I just bought the Macbook Unibody

Hello guys. After a dillema of mine, I finally found a decent macbook with a good reputable seller from ebay to buy from.

he's including the receipt for the upgrades he put in, and the macbook itself. (Oh, also all of the disks, documents, and the box)

Anyways, I got it for $900

IT's not the 13" Macbook Pro

It's the 13" Macbook Unibody.

It has a 500GB Harddrive, with a 4GB DDR3 1066mhz RAM, and he's including a mighty mouse wireless along with it too.

you think I got a good deal? He showed me high res photos and no scratches were on the unit itself. The AppleCare expires in 8 months.

 

That's a pretty decent deal. You saved quite a bit buying it used. This was a great deal as long as the firewire, longer battery life, and other updates weren't a dire ' need' for you.

 

the battery life 5 hours is plenty for me, the firewire is not needed because I have a USB Based camcorder. and the SD Card reader... nothing I use has an SD Card lol.

thanks for the reply

 

That's an incredible deal. Grats

 

Sounds like a good deal to me, ther CPU is like 2.0 ghz on those I think? Plenty fast for most casual users.

 

yea it is. i hope so haha.

what windows version do you guys recommend to run in boot camp?
I'm ordering a clear plastic outer case with the palmrest + keyboard cover.

Also, does the finish on the aluminium wear out like regular laptops? like turn shiny? if so I'll only get the keyboard cover not the palm rest covers.

what about the track pad does that wear out?

thanks guys

 

Don't forget that this model doesn't have backlit keyboard or the slightly better screen either, but the price is very good, especially with the 4Gb RAM because DDR3 is expen$ive.

I wish I had the updated LCD and the backlit keyboard but don't need FW or the longer battery life either.

AFAIK, the newer LCD can be installed on all the uMB. I might do that in the future when prices are cheap enough.

 

I have Windows XP Professional install. I purchased the Windows 7 Professional upgrade package as well so hopefully that runs pretty well. I also have a ZAGG invisible shield cover on the front, back, and the palm rest area and love it! I also have a Incase neoprene sleeve which I would have recommended if you didn't buy the other case. I can't tell if you the finish wears or not because I'm VERY CAREFUL with mine and haven't truly owned it long enough to give that kind of evaluation. Perhaps someone else can give us some info on what to expect with the aluminum's finish over time?

 

for 900 it sounds great.

 

Congrats, that's a nice machine for the price. Pity you won't try to enjoy it for more than 5 minutes before thinking about installing Windows on it.

 

who said I won't try to enjoy it for more than 5 minutes before thinking about installing windows?

I tried Mac OS X Leopard before, in my senior year of high school, I worked on Mac Pros for video production, and my teachers Macbook Pro. Also I had a leopard loaded machine in my house for a motnh or so, I got some enjoyment out of that.

btw, "applebook" what's the differnece between the LCD that's in the MBu and MBP?

 

The HDD, RAM and mouse is worth about $150 so quite a good deal there.

 

hm it says it was purhcased in february of 09, do u think it will have a revised LCD? if so, how do I know? Like a SN?

 

Mine was also a Feb manufacture. Ours will not have the newer panel.

The newer LCD has slightly improved contrast and viewing angles, plus 60% wider color gamut (meaning the colors will be more vibrant, not that there will be more colors), but lower overall brightness.

I personally wouldn't worry about it since you got such a good deal on your uMB.

 

I've seen the uMB and the 13 inch MBP side by side, and there's a pretty huge difference; Things just look better on the MBP.

I think the biggest difference in the two notebooks is the 33% larger battery and the 1000(up from 300) recharge cycles, meaning that the average user won't have to worry about battery wear anymore.

4GB of DDR3 RAM is about $55 on newegg. A good 500gb 2.5 inch hard drive is $90.

 

Good deal you got there mate!

Enjoy your new computer!

 

DDR from PNY is $29 x 2
Samsung HDD is $90

which adds up to $165 to me because of Tax and shipping.
Just because you think it's not expensive, it is to me. Because as you can see, I had to get a used macbook from ebay. $150 from a product that averages in price for $950-1000 in ebay is actually a big add-on.

