03-04-2007, 12:53 PM

Hi!

I want to replace my old Windows laptop with a MacBook and I’m having a hard time deciding what to do! I've got 3 options (i think), what do you guys think is the best option??

I don't play any games, only really use my PC for Internet, iTunes, Burning CD's/DVD's, Downloading, MS Office & a little Photoshopping. I don't really need the laptop urgently (need it for June really) but I’ve seen the price of the refurbished MacBook and its really got me thinking!


Option 1

1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
512MB memory
60GB hard drive1
Combo drive

TOTAL £749.00


Option 2

Refurbished MacBook

2.0GHz Intel Core Duo
512MB memory
60GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)

£599.00

+ Memory Upgrade to 1GB = £61.09 (crucial.com)

TOTAL £660.09

Option 3

Hold on another couple of months until Leopard is out and hope for a 1.83 or 2GHz C2D MacBook to show up in the refurb store.

03-04-2007, 12:59 PM

The C2D is an improvement over the CD, as much so from the standpoint of less heat as better actual performance. It will also be a little more Leopard-friendly in that it's a 64bit processor so it will be able to take better advantage of 10.5's 64bitness. (the Core Duo machine will still run Leopard)

The SuperDrive beats the Combo drive, the question is whether you think you'll ever want to burn a DVD (the answer, btw, is "yes" whether you realize it or not ).

You'll definitely want 1G of RAM.

It's always better to wait if you're in no rush for anything new.

03-04-2007, 01:06 PM

I would go with option 1, I did and love it.

As ToddG mentions 1Gb of ram or more would be desired, as well when its time replace your Hard Drive its very easy either with a new internal or an added external.

03-04-2007, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by ToddG

The C2D is an improvement over the CD, as much so from the standpoint of less heat as better actual performance. It will also be a little more Leopard-friendly in that it's a 64bit processor so it will be able to take better advantage of 10.5's 64bitness. (the Core Duo machine will still run Leopard)

So you don't think the 2GHz CD will perform at the same level as a 1.83 C2D. My thinking was the faster 2GHz processer combined with the 1GB RAM would make up for the loss of the C2D, giving a similar performance to the 1.83 C2D.

03-04-2007, 01:10 PM

I don't know, though I imagine you could find some benchmarking reports on the web if you searched around. There have been a lot of complaints about how hot the CD Macbooks run, which was my primary concern.

03-04-2007, 01:18 PM

I think you right, I've been reading this forum over the last week (great source of info!) and read a few posts about heat problems. My wallet has been doing the thinking for me! I'll hang on until I see a C2D Refurbished MacBook or I win the lottery!

Thanks for your help guys.

03-04-2007, 01:24 PM

i have heard that C2D are prefered over CD for several reasons, performance, heat, features (64 bit). but i would rather have 1 gig of ram and a superdrive. plus im always about saving money

03-04-2007, 01:58 PM

I'd say go for the higher memory. If you run anything with 512 MB you're not going to see any gain from the additional CPU.

03-04-2007, 02:07 PM

yeah i agree with ^^^ you need at least 1 gig of ram to really utilize the cpu of any machine. you know Apple sells C2D refubs too, right? go check out their site.

03-04-2007, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by ibookclamman300

yeah i agree with ^^^ you need at least 1 gig of ram to really utilize the cpu of any machine. you know Apple sells C2D refubs too, right? go check out their site.

Yeah I know it’s just I’ve not seen a C2D MacBook listed on there in the last couple of weeks (any idea how much a 2GHz C2D goes for on there?). I don't want to go spending too much. My original plan was to pay £500 for a run-of-the-mill PC laptop. That idea got scrapped, as they all looked terrible or were just too big & heavy to take travelling. So I started looking at a Sony Vaio C2 or the MacBook. I Think the MacBook looks the best and the price is better than the Vaio. I like the idea of learning to use the Mac OS (plus the dual boot option if all else fails me).

03-04-2007, 02:44 PM

I'm not really sure exactly what that is in U.S. dollars. the idea of dual booting is quite exciting to many people who want a mac UI but still want to play games or use certain programs that work only on XP. i would get a C2D refub if i was you and really wanted a C2D. get a 2.0 ghz model though not a 1.83 ghz model.

03-04-2007, 03:03 PM

I voted for #2, but voted before I noticed #2 was a CD and not a C2D. If you can wait a bit longer, then go ahead and wait. When you do finally need to make the purchase, definitely get a gig of ram if at all possible.

03-04-2007, 05:38 PM

Buy the best you can afford when you NEED it. Since you already said that will be June, I'd say wait at least until May to see if anything new is going to be released.

03-04-2007, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by WhiteNoiseMaker

Yeah I know it’s just I’ve not seen a C2D MacBook listed on there in the last couple of weeks (any idea how much a 2GHz C2D goes for on there?). I don't want to go spending too much. My original plan was to pay £500 for a run-of-the-mill PC laptop. That idea got scrapped, as they all looked terrible or were just too big & heavy to take travelling. So I started looking at a Sony Vaio C2 or the MacBook. I Think the MacBook looks the best and the price is better than the Vaio. I like the idea of learning to use the Mac OS (plus the dual boot option if all else fails me).

I bought a refurb C2D from Apple UK a couple of weeks ago and I love it.

Anyway I got

* 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1GB memory
* 80GB hard drive1
* Double-layer SuperDrive

It's the middle option from the New MacBooks and it was £749.

03-05-2007, 10:33 AM

A new option is on there today!

Refurbished MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo - White
13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
1GB memory (2x512MB SODIMMs)
80GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in iSight camera

Your price: £599.00

Boy they like making this hard for me! I'm so keane to get my hands on a MacBook...