buying a macbook

i am planning on buying a macbook. the problem is I don't know if i should buy it now or wait till the "rumored" new ones come out. Another thing: if i bought a macbook, I want to configure it (4GB RAM and all that). Should I get those upgrades from apple or get them from somewhere else. I read that applecare warranty will be null and void if the macboook was upgraded somewhere else.

 

Definitely get all the upgrades elsewhere, and no, your warranty isn't voided if you change the RAM and hard drive on the MacBook.

Unless you want the free iPod (if you qualify) and such or need it in a hurry, definitely wait at this point!

 

im attending university so i qualify. and i actually need the ipod because my aunt from back home wants it. but I can still wait. i don't really need to buy the macbook right now. i still have my vaio and just want to upgrade thats all. do you think apple would announce their updates before the end of the free ipod promo? i think it ends on sept 15.

 

i think we are on the same ship.. i'm waiting for new macbook pro..
let's hope apple make a better macbook for next month

 

i could swear i have since this exact topic once or twice before... wow i need coffee. btw screw the free ipod. its a mail in rebate. you still have to give them 150-300 upfront for it. personally i hate mail in rebates, and most people have mp3 players by now. dont even get the ipod you can get a decent sandisk 2 gig video player for like 40 bucks right now.

 

okay. so i'm waiting for the new ones now. another question. Where is the best place to get the upgrades for the macbook? (4GB RAM, HDD) Is is good idea to get them from geek squad at best buy? or somewhere else?

 

4 gig RAM: Crucial (order online)
HDD: Various, possibly including best buy.

I suspect the geek squad can deal with Mac now that Best Buy is an Apple reseller but I wouldn't spend the money on something as easy as a RAM and HDD swap. You can download instructions on how to do the upgrades. After popping in the new HDD, you simply boot from the Leopard disk that comes with the machine and make sure to pick install OS and apps. By doing all this before you really start using the machine, you don't have to bother with backing up before the HDD swap and restoring afterwards.

 

My favorite is OtherWorldComputing (macsales.com) a long time Mac accessory seller. Their pricing and warranty is hard to beat. They will even offer trade in dollars for your original hard drive and ram if you like.

Of course Apple won't warranty anything you put in your Mac, but it does not void the warranty for the rest of the Mac (unless you break something installing it). Not that I normally expect trouble in a Mac but I usually keep the original parts (and buy an external enclosure for the HD) so I can always swap the original parts back if I think there may be a problem with the new ones.

I also do a DuperDuper! image backup each week to the original hard drive in the external enclosure. If I ever had a drive failure I could just put the original back in with all my software, data, etc from a week ago.

 

Geek Squad at Best Buy is probably cheaper than Apple, but still, you can get it cheaper by buying the parts from sites like Newegg.com and NCIX.com, and installing it yourself. Its really easy!

There's written guides and videos on YouTube about it, so yeah!

 

I think that new MB and MBP will not be announced or released until October judging by the news about the Sept 9th event. I am thinking of just buying a macbook now to get the ipod. I can't wait until next month to have a notebook because my vaio's battery is broken. My question is this: Is it a good idea to upgrade my HDD with apple from 160 to 250 GB? the price is 100 bucks according to the apple website. Do you think it's cheapeer if I get the upgrade from bestbuy or somewhere else? or just get the standard and buy an external HDD instead?

 

Either way is probably cheaper, whether you decide to go external HDD or changing the internal HDD yourself. It does not void the warranty on the MacBook, so that's not a worry. I personally think you should go with external HDD and leave the "must have with me anywhere" files on the internal.

 

ok. i'll just get the standard pre-config 2.4gHz macbook. then upgrade the RAM to 4GB myself. Is it worth it to get applecare?

 

i think you should defiantly buy RAM from somewhere esle then from apple because it will be much cheaper and it does not void you warranty if you replace it yourself. i bought Corsair RAM from Newegg.com and it works great on my Macbook and it flies. defiantly reccomend to buy from 3rd party reseller. hope that helps!!

 

i think applecare is not worth it if you take car of your computer. if you travel frequently and take it with you everywhere you go then it might be a good idea. if you just use it at home or work and you dont carry it around alot then i wouldnt get it. if you are prone to accidents and you have an older macbook that might be buggy then i would get it. hope that helps!

 

A new battery for your Sony costs a lot less than a new MacBook. The T5500 is still a very good CPU. If you're looking for a performance boost, a new faster hard drive is a good place to look. I doubt 4GB of memory offers you much.

 

i know it is. but i really want to have a macbook. and besides my younger sister wants to have a notebook so i'll just give it to her and let her buy the battery.

 

I wonder if you could put a superdrive in the macbook.

 

is it not the standard when you buy it? best buy's website says that the optical drive is a DL superdrive.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10099352&catid=22156

go to specs

 

No, the base system is a combo drive only. I meant, since the RAM and HDD can be user replaced, can the optical drive as well? (Assuming you buy the correct one).

 

Usually the optical drive is not considered user replaceable.

 

the apple website lists the 2.4 gHz macbook with the superdrive as the standard. i think the 2.1 gHz is the one that comes with the combo drive.

 

That is the middle configuration model MacBook, the lower end is the one with the Combo Drive!