The battery isn't 33 percent bigger, it's 27%. 45 watt to 60 watt isn't 33% increase in wattage. maybe you're talking about the physical size, but I really never care about the physical size, only the actual power rating.

In macrumor, and other people around have reported they have around 780-8xx cycles and they are retaining 96% of their battery.

as for the lcd... i cant do about it... so i guess i have to live with it, i probably wont even notice it. Don't really care about saturated colors. but thats fine.

but you know what? At least its better than the polycarbo macbook.


lol 2 people making weird assumptions now,
everybody, thanks for the comments.

 

Ha ha, you misunderstood me. Most people that come here and create posts of how excited they are getting either a new Mac or their first Mac generally asking immediately, "What version of Windows should I put on here". That was my point when I said you can't enjoy it for more than 5 minutes before thinking about putting Windows on it.
Sometimes I think people here wouldn't buy a Mac if you couldn't put Windows on it. This is not about you per say but I just don't qualify people as "switchers" if they buy a Mac and install Windows on it immediately. You're not really switching. There's more to computing than what Windows offers. It's all good, enjoy your new Macbook.

 

is it 2.0 or 2.4?

 

Sorry i took it the wrong way. Well honestly, I got this laptop because I couldn't find a better laptop hardware and aesthetic design/strength wise in this price range (and the thickness, dimensions, LED display, etc)... I am definately keeping Mac os X in here. However, you're right haha I AM going to install Windows asap... because all of the programs I use are in Windows and the Mac versions, counterparts are not used to what I use. So if i have the option to run what I am used to, you probably too would run the same version that you're used to. You're right I'm not a switcher, I'm just taking advantage of the hardware that mac offers (only the macbook lines)

 

it's 2.0ghz with 3mb cache i think?

 

You got a great deal. Anyone who tells you otherwise just doesn't understand that some people don't want to pay $1199 + tax for a new MBP with certain features that they don't even care about.

$165 worth of upgrades, tax free, is a pretty darn good deal. That 500Gb will come in handy when 160Gb is easily filled.

The new screen isn't that impressive. Anyone who thinks that any laptop out there has an "amazing" or "gorgeous" screen is either a marketeer (like Mr. Jobs) or doesn't use truly good desktop screens because most them put ALL laptop LCDs to shame anyway. For general usage, the uMB screen is acceptable.

 

ok that's a relief haha. I have an RGB LED with a PVA panel. also a 24" acer 1080p 16:9 monitor. i don't care for the difference only resolution is the thing for me.

thanks for the comments everybody.

 

The new 13" MBP display is good while the old one is crap especially the black level. If you are just going to surf the net it is ok, however for any movies it is downright ugly.

 

I think that the new display is also crap, and I would not watch high quality film on any laptop. For Youtube videos, I can live with most laptop displays.

If the new display is a C, then the old one is a C- in my book.

Of course, those who use Apple's default display profile need to learn about screen calibration. Even the best LCDs look mediocre without proper calibration.

 

idk the display quality, but my previous laptops were Acer 5920g (Which had a decent display imo), Toshiba A135. how do you think it will compare to those 2 laptops?

 

(60-45)/45=33%

and lol @ sociopaths

The 13 inch MBP is $1100 through Apple's education site with a free iPod touch and a free printer. If you sell the iPod on eBay/Amazon, you end up paying $900-$950 for the MBP and get a free printer. Buying directly from Apple also means that you're getting a brand new computer with a fresh one year warranty, plus another year of free warranty if your credit card has that benefit.

FYI Apple does not check if you're actually in college.

 

Ha ha, another one who just wants to make themselves feel better about their existing purchase so they crap all over or downplay the new model that superseds the one they have. I wondered where your post was going until I saw your sig.

