[02gtstang]

Aside from the extra HD space and ram, is it worth saving the $450 or so and getting
a 1.83 vs 2.0? I DO like the bigger HD space, but I am not sure how much difference
the graphics card is going to make, especially now that we can play windows game on them.

[memory-minus]

Originally Posted by 02gtstang

Aside from the extra HD space and ram, is it worth saving the $450 or so and getting
a 1.83 vs 2.0? I DO like the bigger HD space, but I am not sure how much difference
the graphics card is going to make, especially now that we can play windows game on them.

170MHz faster (to me this is the least compelling difference between the two)
20 GB Extra HDD space (that could be your entire Windows partition)
Double the RAM (it does matter)
Double the VRAM (it does matter)

It was worth it to me.

[Abbas]

I got the 1.83 and saved some money. I spent $170 on increasing the RAM to 2GB and will probably upgrade the hard drive once 160GB or 200GB drives are reasonable in price. In my opion, the extra 170MHz will make MUCH of a difference and the extra 128MB will only come in handy if you're playing high-end games.

-a

[idyll]

Definitely worth it to go with the 2.0GHz for just a bit more. The double VRAM memory will come in handy now that you can run Windows XP on your Mac and play games... It is definitely a bit faster, and the 1GB of memory helps. Overall, you'll be happier with the 2.0GHz for a longer time than the 1.8. It's the best you can get.. Now that 2.1 or 2.2 upgrade on the other hand..

[tasmamoi]

Also opted for the 1.8, then loaded up with RAM (2GB of OEM memory, $240). You can order the larger hard drive on the 1.8 as well...

I also would like to put in a huge disk when they become available for reasonable money.

[iREZ]

will probably upgrade the hard drive once 160GB or 200GB drives are reasonable in price.

yeah i opted for the 1.83 imac, i cant wait till i could fit 10TB of storage in it for a reasonable price

[02gtstang]

I went ahead and got the 2.0. by the time I install a larger HD and RAM, I am about at
the same price point. I can't wait for it to get here!

[volcano]

Along those same lines -

5400RPM or 7200RPM hard-drive?

I want the 2.0 model, no questions about that - but I'm hung up over the hard-drive speed. Will I honestly notice that much of a speed jump with a 7200RPM hard-drive or will the stock one work just as well? How is battery life affected?

Thoughts?

If I get the 5400RPM drive, I'll just buy the stock model - because 100GB is plenty of storage for me, and I can always upgrade the RAM later.

[FS-Zero]

I have the 1.83, I find it to run cooler than the 2.0 ghz one at my school store

[mduell]

Originally Posted by volcano

Along those same lines -

5400RPM or 7200RPM hard-drive?

I want the 2.0 model, no questions about that - but I'm hung up over the hard-drive speed. Will I honestly notice that much of a speed jump with a 7200RPM hard-drive or will the stock one work just as well? How is battery life affected?

Thoughts?

If I get the 5400RPM drive, I'll just buy the stock model - because 100GB is plenty of storage for me, and I can always upgrade the RAM later.

7200RPM... the 5400RPM may match it in bulk transfers (which is the easiest, and thus most common benchmark to see), the difference in "snappyness" is significant.

[Shinguuji]

Given the choice between 100Gb 7200rpm and 120Gb 5400rpm I'd take the 7200rpm drive.

I've got a Hitachi 7k60 in my just replaced Dell Inspiron 8100 and it's definately more responsive with file operations than the MBP using XP. Shame the drive is ATA and the MBP is SATA...

[AHDuke99]

my sister just got a 1.83ghz macbook and honestly i cant tell much of a difference speed wise between my 1.25ghz PB and her macbook. mine has double the ram, but for every day tasks, the speed isnt noticeable. i havent used the 2.0ghz one so i cant say anything about that one.