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General Discussion

Posted by Carlos Quivera
Carlos Quivera
6,917 Points

Is buying this Macbook Pro a good idea?

I have a 'nice' Windows desktop. i5 3.3 GHz, 8mb ram, 500 Gb Hard disk, Nvidia GTX 550 Ti 1Gb, 23'' 3D Led monitor (LG D2343). The thing is, I have to sell my desktop because I'm moving to another country and I'm taking just the necessary with me and I will re-buy whatever I need once I get there, I like that I can play games on my PC (I play WoW / D3, etc) and that it runs all my graphic and web design software really well, so I'm used to almost nonexistent loading screens on my software (also, my PC boots in a few seconds).

Well, I have to get rid of it anyway, I can't take it with me.

I'm looking for a nice, portable laptop I can take with me in the plane with no problems, and works as good as my PC (at least on the web design/developing side, I don't care much about gaming right now, the less distracted I am with games and more concentrated on Treehouse the best ^-^ ).

My PC is worth $1000 aprox., a friend of mine is selling me his impeccable Macbook Pro Mid 2012 i5 2.5 GHz (non-retina), 13.3'', 500 Gb Hard Disk, 8gb 1600mhz Ram and Intel HD 4000 graphics for $900.

I just want your opinion on whether I should take the offer or not, is it any good? or should I buy a new Windows Laptop instead? Any other suggestions to look at?

P.S.: To anyone wondering, I'm moving from Venezuela to USA.

Thanks!

2 Answers

Connor Myers
Connor Myers
21,089 Points
Connor Myers
Connor Myers
21,089 Points

Most developers at google tend to be using macs to do their development. I myself develop on my a macbook pro 2013 model with 8GB of ram and 250SSD hard drive. I love it! It is very quick and can handle all of the tasks that I throw at it. Plus, when you are developing Android applications it is much easier because you will go throughout much less to set up your developers kit. However I recommend that you go to the apple store and pick up a brand new macbook so that way you stay up to date with the most up to date technology out there! Hope this helped!

Carlos Quivera
Carlos Quivera
6,917 Points

Thanks a lot Connor, I will keep your suggestion in mind! This would be my first Mac, so I'm a bit nervous about it haha.

Connor Myers
Connor Myers
21,089 Points

Don't be nervous man they are great machines! I literally have not had a single complaint in the year that I have owned mine! You won't regret the purchase!

Philip G
Philip G
14,601 Points

If you don't want to use OSX you can install Windows over Bootcamp...

PS:

My iMac late 2013 running on Windows

iMac

Carlos Quivera
Carlos Quivera
6,917 Points

That's great Phillip! Which OS do you prefer for Web Design/Developing?

Philip G
Philip G
14,601 Points

I prefer Windows (8.1 with Stardock Start8, It feels like a modern Windows 7 with more computer efficiency), but next time I'm going to buy this Macbook Pro and won't install Windows on it (I want to get familiar to both OS). But i think if you are familiar with Windows, you should install it to your MB Pro because you'll see many programs aren't be available to OSX.

Another thought:

If you move to USA, you may have to pay toll for the MB if you buy it in Venezuela?

Carlos Quivera
Carlos Quivera
6,917 Points

Yes, that's what I thought. I like that you can use both Windows and OSX on Macs since you can't do the same on a PC (Not officially). I want to get familiar with OSX in case I have to work on a Mac one day.

EDIT: I haven't got any problems bringing electronics with me to USA (Phones, Tablets, etc.) from Venezuela, you may have to pay a toll once you get back if the total amount from new acquisitions surpasses $10000 (I think), but it's not bad.

Philip G
Philip G
14,601 Points

And if you want to develop iOS Apps one day, you have to have OSX.

Carlos Quivera
Carlos Quivera
6,917 Points

Yes, that's true. I'm curious about iOS developing, maybe once I get my Mac... :)

Nick Stellato
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Nick Stellato
Front End Web Development Techdegree Student 33,994 Points
Nick Stellato
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Nick Stellato
Front End Web Development Techdegree Student 33,994 Points

Carlos,

I am going to have to agree with Connor.

For me, the fact that the machine does not have SSD or retina display would be a no-buy for me. Also, if you want to game, you can install VM Fusion 6 or Parallels to run Windows programs.

Thanks,

Nick

Carlos Quivera
Carlos Quivera
6,917 Points

Thanks Nick! It is not possible for me to go over the budget I have reserved for my laptop right now, moving to another country is not cheap hehe, maybe once I get there and I'm more stable. This is a tough one, I will have to take a few days to think about it more.

Nick Stellato
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Nick Stellato
Front End Web Development Techdegree Student 33,994 Points

If you want to get a Macbook Pro on the cheap, I would take a look at a refurbished one. I know that you said budget is tight, but if you can spring for another $300, you can get a 13" MacBook Pro with Retina and 256GB SSD.

Carlos Quivera
Carlos Quivera
6,917 Points

That's actually really good! I think I'll get that one instead, I didn't know they had refurbished machines.

Thanks a lot, Nick!