# MacBook



## Brian

Anyone have one?

I have come across a deal for one and am trying to get opinions on whether or not I should bite the bullet. Its for my sister to use and she isn't a gamer or anything.

Intel Core Duo 2.0ghz
1gig DDR2 RAM
60gig SATA hd

600$


----------



## dekstr

Brian said:


> Anyone have one?
> 
> I have come across a deal for one and am trying to get opinions on whether or not I should bite the bullet. Its for my sister to use and she isn't a gamer or anything.
> 
> Intel Core Duo 2.0ghz
> 1gig DDR2 RAM
> 60gig SATA hd
> 
> 600$


Mac is superior in performance to PC on every level. The only problem is that most applications are designed for PC instead of Mac, so it's sometimes a little frustrating. My friend owns both Mac and PC, ever since he got the Mac he's never regretted it.

It's pricier than PC, but you get what you pay for.

Of course you will get people who are die-hard loyal to one platform. I'm not really a hard-core computer person so I'm just speaking on a slightly educated consumer level.

I like Macbook--much simpler to use and very powerful performance. Short start-ups, more efficient processing, less bugs, less crashes. However I've been a PC person my whole 19 years of life. Would I get a Mac? Maybe when I have money.  My Dell laptop cost about $700 total when I bought it September 2006.


----------



## Tabatha

I love my little MacBook!


----------



## Pablo

dekstr said:


> Mac is superior in performance to PC on every level.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
> 
> (PC user)


----------



## Pablo

Brian said:


> Anyone have one?
> 
> I have come across a deal for one and am trying to get opinions on whether or not I should bite the bullet. Its for my sister to use and she isn't a gamer or anything.
> 
> Intel Core Duo 2.0ghz
> 1gig DDR2 RAM
> 60gig SATA hd
> 
> 600$


This is a good price for this system in a MacBook- provided its in mint condition. I say go for it.


----------



## MacFish

That is a great price. Grab it or let me have it 

I work for a Mac dealer and have been using a Macbook since they were first released. I just got the new one on Friday and so far it's great like the past generations.

As long as you at not a big gamer, you won't be disappointed. The bect thing about the new Macs is you can run Windoze if you need to. Either using the Apple method (bootcamp) or using a virtualization software like Parallels or VMware Fusion.

If you have any questions, let me know. I'd be happy to help.


----------



## Pablo

MacFish said:


> That is a great price. Grab it or let me have it
> 
> I work for a Mac dealer and have been using a Macbook since they were first released. I just got the new one on Friday and so far it's great like the past generations.
> 
> As long as you at not a big gamer, you won't be disappointed. The bect thing about the new Macs is you can run Windoze if you need to. Either using the Apple method (bootcamp) or using a virtualization software like Parallels or VMware Fusion.
> 
> If you have any questions, let me know. I'd be happy to help.


I dont understand why people who use macs religiously think they're so much better. like its 'more than a computer'

I've used macs many times. Its great. I dont dislike it at all. I do think the hardware is too expensive. I also don't think its actually so much better than my PC. Thats just me.


----------



## Brian

I am typing this from the MacBook right now. Its a nice laptop, its got normal scratches from wear and tear though but I assume that its normal since the glossy finish seems pretty easily scratched.

I am going to try and download the leopard 10.5 and then upgrade this as he said something about how this os is Tiger.

I have no idea what this all means as this is the first time I am on a MacBook.

I don't think my sister is going to like this thing though, it seems hard to use for religious PC freaks like us. Probably going to have to sell it but I am sure I can make 100-150$ off this thing at least 

If we arn't going to sell it, I am fine with keeping it as its beginning to grow on me. There isn't a warranty on it though which is one thing I am worried about as I heard the harddrives on MacBooks die quick?

Also, MacFish, do you know what type of RAM I need to buy if I wanted to upgrade the RAM on this thing? I think there is 1.24gig of DDR2 on this right now, not sure if its 1 stick or 2x 512.


----------



## Brian

So I checked the box and it says 2x 512 sticks of ram and it says upto 2gig supported but I was wondering if it would be able to support 2x 2gig = 4gig or would that have adverse effects on the mobo?


