Mac Virgin Needs Buying Advice!

Mr_Roger_Bongos

Well im finally going to make the leap!

Been looking at new laptops for the past month and can't face buying a trunks windows system (vista) that's only going to be around until windows 7!

Was hoping the posters of the mac boards could help me out?!

- My plan is to buy a 2.0ghz macbook. Should i shell out for the 2.4ghz?
Im planning to get 4gb ram (why have they started calling it just 'memory' on pc sites since i last bought??)

- I do enjoy my current 15.4inch display and am concerned that the 13inch will be too small. So my plan is to buy a reasonable size flat screen monitor and hook it up for dvds etc, for when im at home. Then take the hit when I'm moving around (not too often and at least i'll look sh1tcool with my new macbook!) - Is this a feasible plan?

- Should i buy the apple care warranty?

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Thanks in advance for any advice, its much appreciated. Most posters here seem very switched on, so your suggestions will be taken on board! Educate me! (please)

Passenger

For your RAM query it really depends on what you will be using the Mac for. What software are you intending to use?

Using a monitor is most definitely feasible... good idea if you aren't interested in a larger size MacBook... it's simply a matter of connecting one to the other.

Certainly the apple care warranty would be useful but dependent on your budget.

You'll definitely love Mac OS though if you haven't used it before. All the best.

Sad Professor

Mr_Roger_Bongos wrote: »

- My plan is to buy a 2.0ghz macbook. Should i shell out for the 2.4ghz?

Can you afford it? Do you really need it? Depends on what kind of work you'll be doing on it.

- Should i buy the apple care warranty?

For a notebook I really would recommend it unless you're very stuck for cash. You can buy it anytime within the first year though so you don't have to decide now. It might be possible to get it cheaper from ebay as well.

colm_c

I'd just get whatever RAM the MacBook ships with, and get your 4GB of RAM from crucial, you'll save a packet.

The more RAM the better IMO.

J-blk

colm_c wrote: »

I'd just get whatever RAM the MacBook ships with, and get your 4GB of RAM from crucial, you'll save a packet.

This was true with the previous gen. of MacBooks but is no longer the case with the new ones, which use DDR3 - 4GB from Apple directly would cost €140, while from Crucial it would cost €123.36 + €7.50 shipping = €130.86... I'd hardly call €9.14 "a packet" .

OP, the only differences between the 2.0Ghz and 2.4Ghz model are the processor speed, hard drive size and one sneaky one - the backlit keyboard (the 2.0Ghz does not have it). Still, unless you really need the processor bump, I'd go with the 2.0Ghz model since you can very easily upgrade both the hard drive and RAM yourself at a later point.

I got the 2.0Ghz recently and I'm very happy with it, so if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

To use an external monitor, you're going to need to buy an Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter - which unfortunately is an "optional" extra (even though it is essential) and costs €29...

colm_c

J-blk wrote: »

This was true with the previous gen. of MacBooks but is no longer the case with the new ones, which use DDR3 - 4GB from Apple directly would cost €140, while from Crucial it would cost €123.36 + €7.50 shipping = €130.86... I'd hardly call €9.14 "a packet" .

Nice to know Apple are getting more competitive with the additional RAM that almost everyone gets. :cool:

J-blk

Yep, the difference used to be pretty mad - I upgraded my previous gen. MBP to 4GB from Crucial and I'm pretty sure the price Apple was charging was more than double what Crucial was asking for... I think though that DDR3 is still universally expensive but Apple is not currently selling it with an additional premium, which is nice for a change.

Mr_Roger_Bongos

Thanks for all the advice guys, think im going to stick with my original plan, maybe get the warranty during the 1st year.

Just in terms of purchase, Im a student from Northern Ireland studying at UCD, I'm not really concerned too much about the price difference (i'd have to get the train to belfast!), but would it be better to register in the north (considered the uk) or in ireland?

If i buy it from the .ie store can i still get full useability in the uk, e.g. buying songs on itunes etc?

Is there any difference?

J-blk

Mr_Roger_Bongos wrote: »

If i buy it from the .ie store can i still get full useability in the uk, e.g. buying songs on itunes etc?

It doesn't matter where the machine is from, just what country your iTunes account is registered for. And yes, you can have multiple iTunes accounts, I have an IE and a US one. However, unless you use gift cards, you need a valid method of payment for each country account you set up (so you'd need a UK credit card for the UK one and an Irish one for the IE one). Otherwise, no problem, though you'll probably get more value out of the UK one, since it has movies, TV shows, etc, that the Irish one does not. Depending on the exchange rate though, the Irish one can be better value so like I said, you're better off just creating two accounts and using whichever suits...

Red Alert

I was a Mac virgin about two years ago (apart from some years on a Mac Plus when I was a kid), you've love the hassle-free experience.

The RAM is going to affect general usability more than the extra few GHz, but I'd be inclined to buy the highest spec machine you can possibly afford - Macs don't age quite as fast as PC's, there are still a lot of PowerPC macs around for example. A well-loaded machine also makes running Parallels or VMWare a lot more pleasant if you need to.

