It's nice to see a review from someone thats not a first time mac user. That way we get a better HARDWARE review. Thanks for the info man!
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Who's purchasing the new Macbook?
- Thread starter klb028
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It's nice to see a review from someone thats not a first time mac user. That way we get a better HARDWARE review. Thanks for the info man!
All of Euroland saw a nice price drop on the new macbooks on abnout 9%. From about 1167€ to 1073€ in Denmark (small macbook).
Advice
I just got the new Blackbook and the only hardware issue I've had so far is the memory. If you are gonna to be using this machine to its max, I recommend upgrading to the 2GB of ram. For the most part having 1GB ram is okay, but when I load up WinXP in parallels the amount of lag is very noticable. Also running Google Earth for a long time at the same time as a web browser and a word processor (planning a trip to Greece
) the 1GB memory fills up very quickly. If you plan to run a lot of non-native apps (Office MAC or Firefox), the DYI cost of a memory upgrade is worth it (~$150CDN for me). Although, those pirates at apple included 2 - 512mb cards instead of a single Gig card, making the upgrade cost a little pricey but still cheaper than if you got apple to do it for you.
Has anyone noticed the same issue or am I way too picky? Also, has anyone upgraded to 2Gigs with these new machines?
I have read some negative reviews on the speakers here and I'll have to agree, they're nothing to be bragging about. BUT, plug in some speakers and the sound card delivers great audio.
I just got the new Blackbook and the only hardware issue I've had so far is the memory. If you are gonna to be using this machine to its max, I recommend upgrading to the 2GB of ram. For the most part having 1GB ram is okay, but when I load up WinXP in parallels the amount of lag is very noticable. Also running Google Earth for a long time at the same time as a web browser and a word processor (planning a trip to Greece
) the 1GB memory fills up very quickly. If you plan to run a lot of non-native apps (Office MAC or Firefox), the DYI cost of a memory upgrade is worth it (~$150CDN for me). Although, those pirates at apple included 2 - 512mb cards instead of a single Gig card, making the upgrade cost a little pricey but still cheaper than if you got apple to do it for you. Has anyone noticed the same issue or am I way too picky? Also, has anyone upgraded to 2Gigs with these new machines?
I have read some negative reviews on the speakers here and I'll have to agree, they're nothing to be bragging about. BUT, plug in some speakers and the sound card delivers great audio.
Just ordered a Blackbook this morning from Amazon. Working from home on Thursday, watching for the UPS/FedEx guy all day...
After years of drooling over macs, I just bought my White Macbook, 200 gig hard drive, 2 gigs ram. I also got a wireless mighty mouse and the new incase canvas sleeve....
I've never been this excited in my life...
T-minus 10 days(max) and counting...
I've never been this excited in my life...
T-minus 10 days(max) and counting...
I got the stock model dual 2gig white machine with 80gb drive and 1gig of ram.
It was to replace a 12inch iBook G4 1.33 which unfortunately died.
I have it for music/live performance work and so once I'd reinstalled OS X and put Logic on it I put it through it's paces with a project I'd had to abandon on the iBook.
The old iBook was peaking at around 96% CPU running this particular project so it seemed like the perfect thing to load up on the new Macbook.
Logic is obviously optimised for multiple core machines so the load was spread (almost) evenly across each core and is now registering at around 12% per core.
Understandably I am more than happy with this!
As a live machine this is going to do nicely, might need to get a cool pad for it because it seems to run hotter than the iBook did and I'm yet to actually try it out in a humid environment like a club or something so I can't comment on that just yet but it's a powerhorse as long as you don't want to do any 3D modelling/Rendering etc..
It was to replace a 12inch iBook G4 1.33 which unfortunately died.
I have it for music/live performance work and so once I'd reinstalled OS X and put Logic on it I put it through it's paces with a project I'd had to abandon on the iBook.
The old iBook was peaking at around 96% CPU running this particular project so it seemed like the perfect thing to load up on the new Macbook.
