The "Mod your MacBook" thread

I ran out of room in this post. Please visit the new version on my website here:

http://macbook.wiredby.com/


MacBook:
MacBook @ Apple ($1099, $1299, $1499)
* Student discount base prices: $1049, $1199, $1399; select school online at Apple or bring in proof of enrollment into an Apple store to obtain the discount
MacBook @ Macmall (After rebates: $1044, $1219, $1349, all with free printer)
* Free printer is an HP Deskjet 5740; requires a mail-in rebate with purchase of laptop

Ram upgrades: The MacBook can take a maximum of 2 gigs of ram (2 x 1gb). They are user-replaceable; both slots are located under the laptop. You have to remove the battery to gain access, see this article: Memory installation tutorial. Here are a couple good aftermarket ram upgrades: (for much cheaper than Apple's $500 upgrade offering)

$160 for 2 gigs of Patriot (sold as a pair) @ Outpost

$166 for 2 gigs ($83 per gig) of Transcend @ Newegg (good stuff)

$166 for 2 gigs ($83 per gig) @ Newegg (generic stuff with good ratings)

$226 for 2 gigs ($113 per gig) @ OWC (good quality)

Ram list on Newegg

Hard drive upgrades: The MacBooks use a 2.5" SATA hard drive. It is user replaceable ; it is located under the laptop. See here for pictures. Seagate and Hitachi are the two primary sources of 2.5" SATA hard drives. 7200rpm drives are available in 60, 80, and 100gb capacities while 5400rpm drives are available in up to 120gb capacities. The Seagate is the quieter drive while the Hitachi is the better-performing drive.

Update: I just called Apple and spoke to a rep, who said that the 7200rpm SATA drives will NOT fit into the MacBook. This is why the faster drives are not offered with the MacBook; it's a size issue, not a heat issue. However, OWC says these drives are compatible, according to their website . I guess we'll find out when they release their MacBook installation videos...

Seagate 80gb 7200rpm @ eWiz for $155
Seagate 100gb 7200rpm @ eWiz for $188 (quietest)
Seagate 120gb 5400rpm @ eWiz for $191

Hitachi 60gb 7200rpm @ eWiz for $111
Hitachi 80gb 7200rpm @ eWiz for $147
Hitachi 100gb 7200rpm @ eWiz for $165 (best performance)

Bags/cases:
Case Logic (briefcase/carry-case style, 5 models)
Vertical shoulder bag from Booq (MacBook-specific)
Laptop bag from Booq (Fits 13" MacBooks)

Accessories:
8x dual-layer DVD burner @ Newegg for $80 (Pioneer DVR-K06)
* According to Accelerate Your Mac, , the 10.4.6 update makes Pioneer DVR-K06 drive Apple Supported
** Apple stores will not install this for you, I just checked. I'm sure you can kiss your warranty goodbye if want to install a faster DVDr.
Bluetooth mouse (non-Apple)
Logitech wireless laser notebook mouse
Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste @ eWiz for $5 (small tube)
* Big tube is available for $10
MacBook cloth screen protector (cleaning kit also available)

*******************************

Photos:
Black MacBook
Closer photos of the black MacBook
More black MacBook (scroll down)
Even more black MacBook @ Flickr
All photos with the 'MacBook' tag @ Flickr
Badgers, mushroom, snake
White MacBook
White MacBook & Guts (only a few)
Apple PR photos
Apple's MacBook Gallery (with QVTR 360)
White MacBook disassembly photos
More white MacBook @ C|NET (click #'d links @ top)
White MacBook next to a 15.4" MacBook Pro
White MacBook next to a 12" PowerBook
White MacBook gutted
More white MacBook disassembly

Reviews:
First look @ MacWorld (white)
Hands on @ PC World (black)
Hands on @ Engadget (black and white)
Gaming on the Intel GMA950 (actually a Mac Mini article, but the MacBook has the same video card)
Benchmarks @ Geek Patrol
Glossy screen review @ ARS' FatBits
C|NET video review (white)
Stuff Magazine review (black)
MacInTouch reader reviews

Bad news:
Black skin flakes off (closeup)
MacBook whine reported @ Something Awful forums

Software:
Temperature monitoring software (free)
Faronic's Power Save Mac ($10, controls startup/shutdown/restart/logout)

Miscellaneous links:
MacBook at Apple
Tech specs
Support page from Apple
User Guide (PDF)
MacBook Discussion Forum at Apple
600+ MacBook widescreen wallpapers
Wikipedia MacBook entry
MacBookResQ (upgrade & repair services)
MacBook vs. MacBook Pro comparison chart

Notes:
-Glossy screen
-Available in black or white
-64mb GMA950 integrated graphics
-iSight built-in (wifi, bluetooth, etc. too)
-Max 6 hour battery life (3.5 with wifi on, 2.5 watching a DVD)
-No keyboard backlight (small thing)
-No expansion ports (ExpressCard or PCMCIA)
-2-button feature: Activate in mouse prefs; enables 2 fingers on the trackpad plus a click to equal a right-click (not tested by me yet)
-AppleCare is a good thing for laptops. You can purchase AppleCare anytime during the first year of owning your laptop; many people wait until the last month of the first year to purchase it, thus extending their warranty coverage by an extra year (1st year + 3 years vs. 1st year including 3 years)

Nice roundup...

