MacBook 1.83 Core 2 Duo

[Jarooda]

Anybody have the 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo model macbook?

I was thinking of getting one from work ($450 gift card plus 10% off) to suplement my iMac Core 2 Duo.

I just want to know what people think of this model.

I know that 512MB of RAM is not very much but here is my thinking.

I dont need a super fast processor therefore 170MHz is not that beneficial.
I will never burn a CD let alone a DVD with it (considering I have only ever burned a DVD once in 8 months of owning my iMac) so a ComboDrive to watch movies would be suffiecent.
I have had my iMac (160GB hard drive) for 8 months and have only filled 32GB (not including boot camp which will never touch any macbook) therefore a 60GB hard drive will suffice.
And here is the kicker, if I ever upgrade my Ram in my Imac (which WILL happen) I can use the dual 512MB sticks from that to fix the only flaw I can really see in the MacBook.

Anyways, any thoughts?

Thanks.

BTW I am a first time poster LONG time reader (this site helped me decide which computer to get when I was thinking of switching since last May and I bought my iMac Core 2 the day it was released)

 

[polevault139]

Anybody have the 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo model macbook?

I was thinking of getting one from work ($450 gift card plus 10% off) to suplement my iMac Core 2 Duo.

I just want to know what people think of this model.

I know that 512MB of RAM is not very much but here is my thinking.

I dont need a super fast processor therefore 170MHz is not that beneficial.
I will never burn a CD let alone a DVD with it (considering I have only ever burned a DVD once in 8 months of owning my iMac) so a ComboDrive to watch movies would be suffiecent.
I have had my iMac (160GB hard drive) for 8 months and have only filled 32GB (not including boot camp which will never touch any macbook) therefore a 60GB hard drive will suffice.
And here is the kicker, if I ever upgrade my Ram in my Imac (which WILL happen) I can use the dual 512MB sticks from that to fix the only flaw I can really see in the MacBook.

Anyways, any thoughts?

Thanks.

BTW I am a first time poster LONG time reader (this site helped me decide which computer to get when I was thinking of switching since last May and I bought my iMac Core 2 the day it was released)

You plan sounds pretty good. If your going for the stock configuration you could probably save even more money with a refurb. Once you get at least 1 gig of RAM in it it will be a pretty solid machine. Good luck with your decision

 

[Jarooda]

You plan sounds pretty good. If your going for the stock configuration you could probably save even more money with a refurb. Once you get at least 1 gig of RAM in it it will be a pretty solid machine. Good luck with your decision

Actually with 10% off plus the $450 gift card it becomes $800 CDN which is even better!!

 

[Cybergypsy]

get the 2.0 loved it more then my 1.83

 

[Jarooda]

get the 2.0 loved it more then my 1.83

Why is that?

 

[Jaffa Cake]

That's the model of MacBook I've had since before Christmas, and I've had no complaints with it so far - it's a lovely little thing. I have upped the RAM though as I felt the stock 512MB was a little on the low side. I suppose too if you do end up requiring a bit more storage space in the future then you could always invest in an external hard drive or something.

 

[CEAbiscuit]

Excelent plan. I doubt you'd see a big bump from the 2.0, and you have an iMac very relatively heavier lifting.

 

[leonk]

Here's my take on the 1.83 vs the 2.0ghz.

The price difference (on refurb unit directly from apple) is about 150$CDN for me (or ~120$US). This is what you get for 120$US:

1. double the RAM. this allows you to run PowerPC apps like Office, Photoshop CS 2, and parallels (Windows XP apps) smooth. 512MB is not enough to run windows xp at native speed under OS X.
2. DVD burner (you might not burn DVD's, but burners tend to read scratched discs better)
3. much better CPU. It might only be 170Mhz more, but it's also double the cache! The 1.83ghz CPU is the only one in the lineup that has 2MB of L2 cache. All the rest have 4MB L2 cache. You will notice the difference between 2MB and 4MB cache! (that's double the cache per core!)
4. 20 more GB of HD space.

The things you get are worth a lot more than the 150$ price difference.

I can see Apple phasing out the 1.83 and making the 2.0ghz the base model due to the L2 difference!

Going from 2.0Ghz white -> 2.0Ghz black is not as big of a bang for the buck as 1.83 -> 2.0ghz.

I guess this is why most people recommend the 2.0Ghz white.

 

[2tallyAwesome]

I have a 1.83, and my friend has a 2.0.

If you drop a 1gb chip in the 1.83, the only difference you are going to see in practice is the DVD Burner, and the extra hard drive space.

Any other differences are negligable.

Also as for the DVD Burner, When I really need to burn, I just burn VCDs. They get the job done.

 

[siurpeeman]

Here's my take on the 1.83 vs the 2.0ghz.

The price difference (on refurb unit directly from apple) is about 150$CDN for me (or ~120$US). This is what you get for 120$US:

1. double the RAM. this allows you to run PowerPC apps like Office, Photoshop CS 2, and parallels (Windows XP apps) smooth. 512MB is not enough to run windows xp at native speed under OS X.
2. DVD burner (you might not burn DVD's, but burners tend to read scratched discs better)
3. much better CPU. It might only be 170Mhz more, but it's also double the cache! The 1.83ghz CPU is the only one in the lineup that has 2MB of L2 cache. All the rest have 4MB L2 cache. You will notice the difference between 2MB and 4MB cache! (that's double the cache per core!)
4. 20 more GB of HD space.

The things you get are worth a lot more than the 150$ price difference.

I can see Apple phasing out the 1.83 and making the 2.0ghz the base model due to the L2 difference!

Going from 2.0Ghz white -> 2.0Ghz black is not as big of a bang for the buck as 1.83 -> 2.0ghz.

I guess this is why most people recommend the 2.0Ghz white.

the points about the ram and hard drive space don't apply. he'll be replacing the ram eventually with his imac's, and he already said he wouldn't need the extra 20gb of the 2.0ghz model. already having an imac, i doubt he'll really need the speediest processor around for the macbook. i think the 1.83 is a good choice. further, maybe it wouldn't hurt to check out the 1.83 core duo (not core 2) model from the refurb store. at $799, i think it's a pretty good deal.

 

[Cybergypsy]

Why is that?

Seemed faster, superdrive and of course less problems the the 3 before it

 

[livingfortoday]

I'd just like to second the idea of getting the 2.0Ghz for the 4MB cache. In the long run, you may notice the difference!

 

[Jarooda]

I just found out that the MacBook we have in store is Open Box, therefore I get another 10% off.

So after all my discounts its only $700 CDN!!! AFTER TAX!!!

I will DEFINITELY be getting it now!