Question about a buying a new MAC!

[BGAYLOR07]

Hey everyone,

I am about to purchase a new MAC!! I am very excited as it will be my first MAC ever. I have used PC's all my life and I am so sick of Windows and all its problems. I am torn between purchasing a refurbished Intel Core Duo or a refurbished or even new Intel Core 2 Duo. I have a bellsouth DSL modem and I want to have it wireless so I am thinking about getting the Aiport Extreme Base Station but I have heard that it is not compatible with the Intel Core Duo but it does work with the Core 2 Duo. Is this correct? Thanks for your help.

Brandi

 

[livingfortoday]

The Airport Extreme will work with both the Core Duo and the Core 2 Duo, it's just that the Core Duo doesn't have a wireless "n" card, so it won't be able to take advantage of the higher wireless speeds. You won't ever notice that, though, unless you're transferring large files between computers.

As for the CD vs. C2D debate, it's really up to you and your budget. A Core 2 Duo will be slightly faster, but if you're on a tight budget, it might be better to spend the money on more RAM which would give you much more bang for your buck.

Oh, and if you go with the Core Duo, you might want to consider getting a cheaper wireless router for your Mac than the Airport Extreme, since the computer won't benefit from the higher speeds anyways. There are a lot of good routers out there for a third or less of the cost!

 

[zflauaus]

The Airport Express Base Station is compatible with any wireless computer, except for the 802.11a Band. It will work with the Core Duo, plus any other former computers. The only thing the C2D has over the CD is that, except for the 17" Basic C2D, they can be upgraded to use the N-band.

CRAP: livingfortoday beat me.

 

[BGAYLOR07]

Thanks!

Thanks for your quick reply. I just submitted my tax return for the year so it looks like I will be able to afford the MacBook 2.0GHz Core2Duo now. From reading the posts on this forum, it sounds like it will be worth it to go for the C2D over the CD. I know that RAM is very important, so should I upgrade to 2GB or just stay with 1GB? I do plan on gaming a lot.

 

[gavd]

Thanks for your quick reply. I just submitted my tax return for the year so it looks like I will be able to afford the MacBook 2.0GHz Core2Duo now. From reading the posts on this forum, it sounds like it will be worth it to go for the C2D over the CD. I know that RAM is very important, so should I upgrade to 2GB or just stay with 1GB? I do plan on gaming a lot.

If you can afford it, go with 2gb RAM. If not 1gb will get you by.

 

[livingfortoday]

Ooh, if you're gaming, I wouldn't even look at the MacBook. It's got quite a poor video card. You might want to consider getting a refurbished MacBook Pro from the online Apple Store, since it's got a much more powerful card for games. Plus, it'll be several hundred less than brand new, and look and feel just like new!

Try and get extra RAM from elsewhere other than Apple, to save on costs, too. Macsales.com, crucial.com, datamem.com. All have good prices and guaranteed Mac-compatible RAM.