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Push me over the edge!

J

jan08

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 20, 2006
112
22
Wakefield, England
First post here, but I think I've read every thread from the past 6 months over the past week! I have my credit card in hand and am about to order but need a last push from you helpful people. Basically, I have a 6 months old Acer that has been rubbish from the outset, I only use it for surfing and Football Manager but am sick of blue screens and broken mouse buttons. I really like the look of imovie for making DVDs of the kids camcorder footage and OSX just looks so much better for a novice than Windows has proven to be.

Specifally, I'm looking at a refurb 15" MBP with 1gb Ram and 100gb hd for £1100, but since reading all this fuss over C2D I'm concerned I am buying "old" technology and I will see larger depreciation than if I waited a while and got a similar C2D. Is that just plain stupid and should I join you people in computing happiness?
 
well, no one knows when the laptop lines will get updated. for all we know, apple may have decided to skip merom entirely, and will wait until the next generation of intel before making a change (i don't think they have the same 'obligation' as PC manufacturers to include every single intel update, since they are the only mac producers, and they know their diehards will pay up regardless, for osx and mac design.. plus, being such a small company by comparison, it almost wouldn't make sense to try to keep up with companies like Dell).

BUT, having said that, they may refresh their lines before the holiday season, which seems to be the latest rumor. since you do have a "working" laptop, I'd probably at least wait out the next couple of weeks before making the plunge just to be sure. if they haven't updated by the end of november, they likely won't until after the holidays entirely.

I'd probably buy at the end of november, regardless of update or not, unless you're prepared to wait until january, and then until spring.. remember, there is always something around the corner. what needs to be decided is whether the current line satisfies your needs, and how much you need the computer NOW vs. how long you're willing to wait. no one likes to buy a machine only to find it outdated a week later, but I'm sure no one likes to wait forever, either.
 
The general concensus is that C2D will not give you any major benefit unless you are prepared to wait for the Santa Rosa models this spring with Leopard.

The current 2.0 GHz or 2.16 GHz MBP is more than enough computer for most people's needs and it should hold you well through a few years of core wars.

My neighbor just purchased a loaded 2.16 MBP and it's the nicest computer that he has ever owned hands down.

In fact it's more computer that my DP 2.0 GHz G5 Tower.

Your most important performance gain will come from maxing our your RAM to
2 GB as soon as you are able.

That being said, I tend to agree, that If you can stand to wait just a bit longer you may have the benefit of knowing all your alternatives. If Apple does bump the MBP's you can either go for a new model or benefit from the closeout price drops on the current line-up. You guys overseas get hammered on the prices and the VAT, so I can't blame you for holding out as log as you can.
 
I would go for it.

You are looking at a refurb at the moment. If there is a new model coming out in the near future it will take a while till it will be available as a refurb.
 
Tymmz said:
I would go for it.

You are looking at a refurb at the moment. If there is a new model coming out in the near future it will take a while till it will be available as a refurb.
Click to expand...
This is what I've been thinking. If I get the new model, it will cost me £300($500) more and I don't want to spend the extra to be honest. The UK refurb site still doesn't have C2D imacs, so I could be waiting until February for a similar price refurb. In the past has a refresh led to price drops on refurbs?
 
If anyone in your family qualifies for the education discount that would be my first
choice.

Not only would you get your machine at a discount, but also any software and accessories.
 
Either buy now or wait for the next two updates. Despite all the hype, C2D will probably not even make a noticeable difference for most users. Maybe 10% speed increase at most. Unless you need 64 bit computing (you would know if you do), buy now. These laptops are fast, and most of the information (bugs, quirks, etc) are known. If you still feel like you don't want to buy now, I would recommend waiting for the next gen intel chips after C2D, ie. mid 2007 at the earliest.

BTW, I was very happy to have bought a referb. You don't get the fancy box, and I had to install Tiger myself instead of having it preloaded (the disc was in the box), but I'd rather have the $400.
 
Option B

Keep your Acer for basic portable needs for now and buy an iMac with full confidence.

The benefit of the C2D iMac is that you'll have faster processing, MUCH improved larger and faster storage, dedicated graphics and an absolutely beautiful display.

Everyone in your family can benefit from having the iMac around and you can enjoy it now.

You pay a tremendous premium for portability buying any notebook.

If you go for an iMac now, then not only will you save money, but you may also be just fine with a Rev "B" MacBook later for portable needs.
 
jan08 said:
I'm concerned I am buying "old" technology
Click to expand...

No, you're buying newer technology. Newer than your Acer anyway, and that is the important thing. But if you can do what FFTT suggests that would be my vote. best wishes.
 
Tymmz said:
I would go for it.

You are looking at a refurb at the moment. If there is a new model coming out in the near future it will take a while till it will be available as a refurb.
Click to expand...

What he said !!

i think you can't go wrong with waiting two weeks, seeing if the new model is something you want. if not get the refurb
 
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