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Is the MacBook a good "only" computer...?
- Thread starter tangledweb16
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Very good
It'll be more than enough for what you want to do with it, and i expect it'll do it a lot better than my 12" Powerbook which is my only computer.
Enjoy it!
It'll be more than enough for what you want to do with it, and i expect it'll do it a lot better than my 12" Powerbook which is my only computer.
Enjoy it!
Me too I prefer the look of the keyboard layout on the macbook. That's why I ordered one yesterday and will patiently wait for that knock on the door and savour every moment of opening it and turning it on for the first time.
If he goes for the base model then yes, the HD is quite small (80GB) but both of the higher end models have plenty of storage (120&160GB)also the base model lacks the DVD burner. The small screen is true, but I find it good if you want something to be portable. Isn't your iMac 1440x900? 17" iMacs have the same number of pixels as a 15" MBP, the 17" in my house is like that (and is a core 2 duo) so it is not much of a pixel or quality issue just size as you mentioned
. I find the screen to be ok with the basic tasks, even some video editing' if you want a bigger screen you can always hook up a display of your choice, up to 24" (or 1920 by 1200 pixels).-Victor
Go up to the middle model. You will want the DVD burning capability for back up. Also, for $200 more you get a faster processor and bigger hard drive as well. I bought two of those for my kids last year. My son in college is running Parallels with XP because there are some classes with Windoze only software, and he says his machine is faster than his friend's windoze laptops. Both the kids do light video editing ( i don't want to see these videos, I am pretty sure) and heavy word processing. All the while, they have iTunes up and running. Buy the middle model, you will be happier.
i agree
Last november, i purchased the middle macbook because of the MUCH larger hard drive.. it is a huge difference!! the faster processor and the DVD burner were also convincing. I am a graduate student and really like the security of having more hard drive space for my research/word processing along with my music and photos. It is WELL worth the money.
Go up to the middle model. You will want the DVD burning capability for back up. Also, for $200 more you get a faster processor and bigger hard drive as well. I bought two of those for my kids last year. My son in college is running Parallels with XP because there are some classes with Windoze only software, and he says his machine is faster than his friend's windoze laptops. Both the kids do light video editing ( i don't want to see these videos, I am pretty sure) and heavy word processing. All the while, they have iTunes up and running. Buy the middle model, you will be happier.
Last november, i purchased the middle macbook because of the MUCH larger hard drive.. it is a huge difference!! the faster processor and the DVD burner were also convincing. I am a graduate student and really like the security of having more hard drive space for my research/word processing along with my music and photos. It is WELL worth the money.
Do you know how many years this promotion has been on? I've only seen it on last year (I'm from Canada -Toronto) so I'm not sure. Does anyone know if this promotion will be on this year? I would love to get an ipod with a macbook! Was it for macbook pros too? I'm saving up for a macbook pro now so I am hoping the promotion will come back (along with mbp updates ;D)
Anyways, for the OP.. I've been using a friend's base model for some school work and its rather smooth for everything so far. We use it for microsoft office, surfing, watching videos, light gaming, etc and its great. I actually bought the middle one (for larger HD and slightly faster speed) and found a good deal on kingston RAM at a local computer shop (4gb for about $114 cad). I had to return the macbook a few days after though (was a tad short on tuition :X).
only problem is limited hard drive space. that is my only problem with it and i have a blackbook with more harddrive than the base model
I bought one of the first MBs nearly two years ago now.
I got it stock but with a SD and the quicker processor. I've bumped the RAM to 2GB and fitted a 250GB HDD (both exceedingly easy jobs to do and I'm no computer expert).
It's my only machine and it's great, does everything I need it to from scientific apps at work to ilife, music, dvds and casual gaming at home.
The only complaints are the yellowing case (no longer an issue) and cracks where the screen protectors touch the case (don't know if this is still an issue). Anyway, I'm going to fit a new top case soon and it'll be all good.
