Which macbook is a better value ?

First of all, hey all. I have been reading the forum about a month or so and just decided to join. I have gained so much information from this forum .

Anyway, I am thinking about buying my first apple computer because of the free ipod touch promotion. My budget allows me to get both the white macbooks but I have to save some more to get the 2.4 one. I am wondering which of the two is a better value (the 2.1 or the 2.4). I am thinking about adding the 4gb RAM later on.

 

Depends how long you need the macbook to last. Need it for a long time? The faster processor and more HDD space(on the 2.4 GHz macbook) will make sure it has enough room and doesnt get outdated too early. If you dont or you are not doing CPU intense tasks (however if you need 4gigs of ram then i guess you probably do) and you want to save some money go for the 2.1 model.

BTW do you need it right now or could you wait till early august because there will be upgrades at that time (the ipod promotion will also still be in effect).

If you need it now go for the 2.4 if you dont by all means wait a little bit. Thats what I am doing

 

The best bang for your buck is seriously checking out the refurb outlet section through apple.com, you can save up to what I believe is 15% and you can get the warranty as well. They come as good as new!

 

I also recommend getting a refurb. And what will you be using it for?

 

I do not believe student discount applies to refurbished machines, although I could be wrong. If I am not wrong, then refurbs are most likely not the best value for money, since they won't be much cheaper than new models with the discount applied.

But besides refurbs, the lowest end model for any Mac advertised on the Apple website is never as good value for money as the higher end model. Therefore, the 2.4Ghz Macbook is much better value for money than the 2.1Ghz model (faster CPU, more RAM, more HD, better DVD drive).

 

I am in agreement with the refurbs. I have bought two of them and they are just as good as new. Make sure you get them from the apple site, so it is an apple refurb. Compare what they have on the apple site with what is new in the store. Many times they are the same ones that are being sold in the stores. Sometimes they could be a little older computers, so be sure to compare processor speed, ram, HDD size, video ram, etc. If you feel the new one is a better value and you have the cash, go for it. You can always buy applecare to extend the warranty for two years if you feel the need. Buy from lacomputercompany.com. They usually have deals on applecare.

 

I was about to wait but I don't have any notebook right now since my sister just took my old m1210 xps. I am currently borrowing my friend's pc and she is yelling at me . I usually use the laptop mainly for chatting, do homeworks and surfing internet. I don;t do any video editing. I do play few games, but my games are old like Warcraft 3, Counter Strike, Ragnarok Online, and Seven Kingdom II. I know warcraft will play okay on OS X but I might have to use XP on the other two. I was about to buy Macbook air when it first came out, but the price is just too much for me.

Regarding the refurb and new, I believe the promotion does not apply with the refurb. By buying new with the student promotion, ipod touch, and free printer, I can get the base model for $850 after selling the touch and printer. The 2.4 one will cost an extra $200. The only thing that concerns me is the the DVD-RW drive that the 2.4 has. As of now, I hardly ever burn DVDs but it might be convenience later on. The HD and the RAM are easily changed I believe and I am thinking about doing that. Does the 2.4 increase the performance by a lot ? and do you guys think it is a good value to pay $200 extra to get 2.4 and dvd-rw ?

 

no, but $200 for the CPU bump, 1GB more RAM, extra HDD space, and DVD-RW does sound like a decent deal.

if you're going to be replacing both the RAM and HDD, you might as well stick with the less expensive base system, since the CPU speed bump is negligible for practical purposes, and the DVD burner would likely just sit unused.

that's just my two cents.

 

If you want to game at all, stay away from the Mac.

 

If you know what's good for you, don't listen to this.

A regular Macbook, especially running Windows XP in Boot Camp, will play the older titles you mentioned just fine at lower resolution and medium details.

 

junk advice.

for the games that you mentioned, a macbook will perform fine, granted that you will need to dual boot for some games. warcraft 3 will run in osx, like you said.

- you did want to play CS 1.6, not source, right? -

 

I actually play both, but I prefer 1.6 since most of my friend still play that version.

Anyway, I am still not sure which one I should pick. If I am getting the base one, I know for sure I will get the 4GB RAM from newegg and probably an external HD(or internal). But if I get the 2.4 one, I might not need to buy the RAM nor the HD and be satisfied with it. I think both will cost me about the same after adding the RAM and HD.

2.1GHZ + 4gbRAM + external HD + CD-RW only or 2.4GHZ + 2GB RAM + 160Gb + DVD-RW ? which one do you think will run faster ?

P.S: is possible to put Windows XP on the external HD ?

 

possible? yes.

easy? no.

and cs source isn't going to run very well on integrated graphics. be warned.

just get the 2.4 one and don't worry about the ram. you don't need 4GB of ram. a DVD-RW can be very useful.