performance MBP 15" / 17"
Thread poster: Aude Sylvain
Aude Sylvain
Aude Sylvain  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 02:39
English to French
+ ...
Feb 16, 2011

Dear all,

I am thinking about renewing my 3-year old MacBook Pro and would love to have the opinion of fellow (geek) translators on the few questions below:

I intend to purchase a model equipped with a 2.8 GHZ Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM
I will need to install Parallels and Windows7/Office for Windows in order, inter alia, to work with Trados Studio. I won't use any specific additional software besides Studio and basic apps (no videos etc.) and won't use the
... See more
Dear all,

I am thinking about renewing my 3-year old MacBook Pro and would love to have the opinion of fellow (geek) translators on the few questions below:

I intend to purchase a model equipped with a 2.8 GHZ Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM
I will need to install Parallels and Windows7/Office for Windows in order, inter alia, to work with Trados Studio. I won't use any specific additional software besides Studio and basic apps (no videos etc.) and won't use the laptop for video games etc. either.

- Will there be a difference in performance between the 15" and 17", with the configuration above?

- Regarding the HD, is it more advisable to chose a 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm, or a 128GB Solid State Drive? Regarding the capacity, I understand that ATA drives and flash drives can't be compared in terms of capacity (i.e. if I need to have the same storage capacity as a 500 GB serial ATA drive, I do not need to get a *500 GB* SSD). Could any one confirm?
Besides the price, what are the pros and cons of each type of HD?

- I currently work on a recent Sony Vaio Z, Win 7, 2.8 GHZ Intel Core i7 processor, 6GB RAM. I assume that in any case the performance will be at least the same on the Mac with the configuration above, despite the fact that I will use Parallels for a number of applications. Am I correct?

Apologies for this long post - I wish Apple could offer an online chat feature...

Many thanks in advance,
Aude
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Laurent KRAULAND (X)
Laurent KRAULAND (X)  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 02:39
French to German
+ ...
Why don't you call them? Feb 16, 2011

Aude Sylvain wrote:

(.../...)
Apologies for this long post - I wish Apple could offer an online chat feature...

Many thanks in advance,
Aude


http://store.apple.com/fr-business


 
Aude Sylvain
Aude Sylvain  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 02:39
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
oops Feb 16, 2011

Thanks Laurent, I didn't see that number (yes, I am ashamed). I was consulting the online store for individuals: I tried to call the other 0800 but couldn't speak with anyone...

 
Laurent KRAULAND (X)
Laurent KRAULAND (X)  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 02:39
French to German
+ ...
Or ask a Genius Feb 16, 2011

I agree: the Apple site can be quite confusing at times.

An alternative would be to visit the closest Apple store (time allowing, of course) and to ask a Genius. So far, iMade only good experiences with my contacts at Apple France.


 
Cetacea
Cetacea  Identity Verified
Switzerland
Local time: 02:39
English to German
+ ...
As far as I know.... Feb 16, 2011

Aude Sylvain wrote:
- Will there be a difference in performance between the 15" and 17", with the configuration above?


No, except that your performance might be improved due to the comfort of a larger screen...


- Regarding the HD, is it more advisable to chose a 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm, or a 128GB Solid State Drive? Regarding the capacity, I understand that ATA drives and flash drives can't be compared in terms of capacity (i.e. if I need to have the same storage capacity as a 500 GB serial ATA drive, I do not need to get a *500 GB* SSD). Could any one confirm?
Besides the price, what are the pros and cons of each type of HD?


Where did you get that info from? 500 GB is 500 GB, regardless of the type of HD! If you need the capacity, go for a traditional ATA Drive. However, an SSD is much faster (instant data access) and sturdier (no moving parts), BUT also much more expensive.


- I currently work on a recent Sony Vaio Z, Win 7, 2.8 GHZ Intel Core i7 processor, 6GB RAM. I assume that in any case the performance will be at least the same on the Mac with the configuration above, despite the fact that I will use Parallels for a number of applications. Am I correct?