Logic is obviously optimised for multiple core machines so the load was spread (almost) evenly across each core and is now registering at around 12% per core.
Understandably I am more than happy with this!
As a live machine this is going to do nicely, might need to get a cool pad for it because it seems to run hotter than the iBook did and I'm yet to actually try it out in a humid environment like a club or something so I can't comment on that just yet but it's a powerhorse as long as you don't want to do any 3D modelling/Rendering etc..
new macbook whine!!
Here's my story: I received a new white macbook 2.16 ghz with 2gb ram and was great for a day. Then all of a sudden I started hearing a whine (high pitched noise similar to what you hear from the back of old tv sets) I called apple care and am waiting for a replacement now. seems similar to the issue some macbook pros had with whining cpu because the noise only went away whenever I had iBooth on. was wondering if anyone had same experience. I hope the replacement won't have same issue since it will probably be from the same batch
Here's my story: I received a new white macbook 2.16 ghz with 2gb ram and was great for a day. Then all of a sudden I started hearing a whine (high pitched noise similar to what you hear from the back of old tv sets) I called apple care and am waiting for a replacement now. seems similar to the issue some macbook pros had with whining cpu because the noise only went away whenever I had iBooth on. was wondering if anyone had same experience. I hope the replacement won't have same issue since it will probably be from the same batch
Last I heard on this issue is that it's just the second core idling. I wouldn't know as I don't have a MacBook (yet) but at least you're getting a replacement anyway.
Long-time Mac user; first-time laptop (of any variety) owner. Thanks to a fortuitous order just as the specs were upgraded, I ended up with a 2.16GHz black MacBook with 2Gb of RAM and a rebate on my original order for the 2.0GHz model!
As I have noted on another thread - this machine kicks @rse! It's chewing up Photoshop and InDesign jobs, and performing remarkably well with Cinema 4D.
I hope to benchmark it against my desktop machine with some video processing in the next day or so, but I wouldn't be surprised if the MacBook doesn't stack up against the desktop on this one as well.
Thoroughly, thoroughly recommended. This is a fantastic machine.
Cheers
Jim
Just bought one!
Just ordered my White 2.16GHz MacBook from MaConnection. I am glad they deliever to APO's. Can't wait to get it. Almost got a refurb, but with the rebate makes it only a 94 buck difference. Plus the better half likes the white.
Just ordered my White 2.16GHz MacBook from MaConnection. I am glad they deliever to APO's. Can't wait to get it. Almost got a refurb, but with the rebate makes it only a 94 buck difference. Plus the better half likes the white.
Get BonEcho which is Firefox optimised for Intel chips. Runs nice and quickly.
Wise decision. Putting in more memory makes much more of a difference than small clock speed bumps on a Mac.
Just placed an order for a refurb blackbook. I couldn't justify an extra $150 (edu pricing) for the .16Ghz speed bump. Plus, the color might help resale down the road.
Now I just have to wait for the "up to two week" shipping time
A friend of mine JUST ordered their's last Thursday around 7 pm and had it delivered to them by yesterday morning. Talk about fast! Not sure if they paid for overnight shipping or anything though. That's still incredible!
Oh yeah. I'm already planning on 3GB of ram in it. I'm just waiting for the latest OWC benchmarks before ordering. Supposedly they just tested the macbook with 2, 3, and 4 GB (2x2GB, but 3.2GB of recognized ram) configurations and CS3 (my bread and butter), so I figure that will be useful information for me.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Memory_Benchmark/Apple_MacBook/
I don't know if this is what you were looking for, but they only tested up to 3GB of Ram.
Went for the BlackBook
I needed a laptop for college, so I just finished purchasing a black MacBook 2.16 ghz. I have been drooling over the black one since I first saw it at the Apple store. I almost got screwed on the ram though, thinking it would be cheaper to get the apple installed 2 gb instead of selling the 2 512s and buying my own ram, but I found out that I could get 2gb at Crucial for $90. I got a free printer with it as well, a Canon PiXMA iP4300 Photo Printer. I also bought a wired mighty mouse too. Total was $1,670.31, but I get a $100 rebate for the printer.
