Aluminum 2.0 GHz MacBook Vs. Aluminum 2.4 GHz MacBook

robertkj · Oct 18, 2008

I'm thinking of switching from windows to a mac, and have a few question about the new MacBook's.

1.) Will the .4 GHz in the 2.4 GHZ Macbook really that much faster then the 2.0 GHZ MacBook. I will only be using it for the Macbook for school, music, and watching a few movies.

2.) Should I upgrade the Memory from 2 GB to 4GB, since I will only will be using for basic functions. Or will it make that much of a difference.

3.) If I go with the 2.0 GHz MacBook will it be able to run Snow Leopard, if i choose to upgrade? I know this is a tough question since snow Leopard has not been released.

Any answers will since I would like to go buy one to night.

Lurchdubious · Oct 18, 2008

I think you'd be fine with the 2.0 and 2 GB RAM. I think I'd be fine with those specs too, but I want 2.4 Ghz and 4 GB RAM, so that's what I ordered. lol.

Also, you could always upgrade the RAM yourself later.

Ozzymandos · Oct 18, 2008

robertkj said:
I'm thinking of switching from windows to a mac, and have a few question about the new MacBook's.

1.) Will the .4 GHz in the 2.4 GHZ Macbook really that much faster then the 2.0 GHZ MacBook. I will only be using it for the Macbook for school, music, and watching a few movies.

2.) Should I upgrade the Memory from 2 GB to 4GB, since I will only will be using for basic functions. Or will it make that much of a difference.

3.) If I go with the 2.0 GHz MacBook will it be able to run Snow Leopard, if i choose to upgrade? I know this is a tough question since snow Leopard has not been released.

Any answers will since I would like to go buy one to night.

1) It's probably not $300 difference, if thats what you are asking. Unless you are a power user...

2) Basic functions like email / web / dvd playback / office / youtube. I can't imagine it making enough of a difference to bother.

3) It will absolutely run Snow Leopard.

robertkj · Oct 18, 2008

Is it that difficult to upgrade the Ram myself, or will I save money just to upgrading now?

fuzzielitlpanda · Oct 18, 2008

robertkj said:
I'm thinking of switching from windows to a mac, and have a few question about the new MacBook's.

1.) Will the .4 GHz in the 2.4 GHZ Macbook really that much faster then the 2.0 GHZ MacBook. I will only be using it for the Macbook for school, music, and watching a few movies.

2.) Should I upgrade the Memory from 2 GB to 4GB, since I will only will be using for basic functions. Or will it make that much of a difference.

3.) If I go with the 2.0 GHz MacBook will it be able to run Snow Leopard, if i choose to upgrade? I know this is a tough question since snow Leopard has not been released.

Any answers will since I would like to go buy one to night.

1. For what you plan to do with your mb, you probably won't be able to feel the real world difference between 2.0 and 2.4, but the extra performance is still there.

2. apple's cost to upgrade to 4gb is very reasonable. if you're only doing basic tasks, 2gb should be fine.

3. i would think you should be able to. all you have to do is purchase the software.

duffyanneal · Oct 18, 2008

Upgrading is rather straight forward and you'll save some money doing it yourself. Since you're moving from Windows you might want to consider installing Bootcamp or one of the virtualization programs (Fusion is good) in the future. That way you can use some Windows apps if you're so inclined. If you choose virtualization your machine will run a bit smoother with more RAM. 4 GB would be the preferred amount in that case. If you don't run Windows then 2 GB should be OK unless you're a power user.

I'm going with the 2.4 GHz not only for the added horsepower, but also because of the backlit keyboard. Once you have one you'll never want to go back.

fuzzielitlpanda · Oct 18, 2008

duffyanneal said:
Upgrading is rather straight forward and you'll save some money doing it yourself. Since you're moving from Windows you might want to consider installing Bootcamp or one of the virtualization programs (Fusion is good) in the future. That way you can use some Windows apps if you're so inclined. If you choose virtualization your machine will run a bit smoother with more RAM. 4 GB would be the preferred amount in that case. If you don't run Windows then 2 GB should be OK unless you're a power user.

I'm going with the 2.4 GHz not only for the added horsepower, but also because of the backlit keyboard. Once you have one you'll never want to go back.

this should really be the deciding factor for you. everything else is the same between the 2.0 vs 2.4, so base your decision off the backlit keyboard and processing power.

Davidkoh · Oct 18, 2008

http://www.macworld.com/article/136214/2008/10macbookbenchmarks.html

Basically no diff between 2,4 and 2,0

StingerT125 · Oct 18, 2008

fuzzielitlpanda said:
this should really be the deciding factor for you. everything else is the same between the 2.0 vs 2.4, so base your decision off the backlit keyboard and processing power.

