Hi there,
I have a mid-2009 MacBook Pro, which is getting noticeably slower, the battery needs replacing and the fan is extremely noisy. All this has lead me to believe that this laptop is coming to the end of its "natural" lifespan and I will soon be due an upgrade (however I accept I may be wrong here).
Coupled with this, I am about to move into a new place, meaning I will have a lot less need for a portable laptop, since I will be working from home most days. With this in mind, I was thinking about getting a desktop iMac as my "main" computer and using my old MacBook as and when I needed to.
So my question is, should I...
A) Attempt to prolong my MacBooks life by having it serviced / refurbished, and buy a desktop monitor to plug it into when I work from home.
B) Buy a
new MacBook Pro, and a desktop monitor (because this would be cheaper than the third option, which is to...)
C) Buy a desktop iMac, and continue to use my old MacBook as a spare / portable option.
Thanks.
posted by FuckingAwesome
on Apr 14, 2013 -
15 answers
I've gone to some of those sell-your-laptop websites and I always get a quote for half the original price of my Macbook Pro.
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posted by Cybria
on Mar 21, 2013 -
10 answers
Time for a new (to me) laptop! I know this isn't that complicated, but I hate computer shopping. Please give me your wise advice on what to get and where to get it.
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posted by aka burlap
on Feb 11, 2013 -
16 answers
I'm a web developer / eLearning developer on Windows 7 looking to: 1) Get a Mac because I need to be able to test sites quickly and easily on my own; 2) Get a Windows-bootable unit that can act as my backup machine when my
Asus throws a tantrum as it did this week; and 3) Get a reasonably portable Windows-bootable laptop that can handle Photoshop and other resource hogs so that I can work on it at client sites without having to barely squish the Asus (aka "The Clydesdale") into my largest backpack. Ideally, I could get all three in one machine that wouldn't cost the earth. Please join me as I anguish over the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro, the Mac Mini, and other options.
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posted by maudlin
on Dec 15, 2012 -
16 answers
Need advice on how to update an older MacBook Pro with a new hard drive. I have a late-2008 MacBook Pro: 2.53 GHz, 320GB hard drive, 8GM RAM (4GB in two slots). My drive is getting full and I don't have the cash at the moment for a brand new laptop. Should I replace the optical drive with a SSD? Or just upgrade the regular hard drive with a new one with 750GB or 1TB?
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posted by barnone
on Nov 23, 2012 -
15 answers
Spilled water all over MacBook Pro. I turned it off to dry it out, but it's making horrible crackling sounds. What's going on?
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posted by serialcomma
on Oct 27, 2012 -
26 answers
I want to buy a new Macbook Pro as soon as they come out. Today I saw some reference online to "advance booking." What is this and how do I do it? I feel like I'm missing some secret that everyone else is in on...
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posted by ootandaboot
on May 28, 2012 -
6 answers
What does it mean if overnight my 5 year old MacBook Pro stopped working without being connected to power?
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posted by spicynuts
on Apr 23, 2012 -
17 answers
Should I get a MacBook Air or stick with Windows? I may be getting a new laptop for school and I want to get the best, most portable one... but I have never had a Mac. What should I get?
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posted by DoubleLune
on Jan 10, 2012 -
28 answers
Need specific mac buying advice: I marinated my 2008 MacBook in coffee this morning and will likely need to replace it after work today or tomorrow.
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posted by midmarch snowman
on Nov 30, 2011 -
19 answers
I can't seem to password protect my local network for my Imac & Mac laptops. Help me, please.
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posted by jammy
on Nov 21, 2011 -
16 answers
I have Prey installed on my MacBook Pro to assist with tracking my laptop if it's ever stolen. My question is... should I still have a password? If I want the best chance of finding the laptop, wouldn't I want the thief to USE it and log onto a WiFi network to assist with locating it?
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posted by smitt
on Aug 24, 2011 -
15 answers
I'm overheating because my MacBook Pro's wrist areas get very hot. What's the best way to fix this?
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posted by gentle
on Aug 4, 2011 -
12 answers
Is this laptop battery a ripoff, and how can I be sure? I bought a third party battery for my Macbook. It looks like the original 45Wh battery, but Coconut Battery (and the appropriate ioreg command) report the 'design capacity' as lower than it should be.