I've a 17" MBP which is just about 1.5 years old and I've got great service out of it. I use it at home plugged into a 24" HD display with the lid shut - you can just use a full size USB keyboard and mouse. If I was buying the machine again I'd probably go for the 15" model, but I only got the external display so I could watch movies so I didn't have it when I bought the laptop.

Also if you need firewire or the better graphics there's also the Macbook Pro. Don't forget to check out the refurb store too - there's often great bargains there and they've also been checked by apple.

PhilipMarlowe

J-blk wrote: »

This was true with the previous gen. of MacBooks but is no longer the case with the new ones, which use DDR3 - 4GB from Apple directly would cost €140, while from Crucial it would cost €123.36 + €7.50 shipping = €130.86... I'd hardly call €9.14 "a packet" .

A bit pedantic but the difference in price on crucial between 2gb and 4gb is about €62 whereas the difference on apple is €140
It's €140 on the apple site to upgrade from the already included 2gb to 4gb

J-blk

Licksy wrote: »

A bit pedantic but the difference in price on crucial between 2gb and 4gb is about €62 whereas the difference on apple is €140
It's €140 on the apple site to upgrade from the already included 2gb to 4gb

It's a moot point since even if you buy the RAM from Crucial, you have to remove the 2GB already installed. Sure, you could sell them, but I doubt you would get much of a return since most laptops that use DDR3 will already have at least 2GB and typically only two RAM slots. So you're still paying at least ~ €130 to upgrade to 4GB, no matter what.

Unless you need the 2GB right now though, I'd hold off upgrading - it'll definitely drop as DDR3 becomes more mainstream.

PhilipMarlowe

I know the cost is more or less the same to upgrade either way, just pointing out that Apple are still charging a premium for ram, even though they are closer to crucial than they used to be..

Mr_Roger_Bongos

Red Alert wrote: »

I've a 17" MBP which is just about 1.5 years old and I've got great service out of it. I use it at home plugged into a 24" HD display with the lid shut - you can just use a full size USB keyboard and mouse.

Also if you need firewire or the better graphics

Just in relation to the above - Can you get HD output from the macbook pro?? Is this possible on a mac book?

Also is there anyway to get a firewire port on a macbook?

The responses are great lads, i've been checking out the refurbished store but stock is fairly low. Think im going to buy new.

J-blk

Licksy wrote: »

I know the cost is more or less the same to upgrade either way, just pointing out that Apple are still charging a premium for ram, even though they are closer to crucial than they used to be..

I agree that Apple is not the best place to buy RAM - though they are getting much better than they were. The difference used to be insane in the past. I still think it's best to wait for DDR3 to drop in price though, it is too expensive right now (in relation to DDR2).

Mr_Roger_Bongos wrote: »

Just in relation to the above - Can you get HD output from the macbook pro?? Is this possible on a mac book?

If you mean running a 24" which usually has a resolution of 1920 x 1200, then yes, the MacBook can run it just fine - I have a DELL 2405FPW myself. The new MacBooks can even run a full 30" Cinema display, but you need a special adapter which costs mad money (close to €100 I think) and is not yet widely available. A 24" can be run off the standard €29 DVI adapter though.

However... there have been problems playing HD content rented from the iTunes store with the new MacBooks on external displays and it does not seem like Apple is going to change that any time soon (it boils down to the usual DRM crap). If you won't be using any iTunes HD content, you shouldn't have any other issues. I think if you google "New MacBooks + HDCP" you should get plenty of info on these issues.

Mr_Roger_Bongos wrote: »

Also is there anyway to get a firewire port on a macbook?

I think there are Firewire to USB adapters out there, but that kind of beats the point, since you lose the benefits of Firewire - it would only be a solution if you have something you want to keep using and are happy to use it over USB. Since MacBooks do not have an ExpressCard slot either, there's no "real" way to add Firewire.

Mr_Roger_Bongos wrote: »

i've been checking out the refurbished store but stock is fairly low. Think im going to buy new.

The refurb store can be excellent value but I would imagine it will be awhile before they have any of the new generation MacBook/MacBook Pros available though - if however you're also interested in a previous gen. MacBook Pro, there are great deals to be had from time to time.

- bo -

Hi,

The parents were on to me about getting me a MacBook for the crimbo. Im doing a Visual Communications/Graphic Design course and so would be using it mainly for programs like Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign etc.

So anyway, Im also a 'mac virgin' and could do with a bit of advice on buying one.

Thing is, money-wise we can't really go too mad...Id be looking for something that would maybe stay around the €1000 or so mark.

I was checking this out:
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Apple_MacBook_MB404B-A/version.asp

Oh and although not the most important thing ever, I prefer the black-coloured ones :P

Thanks for any help/advice...

Sad Professor

- bo - wrote: »

I was checking this out:
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Apple_MacBook_MB404B-A/version.asp

That's one of the old Macbooks now. The current revision has an aluminium enclosure which you might want to consider.

See here:
www.applestore.ie