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Which MB's better for ME?

I

iamamac

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 3, 2008
85
0
Hi again,
I own a Macbook Pro from 2006, I'm happy with it..
But it's getting old and I can see this (it needs a battery replacement, it's the 2nd battery in 1 year, the wireless card doesn't work well, the superdrive needs to be replaced as it no longer reads DVDs, it's slow and its heating issues are scaring me, and stuff like this)
I'll probably sell or trade my MBP on eBay!
So, after I do this, let's say I have 1000€ and I need to choose my next computer which it will me a Macbook (I'll get the 24'' iMac in September 09').
I use my computer for:
-internet, music, photos, presentations, watching videos (including HD)
-video processing (only from my camera which is a Sony, non-HD, just a normal camera)
-web design (I'm trying to learn this)
..and that's what I basically doing on my Macbook Pro.
Now, I'm asking you, what Macbook should I choose?
1. New Macbook Unibody 2,0GHz
-Price: € 1.126,80 (edu discount)
-FREE iPod Touch (I'm going to sell it anyway, I'm planning getting the new iPhone when it comes out)
Price after selling the iPod ~ 1000 € which fits my budget well!

2.Trading my Macbook Pro with an Unibody MB (2,0GHz) used.
-The seller says it's in a good conditions
-Warranty until March 2009

3.Getting an used Macbook.
-at 1000 € I'll probably get an early 2008 entry-level Macbook Pro.
-at 1000 € I could grab a Macbook Air (gen. 1)
-at 1000 € I could get a used Macbook Unibody (2,0GHz)

4.Getting a refurbished Macbook
-Macbook Unibody 2.0GHz, 999€

Notes:
-I don't like the white macbook
-I used firewire only for my camera (I think USB's also fine.. or not?)
-I don't do photo editing
-Battery life it's important for me
-I won't get the 2,4GHz model as I find it too expensive for what it offers
-I don't know if I'm planning to upgrade in the next two years (probably not if I'll get my iMac as I should)

What do you think? Tell me what would you do?

Thank you all, you are the best community I ever found!
 
For your needs and budget, I think the best option is the unibody Macbook new, with the free iPod touch to sell. You get the bonus that the laptop is brand new as opposed to second hand, for a similar price as refurb. The only issue may be the camera connection, some video cams do require a firewire connection, but check out your camera's manual to check.
 
01jamcon said:
For your needs and budget, I think the best option is the unibody Macbook new, with the free iPod touch to sell. You get the bonus that the laptop is brand new as opposed to second hand, for a similar price as refurb. The only issue may be the camera connection, some video cams do require a firewire connection, but check out your camera's manual to check.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your answer.
I just find out that Italy offers 185€ for the iPod Touch..
So, lets do the math again:
Macbook Unibody and iPod Touch = 1346 €
Price after the rebate: 1346 € - 185 € = 1161.
Let's say I'll sell the iPod for 150 €, so the price will be 1011 €.
Acceptable, I think.
I still don't know if my estimations are correct. :confused:

My camera works fine both USB and FireWire!
 
clyde2801 said:
For your needs, wouldn't the newly updated whitebook be an equally viable option as well?

Besides basically having the same specs as the base unibody, it also has firewire 400 and is 300 USD cheaper.
Click to expand...
I don't like it because it cracks and it's.. plastic.
I won't take a computer just because it's popular (like the white macbook is, I like it very much if we're speaking about its design), I need something strong :D
 
Your choice is a bit weird, because they are three completely different Macs.

MacBook Pro (I assume 15") is more like and desktop replacement, and a working horse.

The MacBook Air, well on one side it is a toy (expensive), on the other side it's a lot power in less space, which is very important for people which travel a lot and it count every single pound.

These are two completely different macs, with two different work places.

The golden middle is the Aluminum MacBook with 2.0GHz (I'm agree, the 2.4GHz is expensive). And you already told that you don't want the white one. And the Multi-touchpad is a dream! Especially for internet, I don't even use my mouse any longer.

Aluminum MacBook 2.0GHz is the perfect (portable) internet and allrounder Mac with a good price, you can't go wrong with it.

-Val

P.S.) sorry for my english.
 
I'm going to do my best not to hijack, but I have an early macbook pro (likely from 2006, I can't remember) as well and it has the Core Duo (not core 2 duo). A lot of talk about the extra price of the 2.4 vs the 2.0 processor. My macbook pro has a 2.0 Core Duo and it's possible that so does the OPs. The fsb is improved as well as the RAM etc etc from the original mbp but I'm wondering if there is a noticeable difference from the Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo at the same speed?

Also, the upgrade from 2.0 to 2.4 also gives you the illuminated keyboard, which you may not be aware of. I glossed over it at first and have become so used to my illuminated keyboard that it would factor into a decision in choosing a macbook.
 
I say go with the 2.0 MacBook. This MacBook will probably be an all around better performer than your current MBP. The only downside is the small screen size which you may find annoying. But good news, you can always hook up an external display.

So my vote goes to the uMB with free iPod touch.
 
Sorry I overread the part with the web design. Since you are still just learning it I stll say go for the aluminum MacBook 2.0GHz

If you gonna take it more serious, upgrade the RAM to 4GB (should help much more then +0.4GHz, RAM is "more important")

Screen too small? For around 250-300$ you can get a 20/22" screen (samsung isn't bad) ... but you have a lot of time for it, start with the MacBook ;-)

-Val
 
@cl0wnzee: I know that.. That's why I asked for help.. Which will be the best for me! But I also said that I should receive an iMac later this year so I'm gonna wait before buying the display.. I'm getting use with things easy and I hope the macbook's display isn't that bad. Is it? Thanks for the answer!
@angemon89: The screen it's smaller, you're right, but it's also more portable :D If the display has the same quality as my MBP did, I'm happy with it. Thank you for the reply.
What means refurbished when we're talking about Apple? Brand new? Scratches or something like that?
 
either go for the 2.13 new white macbook (which you said you didn't want) or the 2.4 unibody. With an education discount and your ipod and printer rebate, it will be around $1200 US dollars. You get an awesome illuminated keyboard, larger hard drive space, and a faster processor. Not to mention the dramatic increase in resale value. A top of the line macbook is much more valuable than the bottom-line. If you want the 15 inch screen, I recommend going for a refurb unibody.
 
