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whitebook vs. unibody

M

macbookhamburg

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 3, 2007
215
0
I tried the search but could not find an answer to my specific question so forgive me if I wasn´t crafty enough this time ----- so now my question------

the story I bought my white macbook from 2,5 years ago is replacing it with a completely new one because the old one is non fixable....
I ´m thinking about paying the difference to get a new unibody macbook ... the difference will be about 250 euro :-O
but is it really worth it ? do I really get my moneys worth ? keep in mind I´ll get a new white macbook for free ... which I was happy with over two years
oh and I really don´t have the extra money right now but I´m afraid I´ll regret not getting the unibody a little later if I don´t do it now
 
well what else is there to tell besides the question is the new one really worth 250 euro more ?
maybe an answer fom somebody who used to hve the white one and now has the new one in daily use .... is it really better quality ...?
since I´m using it everyday for a work and school the 250 extra would be ok... If its a significant update in quality
I don´t really have it but if i can spare myself a disappointment 6 months later of not going for the new one I´d pay it... there is really nothing more information besides that I really like the new design but again an opinion from a person who has used both would be great ...

thank you guys !
 
macbookhamburg said:
well what else is there to tell besides the question is the new one really worth 250 euro more ?
Click to expand...

For day-to-day things like E-mail, iPhoto, iTunes, or word processing then no, there's no reason to get the more expensive model. If you were doing more intensive things like using FCP or something then the Unibody would be "better," but you'd probably be looking at the Macbook Pro in that case.

I don't know what "work" means for you. Maybe your work requires more intensive computing resources, but you haven't told us. That's what I meant about being more specific.

The bottom line is that if you were happy with your white Macbook before, you'll be happy with it again.
 
I have used both and to me it is def worth it but I am not a student so money is not really an issue so much with me. You get the glass trackpad, super glossy screen, way more rigid construction the unibodies feel like tanks compared to the white books yet they are very light in weight. The unibody is better in every way I can think of except for wifi recption which I find better on the polycarbonate whitebooks.

Its pretty hard to regret buynig a unibody they are tough and beautiful.
 
i´m using logic express and photoshot and that kind of things on there so a pro would be nice but is no option moneywise ... but as I said the processor power was okk :) me using it for work meant that it gets carried around a lot and used a lot so tougher build would be great
what bobby wrote sounds pretty good ! plus i know that the unibodies will pop up around me pretty soon and I just don´t want to touch it and stuff and then notice that it´s better than the white one ... and in the store you can´t really get a feel for it ... by now the white one almost feels a little outdated to me ... so I probably get the unibody but I still have till tommorrow to decide ....:rolleyes:
 
jmann said:
But the Unibody construction is very rigid and strong compared to the White MacBook. Also the trackpad and screen are better on the Unibody.
Click to expand...

Who cares? If one is doing Logic work, he most probably will want to use FireWire devices at some point. Hard drives, audio interfaces, etc. Can't do that on Unibody MacBook; you need a pro model now, unless you manage to grab one of the last WhiteBooks.

Can't recommend Unibody MacBook for anything else besides basic web surfing, emails, blogging, photoshopping and web site creation. Anything more data intensive than that, it's a no-no. USB hard drives have crappy streaming performance, and so are USB audio interfaces. Can you see the pattern? FireWire is required when you work with lots of data.

So, the OP would benefit from the FireWire of the "old" WhiteBook.
 
JFreak said:
Unibody Macbook does not have FireWire, so the WhiteBook is definetely better.
Click to expand...

Oh go have a cry, that is such a generalization. It might be important to you but for other who don't do movie/sound work it is not a big problem. The Whitebook cannot be better purely based on the fact that it has firewire.

The unibody have more stable construction, brighter for vibrant screen (gloss to me isn't an issue) better cooling (through the Aluminium Unibody) and the Unibody doesn't get as dirty. I've used the Whitebook and it gets all brown around the sides where your wrists are while typing.

Also, the Unibodies have better hardware 2.4 Ghz Processor, DDR3 RAM, 250GB GB hard drive, and an option for an illuminated keyboard. The Whitebook has only a 2 Ghz Processor, DDR2 RAM, 120GB Hard drive, and no option for an illuminated keyboard. I know all those things sound quite petty, especially the keyboard but, you really do get what you pay for when paying the etra money for a unibody. Also, you get a better trackpad and better overall build quality.

Aluminium Macbooks are also better for gaming due to the faster processor, faster RAM and faster graphics (graphics are the same on Whitebook) so if you are doing any gaming, I would go for the Aluminium Macbook.

That being said, you mentioned you could get the Whitebook for free, so why are you even thinking about getting the Unibody?
 
I see your point but it's a lot harder to dent metal than get plastic dirty.

