MacBook with external monitor

I am thinking about buying a MacBook for the wife so that we can completely retire the Dell desktop that we still have.

If she still wants to use the Dell monitor, how does it work? Can you have the monitor connected and the MacBook closed without doing anything or do you need to disable it going to sleep when you close it? Will it basically work with any reasonably new monitor?

yep - it'll work. She can either extend the macbook's internal displa or close the lid and use it as a desktop if you hook up an external keyboard and mouse.

Does it automatically not go to sleep if you close it and have the monitor and keyboard connected?

I just have a new macbook pro, and i couldnt figure out the monitor setup. I found this: http://www.livingdigitally.net/2006/10/using_an_extern.html

That should answer any questions.

rogerinlondon said:

Does it automatically not go to sleep if you close it and have the monitor and keyboard connected?

Click to expand...

Well...it does to go sleep when you close it. But then you just move the mouse or click on the keyboard and it will wake back up. (Which is a really quick process on a mac).