The 2.4 also has a slightly larger HDD: 160GD vs 250GB

fuzzielitlpanda · Oct 18, 2008

StingerT125 said:
The 2.4 also has a slightly larger HDD: 160GD vs 250GB

what i meant to say was that the processor and backlit keyboard are the only things you can't change once a decision has been made on whether to get the 2.0 or 2.4 version, so one should base their decision on those two factors.

robertkj · Oct 18, 2008

Thanks for all the help. I will probably go with the 2.0 GHz as the backlit keyboard is not a big deal, and the comparison between the 2.0 GHZ and 2.4 GHz done by macworld show no huge difference. And I can always upgrade the memory and Hard Drive if I have to in the future.

Can't wait till the apple store opens up tomorrow morning

munckee · Oct 19, 2008

I'm shocked how many people are up in arms over the backlit keyboard "issue". While I think it's a craptastic move on Apple's part not to include such a simple feature on the lower end model, I can honestly say that after owning a slew of Apple notebooks, I have NEVER used it.

Yeah, I've used my computer in poorly lit situations, but doesn't the screen throw enough light onto the keyboard for those few times you can't find the key you need? Or are there just that many "hunt and peck" typists out there still?

richard.mac · Oct 19, 2008

basically the difference is 400 MHz, 90 GB of hard drive space and a backlit keyboard. not worth it. definitely not worth it after i found out the 2 GHz MacBook has an ambient light sensor YAY!

MacsBestFriend · Oct 19, 2008

i think it's worth it for the keyboard. i really need that because i type in the dark a lot at school and i think it looks cool. by early November, modders will have thought of how to swap keyboards.

Lurchdubious · Oct 19, 2008

MacsBestFriend said:
i think it's worth it for the keyboard. i really need that because i type in the dark a lot at school and i think it looks cool. by early November, modders will have thought of how to swap keyboards.

I agree~most of my day is spent in low-light lecture halls. While I don't hunt & peck, there are several times I've wanted the backlit keyboard. ...pretty much daily, actually.

And yes, you would think that the light of your screen would illuminate the keyboard, but in the dark the screen actually makes it harder to see your keyboard, unless you aim the screen down toward the keys, so that you can't really read the screen.

Oh, and MBF, your sig doesn't currently make sense...

Compile 'em all · Oct 19, 2008

for what u will be doin get the 2.0.

subq · Oct 19, 2008

I went with the 2.4 because it was the most powerful mb they had (I really don't want the added weight and size of a mbp). I run vmware and the extra .4 on a dual core actually makes a difference.

The added ram and hd space are moot since you can upgrade those yourself.

The backlit keyboard was just a bonus in my case and will probably help the resell value when it is time to upgrade.

sangosimo · Oct 19, 2008

the keyboard is not worth the money; I would only upgrade if you need an extra 400mhz. The 2.4ghz macbook will probably have lower depreciation in the used market because more people buy the 2.0ghz.

D.M.S · Oct 19, 2008

duffyanneal said:
because of the backlit keyboard. Once you have one you'll never want to go back.

tell me about it.i'm trying to justify the extra $500 between white and aluminium macbooks because of this.

penq86 · Oct 19, 2008

I had this problem too but in the end I went for the 2.4ghz. 400mhz at two cores and also the backlit keyboard looks gorgeous when im working in a dark room.

And later I can also upgrade the memory easily when I need more power.

I will using vmware with win XP but only use it for school application(s) or when I need to do webdesign in IE6/7..

hierobryan · Oct 20, 2008

What would be more important for performance in games? An extra .4 GHz in processor speed, or an extra 2 GB of ram (4 GB total)?

richard.mac · Oct 20, 2008

both come with 2GB stock and same integrated graphics chip. extra 400 MHz wouldnt do anything while gaming.

gnikcjack · Oct 20, 2008

I guess this naturally lends itself to this question:

What is a better set up, the 2.4 ghz as is, or a 2.0 with an upgraded HD to 250 and 4 gb ram? both would cost exactly the same with educational discount, but which would outperform?

Davidkoh · Oct 20, 2008

gnikcjack said:
I guess this naturally lends itself to this question:

What is a better set up, the 2.4 ghz as is, or a 2.0 with an upgraded HD to 250 and 4 gb ram? both would cost exactly the same with educational discount, but which would outperform?

Depends on what your doing, for anything but CPU intensive stuff (rendering, unraring, compressing and so on) the 4 gb one I would guess.

shoelessone · Oct 20, 2008

LOL at backlight keyboard users. I honestly didn't understand WHY my MBP had backlit keys when I bought it - I'm being a huge elitist I know but I honestly don't think I have looked at a keyboard for years. I guess if I was honest there is the occasional time I'll look down by as has been mentioned ambient light from LCD is sufficient always

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