According to this article (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1750) the harddrive IS user replaceable.

Just pop out the battery, remove a metal shield and you're at the drive.

Hard drive user replaceable, easily replaceable? Hallelujah!

Anyway would post some of the links I have found but I'm running late for work!

Will do so when I get back from work!

Vicky

Aptmunich said:

Nice roundup...

According to this article (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1750) the harddrive IS user replaceable.

Just pop out the battery, remove a metal shield and you're at the drive.

Click to expand...

Added, thanks. Found these pictures of the hard drive removal this morning:

http://feedjeff.com/2006/05/17/13-macbook-taken-apart/

Is the hard drive user replaceable on the MBP???

iBrad said:

Is the hard drive user replaceable on the MBP???

Click to expand...

Yes, you can replace the hard drive in the MacBook Pro. Check out the video in the lower-righthand corner at OWC:

http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm?page=Video/directory.html

It may void your warranty, based on the video - you really have to take it apart to get to the hard drive in the MBP. The MacBook has a much simpler procedure

I don't like the "chiclet" style keyboard. Reminds me of my very first TRS-80 Color Computer's chiclet keyboard back in 1983. Very annoying to type on for any length of time. That's why Radio Shack came out with a replacement keyboard in 1984. I wouldn't buy the Macbook simply for that reason. Otherwise they are cool.

rcltrh said:

I don't like the "chiclet" style keyboard. Reminds me of my very first TRS-80 Color Computer's chiclet keyboard back in 1983. Very annoying to type on for any length of time. That's why Radio Shack came out with a replacement keyboard in 1984. I wouldn't buy the Macbook simply for that reason. Otherwise they are cool.

Click to expand...

Take a look at the Engadget review:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/17/hands-on-with-the-apple-macbook/

"The flat square keys lack side or top ridges, making touch typing a little unusual (and possibly somewhat difficult), being that the only physical key delineation is the space between them. What made up for this, however, was the notably more tactile key feedback when compared to the PowerBook and MacBook Pro, which share the same lame, mushy keyboard."

i just listened ta a podcast called "MacCast" and it said the macbook has a 4xdual layer super drive. is this true?

Fallooza said:

i just listened ta a podcast called "MacCast" and it said the macbook has a 4xdual layer super drive. is this true?

Click to expand...

Yes, strangely enough. With the prices of 8x dual-layer drives being so low, you have to wonder why Apple didn't at least offer the 8x drive as an upgrade...

Slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer read support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW): writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 4x speed, writes DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs at up to 4x speed, reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 10x speed, reads CDs at up to 24x speed

http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html

this is a great thread, do most of these thing apply for both the macbook and macbook pro or just is it either/or.

Mace said:

this is a great thread, do most of these thing apply for both the macbook and macbook pro or just is it either/or.

Click to expand...

Thanks! This thread is focused on the MacBook, but I believe that the ram and hard drives will work on the MacBook Pro as well. However, Apple offers the 7200rpm drive as a build-to-order option on the MacBook Pro, so it's not quite as big of a deal to get as it is on the MacBook.

It was stated in another thread that, Apple was asked about the 7200rpm drive fitting into a MacBook. Apple said that the 7200rpm drive are to big to fit into the MacBook.

rman said:

It was stated in another thread that, Apple was asked about the 7200rpm drive fitting into a MacBook. Apple said that the 7200rpm drive are to big to fit into the MacBook.

Click to expand...

Yup, that was me here Keep your eye on OWC and XLR8 for updated news on that, they should find out the "real" story soon.

What about changing the case color:
Colorwarepc
http://www.colorwarepc.com/products/default.aspx
This is pricy, If there were a more affordable option I would consider it.

Great thread mate! This will be perfect for my MacBook Pro... A great way to save about $250 to upgrade the RAM to 2gb!

Thx for this awesome thread.

RingoFan said:

What about changing the case color:
Colorwarepc
http://www.colorwarepc.com/products/default.aspx
This is pricy, If there were a more affordable option I would consider it.

Click to expand...

Not out for the MacBooks yet; just the pros.

to_tough_to_die said:

Not out for the MacBooks yet; just the pros.

Click to expand...

Their page is updated now; says MacBook pros are due on May 26th.

http://www.colorwarepc.com/_inventoryImages/images/products/product-page3_15_06_13.jpg

RingoFan said:

What about changing the case color:
Colorwarepc
http://www.colorwarepc.com/products/default.aspx
This is pricy, If there were a more affordable option I would consider it.

Click to expand...

I'll definately add that, thanks. Currently I'm out of room on the original post, so I'm moving it over to my website. It will be at this address when it's finished:

http://macbook.wiredby.com/

kaidomac said:

Yes, strangely enough. With the prices of 8x dual-layer drives being so low, you have to wonder why Apple didn't at least offer the 8x drive as an upgrade...

Slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer read support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW): writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 4x speed, writes DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs at up to 4x speed, reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 10x speed, reads CDs at up to 24x speed

http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html

Click to expand...

I think the issue is that the MBP 15" needs a special, slimmer slot drive, and these are only available up to 4x speeds.

It would be strange to have a faster drive in the consumer notebook, than you have in your more expensive "Pro" notebook.
Plus the slower drives are probably cheaper, which helps keep the costs down.