Hey guys,
I am a first time poster but I am looking to make this my new home! Your advice is crucial to my purchasing of a new Mac. I consider myself a power user and would like a Macbook Pro, yet I am a poor college student. Last year I stopped using my Dell in favor of my schools Macs and I am now looking to buy one.
Being a power user, it is crucial my Macbook have 2Gb of memory and a 200 gigabyte harddrive. However, my cheapest option is to purchase through my schools computer showcase. The following is the deal they are currently offering:
13" MacBook (white) + 3-year warranty
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
13.3" glossy TFT widescreen display (1280x800 resolution)
120GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM PC2-5300 (2x512)
4MB L2 cache
8x double-layer SuperDrive (CD/DVD+/-RW)
Intel GMA 950 graphics processor w/64MB DDR2 SDRAM (shared)
AirPort Extreme wireless 802.11n
Bluetooth 2.0
10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet
Built-in iSight camera
Apple Remote control
6-cell Lithium Ion battery
Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger
iLife '06 and Front Row software
5.2 lbs. (12.78"W x 8.92"D x 1.08"H)
3-year AppleCare extended warranty
For $1289
I also plan to get the free iPod Nano and sell it on eBay for $150 to cover some costs
Now, I have read it is easy to upgrade the memory and hard drive, and have even seen videos on how it is done. But, I know purchasing a new hard drive and memory from Apple (they would not price match and allow me the option of customizing a machine) would be out of budget and have seen memory and hard drives compatible with Macs available on eBay. My worry is that these units would not be of good quality and actually harm my computer. Has anyone had any issues with spare hard drives and memory purchased on eBay or the likes? Also, is the Apple Protection plan necessary? I currently have had my Dell for over three years and not run into an issue where I have needed to use the warranty. Thanks for all your advice!
Phil
I am a first time poster but I am looking to make this my new home! Your advice is crucial to my purchasing of a new Mac. I consider myself a power user and would like a Macbook Pro, yet I am a poor college student. Last year I stopped using my Dell in favor of my schools Macs and I am now looking to buy one.
Being a power user, it is crucial my Macbook have 2Gb of memory and a 200 gigabyte harddrive. However, my cheapest option is to purchase through my schools computer showcase. The following is the deal they are currently offering:
13" MacBook (white) + 3-year warranty
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
13.3" glossy TFT widescreen display (1280x800 resolution)
120GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM PC2-5300 (2x512)
4MB L2 cache
8x double-layer SuperDrive (CD/DVD+/-RW)
Intel GMA 950 graphics processor w/64MB DDR2 SDRAM (shared)
AirPort Extreme wireless 802.11n
Bluetooth 2.0
10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet
Built-in iSight camera
Apple Remote control
6-cell Lithium Ion battery
Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger
iLife '06 and Front Row software
5.2 lbs. (12.78"W x 8.92"D x 1.08"H)
3-year AppleCare extended warranty
For $1289
I also plan to get the free iPod Nano and sell it on eBay for $150 to cover some costs
Now, I have read it is easy to upgrade the memory and hard drive, and have even seen videos on how it is done. But, I know purchasing a new hard drive and memory from Apple (they would not price match and allow me the option of customizing a machine) would be out of budget and have seen memory and hard drives compatible with Macs available on eBay. My worry is that these units would not be of good quality and actually harm my computer. Has anyone had any issues with spare hard drives and memory purchased on eBay or the likes? Also, is the Apple Protection plan necessary? I currently have had my Dell for over three years and not run into an issue where I have needed to use the warranty. Thanks for all your advice!
Phil
