Looking into purchasing a Macbook..

[iPray]

[Warning! This post is very long and a lot of it is very newbish! I apologize if this post was unnecessary or if it was posted in the wrong section. I salute you if you have taken the time to read my post, thank you very much!]

So here I am guys, looking to this community for help/advice/tips on what the best/most for your buck Macbook I can get! Surprisingly enough, I have never purchased an Apple/Mac computer EVER.. in my life. I guess you can say I'm finally switching over (the whole boot camp windows on mac deal won me over). I'm about a month left til this semester ends and I've been thinking about getting myself a laptop for possibly this summer semester or even for next fall semester. I've been eyeing a Mac laptop for a number of months and I guess it's my time to hear others about their opinions.

I plan to use the Macbook for educational purposes as well as playing around with images, music, and surfing the net. Adobe Photoshop is a must for me and GarageBand too. I plan on trying to create different graphics for my youth group and also attempt to record songs (I play the guitar, much love). Another big thing is video gaming. I have read many posts/articles saying that the Mac is NOT a gaming computer at all.. I totally understand that but my question is "Will I atleast be able to play some games on my Macbook with ease?".

My main concerns is purchasing a product that is up to date, and affordable. I have been reading around and learned that Apple is planning on releasing the new Leopard OS and the Santa Rosa upgrade (to be honest, I'm not very informed in both). My question is.. "Is Apple planning on releasing both of those goodies into the Macbook?". Like I have stated above, I would like to get the best most updated Macbook in the market.. and waiting a couple more months is no problem for me (hoping they release it before fall semester). If having the new OS or Santa Rosa upgrade is not that important, then tell me why you guys think so and I will look into purchasing a Macbook sooner. [side question - "Will having the Leopard OS and Santa Rosa make a difference in gaming on the Macbook?"]

Recently I have been looking at the refurbished Macs and the 2.0Ghz 1GB 80HDD White Macbook has been winning my praise. It has been going for $1,099.00 which I think is a great deal for a laptop like that. Now to my next question.. Upgrading. I know the Macbooks are capable of upgrading the RAM and HDD but really nothing else. I was wondering "is it possible to upgrade anything else on the Macbook?". Also, "is it worth it to purchase the 1GB RAM and 80HDD and upgrading it to 2GB RAM and more that 80HDD at a later time?". "How much will upgrading the RAM and HDD be compared to purchasing it through Apple instead?".

Moving on to the last section of my pathetically long post (finally, right?). Boot Camp. The one thing that pretty much won me over. When I first heard about it I was very surprised that Macs can run both types of OS on one box! So really "how does it work, and is it still fast enough or does it depend on the RAM?". Back to the previous question, "would waiting for the Leopard OS make Boot Camp more effective?". "What about the new Windows Vista and it's capability of being used through Boot Camp?". I think it is crazy you can run both types of OS on a little portable laptop, that is just absurd and I would have not thought of that lets say.. 10 years ago!

Well there it is everyone, my debut post on MacRumors.com! Thanks for taking the time reading this long, boring post.. I appreciate it very much! For and future replies and information/advice, thank you as well! I am excited for making my switch to Mac in the future, and I cannot wait! We live for His glory alone.

Can't wait for my !

 

[thejadedmonkey]

as to the mac laptops being updated to with Santa Rosa, yeah it'll happen. Probably faster, rather then sooner, but it will happen. It's the new chipset, and the entire industry will eventually adopt it.. it's just a matter of time. I say Apple adopts it quickly though.

Moving on to the last section of my pathetically long post (finally, right?). Boot Camp. The one thing that pretty much won me over. When I first heard about it I was very surprised that Macs can run both types of OS on one box! So really "how does it work, and is it still fast enough or does it depend on the RAM?". Back to the previous question, "would waiting for the Leopard OS make Boot Camp more effective?". "What about the new Windows Vista and it's capability of being used through Boot Camp?". I think it is crazy you can run both types of OS on a little portable laptop, that is just absurd and I would have not thought of that lets say.. 10 years ago!

Moving onto bootcamp.. (I cut your post down..)

how bootcamp works is it'll take you through dividing your hard drive into two sections, and installing Windows on the other section. You can choose between having Windows take up almost all of your drive, to almost no space on your drive, it's your choice. Then when you boot up, simply select between Windows and Mac. easy as pie =)


there's also a program called parallels which creates a hard drive file, and lets you run Windows IN mac OS X, or boot your windows instillation in mac OS X. It's super handy, and I would invest in it if you plan on using Windows a lot. but be warned, the graphics aren't accelerated yet (I don't think) so no gaming through Parallels.

The Macbook comes with 1 gig of RAM, so you'll be able to run XP easily, and Vista should be alright as well, but you'll want to upgrade the RAM if you're planning on using it a lot.

