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Buying a MacBook - problems, RAM, hard drive


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Buying a MacBook - problems, RAM, hard drive
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katori
Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
 
2006-07-20, 11:03

Hello,
I'm planning on buying a MacBook. I'd like to buy a new one, since that way I can get the iPod Nano promo, but I've heard of issues with the MacBook, and my MBP (that I sold because it was too big) actually had the processor whine problem.

So, question one: Are the problems still occuring in current MacBooks, or did most of the new-product glitches die down? I'd rather forego the Nano and buy a used one that I know works, than buy a new one, have small but incredibly annoying problems with it, and be unable to return or fix it.

I have a limited budget (poor college student and all), and after buying the 2.0 GHz white, $100 is maybe the maximum I can spare. I've heard over and over that as far as RAM goes, more = significantly better. The computer will be used for normal college stuff - Office, internet, chatting, music, some light programming, etc.

Question two: Should I get (a) the 1GB upgrade from Apple, (b) a 1GB stick and replace one of the 256MB sticks, or (c) save $100 and stay with 512MB (which has the added bonus of me being able to walk down to the campus computer store and buy one, instead of ordering stuff on-line and having to wait for them)?

And lastly...

Question three: I have a 80GB iBook hard drive, from the last G4 version before Apple introduced MacBook. Would I be able to install it on the MacBook, and if so, would it void warranty?

Thank you.
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LaEsperanza
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Join Date: May 2006
 
2006-07-20, 11:19

I will try and answer man, and somebody can correct me if I goof...

1. The glitches
My BlackBook didnt have ANY problems. The first white one did though. By now the glitches are worked out except for one thing that KILLS tensdanny and I: the power adapter makes a whining noise. If it is right by your computer it can get annoying. If you plug it in 5 feet away, you won't notice. But as far as the MacBook, my last one had no problems whatsoever. I have been buying and reselling them all summer in hopes of earning enough to get a free one. However, I would wait until as close to September 16 that you can to buy since you never know what will be updated and when.
2. The Memory
I have not sold a MacBook without a 1GB upgrade. For a few reasons, the first is $...2nd because it runs a lot better with more memory. I would say 1GB is the MINIMUM you should have. www.newegg.com has Patriot memory for $80 a 1GB stick. You could buy 2 for $160, and I would heavily suggest it. If you are only going to buy 1GB though, buy it through Apple. This would keep it under warranty.
3.The Hard Drive
Simply, no. You need a SATA drive in the MacBook and the iBook drive was an ATA drive.
4.Warranty
For the memory and hard drive, they are user replacable, but if you put something else in, it voids the warranty on that product. For example, installing 1 or 2 GB of RAM or a HD upgrade yourself would void the warranty of your RAM or HD, but if the screen backlight would blow, they would replace it.
Hope this helped man. Also, I'd consider getting the 30GB iPod and selling it on eBay or craigslist.org immediately. You would pay $90 but earn $250-$300. You could buy a used nano online and use the extra cash to get more RAM
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LudwigVan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2006-07-20, 12:34

Quote:
Originally Posted by LaEsperanza
For the memory and hard drive, they are user replacable...
True, a user can replace them.

Quote:
...but if you put something else in, it voids the warranty on that product.
Half right. Replacing the hard drive would void your warranty. Replacing memory, however (since it is a Apple-sanctioned replaceable part), would not void your warranty.

Quote:
For example, installing 1 or 2 GB of RAM...yourself would void the warranty of your RAM...
The memory's warranty or the MacBook's? I think this is wrong on both counts.
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Luca
ಠ_ರೃ
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2006-07-20, 12:37

I think all he means is that if you replace certain parts, the warranty will no longer apply to those parts since they're not the original ones and they weren't purchased through Apple. Obviously if you replace the Apple RAM with RAM from another company and then the new RAM stops working, Apple's not going to replace it for you.

As for the hard drive thing... somehow I doubt Apple would refuse to honor your warranty if you simply replaced the hard drive. It's easy enough to do yourself; if the computer suffers from an unrelated issue are they going to just say "no"?

EDIT: Legally they can't just refuse to if you replace your hard drive, unless what you did was the direct cause of the problem.

Magnussen-Moss Act

Quote:
Magnussen-Moss Act of 1978 was created for consumer protection from manufacturers voiding warrantys without reasonable cause. Most notable feature of the Magnussen-Moss Act is protections for persons with devices, vehicles, or products protected under Warranty. Warrantors are not allowed to make arbitrary decisions in their own favor to void warranties for changes made to these unless they can specifically prove that the added or modified part caused the failure.

Last edited by Luca : 2006-07-20 at 12:53.
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LaEsperanza
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Join Date: May 2006
 
2006-07-20, 13:42

Thanks for the help Luca, I just did it off of what I knew and what common sense stated, you showed the backup for my common sense.
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DMBand0026
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Chicago
 
2006-07-20, 15:47

Quote:
Originally Posted by Luca
snip
Exactly. Once Apple made the HDD in the MacBook "user replaceable" and or "user serviceable" as they have now, replacing it or servicing it yourself can not void the warranty.

Come waste your time with me
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katori
Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
 
2006-07-20, 17:33

Thank you for your replies. It seems like the only thing left to do is scrape up money for memory and wait for WWDC. Here's to a new update - or at least a price chop.
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2006-07-20, 17:54

Quote:
Originally Posted by katori
Thank you for your replies. It seems like the only thing left to do is scrape up money for memory and wait for WWDC. Here's to a new update - or at least a price chop.
I believe Apple would really like to get the MacBook beneath that magic $999 price, especially as the student buying season reaches its peak. (OK, I don't know if it peaks just before the beginning of the fall semester, but I'm guessing most students are procrastinators like me.)

