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Sunday, May 04, 2008

Buying a new MacBook

So I need some advice from people who are bigger geeks than me, and what better place to look than the internet?

I really am looking at getting a MacBook. I'm thinking the 2.4 ghz with 4GB of Ram should be smokin, but I'll take suggestions from anyone who knows Mac better than me. Which is everyone. I'm currently limping along with a 1.6 ghz Gateway which I hate (battery life is not worth a damn) and I'm trying to run Vista with just 1 GB of RAM. Bad idea.

So for what I do - writing, email, surfing porn, and online poker - will I notice the increase in clock speed from 2.1 ghz to 2.4? And do I need 4GB of RAM or is 2GB on a 2.1 ghz processor gonna feel like warp 3 to me anyway?

I've thought about getting the MacBook Air, but can't see paying the premium for style and weight, because it's significantly more expensive and has a significantly slower processor. Comments are open, thanks for the help.

6 comments:

gadzooks64 said...

I would think that there would be a huge number of non-Mac options available to you that would more than meet your needs at a fraction of the cost.

There's a ton of laptops out now with 3 or 4gb of RAM and more than capable processors at the $700 price point.

As someone who indulges in the same vices as you, I find my 17" HP laptop to more than meet my needs.

Unless you feel the burning need for a Mac, no reason to spend that kind of $$$$. Then again, who am I to stand in your way.

BadBlood said...

I recommend making your purchase on screen size preferences. I have the lowest end MacBook and it does EVERYTHING you'd need it so with sufficient power.

I chose the 13" white one because it was the smallest and that's what I wanted.

When I want extra screen space, I hook it up to an external monitor and use the dual-display capabilities.

Unknown said...

I adore my MacBook. It's my favorite possession. I don't think you need the air. It's super fast and I bought it two years ago so you should be super duper fast. You'll love it. And you can run Windows on it now too using Boot Camp included in Leopard, the latest OS, so you'll be covered that way as well.

Daddy said...

I want MerleFest pics.

Russell said...

Based on what you described, the Macbook will do everything you'll need and then some.

A word to the wise though; max out your RAM but don't do it through Apple, it's horrifically overpriced. When you order your machine, do so with the least amount of RAM.

Then order the extra RAM through Crucial.com. That will save you hundreds of dollars.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

23skidoo said...

Agreeed with Russel re:RAM.

I freaking love my MacBook pro and loved my black macbook before that.

I run Parallels + Leopard in side by side monitors, the display kicks ass for watching movies and podcasts on the plane or in the airport.