. I just can't believe you'd pay £300 to have your repairs done by the local PC store - I'd expect Apple to be doing it themselves!
Ah yes, I completely neglected to mention that. You get one free year of AppleCare with a new computer, so you can buy the extended warranty at anytime within that first year.
Ahh yes, I thought about that. But then, should I discover this £58 insurance plan is ok, I won't be able to receive it again because it only appears when configuring the notebook. That's the other thing I realised too - if I went for the £950 previous model, insurance would cost me the full £230 because I'd be buying the insurance after the notebook. By the time I added that in, there was an £80 difference between the 2 laptops by the time they'd both been insured. And then, once you've bought RAM, the gap closes even further. £950 doesn't seem like such a good deal anymore
Just out of interest, does anyone happen to know why there's a 7-10 day wait on 15 inch Macbook Pros? I wouldn't mind, but
every other computer (including the 17 inch Pro) ships within 24 hours - even the Mac Mini! It's been like it for over a month, too, and their online chat are somewhat unhelpful about confirming when I could have one by.
Anyways, thanks for the advice, all 👍. It's a bit of a brave new world for me.
