Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

iAnna · Oct 20, 2007, 06:45 PM

okay guys, i'm really looking to buy a brand new macbook.. question is, i really can't decide if i REALLY need the 2.0 or the 2.16 version. i mainly just use my computer for surfing, video chatting, iTunes (for music and burning), downloading mp3s, microsoft word, adobe photoshop, illustrator, and games like doom3. which version should i opt for? and what are the pro's and con's?

there is a very noticeably huge price difference in the two esp. when using my educational discount so saving myself the extra cash would be great. but if i am going to see a big difference processor speed wise (is there THAT much of a difference between the speed of the 2?), i guess i could put out the extra cash if i needed to..

your opinions would be very much appreciated!

mdc · Oct 20, 2007, 06:58 PM

If you're talking about the basic MacBook versus the next model up, I suggest that you spend the extra since you're not just getting .16ghz.
The 2.16 comes with a bigger hard drive and, in my opinion, more importantly the dual layer dvd burner.

When I was in a position a few years ago to get a combo druve versus dvd burner PowerBook, i went for the dvd burner and am so glad I did. I honestly did not think I would use it all that much, but I go through dvds like crazy nowadays.

Hard drive space vanishes really quickly too. My 120gb drive has about 10-15gb free. My iTunes library is near 30gb along with my 30gb iPhoto library.

mduell · Oct 20, 2007, 07:32 PM

2.0 with more RAM/HDD.

167Mhz doesn't make much of a difference.

butterfly0fdoom · Oct 20, 2007, 08:10 PM

But a superdrive does.

...when you actually need it.

Christopera · Oct 20, 2007, 10:47 PM

The extra HD space alone is worth it. I went for the 2.16 and 120GB drive, after three months of use I have had it within in 10GB of being completely full. This doing exactly the same tasks you say you will be doing. An external drive is a good idea if you have any extreme photo collections. For example I have 15 thousand pictures all at 7 megapixel or greater. That can really eat up some hard drive, an external for me is a necessity.

If you need more punch at some point you can always upgrade to 2 or 3Gb of ram. After I did it I never feel the urge for something to work faster.

iAnna · Oct 21, 2007, 03:27 AM

thanks all! i've had a powerbook g4 with a superdrive and although i burned a lot of mp3 cds, i never once used it to burn a dvd. anyway, even if i wanted to, i could always buy an external dvd burner, couldn't i? i really doubt i'm going to even want to burn a dvd.. shouldn't say that though 'cause i never know.. right..

everyone's been telling me to upgrade the RAM to 2GB instead of going for the full on 2.16GHz. does that mean that a ram upgrade ups the processor speed? i know that ram just allows more multi-tasking and it doesn't really speed up the processor.. am i right?

frdmfghtr · Oct 21, 2007, 04:08 AM

Originally Posted by iAnna

thanks all! i've had a powerbook g4 with a superdrive and although i burned a lot of mp3 cds, i never once used it to burn a dvd. anyway, even if i wanted to, i could always buy an external dvd burner, couldn't i? i really doubt i'm going to even want to burn a dvd.. shouldn't say that though 'cause i never know.. right..

everyone's been telling me to upgrade the RAM to 2GB instead of going for the full on 2.16GHz. does that mean that a ram upgrade ups the processor speed? i know that ram just allows more multi-tasking and it doesn't really speed up the processor.. am i right?

That is correct...RAM has no effect on processor speed. However, it DOES have an effect on how fast tasks can get done.

If you don't have enough RAM, the hard drive gets used as virtual memory. Of course this is much slower than physical RAM, so having more RAM reduces the amount of swapping data between physical RAM and virtual RAM. Anything memory-intensive will benefit from having more physical memory.

Given the cost of memory, it's not terribly expensive, provided you do NOT buy RAM directly from Apple. For example, the online Apple Store lists a 2 GB set of PC2-5300 SODIMM memory modules (1 GB each x 2) for $300. CompUSA has Centon 1 GB modules for $60 each, or $120 for the pair. Yes, you read that correctly; CompUSA has basically the same product for less than half the price.

What you might want to do is price out RAM and a replacement hard drive from alternate sources and compare the cost to the price increase between the 2.0 and 2.16 GHz MacBooks. You may find that the 2.0 machine with the aftermarket upgrades is cheaper than the 2.16.

You can always get yourself an external DVD burner if you find the need.

mdc · Oct 21, 2007, 09:13 AM

You're right, you can get an external DVD writer and it will work fine. My friend has the lower MacBook with an external DVD drive.

Upgrading memory is a necessity. I did not mention it because I take it for granted that people will upgrade their memory. Macsales.com has 2gb (2x 1gb) for $59 or 3gb (1gb + 2gb) for $117. With the MacBook it's really simple (and doesn't void your MacBook's warranty) to swop your hard drive for something bigger down the road. Macsales.com (OWC) will even give you a rebate if you send them back your old memory or harddrive.

