Apple :: 2.8ghz Macbbook Pro (Late 08) Has 320gb Or 500gb HDD
Aug 6, 2009
I managed to buy a 6 week old refurbished macbook pro at 2.8ghz, with 4gb ram and a 320gb HDD. its a late 08 model. Arnt they surpose to have 500gb HDD's and if they only have 320gb hdd's? Also is it 540rpm or 7200 rpm and is there any way to find out?
Also didnt the macbook pros only go to 2.66ghz?
Although the apple info on the box(pic on ebay) shows 2.8ghz, 320gb HDD.
Picked up the 320GB 3G version at buy.com, swapped it out today used seagates cloner tool, ran the test, cloned it, changed drive, rebooted, retested with new drive, let windows do a reboot ( for the drive hardware change) retested.
I'm considering buying the model stated in this thread title. I know that the processor is an older T9600 model and not the more efficient P9700. What I would like to know from those of you who have this model is; do your notebooks run a lot hotter (and therefore noisier?) with this processor?
This would be my first Mac so I just want to understand how a particular advertised GPU feature in PCs translate to Macs; PC manufacturers state that their computers have graphics cards with (for instance) "512mb dedicated memory with up to 1791mb shared." If I understand this correctly the PC GPUs take memory from the RAM and that's what the "Shared" bit is. The Mac website doesn't mention anything about "shared" memory so how does this apply to macs? Sorry if this last question seems a bit remedial.
I'm winding down my search for a new laptop for business and personal use, and after a week or so of due diligence researching windows alternatives I've all but decided to return to Apple.
In deciding whether the MBP is worth an extra $400, my question to the Apple subforum is: What (other) differences are there between the MB and MBP?
Obviously, their footprints are different, and they have different screen resolutions, and the 9600 GPU is exclusive to the MBP. The MB isn't offered with factory 7200 hard drives, but since Macs don't need to be restarted as often as Windows PCs, I don't place a lot of value on that. I have a 1TB external drive w/ FW and USB. I'd be sad to give up Firewire, but I could live with using its USB connection...
What I'm wondering is whether there are other differences that add value to the MBP. I've read that, resolution aside, the MBP has a higher-quality display. Is there any truth to this? Is it that noticeable? Is it true, but inconsiderable? Or is it just flat-out wrong?
Along those lines, are there other differences that would make the MBP more attractive?
I've been using my new Macbook for a few weeks now. I must say, I'm impressed with the hardware and the OS. Definitely don't regret making the switch from Windows.
There is one issue that I have been having. The availability of only 2 USB ports has made using my peripherals difficult.
I am in the process of looking for a USB hub so that I can work more efficiently. I did some research and was able to find limited information. From what I know, the only thing I should be aware of is whether the hub draws its power from the port or powers itself.
Are these newer Macbooks about to power the port without any problems.
I'm looking to use an external HD (has its own power supply), wireless mice, iPods, and Blackberry. These aren't too power intensive.
I've been gaming on my MBP's 9600M GT since I got it in October and I've been pretty satisfied with the results. I just started Mirror's Edge and I get an average of 30fps outdoors on Med/High settings at max 900p res and 2x AA (I'd take off AA, but it just looks ugly to me without it). The trouble is that when I enable PhysX my fps drops down to about 26fps avg. I'd like to make up this difference with overclocking, but wasn't sure if I should.
I game about 1.5 hours at a time, and usually GPU-Z reports nothing higher than about 74C (I'm running 181.22 drivers from LV2G). I have a dinky little plastic cooler with three 80mm fans underneath it, too. I was thinking of a modest overclock, say maybe 10-15%, but was wondering what the dangers were, if any and what temps I would see. IMO the newer MBPs are MUCH better at dissipating heat than last gen, so hopefully that won't be much of a concern, plus I could always grab a program to boost the fan speeds as well right, SMTFan I think it's called. If I do go ahead and overclock, which speeds should I increase, core/shader/mem and by how much?
What say you NBR? Worth the performance gains or stupid risk on a relatively new laptop?
Before I bought this laptop, I asked apple about 5 times if the new single right click on the trackpad is supported in Windows and they said yes. I buy the laptop, install windows.. and the only way to do a right click is to tap using three fingers.
after getting a new 13" I have been noticing that it seldom gets warmer than 50C while in a speck case on a soft surface, while my 15" on the other hand is normally running at the high 70s and mid 80s and easily reaches the 90s if I begin watching a video on youtube when not in any sort of case and kept on a hard surface. I have been ramping up the fans using SMC Fan Control whenever I witness the machine getting warm but it makes me wonder if I have a faulty machine and is reason for me to get it checked out(it is still in warranty).
And just recently I switched to using the 9600M GT graphics card(for the first time since I got it really) and the temperatures hover at about the high 70s to mid 80s as usual but this time the fans are up to 3500-5000rpm on average without me setting anything with SMC Fan Control. Even just letting the machine idle for awhile doesn't get the fans to lower to 2000rpms(which I would assume is the expected normal speed considering my 13" seldom revs up a hair past 2000rpm).
I generally leave my 15" MBP on all the time(5 days/week), or put it to sleep whenever I am going to transport it(as I am sure most of us do). What I constantly have running is:Firefox(with around 40 tabs)Xcode or Eclipse(maybe both, but definitely one of them)Terminal(with a handful of tabs[3-7])AdiumPreview(with up to 15 or so documents open)iTunes
I have an issue with my MBP when I'm using vista. It just freeze after a few hours and I don't know why (I don't think that it is the network card driver, as suggested in other posts because I installed the driver provided there.
