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Upgrade Black MacBook or New MBP

E

ehhdeerow

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 5, 2011
11
0
I bought my black MacBook in the summer of 2008 and the battery recently died on me.
(2.4ghz Core 2 Duo ; 2 gb ram ; 250 gb)

Should I buy this replacement battery from OWC for $99
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer Technology/BAP13MBB56RS/

and also upgrade my RAM to 4gb for $56
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-PC2-5...4AC667/dp/B000PMGZDO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

or would it be more beneficial for me to trade in my current MacBook to Best Buy for about ~$550 and buy a new 13 inch base model MacBook Pro for about $650 ($1200-$550 trade in)
 
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Well, it depends. Do you want a better processor? And are you willing to use Intel 3000 Graphics? The difference in speed is significant, but graphics power in your black Macbook is better. The question is, which do you want? Graphics power, or processing power?
 
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I'm a junior in college and I'd use the laptop for heavy web browsing, watching videos, typing essays/homework, and maybe occasional gaming (Starcraft 2 and this may be a reach, but diablo 3 when it finally gets released).
With that said, would I need a new MacBook pro or would an upgraded 2008 MacBook suffice? (maybe to 4 to 6gb ram)
 
The new sandy bridge CPUs are FAST. I went from a 1.8ghz Core2 duo mini to an MBP 15" and it's so much faster its insane.

The MBP totally kills my Q6600 desktop in CPU stuff (e.g., transcoding video), and the 6750 radeon is on par with the Nvidia GTX450 in it, too.
 
macpyro said:
Well, it depends. Do you want a better processor? And are you willing to use Intel 3000 Graphics? The difference in speed is significant, but graphics power in your black Macbook is better. The question is, which do you want? Graphics power, or processing power?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but your bit about his Macbook having more graphics power than the new 13" MBPros is totally incorrect...the black MacBooks use an Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics processor with 144 MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory. I don't think any of the games currently available for Mac even support that graphics setup anymore.

Here is the link: http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...duo-2.4-black-13-early-2008-penryn-specs.html

The 2011 13" MacBook Pros have 384 MB of DDR3 SDRAM, and I can attest from personal experience that my MBP can handle games far better than my old MB from 2008.

In regards to upgrading, have you ever considered upgrading the RAM and HD? Those components will still be cheaper than buying a new system. A 128 GB SATA II SSD runs around 150 or so...
 
I upgraded my early 2008 white Macbook and now I (sort of) regret it. I put in 4GB of RAM and a Seagate Momentus XT hybrid SSD/HDD at a total cost (at the time) of just over $100. My Macbook works so well that now I'm stuck with the thing for another few years. My setup geekbenches at about 3200 while the early 2011 MBP comes in at close to 6000. So if I wanted a much faster CPU, I'd have to consider an upgrade. For what I do, CPU is a non issue. So I have to walk right by those shiny new MBP and MBA computers knowing deep inside that I don't "need" one. Darn. :D
 
I had a unibody Late 2009 MacBook and just upgraded to a refurbished 13" Core i5 MacBook Pro and i'll tell you it's alot quicker than my old MacBook was, and I thought it was fast. Both systems have 4GB of RAM and the difference in raw speed is night and day. iTunes conversions of songs literally takes about 4 seconds, where the old MacBook was doing it around 15-20 seconds. Editing photos in iPhoto no longer has any lag, and HD and YouTube content loads quicker and requires less processor to run.

Just for the record I sold my MacBook for $600 and it still had 2 months of warranty on it, so $550 is a good deal for an even older MacBook. I'd do the swap, but that's just me.
 
Thanks for everyone's input!

Yeah I've considered upgrading the HD as well.

So the breakdown would be (approximately):

1. 4gb RAM upgrade - $55
2. 128 gb sata ssd - $160
3. replacement battery - $100

totaling up to $315 just to upgrade my current MacBook.

However, the other alternative, which I have previously mentioned, would be purchasing a new MacBook Pro. If it costs me about $315 to revitalize my MacBook and increase it's lifespan for a couple more years, wouldn't it be a better decision for me to shed a few more bills and buy a new MBP instead? The trade-in value for my MacBook is only going to decrease. And the batteries might have to be replaced after a certain amount of time. I know the final decision is all up to me, but I just wanted to get other people's opinions to see what the best available option is.

Also, on a side note, if I were to buy a MBP, i'd rather buy the i7 quad-core 2.2 ghz ; 500 gb ; radeon 6750m 512mb; (~$1800) than the base model because i'd rather pay more for a better cpu and graphics card which might prolong it's longevity.

Thanks again!
 
ehhdeerow said:
Also, on a side note, if I were to buy a MBP, i'd rather buy the i7 quad-core 2.2 ghz ; 500 gb ; radeon 6750m 512mb; (~$1800) than the base model because i'd rather pay more for a better cpu and graphics card which might prolong it's longevity.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Those specs are the Late 2011 base 15", I thought?

