2011 MacBook Pro 15-inch Core i7 with SSD - Unboxing

[skittleschocolate]

There was no greater feeling than opening my first mac (15" macbook pro). got it for college, i remember getting it and not even knowing what to do with myself...

[olepotti]

if you choose to have the normal glare screen will the frame around the screen be black? i think it looks bit old fashion with the whole thing being grey :S

[HarleyChickPS3]

@TheDrewStock i have got mine now, and you can get any console/pc game on it and it runs perfect on i7 !

[MyRandomReviews]

@TheDrewStock - Unless you install Windows, then all games work with the MBP. I did and just reboot into Windows if I want to play a game.

[okayplayer31]

nice review, where did ya buy it ? it's custom right ? cause from stock you just don't get the SSD

[G3TGh0sT]

I have never seen a macbook unboxing that wasnt done by someone in the UK.

[MyRandomReviews]

@G3TGh0sT - Haha, that's weird. I'm sure many more MacBooks are sold in the US, with them being nearly half the price over there. :P

[HarleyChickPS3]

Im going to get a macbook either 15 or 13 inch but can you please answer these questions !? :

- is there any photoshop graphics differences

-is the 15inch still kinda small and portable

- is there much difference in gaming

thnx

[MyRandomReviews]

@HarleyChickPS3 - Yes, Yes, and Yes.

The 15-inch can render photoshop images faster and easier, it is still a very portable machine (although the 17-inch is not), and the 15-inch is worlds apart from the 13-inch in gaming. The 13-inch MBP doesn't even have discrete graphics, and the new base spec 15-inch MBP graphics chip is an AMD 6750M which is what I paid extra for just a few months ago, and it is a superb mobile gaming chip!

[HarleyChickPS3]

@MyRandomReviews ThankYou it looks like ill be getting the 15inch then :)

[olepotti]

@HarleyChickPS3 13 dual core -> 15 quad core.. much faster

[HarleyChickPS3]

@olepotti i got the i7 macbook pro 15" in the end :)

[MyRandomReviews]

@HarleyChickPS3 - Nice computer you bagged yourself!

[HarleyChickPS3]

@MyRandomReviews you know the "brick" part of the charger ... what are the two flap things for ... they are on each corner and i dont know what they do :S

[MyRandomReviews]

@HarleyChickPS3 - It's for winding up the cable when you're not using it! lol

[HarleyChickPS3]

@MyRandomReviews oh right. lol

[AFCBeau]

I don't know why apple made the anti-glare screen with a silver bezel, it doesn't look as nice

[MyRandomReviews]

@AFCBeau - I like it more. The more Aluminium the better! :P

[conn0r644]

God.....UK power plugs are MASSIVE haha

[MyRandomReviews]

@conn0r644 - Yeah, I know man. It's annoying when the power plug is three times thicker than your MacBook. lol

[conn0r644]

@MyRandomReviews Do your plugs supply more power? like I think in the U.S. it's like 120 volts.....I'd have to check to know for sure though

[MyRandomReviews]

@conn0r644 - Power, no, Voltage yes. We get 230V-240V

[conn0r644]

@MyRandomReviews Well ya know what i mean lol

[conn0r644]

Damn.....128 gb SSD? That's just not enough.....SSDs need to go down in price.

[MyRandomReviews]

@conn0r644 - They do need to be cheaper to be viable for most people. However, they are incredibly good! :D

[conn0r644]

@MyRandomReviews I agree, they are awesome, and when I get my computer in the next couple months I know I'm going to want to get a SSD, but i probly won't just because of the price. I will be upgrading my RAM though.

[sharkpyro93]

i prefer the 13'' model cause this isn't very portable...or not?

[MyRandomReviews]

@sharkpyro93 - It depends, if you're going to be buying a laptop case to carry it around in, then the 15 inch is perfectly manageable. But the 13 inch has got that extra portability, and it weighs less. It's also a much less powerful machine, however.

[sharkpyro93]

@MyRandomReviews i know, that's why i'm undecided, because i want to play too with this...what you think?

[YummiestOrphan]

How come the bezzle around the screen is silver? Is it because you have the anti glare screen option?