----------



## Pablo

Brian said:


> So I checked the box and it says 2x 512 sticks of ram and it says upto 2gig supported but I was wondering if it would be able to support 2x 2gig = 4gig or would that have adverse effects on the mobo?


Just crack the bugger open the ram will say on it what it is. much easier.


----------



## Pablo

Brian said:


> So I checked the box and it says 2x 512 sticks of ram and it says upto 2gig supported but I was wondering if it would be able to support 2x 2gig = 4gig or would that have adverse effects on the mobo?


Up to 2 gigs supported means what it says.

2x1gb looks like ur best shot


----------



## MacFish

Hey Brian, 

PM me the serial number so I can see which one it is. You can find it under the battery. 

All Macbooks use DDR2 PC-5300 667MHz Sodimms. If it is a Core Duo, 2GB is the max the chipset will support. If it's Core 2 Duo, it may take 3GB or 4GB depending on which one it is. Since you said it has a 60GB and is 2.0GHz, I am guessing it is the first gen Core Duo. 

As far as HD's dying quickly in Macbooks, I don't think that is the case. Hard drives die. One of my reps had a good saying... 

"There are 2 types of hard drives. One that has died and one that will die." 

Doesn't matter what computer it's in and they are so cheap now who cares as long as you have a backup. OS 10.5 aka Leopard has an amazing backup utility built in. It is fool proof.

As far as Pablo's comment, I came from the windows world. They've got much better over the years as well but they still are not as reliable os OS X. No viruses, no adware, no spyware, no software headaches basically.


----------



## Pablo

MacFish said:


> Hey Brian,
> 
> PM me the serial number so I can see which one it is. You can find it under the battery.
> 
> All Macbooks use DDR2 PC-5300 667MHz Sodimms. If it is a Core Duo, 2GB is the max the chipset will support. If it's Core 2 Duo, it may take 3GB or 4GB depending on which one it is. Since you said it has a 60GB and is 2.0GHz, I am guessing it is the first gen Core Duo.
> 
> As far as HD's dying quickly in Macbooks, I don't think that is the case. Hard drives die. One of my reps had a good saying...
> 
> "There are 2 types of hard drives. One that has died and one that will die."
> 
> Doesn't matter what computer it's in and they are so cheap now who cares as long as you have a backup. OS 10.5 aka Leopard has an amazing backup utility built in. It is fool proof.
> 
> As far as Pablo's comment, I came from the windows world. They've got much better over the years as well but they still are not as reliable os OS X. No viruses, no adware, no spyware, no software headaches basically.


Afaik, and ik a fair bit about Intel's product line -- Core duo does not exist.

The architechture is core2, whether its core2 duo or core2 quad


----------



## MacFish

The first Intel Processors Apple used when they made the switch from PowerPC were Core Duo T2400 and T2500.


----------



## Pablo

MacFish said:


> The first Intel Processors Apple used when they made the switch from PowerPC were Core Duo T2400 and T2500.


I think that might have been a rebranding of the core2 then for either the mac market or the mobile processors have a different nomenclature?

That's bizarre I had no idea...


----------



## Brian

Core Duo and Core 2 Duo are 2 different processors with similar chipset except the Core 2 Duo is built slightly different and allows for 15-30% increase in performance.

SN is 4h619227u9c

So I am assuming it will only support upto 2 gig of ram?

This is confusing to use, I can't figure out how to open multiple copies of firefox... I click firefox on the sidebar to try and open a new one and all it does is bring me to the one I already have opened!!


----------



## Windowlicka

Try:

<file> <new window>

or

<file> <new tab>

Not sure - I use Safari, and this works for me.

This is somewhat embarrassing for me to admit openly in the public domain... 16 years selling Intel/AMD-based network servers for a living... ALWAYS been a devout Intel/Windows fan... bought first Mac late last year... NEVER going back. They'll be prying the best damned wireless keyboard ever from my cold, dead fingers!

(message typed & posted from my Mac - the shame of it all!)


----------



## Brian

Haha, yeah... the Macbook is growing on me even through I only had less than 15 minutes of total usage time on it.

I am debating whether or not to sell it as I already have an offer for 800$... lol. If I decide to keep it I'm going to upgrade it to the 2gig of RAM.

What would you guys do?


----------



## Pablo

Shhh!

