Buying a Macbook...

I am (was) a lifelong PC User, and am finally upgrading to a Mac. I had a couple of questions from experienced Mac users to know what is the best computer for me to purchase. First off, I am a college student and basically use my computer for doing homework, and using the internet. But I do multitask on my computer all the time (I always have several programs running at the same time). I pretty much use all the programs in Office, AIM, Firefox, etc - but don't play any computer games or use many other programs. I want to get a Macbook because I like how small and portable it is. Which of the 3 configurations be the best for somebody who is a light computer user? Are the refurbished models worth looking into? Most of the one's I saw are the old configuration with a Core Duo instead of a Core 2 Duo - how important is that? I would like to save money if possible, but it is not worth a downgrade in quality to me. Also, my the Computer Store at my school has the middle and black Macbooks for the regular price ($1300 and $1500), but they include the AppleCare 3 year warranty. So my student discount ($100) is replaced by the warranty, basically. Is AppleCare worth it?

Thanks for your help.

definitely go with at least 1GB of ram. i think that's the most important macbook option. that one is pretty crucial; others are just icing.

you could certainly go with a refurb core duo - i have one and it's great. you may also be able to get a few more options for less cost (superdrive for burning single layer dvds, larger HD).


welcome to the forums, and once you do get a mac, if you have questions just let us know!

For any sort of budget, I strongly recommend avoiding the black one. Honestly, I can't see the logic behind such a price increase for a largely cosmetic upgrade from the mid-level model to the black one.

I got the mid-level one with 2GB; I would recommend the mid-level with 1GB or 2GB or RAM depending on what you're willing to spend. The low-level one lacks the disc-drive options and has a slower-clocked Core2Duo. While it might not be THAT much of a difference, it's definitely worth considering those upgrades if you're willing to put up a few extra $$$.

So, in my opinion, the upgrade from low-level to mid-level is definitely worth it. Especially with a student discount... I have the mid-level at ca. $1200 with a university discount.

My two cents... Applecare is DEFINITELY worth it.

I just got a new macbook as well. I got a refurb. 35% off the original price for my white macbook. Sure, with refuerb you dont get the education discount, but I saved over $300. Don't get a black one unless you really want the world to know you have money to burn. there is no difference in black and white except the color and the price, besides Home-Depot sells spray paint for a dollar a can, lol. Apple care is worth it, but remember, they ALL come with one year care and as long as you purchase an extension before the year is up, you are good for as long as you keep buying it. there is no discount for buying three years up front or buying it as you go along, at least not that i know of. After my ibook died i searched and searched, the mac refurb store is truly an awesome buy. My macbook is absolutely FLAWLESS. No blemishes, scratches, no nothing nd everything on the inside has been gone over and check at least one more time than a regular new macbook. it went through the same inspection when sold as new that the new ones go through, and then a second inspection when it was refurbished. The apple refurb depot people don't cut any corners. if you are on a budget, you owe it to your wallet to at least check it out.

i recommend getting the APPLECARE and if you have the cash go ahead and throw in the 2gb of ram from the start.

For anybody who does have a refurb mac, how long have you had it for, and have you had any problems with it? And, do the first generation white Macbooks have a lot of problems with discoloration where you rest your hands? If so, would that still be a problem if I purchased one of the older white models? I don't know if they would replace the casing when the refurbished the computer.

Thanks in advance.

I'm also a college student, and the features I needed in a laptop are identical to yours. If you look below my post you can see my configuration. I got MS Office Student/Teacher edition and I got the AppleCare Plan because it's definitely worth it. I used my student discount and the total for the MacBook, AppleCare, and MS Office was around 2,000. So far I've been more than happy with the purchase.

my white macbook (purchased new in october) is not necessarily very old, but it is core duo (not core2duo), and i have had no discoloration problems.

I could be wrong, and I am too tired to double check. But I believe that the black Book is only 50 bucks more expensive when the specs match up. If you are going to upgrade to a 120GB HDD, then the price seems to be only 50 bucks less to get white. I'd spend 50 bucks to be the one not in the crowd...

the one not in the crowd of hundreds of thousands of black windows laptops?

I was under the assumption apple had solved the discoloration problem. If not I know for a fact that the Mr. Clean maguc eraser worked wonders on my old ibook. May macbook is gray on the inside, aren't all macbooks gray on the inside now?

touché eric!

well......mirror gloss black

I totally agree with everybody about the White v. Black Macbooks. It will be a nice change of pace to have a white laptop. Plus, I don't see spending an extra $200 to only upgrade the HD, and no other specs.

With AppleCare, what happens if your computer has to be replaced (for whatever reason)? Does your AppleCare apply to your new computer, and run until it should have originally expired, or do you just have the 1-year warranty on the new computer? And what if there is less than 1-year on your AppleCare - is your computer covered for 1 year because it was new? I have had problems with a warranty being void after replacing hardware with other companies, so I just wanted to know how Apple handles this.

I was in a similar situation to yourself. I am a student who just does work on the computer and surfs the internet and doesn't do games.

I went for a mid-range MacBook with 1GB of RAM with MS Office Student Teacher Edition, I also purchased iWork after the 30 day trial ran out. This suits me fine and is more than fast enough. Much faster than my Windows desktop machine. Although, my Windows desktop machine is getting on a bit now, so it is a bit unfair to compare it to that.

I have been very surprised how well Mac Office and Windows Office work together. Be warned though that the Office programs can be a big slow loading up because they are not Universal yet meaning they run under Rosetta which can slow things down. However, when Microsoft release 2007 then this will be in Universal and will probably be a lot quicker.

I am looking to purchase a laptop for my daughter that will be attending university this fall. The admissions counselor seems to think there will not be any compatiblity issues using a Mac vs a Windows laptop. I am considering at a new MacBook 2GHz/1GB/80GB/SuperDrive with Office Student 2004.

For those college students out there, have you run into any compatibility issues when creating documents to send to your professors? Any times when you needed a Windows program for a class, etc.?

Thanks in advance for any input.

I use an iMac at college(my computer) and I've had to create, and/or work on other office documents, that have to be useable on a PC. I've had no problems using my Mac with MS Office, and a PC with MS Office.

brrmac said:

I am looking to purchase a laptop for my daughter that will be attending university this fall. The admissions counselor seems to think there will not be any compatiblity issues using a Mac vs a Windows laptop. I am considering at a new MacBook 2GHz/1GB/80GB/SuperDrive with Office Student 2004.

For those college students out there, have you run into any compatibility issues when creating documents to send to your professors? Any times when you needed a Windows program for a class, etc.?

Thanks in advance for any input.

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Which major is she going into? Some of the more "tech-y" majors require specialized software, which PROBABLY will run ok on a Mac via Parallels or Bootcamp, but it might be more trouble than it's worth.

I'm specifically thinking of something like Math/Stats or engineering. VERY resource intensive programs... she could do well to talk to her advisor, to get a feel for what the major requires computing-wise.

I agree with RichP, what your daughter is studying really is the most important thing. I am pre-med, so my classes do not have lots of necessary software. I always use the Macs on campus, which have MS Office, and I haven't had any problems with compatability. Though, some of my friends in engineering and business use so many different programs for classes that using a Mac might not be worth it. I think other than for Engineering and Business, your daughter probably wouldn't have too many problems using a Mac.

Also, I decided on getting the White 2.0 GHz Macbook with AppleCare from the Computer Store at my school. Thanks for everybody's input and help. I can't wait to get it and avoid using PCs entirely...