Buying a Macbook

[JD]

After some advice when buying a Macbook.
It'll be a joint purchase between my other half and I. I will only use it for car related software. She, however, intends to use it for photo editing.
At this stage, I've decided we'll go for a 13", which will suffice until we have more room in the new house and can buy a bigger standalone screen, which she can then plug into when we've got a desk/chair etc.
Because of the photo editing, the storage space on the Mac is not a consideration when buying. Everything will be unpluggable, i.e. separate storage. So the question is, do I get the best possible Macbook Pro in terms of processor speed/RAM etc?
And where is best to buy? Currys have 10% off at the mo, whereas John Lewis have a free upgrade to 3 years warranty, which is a big consideration when buying a £1k laptop...

 

[-Jamie-]

Get the Quickest processor and SSD you can afford. Ram can be upgraded easily and cheaply later down the line as required

What do you mean by car related software btw? No much will run on OSX.

My MBP is coming on 4 years old now and other than upgrading the Ram and putting an SSD in it it hasn't got wrong or cost me anything other than initial outlay. Free upgrades through the various OS X versions mind you. I fancy upgrading next year to one with a quicker processor but will wait until Apple bring out a truly "new" version.

 

[Ben]

IIRC on the new Macbook Pros the RAM can't be changed like it could on the previous gen. I agree with Jamie about the SSD though, I upgraded mine on my 4 year old MBP and it's turned it into a completely different laptop, super quick.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

FLOL.


@Rob any advise ?

#NoModdin

 

[Munson]

Ram can be upgraded easily and cheaply later down the line as required

No, it can't.

 

[-Jamie-]

My bad, Didn't realise it had changed.

In that case assuming that the HDD's can be swapped out get one with the most Ram and highest spec CPU

 

[Darren S]

Yep - stupid, stupid manufacturing 'statement' by Apple that. I can even understand the use of more expensive, proprietary memory. But to hard-wire what your purchase is set to from the get-go - is arrogant as it is stupid.

A few years ago - 2GB of graphics card memory for PCs was deemed far more than adequate. Then the next gen of consoles were released and that quickly shifted to 4GB and above as being the accepted standard. You can't predict external market forces - and what will happen in a very short space of time. You're ploughing £1k+ into a premium laptop and as a consequence - it's not unrealistic to expect 5+ years life out of it.

To have it's hands potentially tied with a ludicrous memory cap is very short-sighted from Apple. A shame, as the rest of the MacBook Pro at home is a great piece of kit to use.

 

[Stay Puft]

Get a student to buy for you. I got my mac air very cheap, £60 apple gift card and 3yr warranty.

 

[MicKPM]

If it's going to be used for proper editing work, buy a MBP15 with dedicated graphics, cracking CPU and max the RAM. It costs more yes but it will be worth it in the long run and you won't have to worry about buying a Thunderbolt Display later down the line. Don't go too silly on the SSD size as 256/512Gb is more than enough to install apps to, the rest can be stored on SD Card, Network/Cloud storage.

The only real draw back (IMO) to the MBP15 Vs MBP13 is portability... the MBP15 is a monster and not a true mobile IMO but more a desktop replacement. Looking to upgrade my MBP13 in the new year for the larger beast.

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

Bit of a bump on this.
I'm considering a Pro 13", 128gb ssd, 8gb ram.
After reading this thread, it seems you can't expand the memory? On the site with the tech specs, it says configurable to 16gb?
Is this if you get a custom spec one or am I missing something?

 

[cat171]

Bit of a bump on this.
I'm considering a Pro 13", 128gb ssd, 8gb ram.
After reading this thread, it seems you can't expand the memory? On the site with the tech specs, it says configurable to 16gb?
Is this if you get a custom spec one or am I missing something?

I was looking at the same one over the weekend. Yeah you can spec it up (ram & processor) from them, you can't do it yourself.

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

I was looking at the same one over the weekend. Yeah you can spec it up (ram & processor) from them, you can't do it yourself.

Just spec'd it with 16gb and an i7 and it upped the price to 1409.
Might wait until after Xmas to see if there are any deals on. Not desperate for one before Xmas, just that my 3 year old i5 8gb Dell is over constantly after updating to Windows 10. It's f**king useless.

 

[cat171]

Just spec'd it with 16gb and an i7 and it upped the price to 1409.
Might wait until after Xmas to see if there are any deals on. Not desperate for one before Xmas, just that my 3 year old i5 8gb Dell is over constantly after updating to Windows 10. It's f**king useless.

They're doing 0% at the moment (I will probably but it outright though) & 30 day returns. I'm scoring a student discount

 

[Steve]

I just got a 13 mbp 256ssd, 3 yr ap care & case for £1098.
Don't see the need for 16gb or i7 but the sad makes a huge difference.
If your specing a 13 to £1400+ you would be better off buying a 15?