Hiya
=)
if you're going to be an arch student i'm sure you're going to need CAD, right? which also means that you're going to have to run either bootcamp or parallel and if your budget is around 2,000 then i would suggest that you get a macbook pro 15". plus if you're going to be an arch student, chances are are that you're going to be carrying your laptop around quite frequently so i wouldn't get the 17" since it's heavier and that does get quite annoying.
2gb is fine. i mean, don't get the 4gb at the mac store because it costs double/triple the amount vs buying the actual card outside and installing it.
15' should be fine. the 17' has a better video card, but if you're not working w/ media stuff i.e. video editing, it should be alright.
i work with video and image editing and my 15" is doing just fine =)
if you're just entering uni, i wouldn't really suggest a mac. maybe get an hp or even the new dells for right now before actually buying a mac. even though they're a great investment, i've seen so many of my friends and classmates totally butcher their laptops by their second year in uni so it might be smarter to just buy a cheaper laptop first. on another note, good luck with your major. our school's arch dept is extremely and highly competitive and out of the 40? 70? students they accept every year more than half end up dropping out of the major and going into landscaping arch or something else. on a brighter note, those that do stick it out and take it are guaranteed a job once they graduate so woohoo! =)
also iwork isn't necessary if you're going to run XP/VISTA. office is still better when it comes to compatibility.
the applecare protection plan i would get. although macs are known to be of better quality and to last longer (depending upon how well the user takes care of his or her laptop) you never know what will happen. my friend just got his macbook pro fixed and the cost came out to be about the same. a little bit more. the apple care protection plan i think guaranteed better service or something like that. I have it and even though i don't THINK anything will happen to my laptop, personally i feel a bit safer and assured since i do have the plan.
what would you need aperture 2 for?
hope this helps and if you have any more questions, feel free to PM me =)
Agh... i need help.
im going into college as an architectural engineering student and im eyeing a macbook pro..
but there are SOOOO many different options. that i don't know what to choose.
@_@;; and when it come to computers..im just slightly lost at the amount of space i need and stuff.
hoping you guys can help me with my questions...
1. so...is there that much of a difference between a 15" and a 17" screen???
2. is 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB enough for an engineering student? or would i need 4gb?
3. 250GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm? 7200 rpm?... would 7200 rpm be neccessary?
4. iWork '08????? would i really need the program?
5. Aperture 2? would i also need that one?
6. ah~ this one.. would i need to purchase a modem?
7. Applecare protection plan?? I'm sort of 50/50 on this since it's a protection plan afterall....
my budget is about $2,000 at the moment but $3,000 is the max my parents are leaning on..
Thanks ahead of time.
Would it be better to purchase online? or at the Apple store? or at the student store at the college?
I use a black MacBook (bought in November 2007), and a G5 iMac with iSight that I bought back in December 2005. 
how can i fix this? i see the word "cookie enabled" sometimes on the tab....
