making decisions....

I've been a member of enough forums to know that there are a plethora of newbies out there (in this case myself included) who ask dumb questions about which model of whatever product they should buy. So, let me go ahead and apologize in advance for my ignorance.

In any case, I'm in the market for a notebook. AND I'm looking to make the switch to mac. I know that I don't like the newest generation of notebooks, they just aren't me. So, I've been researching the black macbook and the macbook pro from the previous generation. I like, aesthetically, the black mac book and THINK it may be a good fit for me. However, I read the the video card is sodered onto the mother board (i think) and that it wasn't the best that mac offered. I'm planning on doing a lot of photo editing and music editing. and a mild amount of video editing. Outside of these media editing tasks, I do A LOT of multitasking and need quite and bit of RAM and a quick processor.

I've almost convinced myself that I'd be better off just going with the MBP over the black MB. Is there REALLY that big of a difference? and if the RAM ad hardrrive as easy to upgrade and areplace in the MBP as in the MB black?

Again, sorry for what I'm sure comes off as a stupid Newbie question, but I want to make sure I get the notebook that is right for me. And I want to make my switch to Mac as enjoyable and fruitful as possible.

Thank a lot guys,
Ben

Both are easy to upgrade [RAM].

I didnt like the look of the new MBP. I bought a MB White [same as the black] and realized that the build quality is no where near the new all aluminum bodies MBP's.

So I sent it back and purchased what I should have bought in the first place. I have now fallen in love with the new MBP's aesthetics - how could I have disliked it in the first place!!!???

If I were you I would pop into an Apple store and feel how nice they are to use.

They also come with a whole host of extra features that make it a worth while purchase. My fav is the 7hr battery, SD card reader, illuminated keyboard, and sexy ultra bright and glossy LED screen.

Yes I agree. I bought the 13" MBP after having my White Macbook for a couple of years and in addition to the keyboard being much improved (I didn't really like using the built-in on my white unless I had to; I mean, it was okay but Apple did something with the MBP to improve it, can't nail down which) the screen is AWESOME. The White screen was okay, and maybe it was because I had a second gen with the non-LED backlit screen but this built-in screen is spectacular!

Plus the SD card slot (I have a Nikon DSLR that uses SD cards, trés convenient) the Firewire 800, the awesome trackpad (no button? How does THAT work? Very, very well) plus the build quality.

Don't get me wrong, the Black MB is very sexy (my wife has one of the same generation as my old White) but it still doesn't have all those other features mentioned earlier. The Macbooks are easier to upgrade the RAM and HD, and have that removable battery everyone seems to get bunched panties about, but I was able to easily upgrade my RAM on this new one. It's only 10 screws on the back panel, but once you're in it's a breeze. I have no qualms about the fact I can't remove the battery, and besides it gets 6-7 hours of life compared to my old one which got 3 on a good day with everything off.

So there's some data points for you.

go pro

I made the switch to macs a couple of years ago and went with the black macbook. The pro was out of my budget, and despite its trademark appeal, the white macbook to me is quite tacky (I like my electronics shiny, black and chic). As a student, I didn't have much requirements, so it was fine. However, since you say you plan on using it for editing photos and music, you should go with the pro. The black macbook has an official 2GB RAM limit, though according to various posts on various forums you can get away with 3.2GB by installing two 2GB sticks. I'm still using my 1GB RAM and am starting to feel as if it's too slow, so I plan on upgrading. The 160 GB HD is also decent, but more is always better. However, and this is perhaps the most important thing you might want to consider when making your decision: I don't think the black macbook is available anymore. Today I checked out the apple store website and there was a new white macbook but no black, and after doing a quick search I found an article discussing the "death" of the black macbook. The article said it will still be available at third party retailers such as best buy, but only until the stock is depleted.

The new white macbook has specs that surpass previous macbook models, including the black, with a RAM limit of 4GB and it almost matches the cheapest Pro, while costing $200 less. I guess it all depends on your budget.