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MacBook Yes or No?

L

LeighAnna Jones

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 7, 2010
276
0
Well, I am doing a lot of reasearch before I get a laptop.

I want a mac sooo bad. I want to try something new since I have been using pc's forever!

I would like a portable device that I can use to go online, send email, update my blog, go on facebook, go on macrumors (of course!!), write books (I know that sounds weird but really that's a main thing I would use it for!), office 2010, photo editing, and one computer game.

Is the macbook for me?? And should I get one soon or wait for an update?? My aunt is a professor at a college and could get me a discount on any macbook if she buys it. (We could pay her back how much she spent)

So yes or no? And when do you expect a new macbook to be out??
 
Which game would you be playing?

I'd say go for it. I got my MacBook back in october 2009 and it's still going strong. Everything I thow at it it handles and waits for more. Audio, video, photo, gaming everything! And I have no plans to upgrade for a long time yet.

The MacBook refresh tends to be after the MacBook Pro however im not sure when that is, hopefully someone else will post with some info.
 
The Macbook would work great for all the things you mentioned. It's not a gaming laptop per say, but it will run some games on mid settings.
 
I use my 2009 unibody macbook for almost the exact same things you plan to use it for, and it runs them a treat. Mine is 2.26 Ghz and 2GB ram, and the only time it shows strain is when I'm playing a graphics heavy game, and even then it manages it very well, and would do even better with 4GB+ ram.
 
I'd consider the baseline MacBook Pro 13". See, plastic can break and crack, but alu is pretty much indestructible! Sure, you can get nicks and wee dents, but it'll never break :D
 
Go for it!

If money isnt an issue for you, then obviously I'd get the base level MBP for that extra bit more money.

But that'd be overkill for your needs.

Unless your serious about any sort of gaming (which if you were, you probs wouldnt even be interested in getting a mac) the basic MB will be more than enough for your needs.

My late 2007 MB can do all of what you want, edit photos and have even edited a 1080p wedding video on it and it was fine with it.

Of course, if you can wait for a refresh (check the buyers guide) then I'd strongly recommend waiting!
 
For $20 more, you can get a refurbished MacBook Pro directly from Apple with the same warranty as a new one. I'd do that all day long before I bought a Macbook.
 
Personally...I went with the baseline 13" MBP. It is a much more sturdy device and the specs are better. If you live anywhere near a Microcenter store, it costs the same as a retail MB. If not you can get refurb from the Apple Online Store for $20 more than MB retail.
 
I agree with everyone saying get a MBP, though I personally would wait for the next refresh. The current ones will do everything you want though.
 
Switch

After some research I decided to do the switch. Well not quite, I still have my PC's by myside. I'm slowly discovering the world of MAC. So far I like what I see. Sure, they're pricey compared to PC's even the used or refurbished market but overall I think you do get what you pay for.

Intergrating the MAC into my home network with my PC's was a snap. From what I've read on forums such as this, the Macbook whether its pro or not doesn't require much to run those apps that you speak of with ease.

I plan to be using mine mostly for making home videos with imovie, photo editing and surfing of course.
 
The only difference between the white and the 13" pro is the ram.
If you buy a white and put 2gb more in it, it will cost 100$ less than the pro.
So basically you lose the backlit keyboard and the aluminium quality for 100$. But tbh, the plastic macbook is sturdy too compared to other laptops. My friend dropped his white 2008 model on marble from around 1 meter heigh and it worked just fine.
So basically, if you have the money for it, buy the 13 pro. If not, get the white one. and Tbh, the 2gb of ram is enough for you, unless you wanna play some games, but then again it's not that bad.
 
I think you'll be more than satisfied with a Mac, but just make sure that you buy the right one.

I like the Mac ecosystem quite a bit (I'm a programmer/developer and OSX offers many of the advantages of Linux or any other UNIX-based system in a much more elegant package) and have no regrets on that front, but I frequently find myself wishing I had gone with the 13" MBP instead of the white MB.

The white polycarbonate scratches and dirties far too easily, and at this point I don't feel that the paltry $130 that I saved (after RAM upgrade) was worth giving up the better screen and aluminum body, despite convincing myself to the contrary before I made my purchase decision. At the time, I wasn't seeing the forest through the trees and was more caught up in comparing the hardware specs at a given price range with the PC competition.

The silver lining here is that I paid well below retail for this computer and should be able to sell it at a minimal loss once Apple refreshes the MBP.
 
Get the pro. Don't get me wrong the white macbook will do everything that you want it to do. But the macbook pro will do that and more + have you set for the near future :)
 
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