Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Should I buy a MacBook now?

rockyroad55

rockyroad55

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 14, 2010
4,152
59
Phila, PA
I recently got an HP dm4-2070us from Staples for $700 before $50 rebate and it isn't bad since it's running a SandyBridge i5 and 8GB RAM. However, I can return it because my friend is selling a sealed MacBook for $750.

My question is if this MacBook is future proofed and will it run Lion as well as a MBP? I plan on putting 8GB RAM and maybe an SSD in it or just a faster HDD. I have always viewed macs like this: a Mac running a two year old processor still runs smoother than a PC having the latest processor. Help me out here guys.
 
To answer one part of your question OP, the current Macbook will run Lion fine if you decide to bite the bullet now. :)
 
Hmm. I'm thinking about biting that bullet but a part of me wants to stay with the PC mainly because of sandy bridge. But the MacBook will definitely run smoother!

I'm a student if that helps. Just office, Internet, and email for me.
 
My brother's previous gen MacBook (non uni) runs leopard very nicely and I wonder since all I'm doing is office and Internet, it should last me years to come.
 
Don't do it. You're buying over 1 year-old hardware at the price it was released when new. It is really looking like Apple is going to release new MacBooks soon. I'd wait, I can't recommend that enough.
 
The MacBook has a C2D, which is outdated considering even the new MacBook Airs are going to be running Sandy Bridge....
For $750 , it's okay for the price since Apple is still selling them for $1000/1200..some people think the MacBook is going to be updated, and some people think that with the new release of MacBook Airs that are being released not long after Lion that they will replace the 'consumer line laptop'...it's really quite a gamble....

Perhaps returning the HP, saving up a few hundred dollars and buying one of the new MacBook Airs that are going to be released soon or a MacBook Pro?
 
i also recommend that you wait but if you do make a decision ... a c2d is old, yes, but not bad. it's just not as good as the current technology. especially for your usage, a c2d will get the job done and then some.
 
mobilehaathi said:
I don't know. But I seem to remember hearing that Lion won't run on anything less than C2D, so I'd be worried they might cut out the C2Ds next. just food for thought.
Click to expand...

The reason they dropped the Core Solos and the Core Duos in Lion was because they aren't 64 bit processors! There is no reason for Apple to drop Core 2 Duos anytime soon.

The C2Ds are great processors that will still last for a long while. Lion runs great on my 2007 iMac.
 
42streetsdown said:
The reason they dropped the Core Solos and the Core Duos in Lion was because they aren't 64 bit processors! There is no reason for Apple to drop Core 2 Duos anytime soon.

The C2Ds are great processors that will still last for a long while. Lion runs great on my 2007 iMac.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought. The MacBook airs released last October runs core 2 duo so that should be supported for quite a long time.

As for the waiting part, I kinda need a computer now and $750 is a pretty decent price already don't you think? There is also someone selling a Sony vaio for $700 and it runs a quad i7 at a full 1080P display (F series). I'm so confused.
 
well first you have to decide whether or not you want a mac or pc. easier said then done of course but there are factors that would account for either decision. if you want specs, definitely go for a pc. windows 7 is a great os too, but you're not limited to a pc if you want to run it. you could always dual boot your mac with win7 and get the best of both operating systems.

if you feel like a mac would give you a better experience, then go for that. mac os x has become my favorite os personally, it feels clean and it just works. i like win7 too and i could always dual boot in the future. i feel like build quality, support, and mac os x are the three main reasons to go with a mac...at least for myself. specs could be better for the price, sure, but you aren't paying solely for specs. you're paying for the things that i mentioned before, amongst many others.

also, if you're just doing office, browsing, and email ... why do you need 8gb ram and an i5 or even sandybridge at all?
 
Archlord said:
well first you have to decide whether or not you want a mac or pc. easier said then done of course but there are factors that would account for either decision. if you want specs, definitely go for a pc. windows 7 is a great os too, but you're not limited to a pc if you want to run it. you could always dual boot your mac with win7 and get the best of both operating systems.

if you feel like a mac would give you a better experience, then go for that. mac os x has become my favorite os personally, it feels clean and it just works. i like win7 too and i could always dual boot in the future. i feel like build quality, support, and mac os x are the three main reasons to go with a mac...at least for myself. specs could be better for the price, sure, but you aren't paying solely for specs. you're paying for the things that i mentioned before, amongst many others.

also, if you're just doing office, browsing, and email ... why do you need 8gb ram and an i5 or even sandybridge at all?
Click to expand...

