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Should I Buy a New Macbook Right Now

G

Garthy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 4, 2006
5
0
I really really want a new macbook. I love everything about them. My question is... Should i go out and buy one right now when there is a possible update just around the corner. I just wish i knew when or if there was goin to be a merom update in the macbooks. If i was to buy a macbook could i just put a mero chip in it once they are released for macbooks. Would it still be exactly the same as if buying a merom based macbook from the shops. Exactly the same????

Help me anyway you guys can.
 
One, it wouldnt be the same to put merom in a old macbook, the main reason being it would break it.
And if you need one just get it, you can wait forever, but if you are in no hurry wait a little bit, since we know they are bound for an update soon. I was in the same situation and got one, since i Needed it for school. Hope this helps.
 
you won't be able to swap out processors. but if you really really want one now... then go ahead. the next updates due are the MBPs.

caveat emptor...
S.
 
AFAIK the CPU's in Apple notebooks are soldered on, you can't change them.

Anyway, if you need a MacBook now and it does everything you need, buy it. :)

If you're unsure, wait until after the 12th when all this media event hype has gone away.
 
Get one now.

Even if a new version were to come out next month, it isn't likely to be much faster, and a few hundred mghz of addistional speed isn't likely to make much of a difference. The Duos contain two fast processors, and most people aren't going to come close to using all that power. If you think you might want more speed though, just add RAM, because while 512 MB will be fine for most uses, 1 or 2 GB will remove any potential bottlenecks when running several apps.
 
If you're going to be kicking yourself when the updates come, then wait a little longer. You won't be waiting "forever," just until the next update.
 
No, definitely not.

Garthy said:
I really really want a new macbook. I love everything about them. My question is... Should i go out and buy one right now when there is a possible update just around the corner. I just wish i knew when or if there was goin to be a merom update in the macbooks. If i was to buy a macbook could i just put a mero chip in it once they are released for macbooks. Would it still be exactly the same as if buying a merom based macbook from the shops. Exactly the same????

Help me anyway you guys can.
Click to expand...

Wait for the upgrade to the Core 2 Duo processor in order to future proof yourself, and if possible wait until Leopard ships with the machine. I bought a PowerBook G4 after finally giving up waiting for USB 2.0 to be put on the feature list, putting my trust in Apple and Firewire instead - if I could change this decision I would now that they have abandoned firewire on the ipods. I think the same applies now with the 32-bit/64-bit question of Core Duo vs Core 2 Duo. You will have access to more in the future if you wait a month or so now.
 
For the regular MacBook, don't hold your breath for a Core 2 Duo. That'll likely be the difference between it in the Pro. Probably the only update it'll get might be a drop in price by $100 to get it back down to $999.
 
Why increase the gap?

Brandon Sharitt said:
For the regular MacBook, don't hold your breath for a Core 2 Duo. That'll likely be the difference between it in the Pro. Probably the only update it'll get might be a drop in price by $100 to get it back down to $999.
Click to expand...

Everyone thinks that keeping the Macbook on a Core Duo while moving the Pro to the Core 2 Duo will produce a distinction between the two machines. But doing so would produce too big a gap if done for too long. The Macbook already lacks the separate GPU that Leopard wants for its highest level of performance and if it lacks 64-bit too, not to mention the fewer peripheral ports and the cheaper casing it will leave the Macbook looking rather mediocre. Whereas to have an entire line up on 64-bit would cast a shadow on all the cheaper PCs out there.

At the moment there is only .16 GHz between MacBook and MacBook Pro top end machines. People buy the pros for longevity and toughness provided by the subtler inclusions on the Pro machines.
 
a456 said:
Everyone thinks that keeping the Macbook on a Core Duo while moving the Pro to the Core 2 Duo will produce a distinction between the two machines. But doing so would produce too big a gap if done for too long. The Macbook already lacks the separate GPU that Leopard wants for its highest level of performance and if it lacks 64-bit too, not to mention the fewer peripheral ports and the cheaper casing it will leave the Macbook looking rather mediocre. Whereas to have an entire line up on 64-bit would cast a shadow on all the cheaper PCs out there.

At the moment there is only .16 GHz between MacBook and MacBook Pro top end machines. People buy the pros for longevity and toughness provided by the subtler inclusions on the Pro machines.
Click to expand...

First let me start off by saying I love Macs and sold by beloved Powerbook G4 earlier this summer only because I was afraid that its value would be diminished with the introduction of Intel Macs. That being said, right now most of the PC manufacturers have less expensive solutions for laptops. My Aunt just purchased a Core Duo Toshiba laptop for $600 with the same specs (except the Toshiba had DVD burning) as a base Macbook with a free Canon aio printer the other day at Best Buy. I really love OSX but it is becoming extremely hard to justify a $400 difference for the same exact hardware. Personally, I don't buy any claims that Apple has superior hardware as in my experience their hard drives die and their logic boards crack just like everyone elses. With all of this in mind, I think Apple really has to update the Macbook line within the next month or two. One can already buy a Core 2 Duo machine for less than $1000. While Mac OS X is superior to Windows XP, how much extra is it worth? For me it is simple, if they update to Core 2 Duos within my buying window then I will buy a Mac, otherwise, I will have to get a PC. $400 and a faster processor and DVD burner is too much of a gap for me... (I'm using $1000 for the price of the Macbook as it can be had for that off of Amazon with a mail in rebate...otherwise they are even more over priced).
 
listen if you're worried about merom you have to wait longer than you think. In order for merom to be take advantage of its true power and be faster than the core duo it requires a faster fsb. in order for it to have a fast fsb, it needs a new logic board, which is called santa rosa and won't be out til spring 2007. So if thats what you want wait until then. Because if the put merom in the macbook tomorrow, its not significantly faster than whats already in there, you're waiting for something which is only superficially better not actually better.
 
