which mac to get?

rdcuberdcube Member Posts: 361
edited November -1 in Tech Support
Hi guys/gals,
I was wondering which mac to get.

MacBook
2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 gb memory
$999+tax

13-inch MacBook Pro
Up to 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 gb memory
$1199+tax

Obviously the price would be a factor, but I do want to (need to) get a mac to build my game and start using it as a 'business' laptop.

I can upgrade the memory to 4gb for $100 bucks more on each mac and hard drive for another $50~$100.

If I'm gonna spend that much dough, it better be worth it...and to be honest, I don't know how much difference the ghz will be going to pro and I do have an external hard drive already I could re-use.

I don't want to get the mac mini, although it would be cheaper, but I do travel quite a bit and would like to have something for the road with long lasting battery.

Which one do y'all recommend? Not necessarily for GS game building, but overall.

Any feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks.

Comments

  • BeyondtheTechBeyondtheTech Member Posts: 809
    Did you check the refurbs in the Apple Store Online? They are of the same quality specs as new, and have the same warranties covered by Apple. You won't be able to tell the difference either. You can save a good deal on them.

    Or, if you're a student, you can get a discount. I showed a college ID in the store and they knocked off $100 easily.

    Oh, and you can pick up extra memory for cheap at NewEgg.com or other sites. No need to pay full price for memory at Apple.
  • JamesZeppelinJamesZeppelin Member Posts: 1,927
    Just about anything is fine so long as you go with the 4gb of ram.

    There is so much going on that 2gb kinda runs like PC

    Just my 2cents
  • BeyondtheTechBeyondtheTech Member Posts: 809
    I'm running a MacBook with 1GB and it's fine for programming. IMO, 2GB is the sweet spot for smooth sailing on GS, and 4GB is if you have multiple applications open that you need access to simultaneously. I like to keep all my major apps open, from the music editor to the paint program to GS to Xcode, etc.
  • JamesZeppelinJamesZeppelin Member Posts: 1,927
    Yeah i've been doing all the music and pics and stuff and sometimes it will get so bogged down even itunes will take like 30 seconds to load.

    Jumping back and fourth from Audio to photoshop to Gs can cause some major slow downs and crashes.

    DOnt get me wrong 2gb does the trick but ifyou are gonna spend the money that extra boost is huge in performance.

    10.5and 10.6 are resource hogs... and people complained about vista... pfft

    My Hp laptop with vista runs photoshop like twice as fast. bumped up the Ram and 10.6 is smokin it now
  • JGary321JGary321 Member Posts: 1,246
    Do not get 13in!!! Just my opinion though :)

    I currently operate off a 13in MacBook and I hate it. I'm just so used to my 24in PC monitor though. I will be upgrading to the 27in iMac soon. Go with a bigger screen if you can.
  • JamesZeppelinJamesZeppelin Member Posts: 1,927
    can always get a cheap 22-24 inch monitor off new egg now for like 200 bucks though to run when you are docked... just a thought

    I got the cheapest Hanns-G newegg had to offer and it looks awesome
  • a.quaihoia.quaihoi Member Posts: 3
    hmmm . . . I'm personally waiting for i7 processor 17" macbook pro's, you can get the max 8gig of ram kits for about $600 aus / probably cheaper in the US from some places - so really you are getting the power of desktop in a mobile format.

    Even the maxed out 3.08 core 2 duo I would seriously consider - considering that a lot of raw performance and processing power is still untapped due to the OS - yeah - so we got Snow Leopard and its got Grand Central - yeah - how many apps have been released fully optimised for 64bit + Grand Central ?

    Lets also not forget Open CL as well - it would be a safe bet to buy the best machine possible that you can afford, knowing in confidence that it's future proofed by software development.

    I mean my daily laptop is a 1.3 ghz PowerBook G4, yep I'm writing this on it now and do most of my work on it - sux for intel only stuff - but got a intel imac for that. Hmmm . . . don't know why apple changed the name from " POWER !!! BOOK " to Mac Book - I like POWER BOOK much better !!! its more DYNAMIC ! . . . the new 27" Imacs also look pretty tasty and they double up as a monitor, so if you upgrade your hardware later, your can use it as a second 27" display - BONUS !

