Mac Book

[CA-RJ]

About two weeks ago, I knocked my Dell XPS M1210 laptop off the coffee table and broke the charging jack. Dell wants $500 to replace the mother board on my laptop. Because of that, I am now computer shopping. I've been thinking about going to a Mac, mostly because my wife loves hers and it never crashes.

I'm trying to do this on a budget and am looking at the basic Mac Book. It's specs are--

* 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1GB memory
* 120GB hard drive
* CD writer/DVD reader

With discounts, I can get this for $999. I use my computer for mostly internet and keeping up with our bank accounts. Do you Mac folks think this computer is enough to last me 3-4 years? Only having 1 GB of RAM scares me a bit, but like I said, I'm trying to do this on the cheep.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Michael Slade]

That is the exact computer I am using for my location work. I have 2gb of RAM, but that is only because I tend to operate a lot of programs at the same time, and typically am working on images. Oh yeah, so I don't get tempted to make this my main machine, I looked for the smaller hard-drive, necessitating me to get the images off of the laptop and onto the back-up drive. I only have the 80gb hard drive.

Unless you are a hard-core gamer, graphic designer or rocket scientist, you won't go wrong. I got mine used for $999 locally. It was in as-new condition and still had the warantee. Look on Craig's list locally for one that might be souped up a bit and/or have some software you might want.

Get the Mac, don't look back.

About two weeks ago, I knocked my Dell XPS M1210 laptop off the coffee table and broke the charging jack. Dell wants $500 to replace the mother board on my laptop. Because of that, I am now computer shopping. I've been thinking about going to a Mac, mostly because my wife loves hers and it never crashes.

I'm trying to do this on a budget and am looking at the basic Mac Book. It's specs are--

* 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1GB memory
* 120GB hard drive
* CD writer/DVD reader

With discounts, I can get this for $999. I use my computer for mostly internet and keeping up with our bank accounts. Do you Mac folks think this computer is enough to last me 3-4 years? Only having 1 GB of RAM scares me a bit, but like I said, I'm trying to do this on the cheep.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Martyn]

We use the same computer with 2 gigs of RAM. I upgraded it myself for around $60.00. I can’t remember where I got it from, I did a Google search and ended up buying generic memory chips.

It's a great platform and it is very reliable. In the 18 months + we have had it we have experienced almost zero problems. The dog did chew the cord from the power source, but we didn't blame it on Apple.

We use the computer for surfing the web, web design, Photoshop, Microsoft Office programs, and music.

I really like it, but there again I have never owned anything but a Mac.

 

[edgear]

You could not go wrong with that setup! And as mentioned by others, it might be worth upgrading the RAM to 2GB. 1 would be just fine for now, and memory is always getting cheaper so you could always upgrade in a few years.

 

[jbs]

This is what I have. I planned on upgrading the memory if needed. It is cheap if you don't buy it from Apple. But it turns out I didn't need to. I can run everything I want and more with no slow downs. I wouldn't worry about the 1Gb.

 

[CA-RJ]

Excellent! Thank you for the responses.

2nd question...

I have a couple of external hard drives that I used for my PC's. Can I use these with a Mac or do I need to buy one specifically for Macs?

 

[edgear]

Any USB/firewire external hard drive should work fine on both PC & Mac, and the same with USB flash drives. Just remember to eject them properly from the Mac!

 

[chrismc]

That's a great computer, and you should NEVER buy the upgraded memory from Apple. They want significantly more for it than anyone else (this coming from someone who's brother works for Apple). That being said, you will probably want to upgrade the memory, as 1GB doesn't go far. I highly recommend using crucial.com for all your memory needs. They have the highest quality memory at awesome prices.

 

[CA-RJ]

I ordered up my computer yesterday. Because I ordered it through my wife's school, I got a free 8 Gig I-Pod Nano too! The whole package should be here by the 10th.

 

[DaktariEd]

Also if you use external drives from a PC, you should consider partitioning them for the Mac (use Disk Utility).
I didn't a while back and regretted it when I couldn't access a backup file...

 

[CA-RJ]

Thanks for that bit of advice. I've got three PC hard drives that I plan on using.

 

[Michael Slade]

Thanks for that bit of advice. I've got three PC hard drives that I plan on using.

Maxtor have always been good to me. I have one Western Digital Terrabyte drive that is giving me fits right now. I don't think I'll buy another, even though their *dirt cheap* at Costco right now.

 

[haven]

What advice do Mac users have about AppleCare? I have an iMac that needed replacement of the power supply at 10 months. I'm about to reach the end of the one year warranty period.

Chip Haven

 

[chrismc]

Re: Applecare

I always recommend that people buy every ounce of warranty they can get on a laptop computer due to the rough usage they get. That being said, my Mac laptops have never needed service. My iBook is over 4 years now, and I'm typing this post from it. My mom's iBook took a spill shortly after her AppleCare was over, which broke the power input jack. It was only about 14 bucks to get it fixed. Dell laptops I've had in the past have needed warranty service, and they've made good on the contract. Apple hardware is a bit more unique than PC hardware, so I think its a good idea to have Apple take care of it.

As far as desktops go, you could go either way on the AppleCare. They are less likely to break, but you take a gamble with that attitude. As an IT professional managing over 1000 PC's, 50 servers, and 30 Macs, I ALWAYS buy the extended support on the computers I spec. Aggregately, we get much better ROI on computers under an extended warranty.

 

[Desertdude]

What advice do Mac users have about AppleCare? I have an iMac that needed replacement of the power supply at 10 months. I'm about to reach the end of the one year warranty period.

Chip Haven

I have never bought Apple Care due to most things happening in the first 11 months - If it is under warranty Apple will fix it free no questions.

Apple will also give you the opportunity to upgrade to Apple care, if you call after the 12 months with an issue and are not subscribed to Apple Care.

With all the Apple portables they can be sent into the service center via a box shipped to you prepaid by Apple - slip into the box then ship - takes about 5-7 days to return fixed.