Why buy a MacBook Pro 15" instead of a MacBook Air? - Page 2

Cleo · 2008-12-19, 07:24 AM

We have a few of the Western Digital My Book drives both in USB only and Firewire/USB and have been happy with them.

I bought this Western Digital My Book USB 1 TB drive for keeping off site backups and have been very happy with it.

Agent · 2009-01-07, 02:24 PM

I feel like I'm late for the party, but anyway...

I've got a Macbook Pro (Santa Rosa), 15inch model. It is the best computer purchase I have ever made. I would not trade it in for two Macbook Airs, although I'm sure they're fine machines. I use the Macbook Pro as my primary work machine and I hook it up to an external monitor when I need more screen room.

The hard drive is 120GB. I wish I had got a larger one. But I offload any data I don't need readily available to a USB drive. Although I would still prefer a larger hard drive.

Like (I think) Cleo mentioned, you have the option of getting matte or glossy for the screen. I took a chance on the gloss and I love it. It might cause reflection in some lighting conditions (like outside in the sun) but I can't think of any places I've been inside where it has been a problem. Then again, I've never seen the matte version of the screen...

I've got 2gigs of memory in the MBP and it runs Leopard very well. I don't see myself upgrading to 4 gig anytime soon. Sometimes I run VMWare running XP running Dreamweaver MX and any number of other applications inside Leopard without any visible slowdown. The damn thing is slowdown proof during my daily activities.

With that said, I love my MacBook Pro!

MadCat · 2009-01-07, 02:44 PM

My reason for going with a 15" MBP instead of an Air:

1: Air doesn't have any extension slots. I think 1 USB and 1 external monitor does it.
2: Air doesn't have a CD-ROM drive.
3: It looks girly

Dunno, I prefer the MBP on all fronts, tried out an Air for a week while my MBP was getting fixed, and the lack of slots on the thing really hurts it. In general I need 2 USB hubs to hook up all my gear, and not having a CD/DVD drive is a big bowl of suck if you need to install something. You can use another Mac in 'target' mode thru firewire to take over it's CD drive but that's a pretty damn ghetto solution if you ask me.

Cleo · 2009-01-07, 02:47 PM

The new 17" Macbook Pro announced yesterday looks awfully nice.

MadCat · 2009-01-07, 02:54 PM

It does, but I've seen my boss with the older 17" and that fucker is bulky. I'd get one if it'd just be for use at home or to take to work every now and then but it's too big to carry around all day if I'm at a client.

Cleo · 2009-01-07, 03:01 PM

It is big. I use a 17" connected to a 30" display as my main computer but I also have a 15" that I use for around the house and sometimes on the road.

2008-12-19, 07:24 AM	#26
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	We have a few of the Western Digital My Book drives both in USB only and Firewire/USB and have been happy with them. I bought this Western Digital My Book USB 1 TB drive for keeping off site backups and have been very happy with it. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2009-01-07, 02:24 PM	#27
Agent You can now put whatever you want in this space :) Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 631	I feel like I'm late for the party, but anyway... I've got a Macbook Pro (Santa Rosa), 15inch model. It is the best computer purchase I have ever made. I would not trade it in for two Macbook Airs, although I'm sure they're fine machines. I use the Macbook Pro as my primary work machine and I hook it up to an external monitor when I need more screen room. The hard drive is 120GB. I wish I had got a larger one. But I offload any data I don't need readily available to a USB drive. Although I would still prefer a larger hard drive. Like (I think) Cleo mentioned, you have the option of getting matte or glossy for the screen. I took a chance on the gloss and I love it. It might cause reflection in some lighting conditions (like outside in the sun) but I can't think of any places I've been inside where it has been a problem. Then again, I've never seen the matte version of the screen... I've got 2gigs of memory in the MBP and it runs Leopard very well. I don't see myself upgrading to 4 gig anytime soon. Sometimes I run VMWare running XP running Dreamweaver MX and any number of other applications inside Leopard without any visible slowdown. The damn thing is slowdown proof during my daily activities. With that said, I love my MacBook Pro! __________________ Brihana.com

2009-01-07, 02:44 PM	#28
MadCat If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Berlin, Germany Posts: 247	My reason for going with a 15" MBP instead of an Air: 1: Air doesn't have any extension slots. I think 1 USB and 1 external monitor does it. 2: Air doesn't have a CD-ROM drive. 3: It looks girly Dunno, I prefer the MBP on all fronts, tried out an Air for a week while my MBP was getting fixed, and the lack of slots on the thing really hurts it. In general I need 2 USB hubs to hook up all my gear, and not having a CD/DVD drive is a big bowl of suck if you need to install something. You can use another Mac in 'target' mode thru firewire to take over it's CD drive but that's a pretty damn ghetto solution if you ask me. __________________ What's blue and not heavy?

2009-01-07, 02:47 PM	#29
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	The new 17" Macbook Pro announced yesterday looks awfully nice. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2009-01-07, 02:54 PM	#30
MadCat If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Berlin, Germany Posts: 247	It does, but I've seen my boss with the older 17" and that fucker is bulky. I'd get one if it'd just be for use at home or to take to work every now and then but it's too big to carry around all day if I'm at a client. __________________ What's blue and not heavy?

2009-01-07, 03:01 PM	#31
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	It is big. I use a 17" connected to a 30" display as my main computer but I also have a 15" that I use for around the house and sometimes on the road. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289