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I want a Macbook (advice)

M

Motionblurrr

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 1, 2008
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A stupid short story:

I bought a Sony Vaio CR notebook (2.4ghz, 250GB harddrive) about 2-3 months ago. It has Windows Vista on it and all that stuff and I've been having small problems with it but nothing major (software wise, etc)

I walked into an Apple Store the other day and played around with a Macbook and holy s**t, I fell in love. :eek: It's exactly what I needed and I feel like an enormous idiot for not buying one or looking into it before I took the plunge in buying a notebook :(

The price for the CR is around ~$1,199.99 (still) and as you can see it's the same price as the macbook that I want.

What is the best way for me to get one? I'm pretty damn sure Sony will NOT take my laptop back considering it's been 2-3 months. :(

Is there anyway to do a trade-in or a trade in general anywhere so I can get a Macbook? I realize I have to take a hit in money since it was a stupid decision on my part.

I don't know what to do, I don't want to have TWO notebooks since I only need one.

:apple:I guess I just need advice and be steered in the right direction *sigh* :(
 
italiano40 said:
Sell the sony on this site or ebay etc
then run to apple store and buy macbook
Click to expand...

Do you think buying a used Macbook is a bad idea? I guess you could say I'm on a budget since I'm buying the iPhone 3G this week too.

I just want to join the Apple playahz haha :eek:

Damn it I knew I should have researched more :mad:
 
I had a Vaio FZ for about a week when I decided eff this, I'm getting a MacBook. The Sony was loud, hot, and I found myself calling out to Jebus, Allah and that elephant dude every time Vista did something retarded, which was often. I brought back the Vaio (reason: "I hate it so much.") and within a couple days I was happily nerding out on my first Mac.

If I was in your situation I'd just take the financial hit and sell the Sony to some unsuspecting d-bag for whatever you can get, then order a refurb MB.
 
Motionblurrr said:
Do you think buying a used Macbook is a bad idea? I guess you could say I'm on a budget since I'm buying the iPhone 3G this week too.

I just want to join the Apple playahz haha :eek:

Damn it I knew I should have researched more :mad:
Click to expand...

You can buy a refurb from apple.com and get it cheaper that a new one. That's the only place I would buy a used one since Apple will warranty it. I would also get apple care as well.
 
dingus said:
I had a Vaio FZ for about a week when I decided eff this, I'm getting a MacBook. The Sony was loud, hot, and I found myself calling out to Jebus, Allah and that elephant dude every time Vista did something retarded, which was often. I brought back the Vaio (reason: "I hate it so much.") and within a couple days I was happily nerding out on my first Mac.

If I was in your situation I'd just take the financial hit and sell the Sony to some unsuspecting d-bag for whatever you can get, then order a refurb MB.
Click to expand...


This post made me laugh out loud. I hereby award it the coveted POTD award
 

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Motionblurrr said:
A stupid short story:

I bought a Sony Vaio CR notebook (2.4ghz, 250GB harddrive) about 2-3 months ago. It has Windows Vista on it and all that stuff and I've been having small problems with it but nothing major (software wise, etc)

I walked into an Apple Store the other day and played around with a Macbook and holy s**t, I fell in love. :eek: It's exactly what I needed and I feel like an enormous idiot for not buying one or looking into it before I took the plunge in buying a notebook :(

The price for the CR is around ~$1,199.99 (still) and as you can see it's the same price as the macbook that I want.

What is the best way for me to get one? I'm pretty damn sure Sony will NOT take my laptop back considering it's been 2-3 months. :(

Is there anyway to do a trade-in or a trade in general anywhere so I can get a Macbook? I realize I have to take a hit in money since it was a stupid decision on my part.

I don't know what to do, I don't want to have TWO notebooks since I only need one.

:apple:I guess I just need advice and be steered in the right direction *sigh* :(
Click to expand...

Heh sounds like me before I got my first Mac.

Then I got my Mac. Fell in love.

Two months later I was cursing the day I bought the Mac and wished I had bought something with dedicated graphics, etc.

16 months later I'm on my second MacBook (first was replaced due to a botched repair of a failing SuperDrive). The only reason I haven't sold it is due to laziness on my part.
 
thank you guys so much for the input :) this really seems like a very good forum and I'm glad to be part of it :) thank you for helping this newbie out!

BUT! i have good news!

I'm in the talks with a few people interested in buying my Vaio and I am meeting up tomorrow with someone from craigslist *gulp* selling a used 2.1ghz white Macbook for $800! :D

What are the things I should ask her and things to look out for in the used Macbook?

I'm new to Macs and such so I need your help again :(

Sorry for the sh**ty grammer and typing i'm on my cell phone :/
 
Motionblurrr said:
thank you guys so much for the input :) this really seems like a very good forum and I'm glad to be part of it :) thank you for helping this newbie out!

BUT! i have good news!