The original Unibody Macbook has a horrible screen. Watch a DVD movie or surf on websites with darker backgrounds and either pivot the screen or bob your head slightly and you'll see it wash out and you know it. No amount of calibration will make that low contrast screen even a smidgen better. If you were one of the lucky ones who bought a Unibody Macbook that was assembled in April-May then you got a better screen.
The new 13" MBP's screen is incredibly beautiful with very deep blacks and a very large viewing angle and the color gamut being now 60% better is quite noticeable.

 

yeah, also all reviewing sites...

 

...and yet another ignorant person who goes around touting any laptop display as "incredibly beautiful." Anyone who thinks that the MBP display on any of the 13-17 models is "gorgeous" or "beautiful" or "amazing" is simply ignorant and needs to get out more. If these crappy laptop displays are "gorgeous," then what is the Cinema display or any decent plasma screen? Divinely made by angels? Give me a break. Even some of the best Sony Z and TZ displays are fairly mediocre compared to the good desktop stuff.

The Ford Focus is a good car, but if you're used to BMWs and Porsches, it is nothing to be brag about.

As for "making myself feel better," actually, I made my decision to buy a used uMB for $650. Did I want to spend double that amount just to move from a crappy uMB display to the less crappy MBP LCD? Um, no. I'd rather sell my current Aquos, use my money saved and get a truly good LED HDTV. I'll probably end up selling my uMB in a month or two anyway. To me, my uMB display is crap, but the new one is crap+ (you are fooling yourself if you think that the MBP display doesn't have terrible black levels and low contrast). I'm sorry, but I can't be impressed with 75% color gamut, 6-bit TN panels displaying WXGA when I use my 1080p, 8-bit Aquos that covers 100% of the NTSC color gamut.

Basically, what I'm saying is that I don't mind a mediocre laptop display, and neither does the OP. You two trolls, OTOH, seem terribly bothered by our preferences and opinions. Maybe you should get lives????

I don't have to justify my purchase to anyone, and neither does the original poster. Maybe you two trolls crashing this thread should just get lost instead of criticizing what most others are calling a good deal.

BTW, "Detail," I don't know what planet you live on, but in the real world, most people pay taxes. You can't get a MBP for just $1099 unless you are a student who lives in Oregon.

If the OP wanted to go through the hassle of selling off a free iPod just to get the new MBP, he'd still have to spend $200 more than what he has just bought. Plus, he would have half the RAM and a meager 160Gb hard drive.

Calling people "sociopaths?" Seriously? Are you that big of an idiot?

 

I like this post in reference to an Asus review: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=2739009&postcount=11

"Good review, and especially so true about these reviewers with "best screen I've ever seen!", especially considering low standards of laptop LCDs. It is good to know that I was not the only one who was baffled with these reviews!"

Remember, anyone who tells you that a laptop TN panel is the best that they've ever seen or is "stunning," "amazing," or any of these gushing adjectives clearly has little experience with good displays. These might be the same folks reviewing Honda Accords and telling us that it the greatest ride ever invented by man. LOL.

 

Actually, the MBP screen crushes many desktop monitors in benchmark numbers. I don't feel like digging up the thread for you, but it's somewhere on this forum.

You're paying $200 in taxes? I somehow doubt that. You might pay $200 more AFTER the RAM and HDD upgrade.

I don't see how identifying a sociopath has anything to do with being idiotic. Though I guess it takes an idiot to make that connection.

 

Gods, another thread that's turned into an argument about how amazing or awful the Macbook screens are. If you think that the new screens on the macbooks are awful, then you either hate glossy panels, or you have been using desktops hooked up to super expensive panels all the time.

The displays in the new Macbooks out perform a vast majority of the laptop displays market, so you will have a problem using laptops in general if you cannot stand the Macbook screen. that said, the Macbook screens are nowhere near the best displays ever made. Any half decent MVA/PVA/IPS panel will make any notebook display look bad. Unless you spend many thousands on one of the extremely rare Lenovos that have an IPS screen (Lenovo discontinued that because it was not cost effective and plain silly. If you care so much for your colour accuracy and infinite/infinite viewing angles, just get an Eizo).