Hey Everyone,
First off, I am a brand new Mac user (switched over from ~15 years with Windows) and I hope this is an appropriate place to post this thread. If not, please let me know.
I had been thinking about buying a new laptop for quite some time. I had an HP and the fan broke and the RAM needed some serious upgrading. I had been getting bored with Windows and thought that maybe a switch over to the Mac OS X might be a nice change of pace. So far, I am really getting to know the Mac OS X operating system and it has been treating me well. My main concern is with the hardware & construction of the MacBook Pro itself.
I feel like I did a considerable about of research before I decided to buy the laptop, but I will admit that I was a bit impatient. In my research I came across certain issues such as screen defects (yellowing, etc), warped cases, exploding batteries and hard drive failures. From what I collectively read, the screen issues were limited and if I purchased a new MacBook Pro, I could rest assured that my screen would be all right. I also wasn't too concerned about a warped case. I found out that the defective batteries were a recall and that I wouldn't get one with my new MacBook Pro and I honestly did not read too much about the hard drive failures.
I've had my MacBook Pro now for about a week and I still find myself reading articles and forum postings about people having issues with their MacBook Pro. I was just wondering how concerned I should actually be. My screen seems fine, extremely bright and clear. My case is flush and not warped. But I do have a few issues I hope someone could clear up for me. After a mere 2 load cycles, my battery is already down to 98% it's full capacity. I have read a ton of different articles about this saying that it is normal and if I want I could calibrate my battery and so forth, but should I even worry about this?
Another major issue is that my hard drive seems to make a minor clicking/clunking noise intermittently. It seemed normal to me at first and I wasn't concerned, but now it does it more frequently. I tried to search the web for information but wasn't too successful. Some people said that it is normal for a hard drive to make noise (the drives are parking or something), some people said that it is bad for a hard drive to make any clicking/clunking noise or any noise whatsoever.
I hope I don't sound too paranoid or anything, I just want to make sure that I invested my $2000 in something that will last me a few years. I am a college student and barely had the money to spend on the laptop itself and would be quite upset if I need to bring my MacBook Pro in for repairs and all this garbage. Are a lot of the issues ironed out from older models? A lot of the articles I read were from 2006ish and early 2007 before a newer model came out. How can I find out when my MacBook Pro was assembled? And would that make any difference if it was built in late 2007 as opposed to earlier?
A little info about my MacBook Pro:
Purchased December, 14th 2007
2.2ghz Core 2 Duo
2gb RAM
120gb HDD
Mac OS X 10.4.11
Did not purchase the AppleCare protection plan as of now.
(Might possibly purchase it down the road).
If anyone can help a newbie out and help me ease my concerns and paranoia, that would be greatly appreciated.
First off, I am a brand new Mac user (switched over from ~15 years with Windows) and I hope this is an appropriate place to post this thread. If not, please let me know.
I had been thinking about buying a new laptop for quite some time. I had an HP and the fan broke and the RAM needed some serious upgrading. I had been getting bored with Windows and thought that maybe a switch over to the Mac OS X might be a nice change of pace. So far, I am really getting to know the Mac OS X operating system and it has been treating me well. My main concern is with the hardware & construction of the MacBook Pro itself.
I feel like I did a considerable about of research before I decided to buy the laptop, but I will admit that I was a bit impatient. In my research I came across certain issues such as screen defects (yellowing, etc), warped cases, exploding batteries and hard drive failures. From what I collectively read, the screen issues were limited and if I purchased a new MacBook Pro, I could rest assured that my screen would be all right. I also wasn't too concerned about a warped case. I found out that the defective batteries were a recall and that I wouldn't get one with my new MacBook Pro and I honestly did not read too much about the hard drive failures.
I've had my MacBook Pro now for about a week and I still find myself reading articles and forum postings about people having issues with their MacBook Pro. I was just wondering how concerned I should actually be. My screen seems fine, extremely bright and clear. My case is flush and not warped. But I do have a few issues I hope someone could clear up for me. After a mere 2 load cycles, my battery is already down to 98% it's full capacity. I have read a ton of different articles about this saying that it is normal and if I want I could calibrate my battery and so forth, but should I even worry about this?
Another major issue is that my hard drive seems to make a minor clicking/clunking noise intermittently. It seemed normal to me at first and I wasn't concerned, but now it does it more frequently. I tried to search the web for information but wasn't too successful. Some people said that it is normal for a hard drive to make noise (the drives are parking or something), some people said that it is bad for a hard drive to make any clicking/clunking noise or any noise whatsoever.
I hope I don't sound too paranoid or anything, I just want to make sure that I invested my $2000 in something that will last me a few years. I am a college student and barely had the money to spend on the laptop itself and would be quite upset if I need to bring my MacBook Pro in for repairs and all this garbage. Are a lot of the issues ironed out from older models? A lot of the articles I read were from 2006ish and early 2007 before a newer model came out. How can I find out when my MacBook Pro was assembled? And would that make any difference if it was built in late 2007 as opposed to earlier?
A little info about my MacBook Pro:
Purchased December, 14th 2007
2.2ghz Core 2 Duo
2gb RAM
120gb HDD
Mac OS X 10.4.11
Did not purchase the AppleCare protection plan as of now.
(Might possibly purchase it down the road).
If anyone can help a newbie out and help me ease my concerns and paranoia, that would be greatly appreciated.