As I always thought the bezzle around the screen was black?

[MyRandomReviews]

@YummiestOrphan - Yes, you're correct. The anti-glare screen has an Aluminium bezel, like the MacBook Air. :)

[MyRandomReviews]

@hackupgrapejuice - No problem! Glad you liked the video. Just wondering why some people didn't. :<

[JSantana319]

@MyRandomReviews That's because they're jealous, lol.

[MyRandomReviews]

@hackupgrapejuice - When you upgrade to the 2.2GHz model you get a much more powerful graphics processor as well as a more powerful CPU and a larger hard drive. The upgrade to the 2.2GHz model was a no-brainer for me.

[MyRandomReviews]

@hackupgrapejuice - Ok, cool. Well I've got loads of new videos recorded. Need to edit them now though. :)

[MyRandomReviews]

@hackupgrapejuice - YES! Having a glossy display makes the laptop unusable in loads of situations and it can't be changed. The SSD however can easily be upgraded later on and if you buy your own SSD you'll get a better quality one, especially if you wait for SSD technology to improve a little! :)

[Way2Fresh4NE1]

i need to start saving i have $16 saved already

[MyRandomReviews]

@Way2Fresh4NE1 - Huh, in 1 day? Just 100 days to go! :D

[MrVinney96]

im going to buy this exact one, except the anti-glare display.

[MyRandomReviews]

@MrVinney96 If you're going to add one upgrade make it the anti-glare display! The glossy screen is unusable outside and causes plenty of people eye strain. Look at one of the top-rated comments!

[ChaosRiddenReaper]

4 people are pc users

[MyRandomReviews]

@ChaosRiddenReaper - My main PC is a well... PC. ;)

[ChaosRiddenReaper]

@MyRandomReviews im changing over from a pc to a mac shortly. my computer is 6 years old and died a shitty death lol. cant wait to get it. iim getting same laptop, is it worth getting a matte screen? i heard the gloss screen hurts your eyes after long periods!

[MyRandomReviews]

@ChaosRiddenReaper - 100% DEFINITELY BUY ANTI-GLARE!

Couldn't put it any simpler. :)

[minipullin]

Wow, that's the exact MacBook pro I'm getting, the same specs and all! :D

[MyRandomReviews]

@minipullin - I recommend an larger SSD if you are using the laptop as your main computer.

[fallout3geek]

How do you get around the limited SSD storage? and how is this machine for gaming? I am looking to upgrade from my dinosaur 13'' black macbook

[MyRandomReviews]

@fallout3geek - Well it's not my main PC so 128GB is fine for me, I have CS5.5 Design Premium and plenty of other software and games such as CS:S, TF2, L4D2 etc installed and I have 55GB free space. I don't have enough space for video storage or anything but I'm not paranoid about the amount of space I have left.

Also, games run great on this machine, however bear in mind it's a laptop and heat is a problem with fans spinning up loud in most heavy games. And it's a Mac so their's little games.

[sk8king05]

@MyRandomReviews, thanks for the info. I think I've made my decision to try and get the 15". If that's out of my budget, I will get the 13" i7. Thanks alot for the info!

[sk8king05]

@AtMyRandomReviews, thanks for responding! I don't really mind the portability, I'm looking for performance and a decent battery life. Do you see a big speed difference between the 13" i7 and the 15" baseline? And how does the battery life compare?

[MyRandomReviews]

@sk8king05 0 The battery life is equal, until you start using the dedicated GPU in the 15". The 13" has no dedicated GPU though, so it's battery life stays very good. When the 15" starts using the dedicated GPU I only get about 3-4 hours of battery life, with about 7 hours in normal use.

The 15" is much more powerful, especially for games.

[sk8king05]

hey I'm looking to get some help. I can't choose between the 13" baseline, 13" i7, and the 15" baseline. I'm going to be doing things like web browsing, movies, iTunes, frostwire, and school work. I'm not sure if I need the quad core in the 15", please reply and be kind :)

[MyRandomReviews]

@sk8king05 - I like the 13 inch MBP and the 15 inch MBP, I chose the 15" because I wanted to be able to play games and use it for design. By the sounds of it, you'll only need the 13" MBP for what you want to do, but the 15" is better. If it was up to me, and I didn't mind carry a larger laptop around everywhere, I'd go with the 15" model, as you're already spending nearly £1000, the 15" laptops are much more powerful and don't cost too much more.