I got it stock but with a SD and the quicker processor. I've bumped the RAM to 2GB and fitted a 250GB HDD (both exceedingly easy jobs to do and I'm no computer expert).
It's my only machine and it's great, does everything I need it to from scientific apps at work to ilife, music, dvds and casual gaming at home.
The only complaints are the yellowing case (no longer an issue) and cracks where the screen protectors touch the case (don't know if this is still an issue). Anyway, I'm going to fit a new top case soon and it'll be all good.
So the yellowing case isn't an issue anymore? That's very good. I had worried about that honestly.
And to everyone saying I should get the middle model, it's sadly not in my budget. And like I said I only have around 25GB of music/movies, so an 80GB HDD should be fine.
Whether you need the DVD burner or not, that is really the question. I wouldn't use DVDs for backup anymore (try backing up a 200 GB hard disk onto DVDs
), but use a cheap external drive instead. So you only need a DVD burner really to make DVDs. If you don't need one, the best value for money is the cheapest MacBook, plus 4GB RAM, plus a 250 GB drive (all really cheap from third parties) plus a nice big external hard drive for backups.Overall, I am pretty stunned as to how much productive work you can get done with a laptop these days. Just a few years ago I used to do video editing with my G4 1.25ghz DP tower. Now I have a 15" MBP 2.0ghz Dual (not Dual Core 2) which absolutely crushes my old tower for video rendering.
For the price premium you pay for portability you get massive productivity boosts simply by being able to do anything anywhere. For all but the most massive supercomputing chores, modern laptops with external peripherals (monitor, kybd, mice, etc.) are more than up to any work you can throw at them.
I echo others - get the MB with the Superdrive for b/u purposes.
For the price premium you pay for portability you get massive productivity boosts simply by being able to do anything anywhere. For all but the most massive supercomputing chores, modern laptops with external peripherals (monitor, kybd, mice, etc.) are more than up to any work you can throw at them.
I echo others - get the MB with the Superdrive for b/u purposes.
I have to agree with this. The middle model is a better value than the base model. The faster processor, 40Gig more HD, and DVD burner are worth the $200. I would also recommend buying 4Gigs of RAM aftermarket once you can afford it.
Before I had gotten my PMG5 in 2005, the PB 12" (1GHz G4, 512mb RAM, 32mb VRAM, 80gb HD) was my only computer from 2003-2005. If that could be an "only" computer, surely the latest Macbooks could serve the purpose very well.
That said, if I did not have my PMG5 now, the MBP could easily be my only computer.
That said, if I did not have my PMG5 now, the MBP could easily be my only computer.
I also bought a first gen Macbook (middle level) and it has been an ok computer. Apart from the now fixed yellowing issues, my top case cracked where the screen touches it, was replaced and is now cracked again in the same place (and it is out of Applecare). It also had a logic board replacement because of the random shutdown syndrome that earlier Macbooks were prone to.
All that aside, the machine is fine as an only machine. It will generally handle anything aside from graphic intensive activities with no problems. Mine has ran interactive audio installations (the application running used 90% of the CPU) for over a week with no problems, has done tons of audio editing/recording, etc.
I do highly recommend getting a large (≥250gb) external HD for backups, especially since you need the machine for school work. Sacrificing a superdrive for a external HD is more than worth it in my opinion (as I recently had a HD failure, and I was too cheap to buy a big enough external to allow me to back up all of my machines...heh). Besides, how many DVDs does the average person burn anyway?
All that aside, the machine is fine as an only machine. It will generally handle anything aside from graphic intensive activities with no problems. Mine has ran interactive audio installations (the application running used 90% of the CPU) for over a week with no problems, has done tons of audio editing/recording, etc.
I do highly recommend getting a large (≥250gb) external HD for backups, especially since you need the machine for school work. Sacrificing a superdrive for a external HD is more than worth it in my opinion (as I recently had a HD failure, and I was too cheap to buy a big enough external to allow me to back up all of my machines...heh). Besides, how many DVDs does the average person burn anyway?
Depends
It depends on what you need. It's fine for me, but again, it depends. What are you looking?
