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General discussion

need help choosing a mac book config

Nov 17, 2006 1:21PM PST

hey guys, im a long time windows user looking to switch to mac. i'm just a big media guy and realized that macs deal with media very well. not to mention its more stable and there are less problems (viruses, maintenence). i'm in the market for a new mac book but i need help deciding what kind of configuration to choose since im not so familiar with how apple hardware specs compare to PCs. im mostly looking to listen to a ton of music (i'll be ripping a lot of cds), watch some videos, and some light photo storage. Also the usual stuff like web surfing and using microsoft office (mac edition) for school. A super drive would be convenient. i dont think i really use any programs or do anything thats very hardware intensive. i also dont really care about hard drive space because its too expensive to have the big capacity drives built in. i can just get a USB drive for cheap. this is also somewhat of a desktop replacement that i would like to carry around with me every now and then. i'd like this computer to last atleast 5 years. both of my uncles still use g4 emacs and they still work fast and do everything as if they just came out of the box.

i know i've said a lot but if you guys could help me choose the right hardware configuration, i'd appreciate it A LOT. oh and one more thing, what do you guys think about buying a refurbished one off the apple website? theyre so much cheaper and come with a 1 year warranty.

Discussion is locked

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What laptop size would you like? and Price Range.
Nov 17, 2006 5:23PM PST

If you would like something small and light and stuff, a Mac book would be excellent. If you don't mind a bigger size laptop then Macbook Pro is good for you. While Mac takes less system resources, they will lasrt a long time. If you buy a really good Mac now, then it should easily last 5 years especially considering the work you do. The Macbook is going to be cheap and the Macbook Pro will be more expensive. I would go for a Macbook considering your position and I would also buy a large 20" or more screen and nice speakers to use when at home to watch movies and listen to music. When you are using Office, the extra screen space can help a lot. As you say that you will be using Office for school, I would like to suggest iWork 06. iWork, in my opinion is wa better than Office considering you want to use it for school. go to www.apple.com/iwork Most people dont use all the features of Office as they are complex. But iWork is way simpler and can produces very very good looking documents and presentations and way more easily. Talking about presentation software, iWork has Keynote 3 in it which blasts Powerpoint away when home user like people use it. You should have a look at the product tours of iWork. Another thing is that iWork is quite a bit cheaper than Office at $79. apple can preinstall it for you when you order it with a Mac. It is rumoured that iWork 07 will also have a spreadsheet program in it.
Good Bye

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i'll definitly get a macbook, but....
Nov 19, 2006 12:01PM PST

well i think i'm pretty much set on getting a mac book instead of the pro. i need the cheapest possible solution because like i said, i'm a long time windows user and i dont want to make a drastic and expensive switch. also, it doesnt seem like i need much performance for the stuff i do. which processor speed should i get? 1.8 ghz, 2 ghz, etc.? is 512 mb of RAM good enough? im a sophmore in highschool right now and it would be nice if this computer could last me through college. ya, i know its a stretch but i gotta try. im thinking about getting a refurbished macbook direct from apple.com. are those ok? thanks for all your help so far.

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MacBook
Nov 19, 2006 9:00PM PST

The Refurbished MacBooks from the Apple store are a good buy. They come with the same warranty as a brand new one and are eligible for AppleCare. This is highly recommended for a laptop, any laptop.

512MB of RAM is the minimum, you really should consider going to at least a GB.

Remember that this machine will run Windows as well, if you have to, so the switch is not so expensive as you are thinking.

P

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I would go for the...
Nov 19, 2006 9:05PM PST

The second Macbook Config thats for $1299 because it has a superdrive to write DVDs, double the RAM and decent HDD. If you don't mind leaving DVDs and want to go even cheaper then the first config wud be fine also($1099). I wouldn't recommend any upgrades as they are expensive but I wud buy an airline charger if you travel a lot and a DVI adapter thing if you connect to an external monitor.

And yes the iWork package is amazing. You can get it pre-installed and all for $79 or you MIGHT be able to buy it cheap from outside like amazon.com or ebay.

I wouldn't want to go for the blackbook as it is unnecessarily expensive.

It is all your wish and opinion now though I would go for the second config. Or better wait for a while and get MAc OSX 10.5 Leopard.

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Student Discounts
Nov 20, 2006 4:59AM PST

Apple offers an educational discount for college students and faculty/staff, and high school teachers and staff. Unfortunately I don't see anything for highschool students.

As for the configuration to get, if you want this to last you 5 years get the middle white MacBook configuration (you don't get much more with the black model). The processor is a little faster and it has a Superdrive (DVD+/- R). Also, while the Apple Refurbs are a better deal, the new MacBooks feature a Core 2 Duo processor and a faster Superdrive that is capable of writing dual layer disks. They also increased the baseline memory and hard drive specs, which is why the prices dropped so much on the refurbed Core Duo MacBooks. Dual layer burning may not be a big deal today, but down the road it will probably catch on more before HD-DVD or Blu-Ray or some sort of hybrid takes over. Also, you can't upgrade your laptop's processor so opt for the faster processor to make it last longer.

If you do buy the baseline configuration, you can always upgrade the ram later or add an external DVD burner for dual-layer burning. Then whenever money permits max out the ram. For some reason ram seems to make a bigger improvement to performance on a Mac than it does on a PC, but that's just my perception. Don't get the Ram upgrade from Apple because you can buy a matched pair of ram for 1/2 the price (I got my 2GB pair for $225 with a rebate).