[myacclolable]

Hey i'm about to go further than high school! Now i have the most crappy 200 $ Laptop, it broke. I have the money for a 13 inch 128 ssd 8 gb ram, i enjoy games but its gonna be a work laptop too. Ill wait for lion as you said in previous comments, its coming out this summer, really just perfect timing.

- Seyya

What do you think?

[MyRandomReviews]

@myacclolable - I think you're wasting your money on 8GB of RAM. Just get 4GB... what are you using it for exactly. 8GB of RAM is only useful if you plan on using After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, and 100 Chrome Tabs simultaneously.

Anyway, if you decide you want 8GB RAM later on you can always upgrade. Also, If you want to play games you're not going to get much gaming done on a 13" MBP, for a decent graphics processor you need to get the same as me. Laptops are bad at gaming anyway. :)

[myacclolable]

@MyRandomReviews When i mean gaming, I dont mean for them to be the best quality, for me that dosent matter much. Ill be playing l4d2 Tf2 Minecraft etc. Not the Crysis 2 Games, The 8 gb because i do a whole lot of multi tasking.

Especially tf2 since there's a "trading" Echonomy where the actual gameplay isnt required, just me to chat in game and trade items to earn profits. Meanwhile ill listen to music download etc etc.

[MyRandomReviews]

@myacclolable - To be honest, I don't think the MBP 13" is going to let you play TF2 at a decent frame rate but you could look over YouTube for a TF2 MBP 13" gameplay video, see how it does. :)

[najko77]

i have the same but with 750 hdd shud i upgrade?

[MyRandomReviews]

@najko77 - The SSD improves performance substantially, as well as improving battery life, noise, vibrations, and SSDs are not prone to breaking when being transported like HDDs. Give it a few months and you'll be able to pick up a 256GB SSD for a good price, but at the moment, I would say - unless you're using your MacBook as a secondary computer - don't buy a 128GB SSD, they're just a little too small. Wait for Lion to come out and for 256GB SSDs to be affordable.

[najko77]

thanks for the tip and a good video by the way;)

[najko77]

@najko77 thanks i am from sweden, and i think the prices are a little bit hier but i will wait

as you recomend..Do you have other recomendations?

[MyRandomReviews]

@najko77 - Well, I said wait for Lion to be released because it will support TRIM. This is a utility that is required to keep your SSD running at full speed. In Snow Leopard, TRIM is not supported, so the performance will degrade over time.

[MrStijngevaert]

Thumps up for Stella Artois!

[MyRandomReviews]

@MrStijngevaert - Haha, a beer mat from the pub. - I needed a place mat and I wasn't going to buy one. :P

(Got a new one now anyway ;)

[MrSnowBreezy]

can you make another video on your beautiful macbook pro? To further demonstrate what it can do, boot up time with the ssd would be nice to see :)

[MyRandomReviews]

@MrSnowBreezy - Hey, I just started rendering my full review and hopped onto YouTube for something to do while it's rendering. So yeah, sure. Personal video just for you! :P

P.S.: You should subscribe so you don't miss it, I hope it should be up by the end of today. :)

[brandond268]

how much money did you pay for yours including the upgrades??? by the way... really good video

[MyRandomReviews]

@brandond268 - It was £1750 I think with education discount which was awesome! The education discount gives you 15% off and 3 years hardware warranty. If you take off the discount and add the normal cost of the warranty, the price comes to about £2200.

Thanks for the comment. :)

I don't know what videos are good anymore, I always look at them really critically, so I don't find any good enough but I can't let that get in the way, else I'd never get any videos released! :-/

[jaggedspikerespawn]

@MyRandomReviews Wait how did you get three years warranty? You mean Apple care is free if you're a student?

