Interested Macbook buyer

Hi all mac users!
I have a few questions to ask because im rather interested in getting a macbook for university.
I've done my research regarding this and i still have a few doubts here and there.

1. Does Leopard OS X come pre-installed with white macbook 2.4ghz, 160gb?

2. Regarding disk partition when using bootcamp, what kind of partition can i use eg. fat 32 etc? (i want to be able to copy and transfer files from one OS to another. i also want to be able to view both files on both OS as well.)

3. How is the graphics like? I want to play 3d games such as sims 2.

That's all, i might have other questions in future.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

1. Yes
2. When you install Windows you can format the partition as if you where installing Windows on a regular PC. FAT32 or NTFS. I am not 100% sure though! Someone correct me if i am wrong.

3. Integrated graphics card doesn't give you the best gaming performance, although sims might work fine other games might not. Your best choice would then be the MacBook Pro where you get a dedicated graphics card.

2. When you run the Boot Camp Assistant, it formats the partition as FAT32, however when you go to install Windows, you can reformat it as NTFS.

Ames like the sims that aren't that demanding will run fine on a MacBook. Most graphic demanding games just flat out aren't compatible with intel graphics.

(White Macbook 2.4ghz, 160gb)

Thanks everybody for answering my questions.
I have some more though...

1. The intel chips, are they Santa Rosa or sth? And how can the names affect the chips?

2. Other than bootcamp which most people find troublesome, what other applications similar to bootcamp can i use?
(I'm looking at free and reliable apps not those paying kind because i find paying online too troublesome.)

3. I have heard complaints about people not being able to click on certain keys when using windows in mac. So is there a way to sort of remap the keys or are there useful shortcuts which a mac user should know?

4. I have a samsung 160gb external hard disk. I'm worried the macbook wont be able to recognise it. I have impt files in it and i need mac os x to be able to read and write to it. How should i go abt it if in case my hard drive doesnt get detected by mac os? Moreover i have a driver for the hard disk, should i install tt in the mac?

Thanks!

i also realized tt the usb ports are on the left side of the macbook! how do i get by this? i dun want to buy a wireless mouse. how long u think should the length of a usb wire be for the usb mouse?

1. This is the build of the chip and can make a difference in power consumption, etc. Someone else can probably elaborate more.

2. I'm using Parallels and I love it! Right now I'm using zune player to listen to music in XP while I do other things.

3. There is no second mouse button (at least on the MacBook I purchased) and I haven't figured this one out yet. The control key works sort of like a second mouse button in MacOSX, but doesn't seem to work in xp.

4. I just hooked my external USB drive up and it worked just fine. I could get to any of the windows files on the disk just as though it were on a PC. It did ask me if I wanted to use it for backups with Time Machine. If I select yes, it does want to reformat the drive.

chimpchimp said:

(White Macbook 2.4ghz, 160gb)

Thanks everybody for answering my questions.
I have some more though...

1. The intel chips, are they Santa Rosa or sth? And how can the names affect the chips?

2. Other than bootcamp which most people find troublesome, what other applications similar to bootcamp can i use?
(I'm looking at free and reliable apps not those paying kind because i find paying online too troublesome.)

3. I have heard complaints about people not being able to click on certain keys when using windows in mac. So is there a way to sort of remap the keys or are there useful shortcuts which a mac user should know?

4. I have a samsung 160gb external hard disk. I'm worried the macbook wont be able to recognise it. I have impt files in it and i need mac os x to be able to read and write to it. How should i go abt it if in case my hard drive doesnt get detected by mac os? Moreover i have a driver for the hard disk, should i install tt in the mac?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

1. The current chipset is Santa Rosa with Penryn Processors.
2. Not sure on that one.
3. I'm pretty sure the Mac Function keys will work as long as you install the drivers that come on the CD that comes with your Macbook. Correct me if wrong someone!
4. You should not need a driver for OS X to recognize your External Drive. I did not need one for mine, however if it is Formatted as NTSF than OS X will only be able to read it, not write to it. So make sure it is formated as FAT32 for OS X to be able to read and write to the drive.

