15 in. MacBook Pro - 2.16 vs. 2.33?

Hi All,

I bought a last generation Titanium Powerbook (the 1 GHz Model) in
November 2002. While it's still very usable, I think now is a good
time to replace it (in particular since there will be a 3% sales tax
hike in Germany at the end of the year).

I'll certainly get a Mac again, and are more or less settled on the
MacBook Pro, for a number of reasons (keyboard and non-glare screen
among them, but I suspect bragging rights are part of my decision, too
;-).

I'm uncertain about two points:

First, I'm pondering wether I should the the 2.16 MHz or the 2.33 MHz
verion. I'll get two MB of RAM anyways, so the core differences are
the processor speed (the slow one should be plenty fast enough) and
the better graphics memory. At the moment I'm undecided. What would
push me towards the slower system would be increased battery time and
reduced heat. Does anybody have any experience in that direction, or
knows a source where I can find information?

What would push me towards the high-end system is if the graphics card
on the slow one is insufficient to drive a high-end display (e.g. a
30in Cinema) or to play moderate games (I'm still on Warcraft 3, but
would like to try Doom 3 or equivalent).

Secondly, I'm undecided about the hard drive. My instinct is to get
the largest one available, of course. But the difference between the
160GB and the 200GB model is not that large, and the price difference
is not insignificant. Moreover, the larger one probably is slower at
least in seeks (as it's 4200RPM vs. 5400RPM). Again, I'd be glad to
hear about peoples experience with either drive.

Thanks!

Stephan

--
-------------------------- It can be done! ---------------------------------
Please email me as schulz.TakeThisOut@eprover.org (Stephan Schulz)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 2006-12-04 23:12:41 +1100, schulz RemoveThis @sunbroy2.informatik.tu-muenchen.de
(Stephan Schulz) said:

> Hi All,
>
> I bought a last generation Titanium Powerbook (the 1 GHz Model) in
> November 2002. While it's still very usable, I think now is a good
> time to replace it (in particular since there will be a 3% sales tax
> hike in Germany at the end of the year).
>
> I'll certainly get a Mac again, and are more or less settled on the
> MacBook Pro, for a number of reasons (keyboard and non-glare screen
> among them, but I suspect bragging rights are part of my decision, too
> ;-).
>
> I'm uncertain about two points:
>
> First, I'm pondering wether I should the the 2.16 MHz or the 2.33 MHz
> verion. I'll get two MB of RAM anyways, so the core differences are
> the processor speed (the slow one should be plenty fast enough) and
> the better graphics memory. At the moment I'm undecided. What would
> push me towards the slower system would be increased battery time and
> reduced heat. Does anybody have any experience in that direction, or
> knows a source where I can find information?
> What would push me towards the high-end system is if the graphics card
> on the slow one is insufficient to drive a high-end display (e.g. a
> 30in Cinema) or to play moderate games (I'm still on Warcraft 3, but
> would like to try Doom 3 or equivalent).
>
> Secondly, I'm undecided about the hard drive. My instinct is to get
> the largest one available, of course. But the difference between the
> 160GB and the 200GB model is not that large, and the price difference
> is not insignificant. Moreover, the larger one probably is slower at
> least in seeks (as it's 4200RPM vs. 5400RPM). Again, I'd be glad to
> hear about peoples experience with either drive.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Stephan

I did the same thing only 3 months ago. Got the 2 GHz, 2 GB, 80 GB MBP CD.

Observations to date:

1. If you plan to run parallels max out memory!
2. I ran out of the 80 GB HDD and replaced it with a 160 GB Hitachi/IBM
5400 RPM drive. Runs ok and did not notice any real difference. Would
have liked to try a 7200 RPM drive but not big enough!
3. Can't comment about battery life as mine is used as a desk top
replacement and a test/repair system when on customer's sites (I do Mac
support work). Generally plugged into AC power.
4. Don't play games so can't comment on graphics performance.
5. Love my MBP, no heat problems, upgrades (regular software and
firmware have all gone smoothly) even though we have had a couple of
customer machines come in with screwed up firmware after updates. One
so bad we had to replace the logic board!

All in all the MBP is a great machine and it looks good too;-)

--
Regards,
John