Of course, the $1,299 and $1,499 models will probably stay the same price (Apple has traditionally sold their notebooks at $999, $1,299, and $1,499), so I'm guessing Apple will bump up the RAM in the 2.0 GHz MacBooks to 1GB, essentially a $100 price drop (currently, Apple's retail stores stock "Ultimate" versions of the 2.0 GHz MacBook and BlackBook with 1GB RAM for $1,399 and $1,599, respectively). This would allow Apple to quickly and easily make all the MacBooks more appealing, and it would also encourage people to have 1GB of RAM, which some feel is a must for the best Mac experience.

Of course, that is all just speculation, but I see it as the most plausible way Apple could give the MacBook a price drop without giving it a speed bump (considering it currently can't get a speed bump without stepping on the MBP's toes).

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong

Last edited by Robo : 2006-07-20 at 18:00.
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LaEsperanza
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Join Date: May 2006
 
2006-07-20, 18:03

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman
I'm guessing Apple will bump up the RAM in the 2.0 GHz MacBooks to 1GB
That is where I disagree...they could essentially bring down the price to $999, but I dont know about bumping the RAM. It JUST got bumped in the MBP and the iMac still comes with a 512. Yes they are a 1x512 stick, but the reason that the MacBook HAS to come with a 2x256 is for the video card. I think that it will stay the same. Everybody says that Apple wants the $999, but honestly the price has to go above the magic $1000 someday because of inflation. They took the leap and everything is still selling, might as well keep it there.
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katori
Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
 
2006-07-20, 18:39

Hmm... For me, the $999, even if it happens, would still be a no-go - I need SuperDrive. But a $1299 ($1049 with student discount, I believe) with 1 GB would be totally awesome.
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MCQ
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: NY
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2006-07-20, 19:56

Quote:
Originally Posted by LaEsperanza
They took the leap and everything is still selling, might as well keep it there.
Bingo. From what could be inferred based on Apple's unit volumes, the MacBook is selling incredibly well. There's no reason for Apple to be lowering prices at this time, unless they think the increased volume would offset the margin difference.

College students already have the iPod promo to spur their buying... I don't think further discounts are needed yet.
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2006-07-20, 23:41

Quote:
Originally Posted by LaEsperanza
That is where I disagree...they could essentially bring down the price to $999, but I dont know about bumping the RAM. It JUST got bumped in the MBP and the iMac still comes with a 512. Yes they are a 1x512 stick, but the reason that the MacBook HAS to come with a 2x256 is for the video card. I think that it will stay the same. Everybody says that Apple wants the $999, but honestly the price has to go above the magic $1000 someday because of inflation. They took the leap and everything is still selling, might as well keep it there.
I think the drop of prices in technology more than negates inflation. I mean, the original Mac was $2,499. Obviously, it wasn't very powerful, but that's not the point - the point is, low-end desktops aren't $2,499 anymore. A few years ago, you couldn't get a notebook for $500. Now, you can - inflation and all.

I don't think anyone is denying that the MacBooks are selling. The idea of a price drop is to make it sell more. You don't say your sales are "good enough" and leave them alone. That doesn't make a business successful.

I realize that the $1,999 MacBook Pro still ships with 512 MB of RAM. (I'm expecting that to change soon.) I was just looking for a quick, quiet (so as not to overshadow the WWDC announcements) and easy way of making the 2 GHz MacBooks more appealing, since they probably won't recieve a price drop in the traditional sense (although the BlackBook might). Making 1 GB of RAM standard would be extremely simple, as Apple Stores already stock 2 GHz MacBooks with 1 GB of RAM (for $1,399 and $1,599). There's also the added benefit of the extra RAM making OS X itself more appealing, and thus, more likely to become a switcher's permanent home.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
  quote
Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2006-07-20, 23:50

Quote:
Originally Posted by MCQ
Bingo. From what could be inferred based on Apple's unit volumes, the MacBook is selling incredibly well. There's no reason for Apple to be lowering prices at this time, unless they think the increased volume would offset the margin difference.

College students already have the iPod promo to spur their buying... I don't think further discounts are needed yet.
I agree there. I'm not claiming that lowering prices is necessarily the best thing for Apple right now - I haven't been in their boardrooms, so I don't know if the sales are slowing or if they can't keep them on the shelves as is.

Maybe the increase volume wouldn't offset the margin difference. I don't know.

I'm just saying that I don't expect the Mac mini and MacBook to stay at $599 and $1,099 for long. Will the prices drop before the end of Cram and Jam? Probably not (although the iBook was updated in late July last year). Will Apple lower the prices before they update those products (which would also lower their margins)? I think so.

There are two ways Apple can keep their products competitive: They can update the specs, or lower the price. Normally, Apple updates the specs. But considering the prices of both the MacBook and Mac mini crossed psychological thresholds, I think Apple would be best served by getting the prices just under the thresholds first, and then updating the specs as normal.

Of course, I'm not saying they should drop the prices now, just as no one is claiming they should update the specs now. Right now, the MacBook is competitive. But when it needs a bump, I think it will be in the form of a price drop first.

The price drop scenario I outlined would allow Apple to watch student (or, later, holiday) sales closely, and quickly react to any drop in interest. That's why I think it is an option that Apple might pursue.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong

Last edited by Robo : 2006-07-20 at 23:59.
  quote
MCQ
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Join Date: May 2004
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2006-07-21, 00:31

Makes sense.

It seems like the mini is selling pretty poorly though. I haven't seen anything to indicate that it's sold at any reasonable level of volume yet... pre or post Intel switch. Whether it's due to lack of promotion or the price point I'm not sure.
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