how old is the old macbook...

[shibum]

I guess what I'm asking is if buying a refurb macbook with the old Intel Graphics 950 is a bad decision.
I'd save a couple hundred...but don't know if the new GMA X3100 is that big of a deal. What do you think?

I will be a first time Mac owner...and have very basic needs. I'm getting off the PC train because I feel like all the future vista visions are things the mac has been doing.

 

[one1]

May 2006 is the first Macbook. Not very old at all depending on if you are the type that has to have the product that came out yesterday or not. Apple is very quick with their revisions so 6 months is outdated to the apple fan, but most will keep their books for years.

There is nothing wrong with a Rev A book, as most have their common issues sorted out by apple under wty or simply by apple being "nice" and helping with fixing anything. Unless you are doing some heavy multitasking, it's nothing like a windows computer that suffers greatly on an average card. The mac drivers are superior. Is a newer MacBook better? Well, by design yes, but better for you? Most don't use a computer to the ends of it's abilities..... some do.

Unless you have a demanding purpose in the book, the Rev A book will last you for years with no gripes on performance.

 

[72930]

As a Macbook owner who does not game, I'm happy. The 950 can handle basic stuff, but this may not be the case in a couple of OS revisions...

 

[Techguy172]

You know what it all depends on what your doing no offense but if you really have to ask it's probably fine for you and won't make a difference.

 

[JSchwage]

Do NOT get the GMA 950 MacBook. It's horrible. Animations in OS X lag a lot when I connect a second display. It even lags every once in a while when I'm not doing anything graphic-intensive. Trust me, you'll be much happier with a GMA X3100. I just made a bad decision and bought my MacBook with a GMA 950 because it was going to be a while until the refurb MacBooks had the GMA X3100.

 

[heatmiser]

Do NOT get the GMA 950 MacBook. It's horrible. Animations in OS X lag a lot when I connect a second display. It even lags every once in a while when I'm not doing anything graphic-intensive. Trust me, you'll be much happier with a GMA X3100. I just made a bad decision and bought my MacBook with a GMA 950 because it was going to be a while until the refurb MacBooks had the GMA X3100.

You must be using Leopard. The 950 is perfectly fine, and should be just as capable as the x3100 for anything you do with a Macbook. If you've got lag, you've got bugs from Leopard or too little RAM.

 

[one1]

I suppose it depends on if you are using multiple monitors, large programs, and what not. He has described himself as the "average basic user" which doesn't quite put himself off as the twin monitor graphics artist.

I personally have never had a lag when running 4 spaces with finder in one, mail in the other, safari in the 3rd and iPhoto in the last. Under basic 512 ram, yes.... since I went to 2gb.... not an issue.

 

[shibum]

one1...you have the 950 in your macbook? question about the leopard bugs...is that fixed with a simple update? or is it something to take to a tech.