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Buy now or wait?

post #1 of 31
6/21/06 at 2:07pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, I'm looking for a MacBook Pro... and have finally decided to go forth with the purchase. My question is, should I go ahead and purchase right now, or wait for Merom? When is Merom coming?

Also, I am still a student, so should I go through the Education store, or should I pay the $99 and go with an ADC purchase? Can I still get the iPod deal if I go through Education and ADC?

Thanks guys and sorry for all the questions...

Will
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post #2 of 31
6/21/06 at 2:25pm
Thread Starter 
I don't guess I NEED a new machine... however I just have a desktop right now running Windows. I'm itching to get my hands on a Mac again. Do you think it'd be worth the wait for a Merom Mac? Will the price be about the same?

The reason I'm thinking of going forth with my purchase is because of the Free after rebate iPod that they are offering. Since I was looking to pick up an iPod, I figured I may go ahead and pick one up. But if they will be updating the MBP soon, then I may hold off.

Opinions?
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post #3 of 31
6/21/06 at 3:10pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I do want a new machine pretty badly... and have been in the market for an MP3 player and was looking at an iPod... The deal seems to be probably the best that I'll find. Will this notebook be good for at least 2 years?

Is Merom worth the wait, in your opinion?
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post #4 of 31
6/21/06 at 4:02pm
Yonah should last you a pretty darn long time. I don't know much about macs but there is a possibility you could just put a merom in your existing macbook pro after some sort of update. PCs can get a bios update and run it fine or even run it without a bios update in some cases. MBPs are using EFI or whatever so i don't know how that works but it could probably update and use a merom
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post #5 of 31
6/21/06 at 4:49pm
Yonah and Merom do indeed use the same chipset but the problem with the MB and MBP is that the processor is soldered and not socketed. This makes the upgrade to the new processor possible by not practical. I for one am hoping that this new MB will last me at least 2-3 years. I was a bit concerned about the 64bit nature of the merom (and Leopard) but couldn't fight the urge and went head and got a Yonah.
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post #6 of 31
6/21/06 at 5:05pm
Thread Starter 
rykwon97... thanks for that. How do you like your MacBook? Also, can you get a Black Macbook Pro?

And you believe that Yonah will at least last for 2 years?
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post #7 of 31
6/21/06 at 5:12pm
Thread Starter 
Also... how does this deal sound:

MacBook Pro 2.16Ghz
100GB 7200RPM HD
1GB DDR RAM (1 So-Dimm)
SuperDrive
15.4" Glossy Screen
30GB iPod
----------------------------
$2600 after taxes

Is this a good deal, or should I wait for a while?
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post #8 of 31
6/21/06 at 6:23pm
If you can hold out till September, do so. Merom promises to run cooler and faster than Yonah, which means that the current problems relating to heat should be reduced significantly.
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post #9 of 31
6/21/06 at 8:48pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Kakaze... I'll try and hold off then.. It'll be tough though
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post #10 of 31
6/21/06 at 9:04pm
I am still waiting to get my MB, should be here in a few days. I am a bit curious as to how the temperatures will run. Before buying, I did make several stops around town to see how display models ran. I found the Pro model to be warmer than the MB, with the exception of the 17inch MBP. My current Dell runs in the low 50C's at idle, not much different than what some are seeing in the MB. I am taking a bit of a gamble but I think that many things you read on the boards can be a bit biased to those who are having problems. My biggest hangup was to wait for Merom which was a 64bit chip. While I think the speed jump is nice, I don't think it will be any bigger jump than what we are used to seeing with technology. I hear estimates of 20% but only if the cores are at full load. Even still, I think the current design of the MB and MBP limit you to 2GB of RAM, half of what is needed to maximize the new chip design. I still think that 64bit is still a bit early in its adoption and this laptop should get me several years by which time it will be something else to worry about.
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post #11 of 31
6/22/06 at 1:12am
Thread Starter 
Other than the heat, and minor speed increase, is there any other reason to wait? I'm getting extremely "giddy" just thinking about picking up a MBP with a 30GB iPod. Most of the "intense" things I do in Photoshop, etc... could probably be done with ease on the 2.16Ghz Yonah, correct? If I spring for the 7200RPM drive, with 2GB DDR RAM, it should last me for at least 2 years, right?
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post #12 of 31
6/22/06 at 2:09am
Photoshop may be a reason to wait. The CS2 suite for Mac isn't updated for intel processors. Since the CPU will be spending a lot of time translating PowerPC calls to x86, it's going to run slow as hell.
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post #13 of 31
6/22/06 at 6:03am
Not slow as hell, from what I've heard, but slower than it should.
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post #14 of 31
6/24/06 at 6:33am
Okay, for everyone who has not seen any merom benchmarks....wait for frickin' merom!!!!!!!!

Yonah is great and all, but Merom is the stepping stone for Intel.

Also, never wait for more than 30 days for new technology to come out if you need a computer. If you can live with what you have for the next three months then I would wait for Merom and pray that Apple comes out with a Merom Macbook and Macbook Pro.

Personally, I'm just gonna try and sell my Ferrari and use the money to build an HTPC and with the leftover money spend it on the new Macbook when it comes out, 'cause if I have a powerhouse desktop I can get a nice, light lappy to use at school.

Anyway, if you plan on using the computer for three years or more I would wait for Merom. If you are not going to use it for three years before you get a new one, don't wait because 64-bit probably will not take off for another two full years. I know Vista will be 64-bit and so will the new Apple OS probably, but both MS and Apple will also have 32-bit compatible versions to tide all the early adopters over.
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post #15 of 31
6/24/06 at 11:56am
Thread Starter 
Lol..
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post #16 of 31
6/24/06 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmwrob
I'm thinking of selling my Yugo and buying a new mousepad.

HA.

Guess I should have clarified. Anyway, for anyone interested go take a look at the merom, Conroe, and Kentsfield benchmarks done over at http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...splay.php?f=59.
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post #17 of 31
6/24/06 at 2:08pm
Thread Starter 
Do you have a link to the thread? I looked, but I don't see anything.
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post #18 of 31
6/26/06 at 11:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wtferrell
Do you have a link to the thread? I looked, but I don't see anything.

Here is the link:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=103982

Enjoy!
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post #19 of 31
6/26/06 at 11:56am
Thread Starter 
Thanks brother... I appreciate it...

I think I've about decided to go forth with the purchase now. I am a teacher, so I have the summer off, and I'll have a lot of time that I'd like to be working on different projects. So I'm thinking I'm going forth with my MBP purchase.

However, after seeing the benchmarks, I may opt to wait, lol.
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post #20 of 31
6/26/06 at 12:14pm
Thread Starter 
How many cores is the Merom processor going to be? 2? 4?

Those are impressive BM results...
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