If it's a decision between upgrading memory or getting .16ghz more, I suggest the memory. Your 2ghz MacBook with 2 or 3gb of ram will run a lot nicer than a 2.16ghz with 1ghz.
OWC did benchmarks with different amounts of memory.
I am on my 5th Mac and every time I have bought my memory from OWC and have never had a problem with their memory. The live chat is nice since you can get a technician to talk to while you're buying stuff and ask them questions.

iAnna · Oct 21, 2007, 11:44 AM

just for clarification, this is a stupid question.. i am still able to watch DVD's on the 2.0, correct? i'm just not able to write DVD's?

mdc · Oct 21, 2007, 11:55 AM

Correct.
The combo drive can read CDs and DVDs but only write CDs.

iAnna · Oct 21, 2007, 07:28 PM

cool. thanks for all your feedback guys. unfortunately i'm still stuck in a rut deciding on the two. i really want to save myself the extra cash, but am just worried that i might regret not purchasing the 2.16..

frdmfghtr · Oct 21, 2007, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by iAnna

cool. thanks for all your feedback guys. unfortunately i'm still stuck in a rut deciding on the two. i really want to save myself the extra cash, but am just worried that i might regret not purchasing the 2.16..

I took another look at the Apple website (going through the education store, since you said you had an education discount), and I find this interesting; if you select the 2.0 GHz model and go into the customizing section, you can customize the 2.0 GHz model with a 120 GB drive and 2 GB of RAM, and it runs $1202-only $3 more than the 2.16 GHz model. In essence, you have traded a little bit of processor speed and the Super Drive (which you will likely not notice) for double the memory (which you WILL notice, in a good way).

I suggest having the upgrade done when ordering, despite what I said earlier; for $203, you get the upgrades at a decent price, and save yourself the hassle of installing the hardware and software after upgrading. On top of that, the upgrades are covered under the Apple warranty, unlike a hard drive and memory you install as upgrades.

iAnna · Oct 22, 2007, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by frdmfghtr

I took another look at the Apple website (going through the education store, since you said you had an education discount), and I find this interesting; if you select the 2.0 GHz model and go into the customizing section, you can customize the 2.0 GHz model with a 120 GB drive and 2 GB of RAM, and it runs $1202-only $3 more than the 2.16 GHz model. In essence, you have traded a little bit of processor speed and the Super Drive (which you will likely not notice) for double the memory (which you WILL notice, in a good way).

I suggest having the upgrade done when ordering, despite what I said earlier; for $203, you get the upgrades at a decent price, and save yourself the hassle of installing the hardware and software after upgrading. On top of that, the upgrades are covered under the Apple warranty, unlike a hard drive and memory you install as upgrades.

thank you! i will consider that when buying my mac this weekend. thanks so much for all your research!

0157988944 · Oct 22, 2007, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by frdmfghtr

I took another look at the Apple website (going through the education store, since you said you had an education discount), and I find this interesting; if you select the 2.0 GHz model and go into the customizing section, you can customize the 2.0 GHz model with a 120 GB drive and 2 GB of RAM, and it runs $1202-only $3 more than the 2.16 GHz model. In essence, you have traded a little bit of processor speed and the Super Drive (which you will likely not notice) for double the memory (which you WILL notice, in a good way).

I suggest having the upgrade done when ordering, despite what I said earlier; for $203, you get the upgrades at a decent price, and save yourself the hassle of installing the hardware and software after upgrading. On top of that, the upgrades are covered under the Apple warranty, unlike a hard drive and memory you install as upgrades.

Whoa Whoa Whoa... why would you do that? If your going to pay $3 more than the 2.16, get the 2.16.

frdmfghtr · Oct 23, 2007, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

Whoa Whoa Whoa... why would you do that? If your going to pay $3 more than the 2.16, get the 2.16.

To get the 2.16 GHz up to 2 GB of RAM, you have to add $135 to the base price, bringing it to $1334.

The customized 2.0 GHz unit is $1202. You save $132 by doing away with a little bit of clock speed and the SuperDrive.

IronPen · Oct 23, 2007, 11:27 AM

If you're not afraid to upgrade the RAM yourself -- instructions are included with your Macbook. It's as easy to removing some screws and pushing the module(s) into place -- then get the stock 2.0. I found a deal on 2GB or Crucial RAM for $40 after rebate. And with the holidays coming up, you're bound to find a good deal. Plus, despite what you hear on these boards, you don't NEED 2GB of RAM. It won't hurt, but your computing experience on OS X won't suffer without it. I bought the 2.0 GHz MB and I'm very happy with it. As mentioned, you can upgrade the HD if you need more storage. Unless you need the DVD burner on the go (I don't) then go to the 2.16. Otherwise, save your money to upgrade your memory and buy some nice software that will make you will allow you to be more productive and have more fun on your Mac.