You are correct. Having said that, if you do have a little extra to spend, go for even more RAM rather than an SSD


 
Aude Sylvain
Aude Sylvain  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 02:39
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks both! Feb 16, 2011

Thank you Cetacea, I was over the phone with Apple Business while you sent your post, and got exactly the same replies as yours!

They gave me the same advice as you re the HD: I'll go for the traditional ATA drive.


@ Laurent: I thought about going to an Apple Store, but I won't be able to go there before a few days/weeks... Many thinks for forwarding me Apple Business's link, they replied immediately and were extremely helpful!


 
Slawomir Nieciecki
Slawomir Nieciecki  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 02:39
English to Polish
+ ...
Choose 17" Feb 16, 2011

You will really appreciate it

 
Aude Sylvain
Aude Sylvain  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 02:39
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
17" Feb 16, 2011

Slawomir Nieciecki wrote:

You will really appreciate it


Thanks Slawomir,
yes, now that I know that the performance will be the same... I think I'll get that one!


[Edited at 2011-02-17 07:32 GMT]


 
Jason Shim
Jason Shim  Identity Verified
South Korea
Local time: 10:39
English to Korean
+ ...
I recommend 17 inch model with SSD Mar 25, 2011

I recommend the 17inch because you get more space for opening more windows.
I recommend getting the anti-glare screen option as well.
MacBook's glare screen can be really annoying at times (working at an outdoor table at a cafe for example)

I recommend SSD because it's super fast.

I have new new MacBook Air and 13 inch MacBook Pro, and the Air is so much faster and pleasant to use on everyday tasks. it takes less than 30 seconds to boot OSX and there are zer
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I recommend the 17inch because you get more space for opening more windows.
I recommend getting the anti-glare screen option as well.
MacBook's glare screen can be really annoying at times (working at an outdoor table at a cafe for example)

I recommend SSD because it's super fast.

I have new new MacBook Air and 13 inch MacBook Pro, and the Air is so much faster and pleasant to use on everyday tasks. it takes less than 30 seconds to boot OSX and there are zero delays when you open a browser or search the web. it's so much faster in the tasks that translators perform on regular basis.

if you are a little tech-savy, you can order the 500gb model and swap it out with an INTEL SSD and use the 500 GB HDD as a external hard drive. if not, I recommend getting the SSD option from Apple.
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Sergei Tumanov
Sergei Tumanov  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:39
English to Russian
+ ...
15" + 24" external monitor Mar 25, 2011

it's my choice
smaller laptop = better mobility
The external monitor is hooked up when I work in the office, as 17" is not enough anyway. To my mind.


 
Aude Sylvain
Aude Sylvain  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 02:39
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
my choice Mar 27, 2011

Hello Serguei and jason,

Thank you for your input!

I finally bought the laptop a few weeks ago and am quite happy with my choice.

I took a 17" with 8GB RAM but couldn't afford the SSD drive (and I am not tech savy so I will stay with the Serial ATA drive for the time being, but many thanks for the tip, jason).
My external display is 'glossy' and I find it tiring for the eye to go back and forth from a glossy to a non-glossy screen, hence I kept the
... See more
Hello Serguei and jason,

Thank you for your input!

I finally bought the laptop a few weeks ago and am quite happy with my choice.

I took a 17" with 8GB RAM but couldn't afford the SSD drive (and I am not tech savy so I will stay with the Serial ATA drive for the time being, but many thanks for the tip, jason).
My external display is 'glossy' and I find it tiring for the eye to go back and forth from a glossy to a non-glossy screen, hence I kept the standard screen on the laptop.

Serguei, same as you: I hook the laptop up to a 24" display. I love that combination.
I used to have a 15" MBP, and found it a bit heavy to be carried around all day, that's why I finally went for the 17" - still heavy but offering a higher comfort.
In fact I also have a 13" Vaio, which is incredibly light and which I use for short travels. Then mobility was not my first criteria for this device.

Many thanks to all and happy translating!
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performance MBP 15" / 17"






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