Plus, at least that can be covered by applecare, I hardly think apple will give you a new computer if it's dirty. :D
 
You said yourself that you like new design. Definitely get it unless you need FireWire. Unibodys are awesome!
 
both are great, the white has firewire which is even better is you use it.

comes down to metal or plastic? which do you prefer? classic design or new apple?

personally for 250 euro more I don't think it's worth it unless you're a die hard aluminium person.

what about refurb store?
 
Samslice12 said:
The unibody have more stable construction, brighter for vibrant screen (gloss to me isn't an issue) better cooling (through the Aluminium Unibody) and the Unibody doesn't get as dirty.
Click to expand...

Aluminum gets dirty just like plastic does, you just don't see it. Until the anodizing starts wearing off.

Samslice12 said:
I see your point but it's a lot harder to dent metal than get plastic dirty.
Click to expand...

debatable.
 
how is there seriously 6 threads every month about this topic.


and no, DDR2 isn't that much cheaper than DDR3 anymore. i upgraded mine to 4GB for <80$ shipped. and yes the aluminum still gets dirty and is annoying to keep clean because smudges show up.

and again to firewire - if you are doing logic work. you won't really need a firewire at all. keep in mind i can stream 16 channels into my MacBook via USB 2.0 and an interface i bought 2 years ago from Edirol.

you don't need firewire for anything, sometimes it's nice to have when you run into an older device, or if you want to clone your hard drive faster or something... but things like that can wait.


multi touch is amazing i dont know how i lived without it. i love everything about my unibody. i couldn't imagine spending a little less and getting such a (IMO) crappy product with a cat tounge trackpad
 
miles01110 said:
If you were doing more intensive things like using FCP or something then the Unibody would be "better,"
Click to expand...

Care to elaborate? The hardware is THE SAME except for DDR2 vs. DDR3 (which is a negligible difference). You can use the usual "unibody is more sturdy, cooler, LED screen, etc." but it is NOT any faster (base vs. base).
 
JFreak said:
Who cares? If one is doing Logic work, he most probably will want to use FireWire devices at some point. Hard drives, audio interfaces, etc. Can't do that on Unibody MacBook; you need a pro model now, unless you manage to grab one of the last WhiteBooks.
Click to expand...

You can't use an external HD with USB? Remember the white MB only has FW400, not FW800, which is pretty comparable to USB2.0 in all my tests. Read/write times are within a few Mbps of each other for my external HD's, although I still prefer FW since it always has enough power for portable HD's.
 
I had a late 2007 MacBook and I upgraded to the Unibody model when it came out. One of the reasons for this was that the new generation of processors in them ran much cooler and less noisily.

But now Apple uses them in the white MacBook too, so you get a much cooler and quieter computer.

I say go for the white one because it looks a hell of a lot better than the ugly design on the aluminium one.
 
I'll leave it for everyone else to battle about the internals and firewire but I can vouch for the build quality. This thing feels ridiculously solid.
Compared to my g/f's polycarb macbook bought in aug 08 and mine in oct 08 hers is definitely showing its age, even after a complete case (bottom external and palmrest) replacement due to cracking. The build quality on my unibody is unreal and looks like it popped out the apple whomb yesterday with no special treatments or moisturisers to keep it young.;)
I love the multitouch trackpad too.

As for is it worth the extra £$£$, I have a feeling it could weather as well as the old 12" PowerBooks that their owners endear and serve well for casual use well past its sell by date. It might be worth checking out its resale value compared to a similar aged polycarb on ebay etc. too.
As for now its more than adequate for me to run complicated multi-story 3D ArchiCad projects on my student budget.
 
packgrad2000 said:
You can't use an external HD with USB? Remember the white MB only has FW400, not FW800, which is pretty comparable to USB2.0 in all my tests. Read/write times are within a few Mbps of each other for my external HD's, although I still prefer FW since it always has enough power for portable HD's.
Click to expand...

Theoretically, USB2 is even faster than FireWire400 -- but in real world (which counts) FireWire400 is miles ahead of USB2. Try to stream 50 audio tracks off an USB drive and it just does not work. FireWire just seems to be more real-time than USB, so when the going gets tough and the tough get going, USB is not there anymore.

But agreed, this point has already been made and let's not hijack the thread for it. I just tried to argue that if you need FireWire, then the WhiteBook is heluva lot cheaper than MBP. Can't compare to UniBody since it lacks FireWire.

If the UniBody had ExpressCard slot, then my recommendation would be different despite lack of FW. But since the UniBook lacks that and FW, I will only recommend it for people who definetely never do anything seriously data intensive. This time however the OP said he's going to use Logic, so IMO he will need fast connections (FW/EC) that the UniBook does not have.
 
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