I'm in the talks with a few people interested in buying my Vaio and I am meeting up tomorrow with someone from craigslist *gulp* selling a used 2.1ghz white Macbook for $800! :D

What are the things I should ask her and things to look out for in the used Macbook?

I'm new to Macs and such so I need your help again :(

Sorry for the sh**ty grammer and typing i'm on my cell phone :/
Click to expand...

Things you should look for:

Discolortion (yes it still happens no matter what people say), cracking, check the battery health, listen for weird noises, and make sure the MagSafe adapter has never been disconnected by pulling on the cord rather than the plug itself.

And keep in mind that the MacBook has no dedicated graphics. Even if you don't play games this has a MAJOR impact on video playback quality and the overall lifespan of the computer.
 
mosx said:
Things you should look for:

Discolortion (yes it still happens no matter what people say), cracking, check the battery health, listen for weird noises, and make sure the MagSafe adapter has never been disconnected by pulling on the cord rather than the plug itself.

And keep in mind that the MacBook has no dedicated graphics. Even if you don't play games this has a MAJOR impact on video playback quality and the overall lifespan of the computer.
Click to expand...

I don't plan on playing games on the Macbook but what does it exactly mean when there is no "dedicated graphics"? I plan to use photoshop on it and stuff, would that be a bad idea?

Also!

Where on the Macbook can I click on to look for the system specs? Just in case I'm not getting ripped off and stuff.

I'm new to macs obviously so I don't want to get ripped off and I want to make sure I'm getting the specs she told me it has so I'm planning to check.

I'm going to join the Apple line now soon :)
 
Hi,

Photoshop will run fine on a Macbook.

To check out the specs, click on the apple sign > About this Mac > more info
 
I've done my penance with a PC, and now I'm back using a Mac. For all the pissing and moaning which one hears on this website, it is a far cry to the wailing and gnashing of teeth I hear from Windows Vista users.

As for speed; it is plenty fast. I've got this MacBook, and I'm waiting for something else to come through - once done, I'll purchase a 20inch iMac for my games (Civilization etc.)
 
Motionblurrr said:
what does it exactly mean when there is no "dedicated graphics"?
Click to expand...

Macbook uses graphic chipset integrated onto the motherboard. It shares and uses the system RAM, instead of dedicated RAM and hardware. Hence, it is considered less powerful, and most noticeable when playing graphic intense games.

However, for regular office and internet use, it's more than sufficient.
 
Motionblurrr said:
I don't plan on playing games on the Macbook but what does it exactly mean when there is no "dedicated graphics"? I plan to use photoshop on it and stuff, would that be a bad idea?

Also!

Where on the Macbook can I click on to look for the system specs? Just in case I'm not getting ripped off and stuff.

I'm new to macs obviously so I don't want to get ripped off and I want to make sure I'm getting the specs she told me it has so I'm planning to check.

I'm going to join the Apple line now soon :)
Click to expand...

To find the specs, turn it on and click the little Apple logo in the top left, then click "About This Mac" then "More Info" on the new screen. You can find everything there. Be sure to click "Power" and check the battery capacity, cycles, etc. A new MacBook battery has a 5200mAh capacity, so compare with that and see how you feel about the amount of wear on it already.

MacBooks use integrated graphics. Theres no polite way of putting it, so I'll just say it means they absolutely suck when it comes to 3D graphics. The lack of dedicated graphics (even with the X4500 coming up with its new video features) and lack of system wide hardware acceleration for video means that any DVDs, H.264 video, etc will not look even half as good as it does on a PC with dedicated graphics.

I have an HP with a GeForce 8400M GS that has full bitstream decoding support for all major video codecs and my MacBook with a GMA 950 and Leopard. The difference is about as staggering as comparing standard def cable to DirecTV HD.

And to be honest with you, if you're coming from Windows to OS X, you're still going to need Windows if you're dependent on Windows software. Because there are still many pieces of Windows software that have absolutely no equivalent (or even half-assed attempt at one) on OS X.
 
Alright guys I just joined the family :)

I picked up a 1.8ghz (lollll) macbook and so far so good. Internally the software is good and all that, but the exterior is another issue.

There are cracks (the common ones) near the track pad and where you rest your palm when you type as well.

There's also a crack on the lower left part of the screen (not on the screen itself, on the plastic frame which is a huge eyesore and when you open it you can feel that it's cracked.

I picked it up for cheap so that's cool, but how much would it cost to get some shell parts replaced? These look like they can be swapped out and replaced.

Also the trackpad is kinda sh**ty and sometimes the mouse lags when I move the cursor around and the button below the track pad creaks and you have to put a bit more pressure to click on something.

I'm guess around $1000 or something to fix these easy problems :(

what do you guys think?
 
Where did you buy the laptop from? Do you still have the reciept? You could try to take it back, as it's only been a few months...

Otherwise, Ebay is the way to go...
 
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