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    Entry or Mid Level MB?

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by notebookEd, Aug 10, 2007.

  1. notebookEd

    notebookEd Newbie

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    Hi,
    I was wondering which level macbook should I get based on the following critera....

    this will be mainly for school and personal use only. I will NOT be doing any gaming on this or any photo or video type of work. Mainly it's to write papers, chat (AIM) email, surf the web, youtube, and googling for school. Since I'll get the free ipod I'll probably do some occasional music dl-ing but not much.

    Which one should I go with....

    1. Entry-Level
    2.0 ghz intel core 2 duo
    1gb mem
    80 gb hard drive

    -or-

    2. Mid-Level
    2.16 ghz intel core 2 duo
    1gb mem
    120 gb hard drive

    thanks in advance.
     
  2. stealthsniper96

    stealthsniper96 What Was I Thinkin'?

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    entry level. no point in paying for thing you dont need. but you might wana get some ram from newegg or another monitor with the leftover money.
     
  3. mick4394

    mick4394 Notebook Evangelist

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    Entry level. It'll kill everything you want to throw at it.

    Do yourself a favor, and take a look at the refurb store. If you're thinking low end, you can get that thing dirt cheap.
     
  4. Paul

    Paul Mom! Hot Pockets! NBR Reviewer

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    The biggest problem with the low end version is really the lack of DVD burner. If you can live without this, go with the cheaper version. Also, the student discount will likely give you a better deal than a refurb unless you want one of the old Core Duo machines.
     
  5. Redline

    Redline Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

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    The decision lies in whether you want a DVD burner or not. Entry level doesn't have it and makes do with a DVD/CD-RW Combo drive, whereas the mid-line one has it.

    Also, the Apple store has a refurb mid-level model for $950, so that may be something to consider as well, but it doesn't come with the free iPod or printer that the new ones do (with student discount).
     
  6. Sam

    Sam Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yes, the main difference between the entry level MacBook and the mid-level is the addition of SuperDrive in the mid-level, compared to the Combo Drive of the entry. However, looking at your tasks I don't think you'll need to be burning DVDs. So I'd say go for the entry level MacBook.
     
  7. mick4394

    mick4394 Notebook Evangelist

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    If he bides his time, he can do even better. This morning they had the entry level CD Macbook up for $799. That is one hot deal.
     
  8. Underpantman

    Underpantman Notebook Virtuoso

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    Well I got the mid range, thinking that I would need the dvd burner, so far I think I have burned 1 or 2 cd's but no dvd's (in 1 year). Thus unless you know you will need to burn dvd's on the laptop, I would go the base model and spring for extra ram.
    a
    :)