The price was good. $599 after rebates. I have an extra 8GB ram laying around so this MacBook will be at 8gb. I'm definitely leaning towards Mac since I already have an iMac and wanted a separate computer to go to classes with. The mac experience is unparalleled and i did return the laptop yesterday. Even with the better processor and ram, it still felt sluggish. I hated the trackpad too since it had no response every time I touched it. I'm spoiled by my magic trackpad.
 
rockyroad55 said:
The price was good. $599 after rebates. I have an extra 8GB ram laying around so this MacBook will be at 8gb. I'm definitely leaning towards Mac since I already have an iMac and wanted a separate computer to go to classes with. The mac experience is unparalleled and i did return the laptop yesterday. Even with the better processor and ram, it still felt sluggish. I hated the trackpad too since it had no response every time I touched it. I'm spoiled by my magic trackpad.
Click to expand...

didn't know you already had an imac...

if you don't want os x in portability, you might as well go with the pc. i thought this was a typical "mac or pc" thread.

it shouldn't really be a question...it seems like you prefer os x by the first post about it running smoother, so just go with whatever you prefer. a mac would be more versatile too because then you have os x and potentially win7 both at home and on the go if you dual boot both.
 
Archlord said:
it shouldn't really be a question...it seems like you prefer os x by the first post about it running smoother, so just go with whatever you prefer. a mac would be more versatile too because then you have os x and potentially win7 both at home and on the go if you dual boot both.
Click to expand...

Did you read any of this thread? The OP is asking if he should get a MB now or wait for the update, not whether or not to get a MB at all...
 
I havent spent much time with windows to see if it is right for me so I'm asking people here. I know Mac pretty well but I want to see of this MacBook which is brand new sealed for $750 is a good buy or should I just go back to the hp dm4 with an i5 sandy and windows 7 FOR THE SAME PRICE.
 
mobilehaathi said:
Yes it will. I'm just saying you might find yourself unable to update to 10.8, if such a thing matters to you.
Click to expand...

That's highly unlikely. Think about it. Just about EVERY Mac sold up until now is a C2D. Making the next update require sandy bridge would be stupid and impractical. Do you really think Apple is going to require 90 percent of its market to just buy a new machine? No.

C2D will be here for many years to come. SB is better, yes, but with the "bad" integrated graphics on the baseline MBP and probably upcoming MBA, last gen C2D machines with separate graphics cards are still good (if you require a baseline machine with a separate graphics card.
 
rockyroad55 said:
I havent spent much time with windows to see if it is right for me so I'm asking people here. I know Mac pretty well but I want to see of this MacBook which is brand new sealed for $750 is a good buy or should I just go back to the hp dm4 with an i5 sandy and windows 7 FOR THE SAME PRICE.
Click to expand...

Hmm.... I would say go for it, although it really, really depends on what you're using the machine for. If you don't do "any" extreme work (high level video editing) the C2D MB will be just fine for everything you want to do. If you get that machine, drop a couple of bucks and give it 4 gigs of RAM you'll be set for at least 3 years.

A lot of people here think that, just because they "think" they need SB that C2D machines aren't worth it. Rumors are going around that the MBA will be refreshed and practically 90 percent of people believe that to be true with BB, Amazon, and other outlets not having ANY in stock.

There are a few sources floating around about the MBs but it isn't as strong as the MBA. You can always wait but that's a pretty good deal, heck if you want, I'll sell you my upgraded black macbook right now; it will be just as fast, have a larger HD and more ram then the one you'll be getting plus I'll sell it to you cheaper. But I'm just throwing that out there.

All in all, if you're just going to be watching HD videos, light photo editing, maybe a little video editing, and standard work, any Mac will be a fine machine to do it.

Heck right now I'm running 2 browsers making up 12 tabs, iTunes, Excel, an HD movie AND Parallels with Windows XP. No slowdown whatsoever.
 
Young Spade said:
Hmm.... I would say go for it, although it really, really depends on what you're using the machine for. If you don't do "any" extreme work (high level video editing) the C2D MB will be just fine for everything you want to do. If you get that machine, drop a couple of bucks and give it 4 gigs of RAM you'll be set for at least 3 years.

A lot of people here think that, just because they "think" they need SB that C2D machines aren't worth it. Rumors are going around that the MBA will be refreshed and practically 90 percent of people believe that to be true with BB, Amazon, and other outlets not having ANY in stock.

There are a few sources floating around about the MBs but it isn't as strong as the MBA. You can always wait but that's a pretty good deal, heck if you want, I'll sell you my upgraded black macbook right now; it will be just as fast, have a larger HD and more ram then the one you'll be getting plus I'll sell it to you cheaper. But I'm just throwing that out there.

All in all, if you're just going to be watching HD videos, light photo editing, maybe a little video editing, and standard work, any Mac will be a fine machine to do it.

Heck right now I'm running 2 browsers making up 12 tabs, iTunes, Excel, an HD movie AND Parallels with Windows XP. No slowdown whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer but I am too spoiled by the trackpads so that's why I wanted to get this one. I plan on upgrading to 8GB RAM and maybe maybe a SSD or a 750GB 7200RPM HDD.
 
rockyroad55 said:
Thanks for the offer but I am too spoiled by the trackpads so that's why I wanted to get this one. I plan on upgrading to 8GB RAM and maybe maybe a SSD or a 750GB 7200RPM HDD.
Click to expand...

Cool cool; I personally think you should go for the HDD; the high RPM will give you great speeds and you'll be getting a very high margin of bang-for your buck compared to the SSD. The prices and storage with those is really high right now. Of course, if money isn't an issue for for the SSD and an external drive or something :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back