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MacBook vs. MacBook, which would you choose?

1 or 2

  • Option 1, white

    Votes: 66 64.7%

  • Option 2, black

    Votes: 36 35.3%
  • Total voters
    102
I

iMatt mini

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 1, 2005
316
0
Central New Jersey
I was just looking at the MacBooks, and for a difference of $10, I can get either of these. I like the black but I don't know, I could get a white one with more RAM?
Help me decide.
Option 1:
1.83 GHz White, 2 GB RAM, 60 GB HD ( I don't need that much RAM, but I'm impatient)

Option 2: 2.00 GHz Black, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB HD.
Both about $1500.

Does the .17 GHz make much of a difference? What about those with Black ones, are they a lot nicer?
 
iMatt mini said:
I was just looking at the MacBooks, and for a difference of $10, I can get either of these. I like the black but I don't know, I could get a white one with more RAM?
Help me decide.
Option 1:
1.83 GHz White, 2 GB RAM, 60 GB HD ( I don't need that much RAM, but I'm impatient)

Option 2: 2.00 GHz Black, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB HD.
Both about $1500.

Does the .17 GHz make much of a difference? What about those with Black ones, are they a lot nicer?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that the 0.17GHz will be noticeable. More ram is always good though.

I personally liked the white one and bought that instead of the black. People have been saying that the black shows fingerprints, marks, scratches, etc. much more readily than does the white one. I also really like the classic apple style of the white MB. Good luck! :)
 
I own a white one and I've seen the black models two separate times.

I personally think that the black one is ugly and very cheap looking, but maybe that's just me. The white one just looks very classy and elegant. I've also noticed that any picture I've ever seen of a black model shows a big spot of grease right on the trackpad. That's pretty nasty, and is an indicator of the case as a whole.

I haven't had any issues with the white one getting dirty. In the end though, the MacBook is just a great machine regardless of which color you get.
 
I'm not sure if you'll see much difference with 0.17Ghz of extra dual core power. However, I'm not too sure if you'll see much of a difference between 1.25GB of RAM and 2GB, so if you can get 1.25 get that and save some money. The main difference to me is your HDD size and the fact that the BlackBook has a SuperDrive.
 
1.83 model doesnt have superdrive. So go for it only if you dont need a SD built in.

In any case I voted for the BlackBook coz of the SD and the fact that you want a black one.(Me too wanted the black one but had to be satisfied with the white one only:( )

If you dont really need a SD et all, then please reduce one vote from the BlackBook and add one to white MB
 
EDIT: I didn't respond directly to the OP's question. Of the two options you've chosen, the black would be a better candidate. The black has a superdrive and a larger hard drive.

Off-topic a bit:
The .17 of power will not make a difference unless you're constantly pushing the CPU to its max. My 2Ghz MacBook consistently runs at a speed of 1.5GHz under normal loads. The CPU differences in the 1.83 and the 2.0 should be rather negligble. The difference between the black and white MacBook truly comes down to aesthetic preference, as you can configure the white MacBook to have the same specs and still come out cheaper.

Personally, when I saw the two together, I went with the white. I have a white iPod 5G, a snow iMac, and all the MacBook's peripherals are in white (so are the iPod's), so I opted to remain consistent in that regard. In my opinion I'd save that 150-200 dollars and put it toward an accessory or even the extended AppleCare.
 
Why not the 2.0 White? This would be more feasible if you went with memory from an online seller.
 
Why pay the high price apple charges for the ram. Just buy the 1.83 and buy 2 1 gig sticks of ram and install it yourself its easy as can be just remove the battery and a screw or two. You'll save a darn good amount plus it won't be a bto option so you'll get it faster and not have hassle if you need to return it.

You might want to think about the superdrive in the white 2.0 compared to the combo drive in the white 1.83 though. I'm trying to decide wether the .17 and the superdrive are worth 200 bucks to me. I'm thinking they aren't but I have my girlfriends imac to burn dvd's with if I want to and I figure later on down the road I will probably be able to stick a blu ray burner in there for cheap(a ways away of course).
 
I bought the 2.0 ghz white... and the dvd burner is soooo slow. I think that you are better off with a cheaper macbook, and buy a fast external burner... best of both worlds. How often, really, do you need to burn a dvd on the road?
 
X5-452 said:
However, I'm not too sure if you'll see much of a difference between 1.25GB of RAM and 2GB, so if you can get 1.25 get that and save some money.
Click to expand...

How about between 1 GB and 1.25? Aside from the BTO disadvantages, unless you plan to go all the way to 2 GB eventually (and even then, probably good market for 512 chips unlike 256), 1 GB initially from apple costs about same as aftermarket 1 GB chip and you eliminate potential ram problems?
 
