I think I'll get a macbook. A few questions though

[greenparty]

I'm current;y an XP user but decided that with Vista coming out I'd rather buy a mac and use that as I prefer them but never really had an excuse to get one.

I'm going to get a Macbook 2.0 ghz core 2 duo with 1gb RAM from an apple reseller near me.

I have a couple fo questions first though.

1. I currently have the modem that came from my broadband supplier, how can I convert this to wireless so the macbook can pick it up?

2. Is 1gb enough for the following things. Some light multitasking among it.
Internet with firefox, itunes, some word processing etc, imovie and photoshop/illustrator for 2d editing. I won't be doing much gaming however if anyone knows if Simcity 4 will work on it it would be useful but not essential.

3. Is there anything I should know before getting it?

4. Also, have people found 80gb enough when they have an external hard drive?

Sorry about the long post.

Any help would be great, thanks!

 

[Gosh]

1/ If it's not wireless then you need a wireless router or replace it with a combined modem/wireless router.

2/ 1GB is good but more RAM makes it more future proof. You can add it later it's not too hard but you need to be confident what your doing. The Sims and other games are going to be relatively slow because MB lacks discrete graphics vram.

3/ Don't forget to set the trackpad for right click (two finger + click = right click). You need to be happy with the screen size - that's your choice really or maybe you have a secondary display for desktop work? You might want to think about a bag, maybe some portable speakers, a TV adapter cable. Applecare for ultimate peace of mind!

4/ 80GB is big but iTunes, photos and video can fill it up fast. Rather than a bigger hard drive maybe consider an external back-up/overflow HD.

Don't take just one persons advice!

 

[lavrishevo]

You can get good RAM off of eBay for 1/2 the price Apple wants to charge. This how I added my second gb. Very easy to install as well.

 

[ftaok]

4. Also, have people found 80gb enough when they have an external hard drive?

Sorry about the long post.

Any help would be great, thanks!

Keep in mind that the Macbook is the easiest of the recent Macs for replacing hard drives. Not quite as easy as some Windows laptops, but then again, those laptops aren't quite this thin.

if you get to the point where 80GB is constricting you, purchase a larger (by then, 200GB 2.5" SATA drives will be cheap) drive and pop it in.

ft

 

[Scarlet Fever]

something you should know about the macbooks is their freaking awesomness. I'm a mac user since birth, but when i got my MacBook when they came out, i was still shocked by its awesomness

You'll love it. Keep it stocked up with RAM, get a big enough HDD, and enjoi

 

[Maxiseller]

You can get good RAM off of eBay for 1/2 the price Apple wants to charge. This how I added my second gb. Very easy to install as well.

I would avoid doing this - purely because I did just this and had a bad stick sent to me!! Plus, the person disappeared and wouldn't answer any emails. Crucial, OWC, etc etc are good suppliers.

 

[Mac'Mo]

2) 1gb should be enough but osx loves ram so if you can afford it, get 2gb (it'll run quicker/smoother). You can also check this thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/209966/ for games

3) Since you're new to macs, i found this helpful when switching https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/265631/

4) whether or not 80gb is enough is really dependent on you and your lifestyle. If you have a desktop (pc or mac) that can hold the lion share of your stuff, but if your MB is your primary computer and not just for mobility or whatnot, then 80gb might not be enough. either way, dont upgrade via apple, their prices for hdds are ridiculously expensive (even with edu discount)

 

[krestfallen]

2) you want do do some photoshop and illustrator work? then i recommend 2gb. i got 1gb and when i'm doing some serious work it's full all the time (i never thought that 1gig wouldn't be enough but since i own a mac and work more productive than ever - it's not enough )

3) get a tv-adapter-cable like "Gosh" already said. it's nice just to plug it in the tv and start front row. don't forget a 3,5mm audio to stereo chinch cable to get some audio in your tv, too

 

[greenparty]

Thanks very much! that's a great help! I think I'll get it soon then.

One more question:

Should I buy it off the website and get the 2gb RAM upgrade for €180 or should I buy it off a reseller and get a €70 discount but with 1gb of RAM?