If this machine is mostly a desktop replacement, invest in a larger LCD screen and keyboard at some point in time. Keep in mind that unlike the MacBook Pros, you can only connect to one external monitor so make it count; if you get new LCD TV for college, many models have VGA or DVI inputs so you can directly connect your computer and use your TV as a monitor. And whenever you do add the external monitor add a desktop keyboard and mouse (USB or wireless).

If you want to be able to run your old windows software, you can use Parallels, and buy an OEM copy of MS Windows XP. Some of the current OEM promotions offer a $20 upgrade to VISTA (whenever it comes out).

So good luck with your purchase.

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couple more questions
Nov 20, 2006 8:09AM PST

i dont need a student discount because my dad just happens to get a discount from his company on all apple products. the only thing im wondering is if that discount applies to refurbished items.

also, what does Leopard have that Tiger doesn't have now? is it worth it to wait? All i basically need is iLife which is in every version of OS X.

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Leopard
Nov 20, 2006 8:29PM PST

Now I am not trying to put off your purchase. If you are in a ahurry or want one now then there is no problem in buying one now as even Tiger is still a very good OS after 1 or 2 years since it came out. Unlike Windows Xp which is totally messed up.

All I was saying is that if you don't mind waiting a bit longer then you will be able to get a next-gen OS free(well in a way) as you won't have to pay for an upgrade if you do so. If you want to switch to Leopard when it comes then you will be paying for 2 OSes in a short time, wasting your money.

Leopard will be have quite a few new features. As you might know that all Macs come budled with iLife, a multimedia suite(good one really), you will have to again pay for iLife as well if you want to upgrade. So if you wait a while, then Leopard comes out and iLife 07 and then you can buy your laptop with both free instead of buying a laptop now and paying for both if you upgrade.

Recently Macbooks have started giving their owners some problems. Not all but quite a few have started randomly shutting down and starting up which is quite frustrating at times. So by the time you wait for LeopardApple should have fixed the problem. Maybe by chance the processors or other parts might get updated. Its your wish.

Leopard has an automatic backup software which is very very easy to use called Time Machine. Check out the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference video on youtube and you will understand what I am talking about. It has many other features. As Apple keeps its stuff secret, only a few things have been revealed and most probably there will be more new stuff. Theres a program called Spaces which allows you to have multiple uncluttered 'desktops' and you can switch between them easily. Check out the video to get the whole idea.
Good Bye

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starting to change my mind
Nov 25, 2006 11:58AM PST

im starting to change my mind now about getting a mac book, or laptop in general. the mac book is a little too expensive plus the cost of damage insurance. sooner or later the tiny 13" screen is going to get to me (in a bad way). i know i can attach an external monitor, but then whats the point of having a laptop, because im not a big traveler. i was thinking about getting a laptop in the beginning because of college in the future, but even then, i could just use a desktop in my dorm or maybe an apartment.

so as of now, im thinking about getting a mac mini. theyre much cheaper, and i already have a good monitor so it seems to fit a little more. are there any significant differences between the current mac mini and current mac book? both seem like they can do what i want. again, i dont really need anything high powered,just a good alternative to my crap windows pc. thanks for all your help so far guys

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one more think i forgot to add
Nov 25, 2006 3:29PM PST

also, if i got a mac mini, what kind of upgradaility options would i have for the future? (RAM, graphics, processor). Like i mentioned in my original post, it would be nice to have this thing for atleast 5 or 6 years (maybe a stretch).

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Mac Mini
Nov 25, 2006 10:32PM PST

As you can see from the Apple Store, the Mac Mini is a fairly inexpensive Mac. It still comes with exactly the same OS as its bigger siblings, all Mac's have the same OS except the server line.
As for Upgrading. RAM is upgradable to 2GB but the graphics and processor are not upgradable. I have heard of people putting in faster Dual Core processors but that is not the norm.
Hard drive is upgradable but the drive is only a 5400 Laptop drive.

All that said, the Mac Mini will probably last you for the length of time that you want it to

P

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You should wait...
Nov 26, 2006 1:07AM PST

Well I say that you should wait for Leopard to release and then continue talking. One reason is because of the free upgrades to new OS and iLife and stuff. Another very good reason is that the Mac Mini has no yet been upgraded to the Core 2 Duo processors while the other Macs have been and it has been quite some time since an upgrade came out.

If you already have a monitor keyboard and stuff then the Mac mini would be really good. But if you don't then I highly recommend going for the iMac (the student one or the first one on the purchase page). You will get a built in screen and an Apple keyboard/mouse and easier to transport. You might look funny and this suggestion might be really stupid but well you can carry the iMac after switching it off and you can take it around like a laptop. I know this might sound extremely dumb but well its imaginative. lol.

Macbooks have recently been giving, some owners, problems like random start up and shutdowns.

Well I would go for the iMac if you want a Mac now. As for upgradeability, Macs are known for their restrictive/limited upgrades. Basically only mad enthusiasts try upgrading a Macs processor and stuff. You can only upgrade RAM safely and 'legally' and sometimes hard drives and stuff. The other stuff like processors and graphic cards are soldered on to the Mac.

So just wait...and wait...and wait...
GoodBye