It depends on what you need. It's fine for me, but again, it depends. What are you looking?
I've been using my MacBook as an only computer for exactly 6 months now, and it is fast enough for everything I use it for. However, I've had a PowerBook and MBP, and I just think they are built better, plus I am growing tired of the screen size & glossy display.
It's what I use day in and day out, no 3D work (or games) but I'm no lightweight user either. I've upgraded to a 250 GB hard drive, and 2.5 GB of memory (easy as pie). I run Adobe Flex, Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Flash, and several other "heavy" apps without any problems. Sure I'll get an external monitor at some point, but with Spaces, Expose, and some keyboard shortcuts I'm not losing much in the way of productivity.
The other 2 things are the DVD burner and the CPU' although 2.0 GHz is fast enough (I have that one, C2D 2.0Ghz, 1gb ram, 120gb hdd, black) the only thing that remains an "issue" is the lack of DVD burning capabilities. Note: I have used the DVD burner like 5 times only, it really depends if you need it or not. As for the HDD If you have that (25GB) plus some apps plus the OS itself and more stuff you'll have like 25GB+ free, I'll say its fine.
-Victor
I've had a Rev A Macbook as my only Mac since June 2006 now, and its been nothing but a joy. Lack of hard drive space did inhibit me a bit, but now I've got a 250GB hard drive fitted and its brilliant. Having all my movies and tv shows ripped onto such a nifty little machine is great, and it runs the little photo editing I do just fine.
Only two problems:
-Screen size. I really crave a larger, higher definition screen. I do have an external monitor to plug into, but there simply ain't enough space on my desk for my laptop and my big ass monitor. Plus I don't like having loads of wires sticking out of my laptop. I'd love the 17" hi-res MBP as its more 'all in one'.
-Speakers. I think they suck. Simply too quiet.
-GPU. Sometimes I get a gaming itch, but I don't really have the time these days for anything other than a quick bash on Football Manager (no GPU needed) or on my DS.
All in all, imo unless your doing really intensive movie editing, the only thing that I can think of that makes the MBP more attractive is extra screen space.
Only two problems:
-Screen size. I really crave a larger, higher definition screen. I do have an external monitor to plug into, but there simply ain't enough space on my desk for my laptop and my big ass monitor. Plus I don't like having loads of wires sticking out of my laptop. I'd love the 17" hi-res MBP as its more 'all in one'.
-Speakers. I think they suck. Simply too quiet.
-GPU. Sometimes I get a gaming itch, but I don't really have the time these days for anything other than a quick bash on Football Manager (no GPU needed) or on my DS.
All in all, imo unless your doing really intensive movie editing, the only thing that I can think of that makes the MBP more attractive is extra screen space.
It's my "only" computer.. I paired it with a flat panel monitor, wireless keyboard/mouse, and external drives for backups. I keep mine plugged in most of the time, occasionally unplugging it to work in a different room or take it on a trip with me.
I think it's an outstanding value... really underrated.
100% true, I had the same issue (hated cables and the space wasn't enough with a display attached) The speakers sound is good but they are very quiet (unless its music your playing and I have a special EQ that sounds louder yet very good, PM me if you want it BTW) GPU yes its a bit of a looser, but it handles basic stuff. As for the screen, that is one of the main reasons Im changing to a 17" hi-res MBP by the end of this year, I will still have both my MB and my PB for enhanced portability. This is just me, but for the OP is probably the ideal computer.
-Victor
1. Attach external screen, simple.
2. MacBook drives are EASILY USER REPLACEABLE! (About as easy as replacing the ram!)
Can always get an external DVD burner.
MacBook can even play some 3d games such as counter strike and team fortress 2 (within CrossOver) at an ok speed.
Hey, I have what was a mid-range MacBook before the last update, and I use it as my only computer. I even use it for Photoshop since I do some fairly demanding design work. My only suggestion would be to make sure to get 2 GB of RAM, but that might be standard now, I'm not sure. It's really an amazing computer.