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

Which Macbook?

A

aphexii

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 22, 2006
349
0
I'm torn as to which Macbook to pick up.

I already have 4gb of RAM, and a 200gb 7200rpm drive ready to go into whichever I get, so ram and HD space that they come with is irrelevant to me. They also both come with Leopard and a Superdrive.


Black Macbook (refurb/Previous Gen) - $1070 (with tax)
2.0ghz Core 2 Duo
Intel 950
Max of 3.3gb Ram
iLife '06


White Macbook (new/Santa Rosa) - $1225 (after rebate)
2.2ghz Core 2 Duo
Intel X3100
Max of 4gb Ram
iLife '08


I'm leaning towards the blackbook, but haven't totally made up my mind yet.
 
I have the White Santa Rosa one, and I have to say..it's pretty nice.

What are you planning on doing with the laptop?
Gaming? Work? Internet?
 
aphexii said:
I'm torn as to which Macbook to pick up.

I already have 4gb of RAM, and a 200gb 7200rpm drive ready to go into whichever I get, so ram and HD space that they come with is irrelevant to me.


Black Macbook (refurb/Previous Gen) - $1070 (with tax)
2.0ghz Core 2 Duo
Intel 950
Max of 3.3gb Ram
iLife '06


White Macbook (new/Santa Rosa) - $1225 (after rebate)
2.2ghz Core 2 Duo
Intel X3100
Max of 4gb Ram
iLife '08


I'm leaning towards the blackbook, but haven't totally made up my mind yet.
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd go with the Santa Rosa model because it's slightly faster, got a better integrated graphics and it will come with Leapard (and a superdrive where the other one will have a combo drive)
 
personally i'd go with the newer one for only two reasons:

'better' integrated graphics, the machine will last longer imo. and
already comes with ilife 08, maybe even leopard (don't have to buy a life upgrade, unless you'd never use it, which then doesn't matter all that much)
 
Well they both come with Leopard and a Superdrive, so I'm ok in that arena.

My use consists of the following;

Internet/Web Browsing - 80% of the time
Photoshop Post Processing - 10% of the time
General Other Usage - 10% of the time

I don't plan to use it for any games. I had a Mac Mini for 2 years and was very satisfied with the experience and never really cared about the lack of game playing ability. I'll pick up a 360 or PS3 if the gaming bug bites again. Also, although the SR video is "better" than the previous gen, its still nothing compared to a real video card as far as I can tell.

I don't remember exact numbers, but from what I recall the Santa Rosa was only 4-5% faster than the previous gen macbooks (at the same CPU speed). So in my case the 200mhz would definitely make it faster, but I think the bigger boost will come from the faster HD.

If something takes 10 seconds longer in Photoshop (say a filter or something), I won't be upset. What concerns me about the White model is possible discoloration down the line, and the fact that I personally "prefer" the look of the black macbook.
 
Yeah... don't get the black one just because its black. The white one has better graphics & will probably keep you happier longer. Go with the newer white one. My cousin has a black one, and I a white. His looks much more worn out than mine, even though we got them at the same time.
 
Paix247 said:
Yeah... don't get the black one just because its black. The white one has better graphics & will probably keep you happier longer. Go with the newer white one. My cousin has a black one, and I a white. His looks much more worn out than mine, even though we got them at the same time.
Click to expand...

I agree in part, that I would be happier with newer technology generally. But is the graphics really better in the grand scheme of things? Barefeats showed double frame rates with some games, but going from 4fps to 8fps isn't anything im concerned about as they both still suck :)
 
If you are considering a refurbed blackbook, then why not just get the refurbed white 2.2 SR I just picked one up for $1099 + tax?
 
sickassdog13 said:
If you are considering a refurbed blackbook, then why not just get the refurbed white 2.2 SR I just picked one up for $1099 + tax?
Click to expand...

True... Didn't really consider that for some reason.... Hmmmmm

Are there any benchmarks to show the true difference in speed between the previous gen's and the SR's?
 
Whatever you do, get a Santa Rosa. Either the white one listed or a BlackBook SR. Not the BlackBook listed on the cheap in your original post. Obviously, the BlackTax only gets you a different colour plastic given that you are swapping out the RAM and drive, but I can understand why you still might want a BlackBook.

Also, if you are going to use iWeb, the new iLife is pretty good and if you hate iMovie 2008, they'll give you 2006 for free. Personally, I think iMovie '08 is pretty great for most users.
 
Always get the newest technology that you can afford. In this case, go for the Santa Rosa. It's newer and thus, better. A better graphics chipset, can support more memory, and even sports a faster processor.
 
Quillz said:
Always get the newest technology that you can afford. In this case, go for the Santa Rosa. It's newer and thus, better. A better graphics chipset, can support more memory, and even sports a faster processor.
Click to expand...

In some cases, yes, but I don't know if that is right for me. Technically speaking, I can afford the MBP, but I don't need it.

I don't disagree that the newer model is better, I just don't know if the slight increases in speed are worth the increased price, for me.
 
I'd get the Blackbook. That's the last model that'll allow you to run Tiger. You're limited to Leopard on Santa Rosa Macbooks. I'm not planning on upgrading to Leopard until 1.) all the bugs are fixed, and 2.) my programs require Leopard. "1" isn't likely to occur for another year, and "2" isn't likely to occur for at least three more. So right now, I'm using the most stable OS Apple has ever made (10.4.11), and have the option to "upgrade" to Leopard whenever I wish. If you want that option, get the black Macbook. By the time you need a new computer, you'll laugh at the thought that you spent more money on one obsolete 2ghz machine over another.

Just imagine..two years ago, people were probably debating whether to spend x on a 1.5ghz G4 Powerbook, or x+200 on a 1.67ghz G4 Powerbook. Fast forward to the present: what's the difference between those two computers? Who cares! They're both G4s, and there's infinitely newer stuff now. The difference is the person who went with the 1.5 now has a few hundred dollars more to put toward a new computer, should she decide to get one. Look at it that way, and the idea of spending more on tech that's going to be irrelevant in a few months becomes laughable.
 
after thinking it over and reading up on black vs. white, you guys are right... The C2D 2.2ghz White Santa Rosa for $1100 is a better deal.

As much as I like the black, the constant oily fingerprints would drive me batty.

Thanks for the help!!
 
aphexii said:
after thinking it over and reading up on black vs. white, you guys are right... The C2D 2.2ghz White Santa Rosa for $1100 is a better deal.

As much as I like the black, the constant oily fingerprints would drive me batty.

Thanks for the help!!
Click to expand...

I was gonna say white too, good decision!
 
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