Hey currently I have a 3 year old Dell desktop, and I will be upgrading to a blackbook soon. I just have a few questions. My Dell has a pentium 4 2.8GHz and 512GB ram, will I notice a huge difference going to the 2.2 blacbook with only 1GB ram? Also, on my dell I have a Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV graphics, card, will this be better or worse than the Intel X3100 on the macbook? If the X3100 is better then the graphics on my macbook should be just fine for me.
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from dell to macbook
- Thread starter kylep6190
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you will notice a slight difference in overall speed, but if you want a big difference try upgrading your ram to 2 or even 4 gigs of ram from crucial
Well, considering that is the integrated built in solution from intel of 3 years ago, and intel has had the 950 and now 3100 at least... i would think the graphics would be substantially better. I just don't have any hard numbers for you, sorry.
In all honesty I would not worry about upgrading past two gigs. For the post part you wont notice a difference.
It is an extra US$850 for 4GB of ram from Apple.
It is also rather pointless in a Macbook. If you need that much ram, you shouldn't be buying a Macbook.
I beg to differ. Going from XP to OS X will offer a major speed boost. As for RAM, the OP will probably be fine with 2GB in the beginning, and if he needs more, he can get it as time passes.
True for most apps. However, down the road, 4GB might provide needed relief.
Who said anything about buying from Apple? 4GB can be had from 3rd party retailers for a fraction of the price.
Leaving aside all considerations of budget and traveling conditions no doubt.
yeah 2GB would probably be fine for me. i am also considering getting a slightly used macbook pro off of craigslist, I have seen some 2.4 C2D ones for $1500 with 2GB ram and 160GB+ HD...not sure if this is a scam or what. a macbook pro would be perfect for me but I just don't have the money...im thinking about buying one once the updated ones come out, since plenty of people will be wanting to get rid of theirs
I beg to differ. Going from XP to OS X will offer a major speed boost. As for RAM, the OP will probably be fine with 2GB in the beginning, and if he needs more, he can get it as time passes.
True for most apps. However, down the road, 4GB might provide needed relief.
Who said anything about buying from Apple? 4GB can be had from 3rd party retailers for a fraction of the price.
Leaving aside all considerations of budget and traveling conditions no doubt.
From a reputable dealer, Macbook RAM costs around $250 for 2GB. If you buy from the "cheap" shops, be prepared to get what you paid for.
4GB in a Macbook, how will that help with anything? You are better off going with a MBP, and getting better overall power.
If portability isn't a concern. An iMac.
Try Apples refurb page.
The difference in processing power of P4 2.8 vs Core 2 Duo 2.2 is HUGE, like 3x.
1gig RAM is fine for basic tasks, like listening to music, web, text, etc. But 2 GB should speed things up if you do more than that.
Graphics should be faster, but not by much. Its still integrated... sadly.
Here's Crucial's prices. Not quite as high as you would seem to think
Besides, lots of local electronics stores also have cheap RAM. If you live near one, FRYS can be a great place to go for RAM (although I suspect that online prices will still be better-but not by much).
And when did I say the OP should buy 4GB now? I said that he might find a need for it later on. Most users upgrade their RAM at a later point if they want the machine to last for 3+ years (which they are easily likely to do).
I think you missed this:
Leaving aside all considerations of budget and traveling conditions no doubt.
Obviously if power was the primary concern, the OP would have gone for a Mac Pro. However, my bet is that the OP is a student who needs a notebook. In that case, a macbook is a great idea. Buy 2GB of RAM right now, and then two years down the line when you notice some slowing, bump it up to 4GB. By then it will be dirt cheap.
Maybe you missed the whole point, the point of helping this guy not wasting his money on an extra 2GB that won't be worth the money.Here's Crucial's prices. Not quite as high as you would seem to think
Besides, lots of local electronics stores also have cheap RAM. If you live near one, FRYS can be a great place to go for RAM (although I suspect that online prices will still be better-but not by much).
And when did I say the OP should buy 4GB now? I said that he might find a need for it later on. Most users upgrade their RAM at a later point if they want the machine to last for 3+ years (which they are easily likely to do).
I think you missed this:
Obviously if power was the primary concern, the OP would have gone for a Mac Pro. However, my bet is that the OP is a student who needs a notebook. In that case, a macbook is a great idea. Buy 2GB of RAM right now, and then two years down the line when you notice some slowing, bump it up to 4GB. By then it will be dirt cheap.
Once you start using Mac OS X you'll forget about that Dell and it's specs and how they compare to your awesome MacBook.
QFT, assuming he gets one without hardware flaws.
Either way, before you buy RAM, compare prices. With Black Friday around the corner, you'll be sure to find good deals (especially on Black Friday).
The video card will be better, but you probably won't be able to play the latest and greatest video games. If you aren't doing that, you'll be fine. VMWare doesn't seem to suck up as much juice as Parallels in my experience, but more is always better with Macs. OS X will use all it can get. I just increased my MBP to 4GB, and I can already tell the difference. If you get the latest MB, you can take it to 4GB for $129 right now, and even send the old back for a credit. The previous MBs and MBPs can be taken to 3GB, though 2GB is fine for most things too. eBay and Craigslist are great, I use them all the time (buying and selling), but yeah, sometimes they can be too good to be true. You're better off buying from Apple refurb section or if you qualify for the educational or gov discount.
I just switched from a 4-year-old Dell desktop to a 2GB BlackBook and the difference is HUGE. The time from hitting the power button to connecting to the internet is about a minute, compared to 10-15 minutes with the Dell. Pages opens almost immediately compared to the 5 minute wait for Word on the Dell. Just moving from one application to another is big difference.
Unless you're a gamer, a new or refurbed macbook will definitely be better than your Dell.
Unless you're a gamer, a new or refurbed macbook will definitely be better than your Dell.