BTO in Apple Retail Stores?

[SiriusExcelsior]

Does anyone know if you can do a build to order in Apple's retail stores?

If so, how long would it take to put extra RAM and a larger HDD in a MacBook and throw in a mini-DVI to VGA adaptor? I'd imagine not too long, given how easy it's supposed to be?

 

[Macky-Mac]

generally, the only thing that the retail stores can upgrade for you is RAM. They'll tell you to either wait while they do it or come back in an hour or so depending on how busy they are at the time.

 

[SiriusExcelsior]

So basically I can ask them to put RAM and the video adaptor in there but probably not the hard drive?

What if I go in the morning, ask for it and pick it up in the afternoon?

Just that I need parent's credit card to pay for it but they refuse to pay over net...

 

[puckhead193]

they won't do it at the store. When i ordered my powerbook they did it online but i/my dad gave them the credit card and they used their computers to swipe it.
The only other thing is if your mbp is $2,500 get a gift card for that ammount and order it using the gift card

 

[felixkunze]

BTO Options

I can confirm, they don't do BTO in the store. I went to my local store yesterday (Bluewater, Kent, England) and asked the same question. They say that the hard drive upgrade and processor upgrade are more technically involved whereas RAM is really simple. They didn't have the 24 inch 2.8GHZ one in store either. So I went for the 24 Inch 2.4 GHZ standard option. I was ready to spend the extra money but I'm very happy with my machine.

 

[Roy Hobbs]

So basically I can ask them to put RAM and the video adaptor in there but probably not the hard drive?

What if I go in the morning, ask for it and pick it up in the afternoon?

Just that I need parent's credit card to pay for it but they refuse to pay over net...

they can't add RAM to the graphics card, no one can

 

[Macky-Mac]

So basically I can ask them to put RAM and the video adaptor in there but probably not the hard drive?

What if I go in the morning, ask for it and pick it up in the afternoon?

Just that I need parent's credit card to pay for it but they refuse to pay over net...

yep, they will do the RAM upgrade and sell you the video adaptor (it doesn't need to be "installed", you just plug it into the mini-dvd port and then plug in the VGA monitor/projector at the other end of the adaptor)....if you go in the morning, they'll let you come back in the afternoon to pick it up but you'll probably have to pay for it before they'll do the RAM upgrade

 

[lasuther]

This is why there are two 24" Models. One has the upgrades, and one doesn't. It saves the stores the hassle of dealing with it. RAM is an easy upgrade they (and you) can do quickly.

What would be interesting is if they would remove 1G of RAM and discount the cost on the top model by $150. I doubt they would.

 

[Gymnut]

That would be nice since it's cheaper to buy RAM from a third party vendor. There was a thread floating around here last week where some guy was wondering if Apple would sell him a bare bones computer.

 

[SiriusExcelsior]

The only other thing is if your mbp is $2,500 get a gift card for that ammount and order it using the gift card

That's another idea... (i'm trying get a MB tho.. not MBP.. parents refused to pay for that )

I can confirm, they don't do BTO in the store. I went to my local store yesterday (Bluewater, Kent, England) and asked the same question. They say that the hard drive upgrade and processor upgrade are more technically involved whereas RAM is really simple. *snip*

That sucks. Although I was talking about the MB so the hard drive should be easy? And I wish they would release a Santa Rosa MB... preferably before I get the MB in 2 weeks' time

they can't add RAM to the graphics card, no one can

I meant system RAM.

yep, they will do the RAM upgrade and sell you the video adaptor *snip*....if you go in the morning, they'll let you come back in the afternoon to pick it up but you'll probably have to pay for it before they'll do the RAM upgrade

Still not the hard drive?

That would be nice since it's cheaper to buy RAM from a third party vendor.

The difference is smaller now isn't it? (I hope...)

Related to that.. how picky is Mac OS X about RAM now that it's on an Intel chipset?

 

[phillipjfry]

Related to that.. how picky is Mac OS X about RAM now that it's on an Intel chipset?

I was told by someone on these forums (you know who you are, cause I don't) that you can't go wrong with 2GB of RAM. And so far, I haven't. The system runs 98% of the time with no hiccups of any kind (and I like to abuse my computer's power).
I hope that's the answer you were asking for.

 

[kellen]

Does anyone know if you can do a build to order in Apple's retail stores?

If so, how long would it take to put extra RAM and a larger HDD in a MacBook and throw in a mini-DVI to VGA adaptor? I'd imagine not too long, given how easy it's supposed to be?

Do it yourself. I have never done it before and did it on my macbook. Now at 160 gigs and 2 gigs of ram.

Its easy.

Just follow your sig......

 

[FireArse]

Bto

Regent Street do BTO - I have asked to add Bluetooth, HDD, RAM and GPU. They all did it within an hour for my Mac Pro. I do have ProCare if it makes any difference.

The timescales really depend on how busy the Geniuses are.

F

 

[Gymnut]

The hard drive on the Macbook is a user-replaceable item so you could always purchase one from a third party vendor. There'll be documentation included with the computer outlining the process.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacBook_13inch_HardDrive_DIY.pdf

 

[SiriusExcelsior]

Ok, I've looked around and decided to upgrade the Hard Drive and RAM myself later on. So that solves the BTO problem at Apple Retail Stores. Thanks for all your replies

One last thing: Any tips on which brands of RAM work best? (Better if they're not too expensive, or I might as well have gotten it from Apple)