[MyRandomReviews]

@jaggedspikerespawn - Excluding the three year phone support, yes. Apple care is free and just as awesome if you're a student. :)

[randomrazr]

@MyRandomReviews its free? are you in north america? last i checked the apple store guy said 100 dollars off apple care for macbook

[MyRandomReviews]

@randomrazr - Well, I guess you didn't catch my first comment. Apple care is free when you purchase a MacBook as a student (from the education store). The phone support is available though for extra cost, but that's much cheaper because you're not having to pay for the extended warranty.

[TheiPhoneFan123]

subscribed :) I'm getting the exact same model as you at the end of June. How's the performance? Have you tried any gaming? Would you recommend the high-res screen, the high-res antiglare, or the normal res? Any complaints so far? Your answers will really help me out. Thanks for the cool videos :)

[MyRandomReviews]

@TheiPhoneFan123 - I've decided to make a Full Review on it now because you talked me into it. :)

I hope I can get it uploaded asap, and before the end of today. I'll be sure to cover everything you wanted. :)

[TheiPhoneFan123]

@MyRandomReviews Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate it.

[MyRandomReviews]

@TheiPhoneFan123 - Sorry it's taken so long. I recorded the whole video the same day you made the comment and was really not happy with it. So I've done it all over again - properly - and it's rendering now.

Hope to have it uploaded by the end of today. - Although you've heard that one before. :P

[TheChrisR12]

is the matte screen colours true? or are they washed out?

[MyRandomReviews]

@TheChrisR12 - I'm not certain of how true they are, but they are certainly NOT washed out.

The matte is actually not really matte! It's an anti-glare screen, which is mildly glossy but incredible at keeping the screen visible in sunlight. I've been able to take my MBP outside on a very sunny day and still work pretty easily. And the satin screen effect is very nice indeed, it's the perfect compromise between contrast and anti-glare. In fact I wouldn't call it a compromise at all!

[VIPLeague]

@TheChrisR12 Major reason for me to choose antiglare was my last visit to my ophthalmologist. I started to suffer eye strain and as a result my vision became very bad. This is all caused by glare on computer screen. This fact is not discussed anywhere, because many vendors just do not have an option with antiglare and glossy screen looks "cool" and people buy it. Go to local apple store and try to look for 1 minute not blinking to glossy screen and then try the same with antiglare,You'll see

[jaggedspikerespawn]

@VIPLeague I don't mind either to be honest. But I think the MBP looks disgusting with anti-glare because of the silver bezel.

[MyRandomReviews]

@jaggedspikerespawn - I couldn't care less what the bezel around the screen looks like. The anti-glare screen helps you focus on just the screen, no reflections, makes it possible to view outside (it's a laptop after all), and provides an even more true colour representation.

P.S.: Silver looks awesome, it's Aluminium.

[ibanez0830]

i ordered the same exact MBP :)

[MyRandomReviews]

@ibanez0830 - Haha, great! You'll enjoy it!

It's pretty much the fastest MBP / Laptop altogether that you can buy at the moment. :)

(Without spending £200 on another 0.1GHz. :P)

[ArGyProductions]

@MyRandomReviews

Come tuesday i'm buying My FIRST MBP, either 13'' i7 2.7GHz with 8GB RAM or the 15'' 2.2GHz.

I make a music with FL Studio and basic video's. Looking to start using Adobe After Effects and Premier.

In your opinion what would be a 'good' choice considering finance

A reply would be much appreciated

R.I.P Microsoft

[MyRandomReviews]

@ArGyProductions - The 15" 2.2GHz i7 is definitely the way to go. The 13" screen is way too small and for After Effects, you're going to need a lot of video power, so the 15" 2.2 will give you that.

Also, think about your screen, I find having the high-res screen gives me much more room to create videos without annoying dragging things out of the way etc...

I'd also add 8GB of RAM later, as I've never came close to filling 4GB, buy RAM from a third party, and find out if you even need it first!