I have been pondering a 15" for myself as well. I see MacMall has the early 2011" for $1649 that is the 2.2 with the 6750 and 1GB 750GB HDD, still 1800 in stock so I am waiting
 
Yes. It is the late 2011 model. What I meant to say was that i'd rather buy the 15 inch base model rather then 13 inch base.
 
ehhdeerow said:
Yes. It is the late 2011 model. What I meant to say was that i'd rather buy the 15 inch base model rather then 13 inch base.
Click to expand...

If you can live with your current Macbook then I would wait till Q2 when Ivy Bridge is released and then upgrade to the MBP's then.
 
ehhdeerow said:
I bought my black MacBook in the summer of 2008 and the battery recently died on me.
(2.4ghz Core 2 Duo ; 2 gb ram ; 250 gb)

Should I buy this replacement battery from OWC for $99
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer Technology/BAP13MBB56RS/

and also upgrade my RAM to 4gb for $56
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-PC2-5...4AC667/dp/B000PMGZDO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

or would it be more beneficial for me to trade in my current MacBook to Best Buy for about ~$550 and buy a new 13 inch base model MacBook Pro for about $650 ($1200-$550 trade in)
Click to expand...

BB's open box MBP's I've seen for as low as 700s, so if you can wait for the next open box coupon you may only pay 100-200 for the upgrade. Just make sure to look the machine over first as they can range from brand new to downright abused, and the pricing typically does not correlate.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
r0k said:
I upgraded my early 2008 white Macbook and now I (sort of) regret it. I put in 4GB of RAM and a Seagate Momentus XT hybrid SSD/HDD at a total cost (at the time) of just over $100. My Macbook works so well that now I'm stuck with the thing for another few years. My setup geekbenches at about 3200 while the early 2011 MBP comes in at close to 6000. So if I wanted a much faster CPU, I'd have to consider an upgrade. For what I do, CPU is a non issue. So I have to walk right by those shiny new MBP and MBA computers knowing deep inside that I don't "need" one. Darn. :D
Click to expand...


Erm. Early 2011 15" 2.2ghz macbook geekbenches up around 10,000 from memory.

Unless you were talking about the 13"?
 
ehhdeerow said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

I'm a junior in college and I'd use the laptop for heavy web browsing, watching videos, typing essays/homework, and maybe occasional gaming (Starcraft 2 and this may be a reach, but diablo 3 when it finally gets released).
With that said, would I need a new MacBook pro or would an upgraded 2008 MacBook suffice? (maybe to 4 to 6gb ram)
Click to expand...

I'd save money and upgrade the ram and HD.
 
If you upgarde, you will increase the life of your mac to max 2 years but if you get a new system it will lasts 5 years and as you waiting you are lossing the value of your mac so sell it while you can get a good deal
 
I'm sorry if someone mentioned this already because I'm horribly sleep deprived and can't even concentrate to read this single thread, but I wanted to throw something in for your consideration anyway :)

I can't say much for or against either option from a strict perspective of how the machines perform, but it occurred to me that you might also want to weigh in the issue of the Education discount which you probably have right now, and probably won't have in a year and a half (when the blackbook may no longer be enough to cover your needs).

I think if I was in your shoes I would take that into account. It might affect the timing. Of course, in terms of making the most of an education discount, the ideal would be to leave it until the last few weeks of having the discount, that way the gear you buy cheaper will be newer and keep you covered for a longer time. But that all depends on whether you can do even wait that long, I guess :)

anyway, just an idea. I don't know enough about macs in general to give you advice like the others but I had this idea and thought it might be worth sharing :)
 
Long story short, I sold my MacBook for $598 to Best Buy (I think they made a mistake) and bought $600 worth of Amazon.com gift cards. So now I'm just waiting for a good deal to pop up on amazon/amazon warehouse. I'm looking into getting the MC723LL/A
 
jterp7 said:
BB's open box MBP's I've seen for as low as 700s, so if you can wait for the next open box coupon you may only pay 100-200 for the upgrade. Just make sure to look the machine over first as they can range from brand new to downright abused, and the pricing typically does not correlate.
Click to expand...

Are these 'open box coupons' posted online or in-store only? I am curious because I am in a similar position as the OP.
 
Val-kyrie said:
Are these 'open box coupons' posted online or in-store only? I am curious because I am in a similar position as the OP.
Click to expand...

both. Both times I've purchased open box (TB display and MBA), they've already had the photocopy ready at the cashier.

Currently there isn't one but seeing as there was a coupon in the october and december time frame I'd guess march would be the next time it comes out again.
 
jterp7 said:
both. Both times I've purchased open box (TB display and MBA), they've already had the photocopy ready at the cashier.

Currently there isn't one but seeing as there was a coupon in the october and december time frame I'd guess march would be the next time it comes out again.
Click to expand...

Where online do I watch? at the BB website or somewhere else?
 
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