I am really excited for this computer, as my tower is 6 years old, and I also was tempted with a macbook for nearly a month while I used one from my school for our senior video. I don't usually like it when people make these threads, but now I know why they do. It is exciting! Well it will be until the money comes out of my account since for now it is on my father's credit card.
It should come, according to the order, between June 4th and 8th, but I sort of doubt that.
I needed a laptop for college, so I just finished purchasing a black MacBook 2.16 ghz. I have been drooling over the black one since I first saw it at the Apple store. I almost got screwed on the ram though, thinking it would be cheaper to get the apple installed 2 gb instead of selling the 2 512s and buying my own ram, but I found out that I could get 2gb at Crucial for $90. I got a free printer with it as well, a Canon PiXMA iP4300 Photo Printer. I also bought a wired mighty mouse too. Total was $1,670.31, but I get a $100 rebate for the printer.
I am really excited for this computer, as my tower is 6 years old, and I also was tempted with a macbook for nearly a month while I used one from my school for our senior video. I don't usually like it when people make these threads, but now I know why they do. It is exciting! Well it will be until the money comes out of my account since for now it is on my father's credit card.
It should come, according to the order, between June 4th and 8th, but I sort of doubt that.
Took delivery of my new MacBook in white last night; 2.16 with 2Gb RAM. First foray into Macs since 1993. Loving every minute of it, doubt I'll go back to Windows.
Waiting on the MBP update in June, will buy a 15" MBP as well, probably dual boot it since I need a couple of Windows native apps but will be 99% of the time using OSX (or Leopard when it arrives)
Waiting on the MBP update in June, will buy a 15" MBP as well, probably dual boot it since I need a couple of Windows native apps but will be 99% of the time using OSX (or Leopard when it arrives)
Nope, I've seen that. Give this a read through, you'll know what I'm talking about:
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/archives/may07/052507.html#S22830
Just got my new MacBook, white 2.16 GHz with 1gb of Ram. I literally just fired it up an hour ago. I'm still taking things slow and figuring things out. I have had very limited experience with Mac, so it is kind of like going ice-skating for the first time.
It picked up my wireless connection right away, and I downloaded the updates it notified me about. I clicked on Safari, and started cruisin'.
I will probably drop 2 gb of Ram in it in a week or so. I want to see what 1gb acts like for a while, though.
Glad I joined the good guys though. I am looking forward to the stability and peace of mind that comes with owning a Mac.
It picked up my wireless connection right away, and I downloaded the updates it notified me about. I clicked on Safari, and started cruisin'.
I will probably drop 2 gb of Ram in it in a week or so. I want to see what 1gb acts like for a while, though.
Glad I joined the good guys though. I am looking forward to the stability and peace of mind that comes with owning a Mac.
I ordered my Macbook monday night around 9 pm. I ordered it from Macmall (great site with lots of rebates) although i had to wait for someone to answer for around 15 to 20 minutes i finally got someone and i ordered it with pleasure.
Hopefully it will be in today (friday) For the specs i got a Black 2.16hz c2d 2gb ram, 160gb hard drive, and it hurts me to put that i actualy ordered this to but i got windows xp to go along with it (mainly for gaming on the road and other programs i cant use on my mac).
Ive managed to get a list of about 40 cool new apps (im sure i will only use 25 or so) and put it on an external Hd so when it comes i can load er up.
AS for what i already have mac mini, dad has a macbook pro, brother has a lowline macbook and we have a couple of old emacs. + the computer ive been using for the last 5 months is a 500mhz g4 256mb ram with a 60gb hard drive its only good for AIM and web browsing, i hate it
anyways i think the new macbook wil be a nice update to the 500mhz
i dont know if it was a good idea or not to order it before wwdc but ive been waiting so long i had to pull the trigger.
