Hi guys,
I’m thinking of investing in a new 2011 MacBook Pro. I’m writing this post to see from other designers if they also own a MacBook pro, preferably the 2011 model and why they made the decision on the spec, and how they find it on a day to day basis in different working environments etc. It would be to use as my main system as I don’t have my own laptop already so I’m thinking it would be a good investment in case I do any freelance work in future where I would be expected to bring my own computer, and also if I need to meet with a client and go through a project anywhere etc. Theres been times where I really could have done with a laptop for these very reasons. I have a pretty decent 24in monitor that I can use as a second screen while I am working at home, otherwise when I am out and about I would need to rely solely on the MacBook’s screen. The type of work I do is mainly graphic and web design, so using all of Adobe Creative suite and also potentially some Windows virtualisation such as VM Ware although I don’t know how necessary this would be now. I also use Cinema 4D and occasional do video work, so it would be nice to have the power there if needed.
The spec I am looking at is either:
MacBook Pro 15in
[COLOR=#111111][FONT="]Apple MacBook Pro Hi-Res Antiglare [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT="]15.4[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT="]" Quad Core i7 2.2GHz 8GB 500GB [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT=Calibri]Display: 15.4" Widescreen Hi-Res Anti-Glare (1680x1050)[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT=Calibri]Memory (RAM): 8GB 2 x 4GB[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT=Calibri]Hard Drive: 500GB HDD 7200rpm[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT=Calibri]Integrated Graphics: Intel HD 3000[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT=Calibri]Dedicated Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1GB GDDR5[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT=Calibri]SD Card Slot: SDXC[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT=Calibri]CPU: Quad Core i7 2.2GHz[/FONT][/COLOR]
Approx. £2050
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Calibri]
[/FONT][/COLOR]
Or, MacBook Pro 17in:
[COLOR=#111111][FONT="]Apple MacBook Pro Hi-Res Antiglare [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT="]17[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT="]" Quad Core i7 2.2GHz 8GB 500GB [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT="]Display: 17" Widescreen Hi-Res Anti-Glare (1920x1200)[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT="]Memory (RAM): 8GB 2 x 4GB[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT="]Hard Drive: 500GB HDD 7200rpm[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT="]Integrated Graphics: Intel HD 3000[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT="]Dedicated Graphics: AMD Radeon 6750M 1GB GDDR5[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT="]SD Card Slot: SDXC[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#777777][FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#777777][FONT="]CPU: Quad Core i7 2.2GHz[/FONT][/COLOR]
Approx. £2220
I am interested in the high resolution antiglare screen as one thing I don’t like about macs is the glossy screens; also the ram upgrade would be done at a store which works out half the cost of Apple ram but with the same spec as Apple. As standard Apple supply the system with 2 x 2gb of ram modules so an upgrade later would mean getting rid of 4gb of perfectly good ram and buying 2 x 4gb modules. Apple don’t let you have 1 x 4gb of ram with a view to adding another 1 x 4gb module later, it would seem.
Does anyone use a 2011 MacBook pro? Are there any problems with the OS and reliability? I have read a few stability issues, but not sure if these are now ironed out with an update, or if they were even that serious?
The other main question I have is, does anyone recommend which size would be best. I am having trouble deciding what would be best. Is it a bit overkill getting a 17in? Obviously the 17in is bigger, has the extra pixels, but do you lose some of the portability? It’s hard to make this decision without having day to day experience using the system. Would a 15in model be a good balance in productivity and portability? The added screen size and resolution of the 17in model looks very tempting, but with the high resolution option on the 15in model, it looks like it could be a good balance even if I needed to work away from home without a second monitor. I have seen both the 15in and 17in MacBook’s in the store, but I haven’t actually seen the 15in high resolution screen in the flesh.
Has anyone worked on the 15in high resolution screen and found it nice enough to use or do they wish they had chosen the bigger 17 in screen?
Any other comments or advice? Should I buy a PC? 
My plan would be to also upgrade to a SSD about a year later or so if the performance and price gets a bit more appealing as I know the hard drive would be the bottle neck until then. Perhaps I would get rid of the DVD drive and put in a SSD to use as my system drive… If this is indeed possible to do with either the 15in or 17in model?
If you have read all this, cheers and I will hopefully get your feedback.
Cheers