Aluminum Versus Polycarbonate macbook..Sorting fact from fiction?

I HEAR alot of people say Aluminum is more sturdy...

I HEAR alot of people say Aluminum Warps easier and Polycarbonate is better..

Iv'e read Articles such as http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-653348.html

And Yet alot of forums iv'e read Say just the opposite...

Iv'e read a bit about Aluminum macbooks having warping issues?

Iv'e read just as much about the plastic ones having cracking (Polycarbonate is supposed to be near unbreakable?)

One of the biggest reasons I am looking at a macbook is the build quality rumored around it. Which Factually is a better build? The White Polycarbonate Macbook or the Aluminum Macbook? I don't mind paying the extra $$ if the Aluminum is Factually a better build. This is the last decision i need to make before i go ahead and purchase. Thanks =)

 

Aluminum Pros:
1. All one piece of metal
2. No cracking
3. anodized
4. Giant Heat sink, drawing heat away from your internals
5. Much brighter and slightly better screen
6. Backlit Keyboard!
7. Runs much cooler
8. Is "greener" having a much higher percentage of easily recycled materials.
9. Feels sturdier (less creaking)
10. Lighter


Cons:
1. Can dent if dropped hard
2. Can scratch


Polycarbonate Pros:
1. Strong
2. Won't dent

Cons:
1. Won't draw as much heat away from your internals
2. Will crack under pressure
3. Will stain over time
4. Not as sturdy or solid as aluminum
5. Thicker

Just a rough Pro/con list for the Alu and White MB's.

 

You aren't going to get an answer to your question I'm afraid to say. Polycarbonate was used for four years and there is a well documented listed of problems Apple and other companies had with it. These unibody MacBook/MacBook Pro have been out for 6 months. There is no way to possibly know how they are going to last 2 years from now.

I CAN tell you that the aluminum looks better. That's about it.

 

I agree that the aluminum looks much better .

As far as I can tell, there isn't a huge build quality difference. The plastic won't dent, but the aluminum won't crack as easily. In my opinion if you take good care of your notebook, these won't happen anyway. I've had my polycarbonate MacBook for nearly two years now and its still crack-free .

 

Exactly. Rule of thumb: take care of notebook, and nothing will harm it!

 

I dont like the mismatched colors of the unibody unit...black screen area, and silverish body. As part of my job, i help set up new macbooks for staff/faculty at my university and I still prefer my white mb or the black mb. The unibodies do feel nice and perhaps even more sturdy than mine, but mine certainly feels tough.

Sadly though, my particular unit..along with some other's my fellow tech friends have told me about - have a sort of hinge issue where it was installed kind of crooked so when the lid is closed, the lid and the body are a bit off in terms of angle. And intitially opening the lid was not as great. I'm too lazy to do an exchange though. I may just have my tech friends look at it later.
I imagine the new unibodies can still have that issue.

The unibodies do disperse heat away from the internals better, but it does have hot spots that feel much hotter than the older models. When i say this, i'm taking about the base unibody vs. my early 2009 mb white model, which have quite similar specs.

So bottom line for me...I don't regret my purchase at all.

 

Both have their trade off, but I prefer the look of aluminum macbook. So I guess, I will go with the aluminum one.

 

+1 Compared to the ThinkPads and Latitudes I've carried around for years, this aluminum MB is a centerfold.

 

Excellent Summary. I owned a plastic Macbook for a long time and was very pleased with it I own a aluminum Macbook now and I'm very pleased with it. While there was nothing wrong with my Plastic Macbook I would list the following advantages of the Aluminum one:

1) Much brighter and slightly better screen
2) Backlit Keyboard!
3) Runs much cooler
4) Is "greener" having a much higher percentage of easily recycled materials.
5) Feels sturdier (less creaking/flexing)
6) Lighter

 

Hmm...my white MacBook also has that problem. But it hasn't bothered me too much, I have had it for about one year.

 

For years, I noticed the Polycarbonate models showed scratches (swirl marks) making the "Plastic" models look more used than they were, especially in the right light.

I haven't noticed this on my Santa Rosa MBP over time and have yet to notice any scratching on the newer "Unibody MBP" I have now. I do take good care of my equipment though.

Not that Aluminum won't scratch, but I wonder if the Aluminum is (less) prone to scratching over the Polycarbonate ?

 

Surprise surprise, a landslide.

Can people who whine about how the unibodies are rubbish and going to warp or dent please be directed to this thread from now on?

 

Out of curiosity, why is it that every time an owner posts about his own particularly grievances, they seem to get drowned out or abused by many others in the Apple community.

While I understand that each individual's experience is anecdotal, shouldn't negative experiences be shared as well?

Just because some users have a positive experience does not equate that everyone will have a positive experience. Negative experiences donot negate the positive experience had by other users and vice versa.

Is it not important and fair for both sides to be heard?

 

There is a difference between a negative experience, and some user coming it to complain that because there's something wrong with his mac, there's something wrong with everyone's mac, and he hereby has conclusive proof that mac's are no different than pc's blah blah blah etc....

I get so tired of that. Someone proclaming their experience as absolute fact, that we must all accept without question.

That's where the "drowning out" comes in to be honest. Saying YOUR experience was negative was one thing, expressing it as fact that should do for everyone and their mac is pathetic.

 

Fair enough.

Question for the OP, what exactly do you mean by build quality?

 

Build quality I mean a few things.

How long will the notebook holdup to normal use over time?
How sturdy is the Back of the LED screen and how much flex on the keyboard?
How strong are the hinges?
Does the Laptop bend or creak at all when being held/moved?
Does the material break/crack/warp easily?

Those sorts of things.

 

Iv'e had numerous quality issues with Past Toshibas and Dells i have owned. So i would really like a Laptop that can holdup to normal use. One dell the casing cracked at the seam, another the hinges broke. On one Toshiba the Palm rest actually cracked =/.

 

I think ill make it clear


Aluminum > Plastic


Its common sense

And I can say that my MacBook is the sturdiest piece of technology I have ever owned, asides myself

 

I'd have to say the original Gameboy is the sturdiest piece of Tech i have ever seen

 

Have you gone to the store to see the unibody for yourself?

The best judgement on this is your own really. People will warn you, they are totally convinced that the unibody will snap if dropped, or that everyone's unibodies will be warped by christmas etc... yet everyone with a unibody, and who has seen one is amazed by the build quality.

Personally the best decision is to ignore both sides and see for yourself. Then you'll agree with the latter

 

Nice summery. but i would like to clarify a couple of points:

1. The unibody is not anodized. it is electro-plated. same principle, but different processes.
2. PC _will_ dent if the external force is strong enough. whether the amount of external force PC casing can withstand is higher than the unibody is open for debate ...

 

I for one regret that the unibody macs weren't out when I got my Macbook last year. It definitely looks cooler and more importantly, isn't a scratch magnet like the macbook white.

 

the aluminum is definitely better.

nothing is perfect.

 

Recently upgraded my plastic mb for an aluminum one.
And I feel that it is an upgrade in every sense of the word.
Sure its not perfect but its definitely has better build quality, is much cooler, doesn't creak when I pick it up, is noticeably lighter, and I prefer the look of it.
a

 

you're making me want to replace mine as well now.

 

^^^
Well I am happy but not ecstatic.. its a good upgrade but not out of this world, if your plastic is still doing fine then I would probably wait for the next revision.
a

 

Well i think this settles it (for me anyway) If i decide to buy the macbook which is looking VERY likely, i will go for the Aluminum unibody.