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posted by beniamino
on Apr 27, 2011 -
10 answers
why would my macbook decide to power on some days, but play dead with me on others?
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posted by sammich
on Jan 14, 2011 -
5 answers
I have a Mac Book Pro 17inch..I have had it for about 2.5 years. The logic board had to be replaced around 3 months ago. Fortunately, apple fixed it gratis, since this model had "known issues" and it was handled under warranty even though it was out of warranty.
It has worked fine since then, no problems whatsoever, until this morning when I tried to wake the computer --the screen was crazy looking and the cursor was frozen. Super horrifying since I haven't backed up in 3 weeks (I am a typical 60 year old user). I restarted and everything seemed ok except when I went to blogger (as a typical 60 year old, I maintain a blog)...there was an error message that cookies were disabled. HMMM. I got to the blog by googling myself and things seemed ok.
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posted by naplesyellow
on Nov 21, 2010 -
9 answers
I'm thinking about buying a used 13-inch aluminum Macbook (2008) or 13-inch Macbook Pro (2009+) on eBay. On paper, their specs seem quite similar. Any important differences I should know about?
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posted by puritycontrol
on Nov 20, 2010 -
7 answers
I've been generally a loyal PC user, but I'm thinking about getting a 13" 2.66GHz Macbook Pro. I'm looking for a lightweight and sturdy laptop to carry from class to class. For my purposes, is this the right laptop for me?
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posted by jennz
on Oct 21, 2010 -
29 answers
What type of wirelessly accessible storage solution should I go with in my new home network? Details inside...
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posted by decrescendo
on Aug 17, 2010 -
3 answers
I'm thinking about replacing my 2 year-old 15" Macbook Pro but I can't find a non-Apple laptop that feels like it doesn't have cheap hardware. Am I missing something?
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posted by decrescendo
on Jun 13, 2010 -
33 answers
iTunes 9 seems to have killed the ability to disconnect from one's NAS library and re-consolidate when re-attached. Does anyone have a working solution? Details inside..
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posted by Señor Pantalones
on Mar 1, 2010 -
5 answers
Macbook vs. Macbook Pro: are FireWire and the aluminum exterior worth the extra $200? Is there another difference I'm missing?
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posted by lunasol
on Feb 22, 2010 -
17 answers
Which light-weight yet powerful laptop should I buy? I like the Sony Vaio Z, followed by the MB Air and the Thinkpad X200. Am I missing any models?
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posted by bkudria
on Dec 10, 2009 -
22 answers
I'm a gamer. I bought a mac. After going through a lot of hassles with Boot Camp, I've decided to switch back. I'll get around $1700 for returning the mac... My question is, would it be better to buy a laptop around this price or sell my desktop as well to up my budget?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 19, 2009 -
14 answers
The hinge on my partner's new unibody MacBook Pro is just-loose-enough to make using it in bed annoying. Solutions, cases or a hack welcomed.
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posted by lonefrontranger
on Sep 19, 2009 -
24 answers
I bought my wife a unibody aluminum 13" Macbook for Christmas. She loves the laptop a lot but only has an old fashioned clamshell briefcase style carrying case for laptops, which was designed for 8 pound, 15.4" screen lap monsters. Can anyone recommend a female specific purse/laptop bag that is stylish and designed specifically for the 13" Macbook, or a vendor of an assortment of different styles of such bags?
posted by thewalrus
on Feb 23, 2009 -
18 answers
How does the Macbook Air with OS X compare to the Dell Mini 12 running XP or Ubuntu?
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posted by 2oh1
on Feb 16, 2009 -
15 answers
New Aluminum Macbook (low end) or slightly cheaper, previous generation?
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posted by Danf
on Nov 12, 2008 -
17 answers
I find myself unexpectedly in the market for a new laptop, and I'm considering switching to a Mac. I know the new MacBooks can finally do a proper right-click, but can they also do a middle-click without some awkward key combo? On my current laptop I just tap in one corner of the trackpad to middle click, and I can't imagine browsing the web without middle clicking.
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posted by stopgap
on Nov 11, 2008 -
13 answers
