- 1 year warranty
Product Description
Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro (Intel Quad Core i7 2.3GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, HD Graphics 4000, 512MB GeForce GT 650M, OS X Lion) - Apple MacBook Pro 15 23GHz QuadCore i7 HD Graphics 4000 and GeForce GT 650M 512MB Graphics 4GB 500GB DVDRW Bluetooth Webcam 80211n Thunderbolt OS X Lion Portable Notebook MD103BA England... See more product details
Customer Reviews: Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro (Intel Quad Core i7 2.3GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, HD Graphics 4000, 512MB GeForce GT 650M, OS X Lion)
*NOTE* The macbook pro i am reviewing is actually the 2.6Ghz 8GBram model. I am reviewing on this page, because amazon does not think this version of the macbook pro is available yet, only for pre-order, therefore no-one can possibly review it. There isn't too much difference between the two, though.
I have a 2006 macbook, and this is the first mac i have had since then, (i had one homebuilt PC in between that) . My parents have a 1 year old iMac i5, and after using that a few times i thought i would go out and buy another mac, for portability, buy full size ATX can't exactly be taken on my backpack to college etc.. (although i did attempt to take it strapped to my bike, a bet.) Anyway, after using this machine for about 4 days, I can say that i am pleasantly surprised by it's speed. I have to say that it definitely is faster than the 3.1GHz iMac. They really have hit the nail with speed here. For example, Apple's ram is now 1600MHz, which is quite a vast improvement, making processes have no delay at all. Boot up time is very reasonable for a standard 5400RPM computer, I may upgrade to a hybrid, though, for super ninja speed. All applications open with extreme speed, and whilst in these applications, it is very slick about what i tell the thing to do. The multi-touch pad, although has been around for a while now, is an amazing feature, in almost any application. (i did not have this feature on my old macbook.) Doing common tasks is so much quicker. For example i have google chrome in 'Desktop 1' And a word document in 'Desktop 2' I can very easily change between these desktop's with a four finger swipe across. Everything is just a little faster for the user to do than on a windows machine, no matter how fast the PC is. The graphics - Although i am reviewing a different amount of VRAM than this model has (1GB not 500MB) It is the same card, and it performs very well, photoshop elements can play very smoothly whilst editing. Rendering time is much shorter on this machine than on any device i have used, and i am very impressed. There is really nothing that i can fault on the device. Battery life is about the same as previous versions. USB 3.0!! FINALLY APPLE! I have several usb 3.0 backup drives, and now, i can use them too their full capacity! Transferring is much faster, and i'm grateful apple aren't just telling people to buy thunderbolt drives. TEMPERATURE - Apple have GREATLY improved the cooling performance. I have played many graphics - needy applications, (video games ;P) and i have not had my leg fried into a sausage! i know that this was a problem with older MBP's, the aluminium gets waaaay too hot. Browsing temperatures are about the same as previous generations, but when at full load, nothing seems to get as hot as it used to, but apple have sorted out the heat dissipation greatly, it doesn't all go to the bottom, most of it it efficiently air extracted.
I think this is the best apple device i have seen in quite a while, although i have not owned that many, i am constantly working WITH many, and this is a very good one :)
*Edit 30th May 2013* After about a month, I installed a crucial 256GB SSD. After about a year, this laptop still boots in around 7-8 seconds. Excellent performance.
My 2012 Macbook pro 15 inch 2.3ghz is the best computer i have owned.
It is as powerful as Mac pro's from only as far back as 2009!!
So you get a professional grade computer for ( in my case ) music production, that is portable.
Its the first computer where i hardly ever need to see if the CPU is getting over loaded.
I use Logic pro 9, and if i was only using Logic pro's on board effects/plug-ins, the computer's CPU would never get taxed.
I do use 3rd party 32bit effects/plug-ins which are very hungry on the CPU, but i still hardly have any issues with over loading the processor.
If you have ever used Logic, the message "audio-core overload" used to appear often in older macs, stopping work flow and you'd have to compromise what you were doing to eek out the available processing power of the computer to be able to run Logic pro.
Not with this Macbook pro. That message never appears. I can just get on with making music :).
I only have 4gigs of ram and that has never been a problem. You can put 16gigs in it.
I sometimes have 5 to 8 apps running at the same time and everything is snappy.
I have put in a Samsung SSD and that has made the computer a very fast beast indeed.
Boot time 14 SECONDS!!!!
Shut down 3 to 5 SECONDS!!!
The screen is very clear and crisp. I went for the glossy screen and i have no issues with reflections. If there are reflections i just alter the screen angle and the problem is gone. The 15.4 inch screen is big enough to watch movies for 2 people to share, and i can work with Logic pro with it no problem.