It may be superficially better but with the cost differences that are out there now it is a hard pill to swallow for a cost conscious student like me. The other thing is that Macbooks still have overheating problems, which I hope are fixed with a Merom update. Also, some things like optional GPU and black as an option across the board would be nice too. I had a 12" Powerbook and the Macbook isn't a true successor to that machine. Ahhh Apple you are so frustrating. Perhaps they aren't offering Black across the board because they are afraid they would have mass recalls because of the it peeling due to the extreme heat.
 
I'd be kicking myself when the updates came, being a power user and CS student, but classes start on the 20th :( I'll probably buy right before the iPod deal ends, on the 14th or 15th or so.
 
Just wait until the 12th. You'd be coo-coo crazy to buy now. The possibility of a speed upgrade and/or price drop and/or rev. b is too great to be so damn hasty. You're going to have this a long time, so what's the hurry?
 
say i go to my local apple store today and buy a stock macbook. how long do i have to return this product no questions asked? and is there a charge for this? finally, when is the last possible date within the near future (ie next month) that apple would do an upgrade or price drop on these macbooks? thanks
 
ddrueckhammer said:
The other thing is that Macbooks still have overheating problems, which I hope are fixed with a Merom update.
Click to expand...


despite inital reports merom is just as hot, the low wattage chips, also aren't due out until spring 07, and they run at 1.66 mhz, i'll see if i can find that article that explains all this.
 
The Shady said:
say i go to my local apple store today and buy a stock macbook. how long do i have to return this product no questions asked? and is there a charge for this? finally, when is the last possible date within the near future (ie next month) that apple would do an upgrade or price drop on these macbooks? thanks
Click to expand...

The mbp will get updated before the mb.
 
Just buy it now :) Doubtful MBs will get merom and even if they do it won't matter too much
 
No. And not because of any processor upgrade, but until all the quality control issues are dealt with.
 
mashinhead said:
despite inital reports merom is just as hot, the low wattage chips, also aren't due out until spring 07, and they run at 1.66 mhz, i'll see if i can find that article that explains all this.
Click to expand...

Good point, but I'm hoping that they do something about the heat disapation with the next rev. Whether that be a slightly thicker enclosure or more vents or a different material for the heat sync or more or less thermal goo, I don't know. I'm a Civil Engineering student not a ME or EE...
 
fastlane1588 said:
The mbp will get updated before the mb.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure. If Apple cares at all about being competative then I think they need to upgrade both lines as soon as possible. The real problem, as I see it, is that when they first come out, MB/MBPs are very competative but then Apple doesn't drop prices like other manufacturers. So in a few months, they are overpriced once again.

OS X is fantastic but it is now the sole differentiator between a Mac or a generic PC. If Apple isn't planning on keeping up hardware wise then I think that moving to Intel was a bad move because it makes it that much more obvious that they charge more for the same thing as the competition.

There is no reason to give the MBP a better processor then the MB line. The GPU and size are already a big enough product differentiator. I really wouldn't get a MBP irregardless because the size isn't convenient for me to carry around all day. In fact, I would like a top end MB with a GPU and choice of color because that would be the perfect replacement for my G4 Powerbook which I loved.
 
Is it most likely that if there is going to be an update to the notebook line that it will all be announced on the 12th. I dont mind waiting that long. If i was to buy a macbook 2.0ghz with 2gb ram would it run leopard extremly well or only mediocre.
 
Garthy said:
Is it most likely that if there is going to be an update to the notebook line that it will all be announced on the 12th. I dont mind waiting that long. If i was to buy a macbook 2.0ghz with 2gb ram would it run leopard extremly well or only mediocre.
Click to expand...

Nobody knows when/if there will be an update. There are several schools of thought...

1. MBP will be updated soon but not the MB so that the MBP has a large gap between it and the MB.
2. MB and MBP will both be updated or the MB's price will be dropped to keep the Apple notebooks as competative as possible. (This is what I hope will happen. Otherwise, I might be compelled into getting a Windows notebook).
3. Neither line will be updated until Nov, Dec, or January

If something does happen, I imagine it would happen soon. Otherwise, it may be a while. A 2.0 Ghz and 2gb or RAM MB should run Leopard extremely well assuming that the integrated graphics is good enough for the Core services...I think it is. The real benefit of waiting for a newer model of Macbook is not the processor IMO, but the possibility of a BTO GPU uprade, not having to pay for black and (most importantly) the Rev A bugs being ironed out.
 
It is just such a hard decision to make. i want a macbook but not sure how long or even if there is going to be an update. I will definetly be waiting until the 12th to see if there is any announcments.

Does anyone know if iChat AV is able to chat with MSN Messenger or not?
 
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