Shun that thing man. Don't go over to the dark side.

You have no idea of the power of the darkside of the force.

Once you begin down the dark path you'll have major software compatability headaches as well as a vastly reduced library of possible applications, hardware upgrades, and you'll lose that one force power where you wave your hand and tell people what they saw.


----------



## MacFish

Brian said:


> So I am assuming it will only support upto 2 gig of ram?


Yup. You should be able to pick up 2 x 1GB pretty cheap and then you have 2 x 512MB that you can make a nice keychain 

I'm a Safari user as well but I am pretty sure what Windowlicka suggested will work with Firefox as well. Or you can just hit "Command" "N" for the shot cut.


----------



## Brian

Alright, got it to work.

Hey Mac, do you get hookups with Macs? I was browsing and found some 2 gig deals for 50$ but don't know if that is the going price or not


----------



## MacFish

Depends on the quality. There are some real cheap options out there for about $20 per 1GB. I only use the good stuff. I typically stay with 1 of the 4 brands Apple uses. Check your PM's.


----------



## Brian

What do you guys use to download music with the mac?


----------



## MacFish

I don't download too much music. You can use Limewire or Acquisition. If you want a a bit torrent client, I use Azureus.


----------



## Pablo

Brian! That's illegal!


----------



## Fishfinder

I prefer PCs, i like the feel of the XP (vistas layout is a copy of a MAC which i dont like!) When windows crashs, it gives a reason, Macs just 'unexpectidly quit'. Macs you cannot upgrade the hardware, whereas desktops you can do anything pretty much, even notebooks have some interchangability, Macbooks dont.
And the biggie, PCS ARE BETTER AT GAMING!!!!!!!! woot!


----------



## Brian

Its only illegal if you don't own a hard copy of the song you want to download 

Does anyone here use mIRC? I tried to get it for Mac but apparently it isn't supported which is bull... I tried an alternative IRC and I have no idea how to get it to work. 

I'm not an avid gamer so I don't really care but like I said, this Mac is for my sister, not me. I have a PC laptop and the only game I play on it is dota/wc3


----------



## MacFish

I've heard good things about this one..

http://www.ircle.com/


----------



## Brian

That's the one I got but I can't figure out how to use it for the life of me... I tried clicking Join, entered in the server name and channel name and click OK. The irc client says connecting for a while and then it says offline


----------



## MacFish

If I have a minute tomorrow, I'll see if I can figure it out.


----------



## Brian

Thanks!

Its all coming together now... Mac + Fish  its like you knew before hand the 2 best things in this world!

If you ever come down to GTA or attend one of our meet and greets let me know so I can grab some RAM off you


----------



## Pablo

Brian said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Its all coming together now... Mac + Fish  its like you knew before hand the 2 best things in this world!


Oh dude its happening. You're becoming a Macindouche.

I can think of SO many things that are SOOO much better than apple computers and fish.

SOO much better.

ITS JUST UNIX WITH A PRETTY FACE!! COME ON!!


----------



## Fishfinder

Lol brian. I play WC3 also, but mostly Ladder  whats ur acc name?


----------



## Brian

Chill out Pablo, there are many things better but it would be wrong for me to post them as a moderator 

@fishfinder, I don't play ladder  I never was any good at it but I rape face in dota


----------



## MacFish

> ITS JUST UNIX WITH A PRETTY FACE!! COME ON!!


Exactly! Its UNIX with a pretty face. UNIX stability with Mac usability. Sounds like a good combo to me.


----------



## Pablo

MacFish said:


> Exactly! Its UNIX with a pretty face. UNIX stability with Mac usability. Sounds like a good combo to me.


Its just a computer!


----------



## Chris S

Too bad it lost its stability!

Macs are overpriced and underpowered. I'm sorry, but benchtesting just proves this over and over and over and over (take photoshop for example). As for the price, just go to one of those apple stores and check it out yourself. You can get a system twice as fast, with a nice lcd monitor for less than just a crappy underpowered mac.

Software? Sorry, but, PC's dominate. Power + availability. Even workhorse programs like Autocad aren't even MADE for macs. This great myth of macs being so great for graphic design (and this somehow transcending into people thinking their crappy digital camera will work better with a mac) all stems from outdated applications from the 90's that were ONLY available on macs. No longer is that the case.

