So I’m considering buying a new laptop and have decided to switch over to Macs…mostly I use my laptop for Internet and storing/managing my music collection. I am interested in starting play games on my laptop…
I’m not the most techieperson in the world hencewhy my question - should I go with a regular MacBook? Or with a MacBook Pro?
The current MacBook has one weak spot, and that’s it’s video card. That said, I find it a fantastic machine, and I haven’t had any issues with mine (but I don’t play games). You might be better off with the Pro, for gaming. There are rumors of a new MacBook coming out this summer, with better video capabilities.
The current Macbook has ‘integrated’ video, where the video card uses main memory. The Macbook Pro has separate video memory.
I bought a Macbook Pro for just this reason. It now runs AutoCAD with no problem. 
I believe the new MB Pro also has an LED backlight, which means it gets six hours of battery life, compared to mine, which has a cold-cathode fluorescent backlight and gets three. I’m not certain whether the LED backlights have arrived in the Macbook line yet.
Also, remember that games are a (the?) particular weak point of the Mac. Unless you’re a fan of the limited selection (Blizzard’s games are cross-platform, otherwise, not so much), you’ll want to go for the bigger hard drives – big enough to run Boot Camp comfortably in a 50GB or so partition. The same issues that apply to games on the Mac side (video “card” vs. integrated) apply to Windows games under Boot Camp.
I have a MacBook with 2 GB RAM, and I have never had any video difficulties. I play an MMO, but it’s a 2D one, not a modern one. I run a dual screen set up at home, because the 13 inch screen is pretty small. The video card does just fine with that.
That said, I tend to get the best thing I can afford, so I would recommend the pro if it’s within your budget.
No, the regualr MB doesn’t have the LED yet, but it is one of the rumored features in the next revision. With the last refresh of the MBP in February, I took the plunge and made the PC>Mac switch. I couldn’t be happier. I got the middle-spec 15" MBP and love it.
With Bootcamp running XP and a nifty little deal called Parallels that allows you to access bootcamp stuff from within the Mac, it really is the best of both worlds. The higher RAM and video card make the MBP the clear winner in my opinion, and I haven’t hit anything yet that can’t be run (ultra high-end games may be the exception…my gaming is still stuck firmly on Starcraft…). I hate to say it, but I’ve become a full-on convert to the mac…pretty much seamless integration between Ipod, iPhone and AppleTV…
Thanks for all the input…gaming is a not a ‘must’ for me.
Being in the UK I am going to utilize some american army friends I have here in the UK - paying USD is so much better at the moment then paying GBP
I’m not a gamer at all, but for my purposes (internet, writing, music/movies, some very light sound and photo editing), the regular MacBook is more than adequate.
Another minor difference between the MB/MBP, functionally, is that the MB does not have an ExpressCard slot
for non-gaming use or any other purpose that doesn’t require dedicated video hardware, the MB is fine, I have a “Frankensteined” machine I built up from three abandoned machines** and it runs fine
**it has the 1.86 GHz logic board of a Late 2006, the DL optical drive from an Early 2007, and the display from another Late '06, I upgraded the ram to 2GB, and put in a 250 GB SATA drive, and aside from some of my more advanced games, it runs just fine, it actually runs Civ IV fine, even though the game says it’s “below spec and will not run on this hardware setup”, it does run, gets a little laggy once you reach the modern/future era, but run it does
I just wish the processor was upgradeable, the Mini and iMac have their Core 2 Duos on Ball-Grid-Array ZIF sockets, the MacBook’s processor is soldered in place
I had a Macbook and sold it to get a Macbook Pro… As much as I liked the MB, the keyboard on the MBP is wonderful… After having a backlit keyboard, I can’t imagine going back.
The MBP seems better designed, and feels much sturdier too… My MB was starting to crack along the edges after only a couple of months… only later did I find out it’s a common problem, and even met at least 2 other people locally who had the same problem.
The MBP has an aluminum case - the edges certainly won’t be cracking… Dented, maybe, but cracked? Nope.
Yep. I was on my PowerBook G4 on the couch when a fly buzzed my ear. Strangely, I was having a problem with black flies this winter and they were getting on my nerves. I jumped to get it and my PowerBook slid off of my lap and into the corner of the coffee table. Dinged the top of the case a little.
I spilled some water on my keyboard a couple of weeks ago. It kept working, but when I tried to turn it on on the plane it wouldn’t boot. When I got to St. Louis it started to start, but then I had a tiny Finder folder icon alternating with a tiny ? folder icon. I took that to mean it couldn’t find the hard drive. The next day (or the day after) it would boot, but several of the keys wouldn’t work. When I got home I took it to the local Apple dealer and had the keyboard replaced. It’s working fine now. (The backlight seems to come on earlier and seems brighter too.)
Anyway, while I was at the store I looked at the 15" MacBook Pro. 2.5 GHz processor compared to my 1.5, and twice the RAM for $500 less than I paid for this one in 2005. Since my goal is to use my computer for editing video, I could use the extra speed. Of course a quad-processor desktop would be better, but I can get by with the laptop.
One thing I noticed about the PowerBook G4: A coworker’s daughter bought a MacBook for college. When she brings it into the office she can pick up several WiFi signals. I’m only able to pick up one signal with my PowerBook, and it’s weak. I don’t know if her newer computer has a better AirPort in it, or if the aluminum case on mine is shielding the antenna. If it’s the AirPort I assume I’ll have the betterone when I get a MacBook Pro. If it’s the aluminum case, I’ll still go for the MBP because I think it will suit my needs better.
Just to let ya know, I’m in film school, and while everyone else is in editing suites, I’ve been able to do all my editing on my MBP. Filmed my first short a few months ago, edited it on the MBP, added credits, burned it to DVD and sent it to a few film festivals…
Lemme recommend the 17 inch MPB for video too… It’s been great.
I bought a Macbook about nine months ago. For my purposes, it’s perfectly fine, although I did upgrade it to the maximum four gigabytes (although using aftermarket Kingston memory at about 25% of what Apple was charging). The Macbook Pro is nice, but substantially more money and actually quite large and unwieldy. I recommend looking at both in person to see which you prefer.
My MacBook is sitting right next to my MacPro desktop (aluminum case) and the MacBook can pick up 8-10 wireless networks, while the MacPro can only pickup 0-2. I am picking up my apartment’s wifi on my MacBook and sharing it through a switch to my desktop, which is not the best arrangement. That sexy aluminum case is not wifi friendly. I can’t say for sure about the MacBookPro’s wifi abilities, but I would expect lower signals and less range then the MacBook.
The aluminum case is actually my biggest complaint about the MacBook Pro – it gets way too hot, uncomfortably so, particularly relative to the normal Macbook.
Can I ask which version of the MBP you have? I’ve heard the early ones get really hot. Mine is relatively new - a 2.33gHz, and the case gets warm, but definitely not hot.
I don’t have it, but my roomie does. He got it last Xmas, so it’s relatively new as well. I don’t know the exact specs though, but it gets significantly hotter than my Macbook.