<p>There's a thread about MacBooks already but let's do some comparison.</p>
<p>Tell me which is best for college and why. </p>
<p>Take into account features, price, ease of use, practicality, durability, etc. This is important stuff right here. Is the MBP worth $200 more?</p>
<p>Stressed for the 9001st time, a computer is only as good or valuable as what you use it for.</p>
<p>So tell us that, first.</p>
<p>From Google-
[Mac</a> Book or Mac Book Pro - Decide Which is Best for You in 5 Easy Steps](<a href=“http://www.brighthub.com/computing/mac-platform/articles/61978.aspx]Mac”>http://www.brighthub.com/computing/mac-platform/articles/61978.aspx)
[Which</a> Apple notebook should I buy? - Mac Guides](<a href=“http://guides.macrumors.com/Buying_a_MacBook_versus_MacBook_Pro]Which”>http://guides.macrumors.com/Buying_a_MacBook_versus_MacBook_Pro)</p>
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<p>basically an extra 200 for the word ‘pro’ at the end of your laptop’s name</p>
<p>You’re paying for the ability to add more RAM. Honestly though, if you cared about being able to have 8GB of RAM, you would be buying a model with a stronger processor anyway, so I would say probably not worth it.</p>
<p>They’re running the same OS I believe, so ease of use and practicality are exactly the same. Pro has a couple more hardware features, but these are negligible for the average user. As PHSPhilip said, the main thing is more RAM. However, if you are the average user, 4GB will act the same as 8GB, so it doesn’t matter. And if you are the above average user, you’d either be looking at higher-end models (with better graphics and CPUs and such) or non-Macs (especially true for gaming).</p>
<p>^ Well said.</p>
<p>The MBP is always worth $200 more. Buying a new computer now, it will last you all four years of college. The difference is 14 cents per day. If there are other issues influencing your decision, fine, but don’t make $200 one of them.</p>
<p>If you get no real benefit from the 200 dollars, there’s no reason to spend them.</p>
<p>A perceived benefit is sufficient for many buyers! :)</p>
<p>That’s the beauty of marketing :D</p>
<p>All seriousness aside, imagine you bought the MBP, and sitting next to you is a MB. Now imagine (considering the actual computer differences) why you wish you had bought the MB. Now reverse roles. Is there a winner? You likely really will be in one of these situations eventually.</p>
<p>^I completely agree. Having bought a 13" MBP myself, I sometimes look over and see someone with a 13" MB and start to second guess myself. then i realize I have a computer case made of aluminum and that goes away. I feel like the $200, if nothing else, really buys you incredible durability. I 've had mine for a year and a half now and it looks virtually brand new. I take it with me everywhere and it still has held up like a champ. good buy in my opinion.</p>
<p>I’ll be using it for typical college classwork, whatever that may entail. I’ll also be using it for photography so the SD card reader would come in handy I guess. The main thing I use my computer for aside from work is entertainment and a bit of photography. I mean, I probably wouldn’t notice much of a difference either way, I just wanted to hear a few opinions on the matter in the context of using it at college.</p>
<p>Please don’t listen to most of the ignorant posts above, clearly from people who have no real experience with these two machines. There are indeed some very real differences between them, and you just have to decide if the differences are worth the extra money. Also, keep in mind that, with educational discounts, the difference between the 2.4GHz 13" MB and MBP is $150 ($950 vs. $1100), not $200. </p>
<p>The MacBook Pro has an aluminum case, while the MacBook is made of plastic. The MBP keyboard is illuminated in low-light conditions. The MBP has a Firewire port, a SD card slot, and twice the RAM (4GB vs. 2GB). Everything else is pretty much the same.</p>
<p>The MacBook is a very serviceable computer for college use, and it will function the same as the MacBook Pro in most instances. However, I am of the opinion that the more durable aluminum case, the illuminated keyboard and the extra RAM is worth the extra $150 that you would pay for the Pro. My son has a 4-year-old MB, and it has worked great for him, but the corners and edges of the case are chipped and cracked from rough handling. My daughter has a 1-year-old MBP, and it has nary a nick, even though she has dropped it a few times. The illuminated keyboard doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it lets me use my MacBook G4 in the dark without having to light up a room. </p>
<p>Finally, that extra RAM will indeed speed things up if you have a number of applications open simultaneously, or if you work with very long document (i.e. a college term paper or thesis).</p>
<p>It is definitely a tough choice, but you should at least have the actual knowledge you would need to make a decision.</p>
<p>I would appreciate not being called “ignorant” seeing as I have both a macbook and a macbook pro, thank you. You can get 4 GB of RAM on the macbook (or did the one calling the rest of us “ignorant” make this post without spending 30 seconds on apple’s website to look up configuration options?). If you need 8GB of RAM, you also need an i5 or i7, which the macbook does not have. The aluminum case tends to get nicks, the older macbook casing tended to crack but the new ones are much more solid, so on that there is no real difference for a new-bought one, from what I hear. The illuminated keyboard is nice, but hardly worth 200 dollars.</p>
<p>PHSPhilip, why do you think ALF meant you? I thought he meant me! 
I know I’m ignorant!</p>
<p>Or you can be a super idiot like me and get a PC laptop! Pshhh 2 GB RAM, Core 2 Duo, and only 2 USB’s, on a $950 laptop?? That was good in 2008, but for a new 2011 laptop!? What a rip off.</p>
<p>In 2011, you can get a laptop with core i5, 4 GB RAM (standard), decent graphics card, switchable graphics, and 4-5 hr battery life all for around $800 after all those coupons flying around in the internet.</p>
<p>Hey, I sound like a d’ bag now. ^_^</p>
<p>Sure, you can add RAM to the MacBook, but it will cost $90 to get it up to 4GB, so now the difference between an MB and an MBP is only $60.</p>
<p>There seems to be a bit more success at getting PCers to switch to Macs than vice versa (considering Mac’s slowly increasing market share). Does anyone know someone who loved Macs and then happily switched to a PC? There has to be someone somewhere.</p>