Macbook pro Questions

[Michael Moreno]

Hello

I am about to purchase a Macbook pro unibody and need your help
I have had a 17 inch model before and loved it, and I have a basic understanding of the necessary ram that I should get as well as an SSD and antiglare screen etc.
The thing is I would really prefer the smaller size of the 15 and I'd like to know if going with the 15 inch with top options is that much of a loss.
Is the drop in resolution that bad (for Red footage and Hi res Photos)? Does the Top 15 inch do 1080p ?
If I got the top 15 inch and used it with the 27 led display, will I be able to do 1080p ?

It seems to me like I have to get a 17 to do 1080p
But I really wish I could get a smaller 15 and another monitor ( 27inch LED )

Sorry if this is an easy answer
I have looked into it and cant really make sense of it on my own
If need be just delete this thread and send me a basic rundown in a PM
I await your help
Thank you very much

P.S. Any other Pro knowledge you guys can send my way is appreciated
as far as getting the best for my money through a third party and decision making when it comes to 8gb Ram, SSD, graphics card? antiglare?

 

[peter roehsler]

MP 15

MP 15

AFAIK the new 15"s do not have express-card slots: there goes e-sata.
Only gigabit ethernet for fast transfers.
FW 800 for RED drives ok.
No 1920x1080, only 1680x1050.
Antiglare screen ok.
HDMI out ok.
DVI out via mini-adapter ok.
Audio in/out ok.
Top model up to 512 MB graphics memory with NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M .

 

[ericyoung]

No express-card slot makes 15" a non-starter.

 

[Michael Moreno]

Ya
Thanks guys
So no 1080p and I Forgot about the express slot
I guess it was just my dusty lack of info and wishful thinking
Thought maybe there was workarounds
I have been without a computer and just concentrating on things in the analog world
I really like the smaller 15
But the express slot will force me to the 17..
I'll keep dreaming of a 15inch lightpeak in the meantime.

 

[Craig W. Bickerstaff]

No express-card slot makes 15" a non-starter.

Elaborate please, For whom and why.
The only time I ever used my express card slot was the one time I managed to shoot a short film on the sony EX1, it made life easier for me but If I didn't have it I wouldn't have been dead in the water.

 

[ericyoung]

Elaborate please, For whom and why.
The only time I ever used my express card slot was the one time I managed to shoot a short film on the sony EX1, it made life easier for me but If I didn't have it I wouldn't have been dead in the water.

Well it does depend on what you are using the MacBook Pro for of course!

If you are ever using it to do mobile backup copies of Red footage off Red Media onto backup drives, and shooting any significant amount of footage, the lack of Expresscard expansion means that you are limited to one FW800 connector and USB2.0 as input/output ports.

USB2.0 or daisychaining drives to a single FW800 port is hopelessly slow for this purpose, unless you enjoy waiting hours for backups copies to complete!

 

[Chuck Z]

Sandy Bridge MacBooks are coming in a few months, if you can hold off.

 

[peter roehsler]

i got myself a refurbished MP 15" with the expresscard slot a year back. Now they seem to be gone from the Apple store.
You could try Ebay, but again: no HD screen, shared graphics, slower CPU and mediocre battery life.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Hello

I am about to purchase a Macbook pro unibody and need your help
I have had a 17 inch model before and loved it, and I have a basic understanding of the necessary ram that I should get as well as an SSD and antiglare screen etc.

Advice? Wait. Unless you absolutely gotta have it yesterday. Intel is shipping their new CPUs and chipsets in 8 days. Apple has a media event tentatively scheduled for the end of this month. Realistically, the new ones are probably 2 months away, maybe 3.

If you buy today, put 8GB RAM in there. Price it out, sometimes Apple has it for a decent price, most of the time it's cheaper to buy the base config and new RAM somewhere else.

SSD? Hmmm... Not a bad option. The 512GB one from Apple is actually the best choice at the moment. The 256GB is alright too, if you think it will be big enough. But you do pay a lot of extra for it. 500GB 7200rpm 2.5" HDD's are < $80 you know..

15". I prefer the 15" size myself. However, you have to suffer with a lower screen resolution and no ExpressCard option to attach any external devices such as faster storage.