As far as the mouse goes the only way around it would be to buy a USB hub, as it will give you more USB ports since there are only 2 on the MB. And as far as how long your cable should be, that would really depend on how your going to have to mac set up. But i strongly recommend you get a wireless mouse, much more convenient, especially if you get a Bluetooth one, that way you dont use up a USB on the MB. Hope that helps, and GOod LUck!!

reast said:

3. There is no second mouse button (at least on the MacBook I purchased) and I haven't figured this one out yet. The control key works sort of like a second mouse button in MacOSX, but doesn't seem to work in xp.

Click to expand...

Yes Control Click= Right click on Mac. However, you can also put 2 fingers on the trackpad and then click and that also works as right click. Plus a regular mouse with two buttons and even the mighty mouse have the right click function. But yeah using the trackpad you can place 2 fingers on the trackpad and then click. Not sure if that works in Windows on bootcamp though.

If you do install Windows and have the windows partiton as FAT32 you can read and write to the windows partition from OSX but if you format it using NTFS then you can only read. I have Vista installed on an NTFS partion but with this program http://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/ you can read and write to the partition as you would normally. Both XP and Vista cannot read the mac partition so when im booted using bootcamp I use this: http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive/ and it shows the OSX drive under my computer as another hardrive which you have access to, which is great when you're playing a game on the windows side and want to play your music at the same time.

I havnt tried the free versions of running virtual machines but you can run windows inside OSX as well I use Parallels Desktop http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/ which when running gives me drag and drop between both platforms and it can be started from your bootcamp disk or you can install it from OSX but you cant boot from it, plus you get access files on both OS's. I found this free one you could try http://www.virtualbox.org/ but I havnt tried it myself, I kinda used up my broadband cap and have been reduced to dialup speed

i'm currently using bootcamp, and for what it does, i don't think there is a better free one. i've never had any trouble with it. if you don't need to be able to switch back and forth between os x and windows on the fly (you need to reset the computer when using bootcamp) two run one virtually inside another (parellels or something similar) you need a far amount of ram to run them both smoothly.

I recently purchased the Macbook you are looking at, and I planned on installing a Windows partition using Boot Camp.

I haven't yet, and I'm probably not going to. I have been downloading the Mac apps that replace the Windows stuff I was used to, and they have all worked at least as well as the Windows ones. In most cases they are superior.

It'll play the Sims fine, but forget about recent shooters. Get a Macbook Pro if that is what you are into. Or, you can get the Macbook and a PS3 for the same money, and get a Blue-Ray player to boot! The Macbook Pros are by far the most powerful laptops out there.

No matter what you get, if you get a Mac you can also get Windows. The reverse is not true. If you hate Leopard you can just use your Macbook as a Windows machine and you haven't lost anything (but you'll love Leopard, trust me).

I hated iTunes on Windows, but I love it on my Mac. It is better than any Windows program I used in the past, except maybe for MediaMonkey, as that has an outstanding ID3-tag editor. But iTunes does everything else better.

I have a 250 gig external drive with all my media on it, and the Mac recognizes it whether hooked up to one of my Windows PCs or directly to the Mac via USB. It is formatted NTFS. The Mac will only read the files, so you can't delete or change them on the external drive, but I copied the stuff I wanted on the Mac and then I can do whatever I want. And this required zero configuring on my part.

I also thought about a USB mouse or a Bluetooth one, but the trackpad is really good. Two-finger scrolling becomes second nature after maybe a minute, and holding two fingers on the pad and clicking gives you the options menu. It works so well I find myself doing that when on a Windows laptop! I have two of them at home I have to fix for friends. A Toshiba and a Gateway, both so locked up with spyware and c**p they are useless.

I thought that I would have a steep learning curve with Leopard, but it has been such an easy transition, that in itself is a selling point. The way wireless networking works in Leopard is vastly superior to Windows, for example.

You can upgrade the Macbook easily as well. I am going to put 4 gigs of RAM in next month, along with a 320 gig drive--it will be faster and have more storage than the black one and still be $100 cheaper.

I used to think that Macs were overpriced, but now that I have one I must say they are an outstanding value. People forget about all the software that comes pre-loaded on Macs! The only things pre-loaded on most PCs is software that screws everything up--AOL trials, anti-virus programs, "free" music download offers...blech. And you can't run Leopard!