Looking To Buy A Mac.

[FederalBmx]

Im looking into buying a macbook for college this fall. To be honest i have always used pc and havent used macs since about 4th grade i hated them. I want to get a mac because the laptop i have now overheats alot. Acer aspire and its actuall left burns on me when i fell asleep with it on. Well im not sure which version of a macbook i should get. I do need it powerful enough to run vista because i have a zune and use solidworks and mastercam alot.

1) How fast of a processor should i get?

2) Can this Processor be upgraded later?

3) If i get a smaller harddrive can i upgrade that easily to?

4) If i upgrade to a bigger harddrive how easy is it to install os x?

5) Should I dish out the extra cash for a macbook pro?

6) and should i just wait for leopard to be released along with possible new versions of ilife and stuff?
any response would be appreciated. thanks.

 

[cwa107]

Im looking into buying a macbook for college this fall. To be honest i have always used pc and havent used macs since about 4th grade i hated them. I want to get a mac because the laptop i have now overheats alot. Acer aspire and its actuall left burns on me when i fell asleep with it on. Well im not sure which version of a macbook i should get. I do need it powerful enough to run vista because i have a zune and use solidworks and mastercam alot.

All modern notebooks get warm, including the MacBook. Most manufacturers stopped using the term "laptop" because they are not intended to be used on your lap. Although I highly doubt you would ever been physically burned by one, be aware that they are not supposed to be used on one's lap for extended periods of time.

1) How fast of a processor should i get?

It depends on your needs. Obviously, the faster, the better. But if you're just running office applications, surfing the web and doing email, the base models should be fine. If you intend to do some gaming, you might want to consider the MacBook Pro, which has a true discrete graphics card (as opposed to the integrated graphics on the standard MacBook)

2) Can this Processor be upgraded later?

No. In fact, there are very few notebooks where it can. None of Apple's notebooks can.

3) If i get a smaller harddrive can i upgrade that easily to?

Yes. But the term "easily" is subjective. If you have some experience with disassembling notebooks, it probably won't be a problem. But there are plenty of online guides that can step you through it.

4) If i upgrade to a bigger harddrive how easy is it to install os x?

Pretty easy, but I would recommend that you buy an external adapter for your existing hard drive and then restore it to the new one.

5) Should I dish out the extra cash for a macbook pro?

any response would be appreciated. thanks.

It depends on what you do with a computer, which you didn't really get into.

 

[MMATruman]

I would get the MacBook Pro 2.2 ghz, obviously 15". Actually, I AM getting that. Ordering tomorrow. So:
1)2.2
2)No
3)Yes, but if you screw it up, your warranty is gone. I am just going to buy the Computer online at apple.com and upgrade the hard-drive there.
4)Very easy
5)Yes, definitely, I'm sure Vista will run smoother on it than with a MacBook. But some will say save your money. I would just as soon get the better machine, just so I know I have that extra power if I ever need it. That's just me though. Hope that helps!

 

[FederalBmx]

well i would like to game a bit. but the only games that this thing can run are civ4. i know laptops or "notebooks" as they call em get warm but this thing runs so hot ive had to dissasemble it about 6 times. replace the harddrive. clean the fan. it would constantly shut off on me. its like a fire hazard with a screen. another reason i want a mac is sometimes it seems easier than dealing with this peice of **** laptop. from what i hear no one has to deal with this on a mac. and mostly im just curious about macs lately.

thanks for the quick replies!