I vote for the WhiteBook. Apple "secretly" acknowledges the cracking issue and will replace for free those areas most prone to cracking, regardless of warranty status. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/04/08/apple_addressing_cracks_on_white_macbooks_casings.html

I know firsthand; I just got the palmrest on my nearly 3 year-old WhiteBook replaced last month sans AppleCare and clearly out of warranty. The Genius said that it's a common problem and that Apple would replace not only my cracked palmrest, but also my keyboard and surrounding casing (bonus!)

So, other than that, I think the WhiteBook is the best bargain among Apple's current offerings, and I don't think I'm alone in saying that. ;)
 
clyde2801 said:
If you're anywhere near a larger metro area, hop on craigslist and look for the unibody macbooks...I've been seeing the base models, new in box, go for $1000 or $1100.
Click to expand...
I'm from Italy unfortunately..
I think I'm going to buy the refurbished Macbook 2,00GHz.
Do you know if they still offer me the iPod Touch?
 
I'm back again :D:D
Between a Macbook 2,0GHZ UB and a Macbook Air 1 gen., 64GB SSD, what would you choose?
 
Trade with your friend if it checks out. I am just left wondering why he would want to make that swap.
 
netdog said:
Trade with your friend if it checks out. I am just left wondering why he would want to make that swap.
Click to expand...
I really don't know.. But know I'm in the middle of this situation : MBA or MB? But the MBA has SSD and 1,8GHZ.. :eek:
 
For the stuff like working with video that you want to do, the MBA won't cut it.

I am writing this from an MBA SSD, and it is an absolutely wonderful machine, but you really need something more robust for your needs unless you can wait for your iMac to handle those sorts of duties.

The unibodies are great, though at the moment, the white MacBook, having been bumped, is actually more powerful and a lot cheaper. Of course, that will all change very soon.
 
iamamac said:
I'm back again :D:D
Between a Macbook 2,0GHZ UB and a Macbook Air 1 gen., 64GB SSD, what would you choose?
Click to expand...

MB 2.0, definitely. The air is a bit underpowered for what you want to use it for, and there have been complaints on the boards about the gma 950 graphics on the 1st gen air overheating just by looking at online video.

The SSD is nice, but I'd wait and see if prices drop/capacities rise, and put one in later on.
 
iamamac said:
Hi again,
I own a Macbook Pro from 2006, I'm happy with it..
But it's getting old and I can see this (it needs a battery replacement, it's the 2nd battery in 1 year, the wireless card doesn't work well, the superdrive needs to be replaced as it no longer reads DVDs, it's slow and its heating issues are scaring me, and stuff like this)
I'll probably sell or trade my MBP on eBay!
So, after I do this, let's say I have 1000€ and I need to choose my next computer which it will me a Macbook (I'll get the 24'' iMac in September 09').
I use my computer for:
-internet, music, photos, presentations, watching videos (including HD)
-video processing (only from my camera which is a Sony, non-HD, just a normal camera)
-web design (I'm trying to learn this)
..and that's what I basically doing on my Macbook Pro.
Now, I'm asking you, what Macbook should I choose?
1. New Macbook Unibody 2,0GHz
-Price: € 1.126,80 (edu discount)
-FREE iPod Touch (I'm going to sell it anyway, I'm planning getting the new iPhone when it comes out)
Price after selling the iPod ~ 1000 € which fits my budget well!

2.Trading my Macbook Pro with an Unibody MB (2,0GHz) used.
-The seller says it's in a good conditions
-Warranty until March 2009

3.Getting an used Macbook.
-at 1000 € I'll probably get an early 2008 entry-level Macbook Pro.
-at 1000 € I could grab a Macbook Air (gen. 1)
-at 1000 € I could get a used Macbook Unibody (2,0GHz)

4.Getting a refurbished Macbook
-Macbook Unibody 2.0GHz, 999€

Notes:
-I don't like the white macbook
-I used firewire only for my camera (I think USB's also fine.. or not?)
-I don't do photo editing
-Battery life it's important for me
-I won't get the 2,4GHz model as I find it too expensive for what it offers
-I don't know if I'm planning to upgrade in the next two years (probably not if I'll get my iMac as I should)

What do you think? Tell me what would you do?

Thank you all, you are the best community I ever found!
Click to expand...

My story is almost like yours but in my case I'm replacing a Mac mini that I love and when I say I love, I mean I could take it to my grave. It had been upgraded to the max & with that being said it is now on it's last Ilife.

So, not being a big fan of the white Macbook low & behold Apple releases this upgrade just as I was about to replace my mini. All it took was just one look. Everything that you need is there, USB 2.0, Firewire & the speed you can feel, it's so much faster now. The one thing that I would change If I could is the screen. It's not so much the size, but the resolution ain't all there. You could live with it, until the next upgrade I guess.

For what I paid for it, I'm very happy. Student discount, less $50.00 & my state sales tax 6% equals. One Happy Macbook owner.
 
Thank you all for your answers! You have no idea about how much I appreciate them!
Right now, I decided to make the trade, it is possible that an used Macbook UB to have 4100mAH battery capacity and after 80 cycles to be still at 100%? Thanks a lot!
 
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