[VIPLeague]

@MyRandomReviews I got 2.3GHZ + 8MB L3 cache ;-P

[MyRandomReviews]

@VIPLeague - Awesome! If I could have afforded it I would, but I see hardly any speed benifit whatsoever so I'd rather have £200 more! :P

[VIPLeague]

@MyRandomReviews true, but unlike others may think, 0.1GHz is not a 5% increase in productivity, don't forget about 30% increase in L3 cash. And according to tests it gives around 10-12% increase. Which will make difference in games, rendering, Photoshop and so on. And I decided that I will use the machine for at least 2 years ahead and if I can go with better processor for $200, if will also give me more chances to sell the machine in future, when I decide to upgrade.

[MyRandomReviews]

@VIPLeague - It's £200.00 for a the improved processor. That's $330.00 (for us in England anyway).

It's not worth a penny more than £100 to me, that processor upgrade.

[VIPLeague]

@MyRandomReviews +8GB RAM :)))

[ceetophersun]

@MyRandomReviews - thanks for the info. I wanted to make sure that it would be a good buy. i'm guessing you're pleased with the speed.

[MyRandomReviews]

@ceetophersun - I sure am, the only loading bars I see are ones transferring to a hard disk. :P

[jaggedspikerespawn]

@MyRandomReviews hahaha

[ceetophersun]

Can you confirm the SSD runs at 6Gbs?

[aquinom2]

Sigh...the more videos I watch with people with SSDs the more convinced I am that I will need to fork over the dough and buy one. Of course I'll just get it off an online vendor and install it myself (like I did with the RAM), Apple's pricing is horrid.

[MyRandomReviews]

@aquinom2 - Haha, yeah, it can be. However it was cheaper for me to have it installed by Apple than buying a third-party one. And the SSD they gave me is very quick. It beats most on the market apart from some new ones and the C300. :)

[GURPS518]

@MyRandomReviews OMG i just brought the 15" macbook pro and when u said that it was cheaper than buying a 3rd party one i though u were having a laugh, n i just looked and it is cheaper!!!! god i wish i looked at that properly when i brought it because i would have got the SSD instead!!!! o well lol im happy anywayz!

[MyRandomReviews]

@GURPS518 - You'll be happy with it anyway. :D

[GURPS518]

im going to 're box' my macbook pro just so that i can unbox it again :P

[MyRandomReviews]

@GURPS518 - lol

[DDS829]

LOL!! @GURPS518

[RyaniPhoneReviews]

nice stella sticker ;) and awesome machine :D! Youll love mac bro!

[MyRandomReviews]

@RyaniPhoneReviews - I'm finding it awesome so far. I'm really enjoying OS X, and it's just so much less hassle than owning my Windows PC. :P

[Ldogg9111]

why is the trim around the screen silver? thats weird. first time seeing that on a new 2011 model...

[MyRandomReviews]

@Ldogg9111 - It's the anti-glare screen. I really like it, but it gets rid of that nice edge-to-edge glass.

[picsordidnthappen]

@MyRandomReviews I actually own a late 2007 MacBook Pro and a 2009 model with a black display frame. I must say that I like the 2007 design much better for some reason. I'll order my new one tomorrow and I've been thinking about a matte screen this time because of the silver frame. However I'm not really a fan of matte screens. My 2007 model had a silver frame and a glossy display which was great. Do you think your decision to buy a matte screen was right and would you buy it again?

[craig3008]

I've ordered exactly the same CPU & SSD except i went for 8GB RAM. Apple's prices on RAM are usually outrageous but upgrading on this model in Australia was actually pretty close (once my

work discount was applied) to what I'd pay to do it myself. Thanks for a helpful video!

[chandrashekharsonbar]

what is the weight of it in (Kgs) ?

is it easy to carry everyday to/from college ?

[MyRandomReviews]

@chandrashekharsonbar - It weighs 2.54Kg and it's fine to carry to and from college every day on the bike or walking.

[randomrazr]

how come u got the higher end one?

[randomrazr]

@randomrazr is it wortht he anti glare?

[MyRandomReviews]

@randomrazr - Yes, I'm very happy that I picked up the anti-glare because it is truly brilliant outside! I can see the display even in direct sun light! :D

[MyRandomReviews]

@randomrazr - Pretty much soley because of the graphics chip, which is much more powerful. It also worked out to cost only a little more after adding the SSD, because the SSD costs more on the lower end computer.