Macworld says that they can see nearly no difference in speed if you compare the 1.83 and 2Ghz processors. I still prefer the white.;)
 
sbb155 said:
I bought the 2.0 ghz white... and the dvd burner is soooo slow. I think that you are better off with a cheaper macbook, and buy a fast external burner... best of both worlds. How often, really, do you need to burn a dvd on the road?
Click to expand...

What's the write speed?
 
Nate4747 said:
I got the 2GHz white, and I used the 200 I saved to get 2GB of RAM. Money much better spent in my opinion.
Click to expand...

You can always add RAM later. Black, however, can't be added later for any amound of money. :D
 
firsttube said:
You can always add RAM later. Black, however, can't be added later for any amound of money. :D
Click to expand...

But the black has no functionality other than camouflaging itself in the night and getting stepped on by accident!

Personally, I'd get the most specs that I could for the money, and a couple years down the line you might be happier that you got the faster proc and the burner. I know I wish I would have gotten the faster proc on my old laptop...
 
I wouldn't say I'm illiterate at computers, not at all, but maybe in the hardware area. Especially with Apple. I'm too afraid to try and upgrade the RAM myself, especially on a brand new laptop. I just watched the MacWorld video and they make it look easy. Can anyone else say it's easy, for a newbie, on a MacBook? I was thinking about getting the Black/White (Still can't decide!!) w/ 512 RAM, get it faster since it's stock, and upgrade 2 GB of RAM myself.

So, 2 questions:
1. How easy is it to upgrade the RAM for a beginner, someone who's never opened up a Mac before? Is it worth it, or should I just get a BTO w/ 1 GB and be settled.

2. Will it void any warranty I have to upgrade the RAM myself?
I was looking at two of these GB sticks, any opinions, good or bad, on this RAM? Can anyone recommend anything better than this for a close-to-the-same price?
http://macrumors.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=8442607
 
iMatt mini said:
1. How easy is it to upgrade the RAM for a beginner, someone who's never opened up a Mac before? Is it worth it, or should I just get a BTO w/ 1 GB and be settled.
Click to expand...
It is simple. Do it yourself, just follow the included instructions, take your time and you should be fine.
2. Will it void any warranty I have to upgrade the RAM myself?
Click to expand...
No, however read the manual. If you damage anything while installing the RAM, then that damage is not covered under warranty. Like i said, read the manual before doing the RAM install.

Honestly, it would take a lot to screw up a RAM install on the MB.

As to RAM, most people here will recommend going through a dealer that guarantees compatibility with Macintosh computers. Some vendors that MR users like are OWC, Datamem and Crucial.
 
Rickay726 said:
black is much nicer without a doubt, plus the specs are so much better.
Click to expand...

In this case, the specifications are somewhat better but not much better. The glossy outside of the white machines looks so much nicer to me but on the inside, they both look just okay.

I'd choose the white, considering that the machines are much more powerful than what we've had anyway and that the RAM will do a better job of making the machine useful. Even if it were the white 2.0 GHz machine vs. the black, I'd put the $150 difference into something useful.
 
Option 2

Personally, i'd choos option 2, just cause i'd upgrade the RAM myself later on if need it, and i'd like the extra HDD space
 
I got the 2.0 white. You can't upgrade the processor later, so every little bit counts. I don't know your uses, but the only time I've taxed my 1 GB of RAM was installing and optimizing 9 software updates. The only time I've taxed my processor is running handbrake.

If the black had been the same price, I might have gotten it. I like that it's harder to scratch, and it does look nice. But the white is more apple-esque and more resistant to fingerprints and sweat stains. So I would have been torn. But for $200 more ($150 with equal spec, but I don't need an 80 GB HD), it's an easy choice.
 
Ram?

I hear all of you saying that you would save money buying RAM seperately, but when I searched online on Froogle, all the 1 GB models were over $100. I plan on getting the 1.83 MacBook with 1 GB ram, and perhaps adding another 1 GB if I find a cheap one.

So, where do you guys/girls know where I can find a cheaper 1 GB model?
 
Nvm

Nevermind, just read another post and went here:
http://store.powerlinememory.com/apple-mac-memory-macbook-macbook-1-83ghz-intel-core-duo.html

Its $79.00 for 1 GB and $44.75 for 512 MB. Now that I think of it though, I probably aint going to get it. I have a Dell running XP Home with 2.66 GHz and 1.25 ram. Usually I have three people logged on while Im running iTunes, LimeWire, and the Internet, and my PC still could run more. So probably I'll get the 512 or nothing.
 
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