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Another should I buy thread..

fireshot91

fireshot91

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 31, 2008
4,721
1
Northern VA
Yes, I know I know.

I just ordered an MSI Wind for 320$. If I return that I'll have close to 900$ to spend on a laptop. I'm thinking of a Macbook though- The refurb 2.4 Ghz White one. I'm 15, a freshman in High School, and don't need a computer for school. I have a 2.2Ghz Core2Duo desktop with 4GB Ram and a 1TB hard drive, so I don't really NEED it, but I want it.
I won't really need a Macbook for anything that I want to do in life, and my brother/parents are saying to keep the MSI Wind and then in my junior year, get a Macbook Pro. I don't need a Macbook Pro for anything though, I just think it'll be a waste of more money. So, if I can get a Macbook right now for 900$ that has a 2.4Ghz processor like the new UMB, but just doesn't use DDR3, then why would I not get it for like 500$ cheaper. My parents are very hesitant on spending that much money for a Windows computer I can get for cheaper. They know I've wanted a Mac for a long time, and that I do NEED a laptop. (Yes, I need a laptop). This will be the first Mac in our household and I definitely will be the person that uses it the most, but what's mine is my family's.
 
Can you afford the unibody? If you can, I would get that instead of the white macbook.
 
it ships out right away. You'd get it in a couple days. You sound very well-spoken for a 15 year-old. You have a pretty good handle on the fact that you want a macbook, and you don't need a macbook. truth is, none of us need macs. for me, OSX is worth the extra money. If you want it, I so go for it. I mean, you're 15, you've saved the money. Before too long, you'll have a car payment, house payment, insurance payments, phone bills, internet bills, etc., and spending a little more to get a computer with OSX may not be an option! With the wind, you get what you pay for. With the macbook, you get what you pay for. My grandpa always said, "I don't have enough money to buy cheap stuff."
 
From somebody with a netbook (Acer Aspire One) and a MacBook (2.4 Unibody), I say get the MacBook. The OS is far superior to Windows, the screen is bigger, you get an optical drive (not sure about the Wind, but the Aspire's missing it), and you get plenty more preinstalled with the iLife suite. Not to mention there are plenty of great software free for the Mac, compatibility with Windows is becoming better (ie. Open Office reading MS Office files), and if you ever need Windows you can always use Bootcamp. Longevity is often above par for Macs compared to Windows PCs, though some may argue the quality of recent Mac products :p. The way I see it, the amount of money most people sink into a PC after the purchase often makes up for the premium paid on a Mac. And ultimately, if you want it, get it. Who knows, maybe it would be enough to convert the rest of your family to Macs...
 
I am in a similar boat as you (though 18 and about to go to college in the fall). I need a laptop but is very well aware of the cheaper PC options. It comes down to how well you take care of things vs. reliability of the fact that it is a notebook, and will be taken around places, ready to take the elements head-on.

Great insight on your desire for the notebook though. You deserve it if you feel necessary to jump in a new pool of water and swim in a depth of completely new surroundings and mystery (words from myself coming from PCs and Windows all my life too).

Good luck!

(Oh yeah, and it will be my first Mac, too.) ;)
 
Well... you got the MSI wind, was that b/c it's the best netbook to install OS X? If so, save your money and go hackintosh. But I myself ended up getting a macbook, but I need/want a laptop for school and wanted to go OEM mac due to aethestics as well as hardware features not found on a netbook.

I actually bought a Lenovo S10 to do hackintosh but resold it to buy a macbook. So we're in the same shoes almost, but in your case, you don't need a Macbook it seems, as much as I cared to have one.
 
Listen to your brother and parents, keep the MSI and buy the MB next year. As much as you are itching so much for a new(er) computer, the hype will wear off a a couple of months. You look back a year from now, seeing the newest and latest model on Apple website, you'll wish that you hadn't bought that MB (because you didn't really NEED one at this time).

Since you have the MSI wind, the most compatible netbook for hackintosh, why not take the opportunity to see if you really like Mac OS X or not. You can still bring home the first Mac this way, and perhaps convert everyone else in your family to switch :)
 
silverblack said:
Listen to your brother and parents, keep the MSI and buy the MB next year. As much as you are itching so much for a new(er) computer, the hype will wear off a a couple of months. You look back a year from now, seeing the newest and latest model on Apple website, you'll wish that you hadn't bought that MB (because you didn't really NEED one at this time).

Since you have the MSI wind, the most compatible netbook for hackintosh, why not take the opportunity to see if you really like Mac OS X or not. You can still bring home the first Mac this way, and perhaps convert everyone else in your family to switch :)
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this, basically what I was thinking.
 
Brooklyn8 said:
Can you afford the unibody? If you can, I would get that instead of the white macbook.
Click to expand...

The Unibody is $1100 from the refurb store for a 2.1Ghz processor and 2GB RAM, the White one is $949 from the refurb store with a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo processor, and 1GB RAM (I can upgrade for cheaper than 200$ anytime I want).

I'll suggest getting the white Macbook to my parents since I've only told my parents about the Unibody one for $1100, They might agree if its $200 cheaper or so.
 
After trying both the white macbook and the unibody I would say the unibody is totally worth the extra money. Better overall construction and design, I loved the unibody's trackpad, it has the LED backlight screen, DDR3 memory, higher resale value...
 
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