Usb 3.0 is great. I back up my work in seconds rather than minutes.
It would have been nice to have 3 usb 3.0 ports but its not a big deal. I ALWAYS use an extended external keyboard and track ball mouse, so much faster performance than using the mac book pro's track pad and keyboard , and with the external mac keyboard there is an extra usb 2.0 port, so i actually do have 3 usb ports, which is great.
Thunderbolt/mini display port.
I have yet to use a thunderbolt hard drive, but i use the mini display port to drive my external screen.
One of the best features of Mac lap tops is that through the mini display port/thunderbolt port you can drive an external monitor up to 2560 x 1440 res.
I have a 27 inch monitor that has a display port and with one cable (display port - mini display port) i get 2560 x 1440 from the Macbook pro!!! its brilliant.
I have to say, check out on ebay the 27 inch monitors with 2560 x 1440 res from Korea.
They have exactly the same screens that are in Apple 27 inch monitors and 27 inch iMacs. The screens are A grade, not A+ grade. They have maybe 5 dead pixels and so Apple sells them and Korean companies build cheap cases with budget speakers.
I just got mine and for a fraction of the price of the Apple 27 inch thunderbolt display i am the very happy owner of a 27 inch 2560 x 1440 display.
It has really transformed my use of the 15 inch mac book pro, its fantastic.
SOUND.
The speakers on the 15inch macbook pro are good enough to enjoy a movie. Music sounds ok too, not very deep sounding, but adequate for a laptop. Much bigger sound than the 13 inch mac book pro. My wife has one and its a big difference.
TRACK PAD.
It is a brilliant bit of kit, 1, 2,3, finger gesturing and swiping is very cool.
Over all build quality is top draw.
If you are looking for a pro level computer that works effortlessly and is easy to use i highly recommend the 2012 15.4inch 2.3ghz 4gig of ram Macbook pro.
Amazon Verified Purchase
Thanks. I know laptops are being replaced by tablets etc, but for a writer and editor, this computer with a big screen is portable enough, lots of great features such as adjustment to ambient light, and except for the stupid Microsoft Office software, which will just NEVER get being intuitive and friendly right, it is the bee's knees.
Amazon Verified Purchase
firstly i cant say how fantastic this thing is!!! so i wont try, once you get used to the differences between mac and windows you will wonder why you never made the swap sooner. what i really want to say is how unbelievably fast the delivery was, ordered at around 1pm and arrived at 0930 the next morning, that is what i call service, i did email them to say i needed it quick as i work abroad and am due to leave soon i don't know if this was the reason for the quick delivery or just the way they do things and quite frankly don't care because i could not be more pleased. excellent product and excellent service, what more could anyone want?
Amazon Verified Purchase
The Rolls Royces of Computers, I've always thought. My i Phone is so useful, and beautifully styled which also prompted me not to go down the Windows 8 PC Path! Everything about this Laptop IS fantastic. It's speed on the Internet compared to my PC Laptop is just one thing it excels at. In fact the speed at which it executes very command is awesome! It's quite something getting to grips with the "Mac approach" to everything, especially for a 67 year old. I've found it to be very user friendly and logical to use. It's one decision I've made lately which I know is for the best. ENJOY!!
Amazon Verified Purchase
Absolutely 100% as per advert and arrived ahead of schedule. Everything that the Apple adverts said it would be! Superb
Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this for my son for university, he is studying music and the MacBook is ideal for creating/ writing music. Although expensive, it is worth every penny, a good quality item!
Amazon Verified Purchase
Having only ever used PC's previously and being completely 'self-taught', I was a little apprehensive about moving over to a Mac, but I needn't have worried, as it was completely painless. I bought myself a new 21.5" Imac late last December, and was so impressed, I decided to get the Macbook for my Wife, since we both have an interest in Digital photography, and use Adobe Photoshop for image processing. Many of the experienced photographers in the club we joined recommended and used Macs, and we have to admit the image quality is better than we've experienced on PC's, so although an expensive exercise, we both feel it's money well spent. The Macbook runs cool, and the OS seems trouble free, which is more than can be said for Windows much of the time. Having got advice from an Apple store regarding what 'spec' Macs would most suit our needs, surprisingly, we were told that the basic 'spec' would meet our intended use, so no sales pressure there,- unfortunately, no discount either, which is why we bought via Amazon. We are both very pleased with our Macs
Amazon Verified Purchase
I am delighted with this wonderful little computer. It is just brilliant, so compact and transportable, and a pleasure to use.
No comments:
Post a Comment