I'm a Switcher
Hi All,
I picked up my new Macbook on 25 May for an authorised reseller here in AUS. White Revised Macbook, 120GB, upgraded to 2gb RAM in store on the EDU discount.
This is my first Mac, I've been a long time Windows user. OSX is generally a breath of fresh air. So far it's been a very enjoyable experience. Anyway, a couple of thoughts:
Exterior: The white is very nice. Lid lines up with the case perfectally, as opposed to some reported probs. Personally, the keyboard was a little hard to get used to. The only thing is the lid was scratched wth 72 hours of use, even though I was EXTREAMally careful with it. I seriously don't know how they got there. Anyway, they're only visable on certain angles with certain light.
Battery: Configured the battery when I got the Macbook, so far it's been smooth sailing.
Heat: I'm running smcFanControl and while running Safari, Adium etc it's around 60 Celcius. It doesn't feel nearly as hot on my lap, at the moment it's not even warm.
Display: No problems here, colours are vibrant and the Glossy screen is a treat. Only a minor annoyance: when I try to adjust the brightness with the keys, about half way down the brightness scale the screen completely blacks out. Not sure if this is normal behaviour...
Performance: This may possibly be one of the fastest computers I've ever had the pleasure of using. Glad I went with the extra RAM.
Extras: I ended up ordering a STM Loft 13" bag for the new 'book, and also bought a Mini-DVI - VGA adaptor.
Whining: I've read alot about the 'whine' of Apple portables, and I can't say I have anything remotely close to the reported whine. Most of the time the 'book is completely silent, apart from the occasional blast of the fans.
Minor Tibits: Something I've noticed is that even when I make sure volume is turned up before I shut down, when I boot back up the Apple "ding" is sometimes absent. Any ideas?
OSX is just a great OS to use, my only gripe: Finder does not automatically realign/move icons to suit the finder window size. I'm probably doing something wrong...meh.
Anyway, those are my random thoughts. Hope they proved remotely helpful.
Have a great day/night,
Hi All,
I picked up my new Macbook on 25 May for an authorised reseller here in AUS. White Revised Macbook, 120GB, upgraded to 2gb RAM in store on the EDU discount.
This is my first Mac, I've been a long time Windows user. OSX is generally a breath of fresh air. So far it's been a very enjoyable experience. Anyway, a couple of thoughts:
Exterior: The white is very nice. Lid lines up with the case perfectally, as opposed to some reported probs. Personally, the keyboard was a little hard to get used to. The only thing is the lid was scratched wth 72 hours of use, even though I was EXTREAMally careful with it. I seriously don't know how they got there. Anyway, they're only visable on certain angles with certain light.
Battery: Configured the battery when I got the Macbook, so far it's been smooth sailing.
Heat: I'm running smcFanControl and while running Safari, Adium etc it's around 60 Celcius. It doesn't feel nearly as hot on my lap, at the moment it's not even warm.
Display: No problems here, colours are vibrant and the Glossy screen is a treat. Only a minor annoyance: when I try to adjust the brightness with the keys, about half way down the brightness scale the screen completely blacks out. Not sure if this is normal behaviour...
Performance: This may possibly be one of the fastest computers I've ever had the pleasure of using. Glad I went with the extra RAM.
Extras: I ended up ordering a STM Loft 13" bag for the new 'book, and also bought a Mini-DVI - VGA adaptor.
Whining: I've read alot about the 'whine' of Apple portables, and I can't say I have anything remotely close to the reported whine. Most of the time the 'book is completely silent, apart from the occasional blast of the fans.
Minor Tibits: Something I've noticed is that even when I make sure volume is turned up before I shut down, when I boot back up the Apple "ding" is sometimes absent. Any ideas?
OSX is just a great OS to use, my only gripe: Finder does not automatically realign/move icons to suit the finder window size. I'm probably doing something wrong...meh.
Anyway, those are my random thoughts. Hope they proved remotely helpful.
Have a great day/night,