Is the macbook worth it?

(i hope im posting in the right thread)
anyways....I've been a longtime lurker here...especially in the review section

last october/november, (yes...black friday), I bought an acer aspire 5002, thinking it would be adequate for college (i was a senior back then)
but now that i actully carry around the laptop and use it during class, I find that a 15.4 display is a tad bit big on the school's desks, and the >3 hr battery life is too short for my classes, especially when i have 2 back to back classes

i was wondering if it was worth it to buy a macbook at this time
amazon has the macbook at 999 after rebate (the base specs)
also..
is it worth upgrading to superdrive?
is it worth buying a mbp if im even remotely interested in gaming?
(btw im not a hardcore gamer...jsut want some light reprieve now and then)

 

If you only want to do light gaming, the MacBook's Intel GMA950 seems capable of handling fairly light games, and might be suitable. The X1600 in the MBP is worth it if you plan on doing more high-end 3d gaming (note that the MBP isn't a gaming powerhouse either, but can at least handle some more modern games that the integrated graphics of a MacBook aren't going to be able to deal with).

But again, if you're planning on doing a fair amount of gaming, neither the MB or MBP are ideal compared to other PC notebook options.

I would say that the MacBook is definitely worth it if you like it and want to run OS X.

Regarding the superdrive; it's worth it if you expect to burn DVD's at all. Another factor to consider is that the superdrive model (which also has a 2.0GHz Core Duo instead of 1.83 GHz Core Duo) might give it better resale value later on.

Note that you'll want to buy some additional RAM for it at newegg.com or ramjet.com or somewhere similar.

Depending on what your budget is, the Sony SZ series might be worth considering if you don't care too much about running OS X. Those are 13.3" notebooks, and let you switch between integrated graphics for extended battery life and a GeForce 7400 for performance - again, not a powerhouse by any means, but certainly capable of some light gaming.

-Zadillo

 

The Macbook has a 3.5-hour battery life. Is half an hour really going to help that much? I doubt it. Two back-to-back classes means 4 hrs total correct? The Sony SZ in battery [saving] mode is the only laptop I can think of that meets that requirement. Oh, and didn't you say 15.4" is too big for your needs? Why would you even consider a Macbook Pro?

 

I guess another option would be to just carry a second battery around in your case. With the MacBook, an extra battery is $116 with your educational discount.

Note quite sure what the current Sony SZ batteries cost; when I had my Sony S360, a spare battery cost $299 from Sony, but there were some third party batteries that were considerably cheaper.

 

The macbok can get closer to 5 hours actuall. A friend who just got his gets over 5 hours on his MB. Of course, thats with very low brightness (which is by all means still usable and readable).

The MBP itself can easily get over 3 hours (I often get about 3.25 hours) if you leave brightness under half and don't tax it too much. Getting over 3 hours for just notaking is not a problem on either unit.

I have 4 classes in a row, and can easily make it through 3 of them (1 of them I don't take notes in ). Overall, there isn't much size difference between the MB and MBP. The desks at our university, you wouldnt' be able to put any laptop and a notebook on the thing simultaniously.

 

maybe i should clarify...lol
i have four classes in a row, but i can only use it for two or three of them
one of them is a recitation--TA review sort of thing--so i cant really type on my laptop if its for chemistry
basically....i need it to last for a 80 minute class and a 55 minutes class plus more for like...fooling around or researching at the last minute

and i've only gotten like...2.1 hours max on my battery

oh and i dont use notebook and paper notebook simpultaneously
i was wondering if anyone demoed the MP with low bbrightness setting..because at my low brightness setting...i can get closer to 3hrs of battery life..but its dreadfully dark

 

Just get the Macbook then. I'm certain you'd be happy with it.

About your gaming needs, maybe you should give the Nintendo Wii a try? Don't think it'll be much more expensive than the X-Box when it's released sometime in November.

 

White Wii + White Macbook = plain sexy

That's what I'm getting.

 

also another quick question
do you think that the macbook (bare bone) will hit sub 1000 prices when core 2 duo is implemented into the macbook family?

 

I doubt prices will change much at all. Granted this is the first mac i've bought, but when I've looked a them previously, they usually stay at the same price change, but whats inside the unit changes (processor upgrade, memory, etc).
But yeah, the MB will easily last 3 hours on most brightness levels.

 

If you mean older models that stores still have in stock, then almost certainly. Apple usually keeps the prices of updated models consistent with previous versions, so if and when the MacBook gets a Core 2 Duo (this isn't necessarily a sure thing though; some people feel Apple may keep the Core Duo in the MacBook to differentiate a Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro from it more), any places that still have the older Core Duo MacBooks would almost have to sell them for less than $1099- so you're talking about being only $100 away from sub-$1000 prices as it is.

You could conceivably find even better deals buying a refurbished MacBook (currently Apple sells refurbished MacBooks for $949, and those prices might go down further if a Core 2 Duo MacBook comes out).

This is all up in the air though; at this point people are still wondering when Apple is finally going to stick Core 2 Duo in the MBP; it's not like Apple doesn't have a supply of them or something (as they've put the same processors in the iMac already).

I had assumed that Apple was going to do the same thing every other laptop manufacturer has done; just stick Core 2 Duos in their existing lineup. The more Apple waits though, the more I do sort of suspect Apple has more in mind - otherwise it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to keep holding out.

-Zadillo

 

Ahh, duh, I misread his question actually.

You're right; if the MacBook (non-Pro) does get Core 2 Duo, the prices of any new models would almost certainly stay the same.

 

lol you beat me to it. Yeap, what he said.