Help me make my decision.

MSG


Joined
Oct 27, 2007
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I'm thinking of buy a Macbook, just a few questions I want to ask before I buy one.

1. If I want to upgrade my RAM to 2GB, is it necessary to buy it from Apple? A similar RAM can cost less than $100.

2. Will there be a new Macbook coming up soon? I mean in the next 2 months.

3. I'm only using my Mac for work and school, should I upgrade to 160GB or 200GB HD?

4. Can iWork really replace Microsoft Office? Which one should I buy?

Thanks a lot.
 
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
350
Reaction score
7
Points
18
Location
Atlanta
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP 2.2Ghz C2D 4GB RAM 120GB HDD
1: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/
2: No one can give you 100% fact; but I'm going to say don't expect a new Macbook in the next two months.
3: 120GB with some type of external store would probably be fine.
4: Depends. If you use iWork for some of the more basic functions of Office then I would say yes. Numbers isn't quite as good as Excel, but if you just use the basics then it will get the job done.

Good luck with your Mac purchase! You won't regret it.
 
Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Messages
345
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Location
Hamilton, New Zealand
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook black, Intel C2D 2GHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB WD Scorpio HD
I'm thinking of buy a Macbook, just a few questions I want to ask before I buy one.
1. If I want to upgrade my RAM to 2GB, is it necessary to buy it from Apple? A similar RAM can cost less than $100.
2. Will there be a new Macbook coming up soon? I mean in the next 2 months.
3. I'm only using my Mac for work and school, should I upgrade to 160GB or 200GB HD?
4. Can iWork really replace Microsoft Office? Which one should I buy?
Thanks a lot.

Welcome to the forum!
1. No. You can buy it from a third party seller which cheaper than Apple and you can install it yourself.
2. Not heard of any news about new MacBook.
3. I think the 120GB that goes with the MacBook will suffice for your purposes. You can have an external drive later on with bigger capacity, e.g. 500MB, for storage.
4. I haven't tried iWork so I can't comment on this one. I use Mcrosoft Office for Mac though.
 
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Messages
589
Reaction score
31
Points
28
Location
SF Bay Area, CA
Your Mac's Specs
See Sig...
Both of the previous posters hit it dead on; I only have two things to add:
1. You don't necessarily have to buy Office or iWork. You can use OpenOffice as well, which is free and works on Windows and MacOS, and will save files in Microsoft-compatible formats.

2. You might consider upgrading the hard drive-after you buy the machine-to a 7200rpm drive. I'm not sure what effect that would have on the warranty with the MacBook. I think it's ok to do because it's technically user accessible (and you can always put the old drive back if you have to send the machine in), but I'm not 100% sure. It'd make a respectable difference in loading times and boot times, along with the 2GB RAM upgrade. This is by no means necessary, just something to consider.
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
462
Reaction score
23
Points
18
Location
Huntingdon,Cambridgeshire (UK)
Your Mac's Specs
White Macbook 2.4ghz, 2gb ram, 160gb hd,superdrive, OSX Leopard
I'm thinking of buy a Macbook, just a few questions I want to ask before I buy one.

1. If I want to upgrade my RAM to 2GB, is it necessary to buy it from Apple? A similar RAM can cost less than $100.

2. Will there be a new Macbook coming up soon? I mean in the next 2 months.

3. I'm only using my Mac for work and school, should I upgrade to 160GB or 200GB HD?

4. Can iWork really replace Microsoft Office? Which one should I buy?

Thanks a lot.


1. yes i reccomend www.crucialmemory.com - DO NOT BUY APPLE RAM!
2. Nobody knows, personally i think not
3. No, only if you you have an insane amount of media. If you do i recommend an external drive
4. I was very looking forward to using iwork, so far i prefer office 2004, but i'm a completely new switcher and i nevr used previous versions. I'm sure in time i will like both. I recommend using the free trial you get of both and deciding which you prefer, or if you like both get both. In my opinion iwork is not meant to replace office i think it is meant to provide a much more creative counterpart. In terms of compatibility its so far been brilliant.

hope this helps

jordan
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top