[Hidden-tech] buying and upgrading a Macbook Pro

[Elijah Grundel]

Hi Chris,

If you've got $2000 then I would recommend the base model 15" (brand new), it's $1800. It should come close to $2000 with tax, but you will likely have enough left over to buy an 8GB RAM kit from a third party and install it yourself if you're comfortable doing that.

The reason I'd say get the current gen machine is that it was recently upgraded and the base model 15" now has enough graphics power to make it a serious video editing laptop.

The solid state is great, but won't speed up render times for you, especially since your footage won't be stored on the computer's internal drive I'm assuming. The good news is that you can always add a solid state at any time, and they're getting much cheaper.

If you haven't thought about warranty, definitely consider it, but don't be pressured into buying it immediately. Apple allows you to add the AppleCare extended warranty any time within the first year after purchase. It's definitely worth having though, especially since these computers are such a huge investment.

If you need any more advice let me know,
Best,
-Elijah @ left-click.

On Dec 30, 2011, at 1:35 PM, Chris Landry wrote:

>   ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
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> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I'm looking to buy a new 15" MBP and I need it to be powerful enough for video editing.
> 
> A friend suggested getting a pretty basic one from the Apple refurb store and then upgrading the RAM to 8GB and swapping out the drive for a solid state drive, which he said is the best way to increase processing speed with video. But I don't know where to start. 2.35Ghz with Intel Core i5? 2.7Ghz with Intel Core i7? Quad core?
> 
> What would you do to get the most for $1,500 to $2,000?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> 
> Chris Landry
> Landry Communications
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