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Macbook 2.0 Ghz vs. 2.4Ghz vs. Old MB Pro

DoNoHarm

DoNoHarm

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 8, 2008
1,138
46
Maine
Hello People,

It seems that the "midrange" market now has these three options. I am trying to decide which to purchase. I plan on using the computer for about 4 years and then selling, possibly upgrading the RAM along the way. From a dollars and cents point of view, in 4 years, which of these three options do you think would present the highest value when you also factor in the resale value to whatever you save initially? I'm also a little worried about the 2.0 Ghz being obsolete.... Thanks for everyone's advice....
 
H

holysmoke

macrumors newbie
Sep 18, 2008
27
0
I was thinking along the same lines, I bought the 2.4, and also upgraded the ram right now instead of later
 
M

makowb

macrumors member
Jan 27, 2008
92
1
I'm trying hard to justify the 300$ between the low end and high end macbook...keyboard backlighting, slightly larger hard drive (by my own for cheaper), and .4ghz increase for 300$?!?! I seriously do not get it. Cache, graphics, optical drive, are all the same...
 
L

ll PiStoNs ll

macrumors regular
Aug 5, 2007
169
0
makowb said:
I'm trying hard to justify the 300$ between the low end and high end macbook...keyboard backlighting, slightly larger hard drive (by my own for cheaper), and .4ghz increase for 300$?!?! I seriously do not get it. Cache, graphics, optical drive, are all the same...
Click to expand...

yah i dont think it is worth it, im pretty sure everything else like graphics etc. make more of a difference then the .4 ghz
as they said, the new macbooks are comprable to the old macbooks
 
D

dougnewman

macrumors 6502
Aug 9, 2006
270
0
Long Island, NY, USA
I would either buy the 2.0GHz MacBook or the 2.4GHz MacBook Pro.

The 2.4GHz MacBook seems to be "neither here nor there" if you will.

That is, unless you simply want the best Mac notebook you can buy that is the size of the MacBook.

As it is I don't find the MacBook Pro terribly differentiated from the MacBook; comparing the two models that are closest in price just magnifies that effect.
 
D

DR'O'

macrumors newbie
Jul 8, 2008
9
0
BM 2.4 is a good value!?

MB 2.0 to 2.4 vs MBP 2.4

It cost +$100 to upgrade to a 250 GB HD so it is only +$200 more to get the Backlit Keyboard, and the same 2.4 MHz speed of the 15.4" MBP. Sounds great to me! The 15.4" MBP adds a larger display and an extra Nivida card, but that is ~+$400 for just a larger display. Also, get the extra ram now as it has only two slots and for $150 now you won't have to waste memory when you upgrade later.

Student discount is even better.
 
M

makowb

macrumors member
Jan 27, 2008
92
1
You forget that a 250gb 7200rpm hdd is available for 100$ (sometimes 320gb) elsewhere and is easily replaceable. Plus you can sell the one that was in there for at least 30$ minimum. Apple's RAM upgrade right now isn't such a bad deal, but their hard drive upgrades are still asinine.
 
S

specialbuddy

macrumors member
Aug 7, 2008
81
0
Backlit keyboard is standard on both versions of the new macbook. No need to pay more if thats a feature you want.
 
K

Knolly

macrumors 6502a
Jul 22, 2007
610
0
specialbuddy said:
Backlit keyboard is standard on both versions of the new macbook. No need to pay more if thats a feature you want.
Click to expand...

Actually, unless something has changed in the last few hours, no it is not. It's only on the higher end Macbook.
 
DoNoHarm

DoNoHarm

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 8, 2008
1,138
46
Maine
incomplete data

I think a lot of people here are jumping the gun. How can you know if the old macbook pro is better than the new macbooks in terms of value without first seeing the new macbooks up close? In terms of specs, yeah, the old macbook pro's have the edge, clearly. However, Apple has never been about specs alone - it's about the user experience.

Has anyone actually touched the new Macbooks and can offer their advice on this question?
 
Lexoticstylez02

Lexoticstylez02

macrumors 6502a
Oct 11, 2007
539
0
Orlando, Florida
I'm stuck in the same boat.. trying to decide between a new 2.4GHz MacBook or a refurbished 2.5Ghz Previous Gen MacBook Pro for $1,499. Decisions... hopefully this thread will help me out.
 
E

eidrunner247

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2006
310
5
dougnewman said:
I would either buy the 2.0GHz MacBook or the 2.4GHz MacBook Pro.

The 2.4GHz MacBook seems to be "neither here nor there" if you will.

That is, unless you simply want the best Mac notebook you can buy that is the size of the MacBook.

As it is I don't find the MacBook Pro terribly differentiated from the MacBook; comparing the two models that are closest in price just magnifies that effect.
Click to expand...

If the 1599 macbook had the 9600 chip, then it would be worth the price difference
 
DoNoHarm

DoNoHarm

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 8, 2008
1,138
46
Maine
2.4 Ghz macbooks are actually a good deal

So after reading some of the posts and thinking waaaaay too much about this, i think I'm going for the new 2.4 Ghz Macbooks. I even did a comparison feature wise with a new dell xps 1330 and you know what, the price comes out to the same, except on the xps, you get 2 GB more ram and a 256 MB dedicated graphics card.

In the end, however, it's all about design and user interface.... I have a strong feeling that apple has hit this one out of the ballpark in terms of user experience. I think it's safe to say that Apple wouldn't do such a dramatic redesign of it's bread and butter product if it weren't completely vetted, tested, etc. for usability. Especially after Mobile Me......

That's it! I'm going to get a new Macbook! :D
 
S

surfdog_2005

macrumors member
Oct 15, 2005
31
0
I went with the 2.0. There is just not enough extra there in the 2.4 to make it worth $300. I'd rather save that for my next upgrade.
 
R

Ryffie

macrumors member
Oct 14, 2008
43
0
Sweden
So it seems the difference between the new low-end and high-end macbook is:

  • CPU speed
  • HDD
  • lack of ambient light sensor (no backlit keyboard and dimming of screen).

I'm guessing the CPU stands for roughly half the cost and HDD+sensor for the other half. Maybe the price gap is not so huge after all? But i still think the low-end macbook got most value for the money. I wish there was a model without the increased CPU speed.

Anyone found some "inofficial" differences to add to the list?
 
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