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alphaod

macrumors Core
Original poster
Feb 9, 2008
22,194
1,260
NYC
So I finally moved from a piece of shhh…

Yeah I never posted one of these, but I figured I'd do that now that I just bought a polycarbonate MacBook today. What can I say; I love this machine; it's pretty fast and it does what I need!
 
Did you get the new 2.0?

Yeah; I was wanting to get a Mac mini for a while; then I said why bother; then I looked at the Marketplace and ebay for good deals; I couldn't justify spending $700 for a used machine. So I closed my eyes…

No seriously; yeah I needed a compact "desktop" so this is what I got. I didn't have a monitor for a Mac mini anyways. I'll probably give it to my mother when the PowerBook I gave her to learn with breaks.

This computer is kicking ass. And it's got Firewire. :D
 
This computer is kicking ass. And it's got Firewire. :D

Never thought firewire was a big deal, until I started using it for External Drives, it makes a world of difference speed wise, I see why there was an outcry for removing it.
 
Never thought firewire was a big deal, until I started using it for External Drives, it makes a world of difference speed wise, I see why there was an outcry for removing it.

Had Apple kept Firewire in the aluminium MacBook, I may have considered it.
 
I just got my polycarbonate MacBook on Friday. My very first Mac! And now, of course, I'm completely addicted. I'm at work right now on my Windows XP office computer and I am miserable. I wish we had iMacs here.
 
I have the 1,1 Core Duo and wanting to upgrade to the new 2.0 NVidia equipped one but I just can't justify the purchase yet because mine runs so well and still has AppleCare. If it were to have some sort of accident though........:cool:

Congrats on yours and enjoy!
 
Grats on the purchase. The updated plasticbook with the nvidia card is probably Apple's most reasonably priced computer yet.
 
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If only the white MacBook had the new trackpad it would be perfect.
 
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If only the white MacBook had the new trackpad it would be perfect.

Then it really wouldn't be worth $300 for just the unibody.

Now have a few gripes about this computer after using it for a full day:
1) Keyboard feels mushy and cheap; I was complaining about the chiclet keys before because these keys felt cheap; then they put it on the unibody machines and I thought I was wrong—now I'm sure these keys just suck.
2) Trackpad button is kind of unresponsive; don't care about multitouch since I've never used it in the first place; I like keyboard shortcuts.
3) View angles on the screen as just abysmal.
4) Edges are pretty sharp; people complained and I thought it was just people being silly and all; I don't even rest my wrist on the edges, but sometimes brushing against it hurts.

And then a few more issues probably just with this computer:
4) Battery doesn't sit flush; it's sticks out by about 1mm on the side where the coin-slot is.
5) Lid is definitely not even straight; forget the complaints about the lid sticking up on one side; this whole thing is shifted to the right my about 2mm—that's pretty bad I can feel the sharp edges when the computer is closed.

What I like:
1) Terrific battery life; I never knew the battery could last this long.
2) Powerful yet, modest; can take to class and around and people don't even look at me anymore; I like that.
3) Plays anything and everything I've thrown at it so far.
4) Very quiet, runs cools, and no funky noises.
5) I can finally use the computer lying down on the bed with the computer angled up!
6) It's ready for Open CL.
7) It's got Firewire!

Somethings I can't really complain about:
1) Comes with a good amount of RAM for most people; 2GB is enough for almost anything. I've had a few times I've needed more than 2GB, but just a few, so I don't see the need to upgrade. Maybe if the opportunity arises, I may buy more RAM.
2) I don't know how good or bad the stock HDD was because the first thing I did was swap out the HDD for a 250GB model I had lying around.
3) AC adapter is the same size as the 85W adapter and there are no markings that indicate the wattage on the adapter; now I have to check to make sure I bring the right adapter around.
4) I now have to spend like $200 on adapters: miniDisplayPort to VGA, to DVI, to DVI dual-link; miniDVI to VGA, to DVI; Firetruck this shhh.

Anyways, I love this machine otherwise and I'll probably keep it; well until my mother asks why I have 4 computers and then I'll have to give this one to her. :rolleyes:
 
Congratz on the purchase. I can agree with the mushy keyboard feel...I used my sister's MacBook for a day and was surprised. I think as a whole, the computer is built cheaper than the MacBook Pro, rightfully so.

2) Powerful yet, modest; can take to class and around and people don't even look at me anymore; I like that.

Wait...so people looked at you because you had a MBP? Interesting. I wish it worked that way where I live. ;)
 
congrats on the purchase. The mush feeling of the keyboard is exactly why i opted for the alu macbook, I just thought the build quality was much better than the polycarbonate whitebook, but hey, whatever you like. congrats again on buying the mac:)
 
3) AC adapter is the same size as the 85W adapter and there are no markings that indicate the wattage on the adapter; now I have to check to make sure I bring the right adapter around.

In the case of using the 85W with your MacBook, you're fine. It's just the other way... don't use the 65W with your MBP.
 
Never thought firewire was a big deal, until I started using it for External Drives, it makes a world of difference speed wise, I see why there was an outcry for removing it.

Is Firewire really that much faster than USB 2.0? I thought the bottleneck of most external hard drive isn't in the transfer rate of the port itself but rather the rpm of the hard drive.

dL
 
congrats on the purchase. The mush feeling of the keyboard is exactly why i opted for the alu macbook, I just thought the build quality was much better than the polycarbonate whitebook, but hey, whatever you like. congrats again on buying the mac:)

I strongly agree. I'm just waiting for some alu Macbook refresh then I'm jumping on the alu boat. I don't care about FW as I've never used one myself.

dL
 
Is Firewire really that much faster than USB 2.0? I thought the bottleneck of most external hard drive isn't in the transfer rate of the port itself but rather the rpm of the hard drive.

dL

I dont believe it is a whole whack faster, but i think it has more to do with the sustained transfer rates. USB fluctuates a lot more than firewire would.
 
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