Advice: About to buy Macbook, self-upgrading in the UK?

[RobJonesxx]

Hi.

Want to get a top Macbook for as little money as possible.

This will be mine for two-three years, after which I will be upgrading to a MBP for university. That will have to last me about five, but I will worry about that then.

Will be used for:
-Lots of office application stuff
-Lots of web surfing
-Lots of instant messaging
-Lots of music
-Sporadic recording using Garageband and Logic

My questions:
-Does that .016 ghz really make that much difference? Although I will be going for that anyway, due to the Superdrive.
-Should I go for the 2gb RAM from Apple at +£90, or get the standard and replace it myself? If the latter, which is the standard RAM to use and where can I get it cheapest?
-Which hard drive should I get? A 7200 RPM one would be more useful for audio mixing/recording stuff, of course. 160-200gb would be an ideal amount, but I could get an external just for home use if push comes to shove. What drives can be put in Macbooks?
-Mini-DVI to VGA cable available any cheaper?
-If I'm upgrading it myself is it even worth getting Applecare?

-Does the MB still have the Sudden Motion Sensor that is in the MBP?
-I've heard people ranting about the MB keyboards, is the public consensus that they are really that bad?

I get the feeling I'm going to miss the backlit keyboard, that struck me as really good.

Thanks in advance!

 

[beer.coffee]

Hi.

Want to get a top Macbook for as little money as possible.

This will be mine for two-three years, after which I will be upgrading to a MBP for university. That will have to last me about five, but I will worry about that then.

Will be used for:
-Lots of office application stuff
-Lots of web surfing
-Lots of instant messaging
-Lots of music
-Sporadic recording using Garageband and Logic

My questions:
-Does that .016 ghz really make that much difference? Although I will be going for that anyway, due to the Superdrive.
-Should I go for the 2gb RAM from Apple at +£90, or get the standard and replace it myself? If the latter, which is the standard RAM to use and where can I get it cheapest?
-Which hard drive should I get? A 7200 RPM one would be more useful for audio mixing/recording stuff, of course. 160-200gb would be an ideal amount, but I could get an external just for home use if push comes to shove. What drives can be put in Macbooks?
-Mini-DVI to VGA cable available any cheaper?
-If I'm upgrading it myself is it even worth getting Applecare?

-Does the MB still have the Sudden Motion Sensor that is in the MBP?
-I've heard people ranting about the MB keyboards, is the public consensus that they are really that bad?

I get the feeling I'm going to miss the backlit keyboard, that struck me as really good.

Thanks in advance!

Ok i'm sort of in the same situation as you. I wanted a great laptop for a cheap price. And thats what i got. With my educational discount i got the recently released new MacBook with combo drive.

A MacBook will still be perfectly usable in two to three years time for all those requirements that you stated, none of which are really that performance intensive anyway.

- The 0.16 wont make any noticeable difference for your needs.

- Installing memory is easy. Do it yourself. Apple memory is expensive. Always get good memory not the cheapest, take that advice to heart! Any computer shop will stock notebook memory.

- In terms of drives, for your needs i dont think you really need the 7200RPM. If you compared them side by side you'd probably notice a small difference, but i'm using a 5200RPM and its perfectly fine. Again dont use Apple drives, they are easy enough to replace and you can get much better prices at local shops.
I've got a 80Gb hard drive in my MacBook as well as a 500Gb Firewire WD external. I put all my movies and music onto the external whilst my photo's stay on the laptop. Perfect arrangement and have never had any problems. You can always put your works of music on the external after recording them on the hard drive.

- Mini DVi to VGA plugs are available for cheap from Hong Kong through eBay. But i'm in Australia so it might not be as economical for you through that route.

- You cant really damage an laptop upgrading it. Even if you did have AppleCare, it wouldnt cover it as it would be your fault. Instead AppleCare is more for problems with hardware, which are a much more common occurrence in laptops. Unless you keep your laptop sitting on a desk for its whole life, it's highly recommended that you get AppleCare. Most people from what i understand have it.

- I love my MacBook keyboard. It looks sweet, sounds great and smells fantastic (lol great criteria for a keyboard, i know =P). Then again i'm not some hardcore typer, who from what i understand make the majority of the complaints.

- The backlit keyboard is sweet, yes, but not really essential. Who works in the dark anyway?


Well, i hoped that helped a little. If you need to ask any more questions dont hesitate to PM me!

Kamil.