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New laptop!, Squee!
mipadi
post Jun 22 2009, 02:00 PM
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So as some of you may know, I work as a systems programmer/IT manager for an engineering lab at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I came into work today and lamented to one of the other programmers that I had to do all my development work on my aging iBook, and how I was thinking about getting a new MacBook. So she asked the director of the lab if he'd buy me a laptop, and he said sure, I just had to pick what I wanted and have the purchasing agent sign off on it.

I asked how much money I had to spend, and the other programmer told me I had to spend at least $3000. "Wait, at least? Don't you mean, up to $3000?" I asked. She said no; because of the way purchasing works, I had to spend at least $3000 on my order in order to have it qualify as an "equipment purchase", which avoids some sort of fee imposed by RPI on its labs' purchases.

So I bought a new 13-inch MacBook Pro. _smile.gif It's a pretty decent machine:
  • 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  • 8GB of RAM (Yes, EIGHT f*ckING GIGABYTES. Anything less would've made my order drop below $3000, so I sprang for the $900 RAM upgrade.)
  • 256MB nVidia 9400M gfx card
  • 500GB hard drive
  • dual-layer DVD burner
  • iWork '09
  • Final Cut Express (since I do some video work in the lab)
  • VGA adapter
  • DVI adapter
  • Accessories:
    • Apple Remote
    • 1TB external hard drive (for Time Machine backups)
    • VMWare Fusion (since I write some software targeting Windows, unfortunately)
Needless to say, I'm pleased as punch. _smile.gif
 
Maccabee
post Jun 22 2009, 02:35 PM
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yay for you! You didnt want a 15 inch though?
 
Tung
post Jun 22 2009, 02:41 PM
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man i prolly could load a shit load of programs up with that 8gb ram
 
mipadi
post Jun 22 2009, 02:42 PM
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QUOTE(jcp @ Jun 22 2009, 03:35 PM) *
yay for you! You didnt want a 15 inch though?

Nah, I wanted something light and easily portable.
 
Maccabee
post Jun 22 2009, 03:12 PM
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Works for me. Your so lucky.
 
TheOn3LeftBehind
post Jun 22 2009, 03:34 PM
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Nice! That's awesome. : ) I have a white MacBook. 8GB of RAM.. I can't even imagine what I would do with that.
 
-DressYourEyelid...
post Jun 22 2009, 03:44 PM
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darn you. i want.
 
Mikeplyts
post Jun 23 2009, 04:39 AM
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jesus tittie f*cking christ. twitch.gif lucky ass mofo.
 
Just_Dream
post Jun 23 2009, 04:45 AM
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Woah, lucky! I pan on getting the new macbook pro 13 inch when I graduate so I can use my student discount at my uni bookstore. ;P Cool. Damn, 8gb of ram....
 
Uronacid
post Jun 23 2009, 09:01 AM
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I'm happy for you. It sounds like a complete waste of money, but I have a feeling that was the point. LOL
 
mipadi
post Jun 23 2009, 10:13 AM
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QUOTE(Uronacid @ Jun 23 2009, 10:01 AM) *
I'm happy for you. It sounds like a complete waste of money, but I have a feeling that was the point. LOL

Well, it is true that I need it for work, and my aging iBook isn't quite cutting the cake anymore. Most of the stuff can be justified. Final Cut Express is a bit of a stretch, but I do edit videos for the lab (they take videos of all the experiments they run). The 500GB hard drive (and 1TB backup drive) isn't necessary, either, but storage space (and a good backup solution) is never an "unnecessary" thing.

The only item that's really gratuitous is the 8GB of RAM. I definitely could've gotten by just fine with 4GB.
 
Uronacid
post Jun 23 2009, 10:21 AM
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QUOTE(mipadi @ Jun 23 2009, 11:13 AM) *
Well, it is true that I need it for work, and my aging iBook isn't quite cutting the cake anymore. Most of the stuff can be justified. Final Cut Express is a bit of a stretch, but I do edit videos for the lab (they take videos of all the experiments they run). The 500GB hard drive (and 1TB backup drive) isn't necessary, either, but storage space (and a good backup solution) is never an "unnecessary" thing.

The only item that's really gratuitous is the 8GB of RAM. I definitely could've gotten by just fine with 4GB.


Well yeah, the 8GB is the only thing I can see as well. was there an upgrade for a GeForce 9600?

My god, you got this for free!!! Awesome! :D
 
mipadi
post Jun 23 2009, 10:28 AM
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QUOTE(Uronacid @ Jun 23 2009, 11:21 AM) *
Well yeah, the 8GB is the only thing I can see as well. was there an upgrade for a GeForce 9600?

The higher-end 15-inch MacBook Pros, and the 17-inch models, feature a 9600M for high-end graphics (and the 9400M for lower-powered graphics), but it's not an option on the 13-inch models.

QUOTE(Uronacid @ Jun 23 2009, 11:21 AM) *
My god, you got this for free!!! Awesome! :D

Haha, yeah. I wouln't've dropped nearly that much of my own cash on a laptop.
 
Uronacid
post Jun 23 2009, 03:10 PM
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QUOTE(mipadi @ Jun 23 2009, 11:28 AM) *
The higher-end 15-inch MacBook Pros, and the 17-inch models, feature a 9600M for high-end graphics (and the 9400M for lower-powered graphics), but it's not an option on the 13-inch models.
Haha, yeah. I wouln't've dropped nearly that much of my own cash on a laptop.


Cool you got a free laptop. Bummer you couldn't get a 9600, but weh... the free cancels the bumber out!!! :D
 
kryogenix
post Jun 23 2009, 07:14 PM
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so what kind of games are you gonna play on it?
 
Just_Dream
post Jun 23 2009, 07:22 PM
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QUOTE(kryogenix @ Jun 23 2009, 05:14 PM) *
so what kind of games are you gonna play on it?

Left 4 Dead 2, that's what. jk
 
karmakiller
post Jun 23 2009, 08:18 PM
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Is there a limit on how many of these free laptops you can get? Not that I'm saying CBers will be your best friend for one, but I'm just asking 'cause you could make money.
 
heyo-captain-jac...
post Jun 25 2009, 12:24 PM
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Can I have your old one?
 
mipadi
post Jun 25 2009, 04:25 PM
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QUOTE(Buttsex @ Jun 25 2009, 01:24 PM) *
Can I have your old one?

You wouldn't want it, it's a Mac.

In other news, the laptop came today -- and f*ck it's awesome, I can do shit while I'm compiling software for once!
 
heyo-captain-jac...
post Jun 25 2009, 10:49 PM
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QUOTE(mipadi @ Jun 25 2009, 04:25 PM) *
You wouldn't want it, it's a Mac.

I'm fine with that.
 
kryogenix
post Jun 28 2009, 08:09 PM
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http://blogs.zdnet.com/igeneration/?p=1909

Was this the model you bought?
 
mipadi
post Jul 2 2009, 08:30 AM
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I have had 0 VM page outs in the week that I've been using my laptop. Hee hee.
 
heyo-captain-jac...
post Jul 2 2009, 07:12 PM
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QUOTE(mipadi @ Jul 2 2009, 07:30 AM) *
I have had 0 VM page outs in the week that I've been using my laptop. Hee hee.

I wouldn't expect any less with eight gigs of RAM.
 
mipadi
post Jul 3 2009, 10:16 AM
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Compiles GHC in less than an hour, too, and the CPU isn't even pegged (old laptop took 12 hours to compile GHC, CPU pegged at 100% most of the time).
 
heyo-captain-jac...
post Jul 3 2009, 12:02 PM
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Damn, what CPU was in your old laptop?
 
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