Right now I run OS X and XP on my Macbook Pro, and have Vista running via Parallels. So that's 3 OS's, 40+ gigs of music, plus everything else and I've still got 5 gigs left (not a lot, I know, but it's pretty good for 3 OS's). It's pretty sweet.

but Vista and OS X at once with one gig of ram is rough.

P.S. YES, Santa Rosa will make a HUGE difference in gaming on the Macbook. If you're into gaming, wait for Santa Rosa!

"is it possible to upgrade anything else on the Macbook?". Also, "is it worth it to purchase the 1GB RAM and 80HDD and upgrading it to 2GB RAM and more that 80HDD at a later time?". "How much will upgrading the RAM and HDD be compared to purchasing it through Apple instead?".

One gig is fine, if you don't plan on doing very heavy-duity things. I have a gig in my MacBook pro, and it's more than enough for dashboard, mail, safari, iCal, iTunes, and Adium to be open all at the same time. As for hard drive.. if all you do is use word and Photoshop, it's more than enough. If you keep all your music on it, play games, run Windows, and create in garage band (which will lead to making movies in iMovie, putting them on DVD in iDVD, and online with iWeb) then you'll want the largest drive you can get, or go stock and purchase an external one ASAP.

 

[TheMasin9]

thread search

you do know that you can search threads and find TONS of topics that are near identical to yours. It basically comes down to this, if you can afford to wait, then wait, if you need to buy then buy. Im sure, EVENTUALLY there will be santa rosa processors (or some other upgrade) in the line, and we all know EVENTUALLY Leopard will be coming out. From the rate at which devs are going through betas, it looks like we may see it at WWDC, but, that is just me....

 

[devilot]

TheMasin9, yes there are related threads, but if you're going to go through the effort of berating the OP, at least be constructive enough to do a search yourself, state your parameters, and link to some of the relevant threads.

iPray, I don't know much, so I'll address the subjects I'm slightly more familiar w/ and allow others to fill you in on the blanks. BTW, thank you for such a clear and specific post. It's definitely the best way for you to get some answers.

...educational purposes as well as playing around with images, music, and surfing the net. Adobe Photoshop is a must for me and GarageBand too.

A MB would handle that just swell. GarageBand is included with every Mac. So no worries there, and Adobe CS3 which was just recently introduced will run natively or optimized for the Intel CPU.

"Is Apple planning on releasing both of those goodies [Leopard and Santa Rosa] into the Macbook?". Like I have stated above, I would like to get the best most updated Macbook in the market.. and waiting a couple more months is no problem for me (hoping they release it before fall semester).

You say you're willing to wait, even up to a few months-- then by all means, please do so. Especially since you've stated explicitly more than once that you'd like the comfort of knowing you have the most current/ latest MB. Note: nobody here on MR knows for certain (or can truthfully say) that Santa Rosa will be in any Apple machine. Seriously. That said, if you wait until Leopard is actually released, then it will come with every newly purchased Mac from Apple.

Also, "is it worth it to purchase the 1GB RAM and 80HDD and upgrading it to 2GB RAM and more that 80HDD at a later time?". "How much will upgrading the RAM and HDD be compared to purchasing it through Apple instead?".

Many people feel that it is worthwhile to upgrade RAM and HDD. That really depends on your usage. Not everyone's method and uses of computing really need more RAM. With my light uses (web browsing, word processing, listening to music, and hopefully some Photoshop tweaking w/ CS3) I don't really feel a need to get more than 1GB of RAM. Though I do sort of wish I had a greater capacity HDD. So that's something I'll consider in the future.

 

[iPray]

Thanks for your help: monkey, masin, and devil. I understand what you all are saying, best to wait if I can.. but purchasing one now is just so tempting..

Another question is "if I do purchase a Macbook now, will Apple allow me to trade it in later to get an upgraded one (with all the new goodies) or I will have to purchase a completely new one?".

Please, continue to post anyone else with their own opinions. I do apologize once again if these questions were previously asked in other threads. Thanks again!

 

[devilot]

Nuh-uh, no trading up of machines once they're open and beyond the 14-day return period.

 

[iPray]

Nuh-uh, no trading up of machines once they're open and beyond the 14-day return period.

Ah ok, I figured such.. how unfortunate. Well I guess the quest continues.. Can anyone else please help answer some of my question, I would greatly appreciate it! Have a great March 28, 2007 everyone!

 

[iPray]

I would also like to add another question, as well as bump this (if I am even allowed). "If I purchase a refurbished Macbook, how reliable in terms of problems will it be and what if it is broken?". Thanks!

 

[Helianthus]

I highly recommend getting a refurbished macbook. They carry the same warranty, look brand new and they are about 200 dollars cheaper. You can't go wrong! If by chance it was broken when you got it, as stated, it still carries the same warranty, so apple will fix it.