    Basically work out your finances, if you are gonna spend up to 3.5k on new hardware and you will be doing " serious " work with it, how quickly will it pay itself off - so that's 3.5k and how quickly will it make you money, so if you spend 3.5k, and you can make 10g's in a quarter then that would be a very good investment. Considering you would update this hardware on average of 5 - 6 years or so and you can claim depreciation tax if you have a business.
  • BeyondtheTechBeyondtheTech Member Posts: 809
    I have an hour train ride to work. That being said, my next Apple product will be a MacBook Air. It may have only a 1.6-2GHz processor, but you can't go wrong with the weight and specs.

    I have a 20" iMac at home and, yes, I can understand going back down to a 13" screen could be frustrating, but if you're able to toss some GameSalad anywhere, that's worth it to me. I have no access to a Mac from my work full of junky PCs, so I can't even test out any GameSalad projects people put up, let alone put something together when I have a fresh idea.
  • EastboundEastbound Member, BASIC Posts: 1,074
    I just have a mac mini that shares my monitor with my PC. I pretty much only use the mini for iPhone development, and my PC for graphics and everything else.

    The 2 gig RAM on my mini is plenty, though.
  • ForteForte Member, PRO Posts: 297
    i have a 4gig MacBook Pro and it runs beautiful

    Remember the 4gigs!

    I play call of duty 4 on my mac, beautiful graphics, and no lag!
  • rdcuberdcube Member Posts: 361
    Thanks A LOT for all your feedback.
    It is indeed a big investment either way...will definitely get 4gigs of memory.

    What about choosing 2.26ghz vs 2.53ghz?
    Does that make a difference? it's like another $100 more.
  • 777ideas.com777ideas.com Member, PRO Posts: 895
    Do you think GameSalad would run on this Mac Mini it has,, 1.25GHz and 40GB It Also Has 256mb.

    Will Gamesalad run on it please help is needed.

    Thank-You
  • MotherHooseMotherHoose Member Posts: 2,456
    yes... it will run if the OS is SnowLeopard...

    but if you're buying go for faster clock-speed than 1.25GHZ and try to get a larger HardDrive than 40GB and more mem than 256mb... has to have the Intel dual core... and not the G4 models (which don't do leopard)...

    love my Mac mini!

    MH
  • 777ideas.com777ideas.com Member, PRO Posts: 895
    what about a G5 does that run snow leopard
  • magic101himagic101hi Member Posts: 713
    In 2 days I am upgrading to 6gb ram and a 500gb hard drive then I hope no stupid GS slowdown!

    -Josh
  • magic101himagic101hi Member Posts: 713
    kirk1234 said:
    what about a G5 does that run snow leopard

    No it needs to be intel

    -Josh
  • magic101himagic101hi Member Posts: 713
    rdcube said:
    Thanks A LOT for all your feedback.
    It is indeed a big investment either way...will definitely get 4gigs of memory.

    What about choosing 2.26ghz vs 2.53ghz?
    Does that make a difference? it's like another $100 more.

    Get the 2.53 Ghz one it will not make much difference :D

    -Josh
  • scitunesscitunes Member, Sous Chef Posts: 4,047
    JamesZeppelin said:
    can always get a cheap 22-24 inch monitor off new egg now for like 200 bucks though to run when you are docked... just a thought

    I got the cheapest Hanns-G newegg had to offer and it looks awesome

    I've never hooked a monitor up to my macbook pro. Is there anything I need other than a monitor? Is there a special cable or some other do-hickey I need?
  • MotherHooseMotherHoose Member Posts: 2,456
    you need intel processor to run SnowLeopard... and G5 is not intel...

    try Apple store... refurbished models... best prices...
    http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_mini?mco=MTkyMTc1OTU
    wow that is a super price for a super computer!

    or Mac Pro Store... mac mini $447 intel well that is quite as good a model as at Apple Store...
    and Apple is free shipping!
    I have bought from this company in the past... they were good to work with...

    look around... fine one that will do the job for you

    MH
  • magic101himagic101hi Member Posts: 713
    scitunes said:
    I've never hooked a monitor up to my macbook pro. Is there anything I need other than a monitor? Is there a special cable or some other do-hickey I need?

    Depending on the macbook pro you have.

    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/index-macbookpro.html

    -Josh
  • BarkBarkCoBarkBarkCo Member Posts: 1,400
    Bought a 4gb stick for $49.99 for my macbook (late 2009), so now I'm up to 5gb in that. Not a huge increase in speed, but I am able to run more apps at the same time without issue. Most GS issues persist. I'm thinking about springing for the second stick (total 8gb) soon after Christmas...

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231265
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