You think trying to learn the ins and outs of a PC is hard? Try figuring out Leopard! Yay, terminal screens. Sounds user-friendly to me... Unix has always been fun. At least it is stable...well, the platform was until apple got a hold of it.

I hate macs and especially their marketing campaigns that are just rubbish and lies. Yes, Iphoto was the missing link for digital photography....for the mac OS! PC's had it 4 years earlier, better and faster.

But, go ahead and buy a mac


----------



## Brian

I already got it, I like it a lot  but at the moment I am debating whether or not I should trade it for a Dell 640m.

Here are the specs:

Dell E1405 (640m)
Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0 ghz
2Gb Ram
120GB HD
14" WSXGA screen
Wireless A/B/G
DVD-RW drive
Bluetooth
Card reader

What do you guys think?


----------



## Windowlicka

Personally, Bri, I wouldn't waste my good money on a Dell notebook if my life depended on it.

Speak to a few Dell business users and ask them how many times their keyboard has had to be replaced... I'd personally buy either a Toshiba (preferably a Sat Pro/Tecra) or IBM/Lenovo (preferably one of their T-series)notebook if you want an MS platform - or a Mac!

Cheers!

PS: Wow Chris! Yes, Mac vs: PC - PC is cheaper, and if you are happy to work with MS's approach to unilaterally deploying (poorly designed/implemented) US' DRM policy on all other countries in the world, then more power to you. VERY few businesses have/are contemplating a migration to Vista 'cos it's <ahem> crap. MS tried to pull the plug on XP shipping with new PC's back in mid '07, and had to quickly retract that when the HW vendors kicked back... NOBODY _wants_ Vista!

Besides, if MS ever pulls their socks up and delivers Vista in a half-decent version, I'll gladly install Parallels/Fusion and run it in a Virtual Machine... On my Mac!


----------



## Chris S

Brian: I wouldn't buy a Dell either.

As for my digital rights, that is a touchy subject


----------



## MacFish

> Yes, Iphoto was the missing link for digital photography....for the mac OS! PC's had it 4 years earlier, better and faster.


Are you sure you want to start a who ripped off who argument?

The price argument is not a new one and not one I wish to disagree with. For your average person, the extra money spent on an Apple *is* worth it. If you are an advanced user that can deal with drivers, viruses, spyware, malware etc, maybe it isn't worth it. I know I grew sick of dealing with it before I switched.


----------



## Windowlicka

Chris Stewart said:


> As for my digital rights, that is a touchy subject


Hehe! Not touchy at all - in Microsoft's eyes it's simple... YOU HAVE NONE! 

Wrong forum for this... maybe over a pint sometime!


----------



## Pablo

Windowlicka said:


> Hehe! Not touchy at all - in Microsoft's eyes it's simple... YOU HAVE NONE!
> 
> Wrong forum for this... maybe over a pint sometime!


No that's not quite right- your digital rights are THEIR digital rights.


----------



## Chris S

Windowlicka said:


> Wrong forum for this... maybe over a pint sometime!


Yes, indeed


----------



## Pablo

We'll have to have some Calamari too.
(inside joke)


----------



## dekstr

I think I lucked on my dell laptop.

It's the inspiron 640m model, I bought it in October 2006.

For whatever reason it's been 1.5 years now and no problems so far. I think last year one of the keys popped out, but I popped it back into place and it's been fine ever since.

On the other hand, my brother's dell laptop is about 4 years old and has been replaced 2 times already. First time the motherboard fried, second time screen fried. Fortunately, he got way more than his money's worth with warranty.


----------



## Pablo

dekstr said:


> I think I lucked on my dell laptop.
> 
> It's the inspiron 640m model, I bought it in October 2006.
> 
> For whatever reason it's been 1.5 years now and no problems so far. I think last year one of the keys popped out, but I popped it back into place and it's been fine ever since.
> 
> On the other hand, my brother's dell laptop is about 4 years old and has been replaced 2 times already. First time the motherboard fried, second time screen fried. Fortunately, he got way more than his money's worth with warranty.


Please don't buy DELL- from someone who knows computer hardware and has looked inside several dells and said WHAT THE ****!


----------