I just know that it is a driver issue because I got a blue screen with a notification from windows and it said that windows is shutting down to prevent damages to the computer because of a problem with a driver.all the drivers are from the Leopard DVD (excluding the network card driver).
I am planning on upgrading my stock 120GB to a WD 500GB 5400RPM HDD. Because of SATA limitations on my 2007 MBP, it has transfer rates of 1.5Gb/s and not 3.0Gb/s. I was told that HDD's do have firmware or jumpers that can use 1.5Gb/s.
I've seen alot of members who have used this HDD, but I'm not sure if you guys have 1.5Gb/s or 3.0Gb/s transfer rates and whether or not it will work with this HDD. Can you guys clarify this issue for me?
Performance wise, I havent been disappointed with the laptop, but one of the main drawbacks I see in the machine is its battery life - Apple has taken strides in improving battery life over 2009-2010, and its kinda annoys me that I'm stuck with the battery I have now.
I commute a lot to/from school, work on the bus/train, and have to use my laptop in places where power outlets are not readily available (some lecture rooms). Realistically, I get about 3-3.5 Hours with screen brightness on minimum, wifi and bluetooth turned of, and doing some basic word processing, as well as reading pdf's.......
My photography hobby is getting more complex than originally anticipated, so I now want to upgrade my HD from the standard 120GB to something bigger, since I only have about 10 GB left.
I have been looking at the WD Scorpio Black (320GB, 7k200, priced $89 at newegg and 150 on WD site), but was wondering if it would work with my MacBook (late 07/early 08) and if there would be any difference with the sales package from Newegg and WD own site..
Also I was wondering how the performance is, and if there would be any noticeable difference between the 320 Black and a 500 Blue (both WD)?
Also, what is the procedure, when upgrading? My present drive is backed up via TimeMachine (with all docs, pictures, music and apps).
I have a late '08 unibody MBP. Every once in a while, generally not every day but once every few days, I have a split-second issue where half of the screen on my MBP flashes black for a split-second. Everything's perfectly normal before and afterwards, just that. I suppose it's not terribly bothersome, but it is noticeable. I've done some searching and it seems to be happening to many people and may be software based.
Does anyone know if it's possible to install the new mid-2009 Macbook Pro 15" battery in the late 2008 macbook pro 15"? I looked at the pictures and it seems to be an identical fit, just no screw to secure the battery but from what I see all it is is a simple change in battery./
Has anyone debated trying this? I would love the extra battery life and I don't see why we couldn't do this aside from maybe the charging being 80w compared to the 73w for the new battery...
i want to install leopard fresh on the new 500gb drive. so from my understanding, there's a migration assistant that will help me transfer my apps, my music, my photos, etc from my old drive (attatched via usb) to my new installation right? what happens to software licenses and stuff? i use mostly opensource software, so my main concern is will my ilife installation remain intact? I use omnioutliner too. it was bundled with my mac... will my registration remain valid?
I fitted the above HD into my Macbook Pro unibody a fair few months ago and it generally works great, I was even more impressed at how easy it was to install as I'm by no means a computer expert!
Anyway, the one niggle I have is that my Pro is running hotter, so much so that instead of a niggle I am a little worried.
It seems to be worse when I am running programs with the Apple OS but also using Windows XP with Fusion. The heat is a worry but the noise of the fans is just plain annoying. Prior to fitting this hard drive I never heard a peep out of the stock 250GB drive, either from the fans or the drive itself (as an aside, I can hear the new drive, but its quiet and not a problem). Likewise, it never seemed to get hot.
What confuses me is that the heat doesn't come from the area where the drive is. As you look at your laptop during normal use, the hot part is to the rear left of the base (i.e. the keyboard part).
I notice that Apple have 500GB drives available as an option on Macbook Pros now, does anyone know what make these could be? Also, does anyone have any experience with these yet?
I worked my off to get this laptop. So I want to protect it as much as I can for as long as I can. I realize that since this is aluminum, it may experience corrosive pitting if I'm not careful.
SO, what case is the best to prevent this and to keep scratches off? I dont care if it changes the look, just give me the best one!
Another question, how are u supposed to pull out the magsafe anyway? Everytime I try to take it out, it always feels like the edge is going to scratch near the ports
I've had my MBP for about 4 month now and have been having problems with its keyboard since I bought it. First, the "Z" key sank in (I think there was a problem with the spring). I took it to the Apple Store, and they "fixed" on the spot (it's much harder to press and only registered a key press 70% of the time). The lower right corner of the "E" has noticeably sunk in, and I need to resort to pressing the upper left corner. Also, the left side of the keyboard feels "mushy", not hugely so, but definitely noticeable after typing a few sentences. Can I request that Apple just replace the entire keyboard instead of just individual keys?
i have just boughta laptop studio xps 1640 from ebay , seller afew more with same cpu. after long search i could not find such a cpu , even on intels website.
what do you guys know aboutIntel Core 2 Duo P9800 (3MB cache/2.8GHz/1066Mhz FSB)
I'm looking to spend a little tax money on a HDD upgrade, but I'm just a little curious what everyone else on here thinks about my options and what you would do if it were you?
I can either go with the 320GB Western Digitial SATA300 or a 200GB 7200RPM alternative.
Tom's Hardware has a review of some of the recent additions to the 320 5400RPM Drives and they say the performance is at or above any 7200RPM drives out there.
which drive is the better choice between the 128GB SSD (MLC) vs 320GB 7200rpm options currenlty on the Z690.
I've heard the MLC SSD's are fast in certain areas, but arent always the best options vs the 7200rpm drives yet... and have some issues with multi-tasking, etc. So basically, my question is how is the 128GB Samsung MLC rated vs the 7200rpm drives Sony uses?