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geltab · May 17, 2006, 11:40 PM

Well, I couldn't wait any longer to have somebody write a review on some issues that I thought were important to me, so I went out and bought a white Macbook w/superdrive.

So the main concerns for me where the following:

Heat: It does get fairly hot on the bottom left side (where the usb ports are). It stays localized to that area and is more apparent when the computer is plugged in. I ran crazy verify disk, while loading 1gb worth of photos into iphoto, while surfing safari with about 6 pages open, while running xbench also and it got fairly hot. Unfortunately, the system was set to Normal performance and the computer was running off battery, so I think it would have gotten hotter had I been plugged in. I will try again later.

After plugging in and setting performance to highest, I noticed the computer (in the spot mentioned above- by the power supply) stayed pretty warm. Not burning hot, but pretty hot. I tried to get a temperture reading, but it says there are no sensors (hmmmm). Overall it isn't that hot and is localized, so I can deal with it. It is not as hot as my Pbook 15" 1.67 (1st rev). I will do more heat tests later. The keyboard does give off a bit of heat in this area also, but it isn't uncomfortable. I can just feel some heat trying to come through, but in no way hampers my typing.

The screen looks really nice. I am a graphic designer and was really wondering if this was going to bug me, but it is bright enough so that the reflections aren't really noticable. This is really an environment thing though. Overall, I love the display and can't complain, especially in normal afternoon lighting in my condo, which is pretty bright. Just don't sit with a window behind you and you should be ok. As far as coming off of a 15" PB, I don't miss the screen space because this 13.3" screen is practically the same resolution as my pbook.

The keyboard feels nice, but will take a bit of getting used to. Just feels a bit tight and spaced out.

Performance seems to be a bit lacking when I have a bunch of applications open. It really chugs. Beachball galore! This is most likely due to the stock 512mb of ram. I am ordering up 2gb this evening and am sure that will fix things.

Still on the agenda are to install my 160gb Seagate hard drive, and install Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I am curious to see how they run.

Let me know if anyone has any questions about the computer, I know I sure did before I bought one.

Overall, I am pretty impressed with this machine so far.

Yakov · May 17, 2006, 11:42 PM

any unwelcome noise?

discotronic · May 17, 2006, 11:46 PM

Let us know how the battery does.

geltab · May 17, 2006, 11:49 PM

Actually the computer is pretty silent. I rarely hear the hard drive and have yet to hear any whine sound that was reported with the Macbook Pro's.

Another thing to note is that this screen is insanely bright! Compared to my Pbook, it is like night and day! I do have the revision 1 1.67 though (before they put the brighter/higher rez display in).

I am just running normal Safari right now and it is not hot at all.

Yakov · May 17, 2006, 11:51 PM

aw man, I'm so on this...
(just waiting until my cash gets sorted out...)

TheIceMan · May 18, 2006, 12:34 AM

What's the airport reception like and also battery limit?

Jason · May 18, 2006, 07:30 AM

Hey getlab, just wondering if why you purchased a Macbook instead of a MacBook Pro since you are a Graphic Designer. Do you plan to do a lot of heavy PS and Illustrator work on the Macbook or are you going to leave that up to a Powermac or the Powerbook you have?

I only ask this as I am studying a bachelor of GA and i'm still contemplating whether running any adobe softwear on the MBP will be really slow and in the end become frustrating.

Anyway thanks for that, also if you have already installed PS and Illustrator how are they running? Thanks heaps.

Jason.

typoon · May 18, 2006, 07:47 AM

Thanks for the quick review. I definitely want to get one of these. hmmmm Black maybe to go with my Black iPod with Video.

geltab · May 18, 2006, 11:32 AM

bad news on the macbook. I noticed that the case is a bit uneven when closed. I could deal with a bit of case sticking out but then later noticed that the coating of case by the keyboard is a bit off by the usb ports. I can stick my fingernail under it and it is pretty visibly noticible. I am going to take it back and get a new one this afternoon.

I will keep you guys posted once I get the new one.

It does run at about 63C under normal workload for anyone wondering about the exact heat. When I crank through lots of photos in iPhoto with 96% cpu usage (plugged in on better performance) it gets up to 85C, but cools back down fairly quickly.

The airport seems on par with my old powerbook. It gets about the same reception. Sometimes it drops a bar here and there. It does however show a lot of networks that my powerbook has never shown.

As far as the graphic design question. I was going to install XP on it and run the pc version if need be. I plan on using the mac version first and foremost. If that gets unbearable, I will use XP. I don't think it will be fair to test it until I get the 2gb of ram though. I will test it on some minor work, like comic lettering in Illustrator and some minor retouching in Photoshop and let you guys know by this evening.

geltab · May 19, 2006, 12:41 AM

Well

yticolev · May 19, 2006, 12:52 AM

I stopped by an Apple store this afternoon, the MBs were gorgeous! Typing was fine if a little noisier than the MPBs. Magnetic latch was great but pointed out the biggest ergonomic shortcoming. Sharp edge on the plastic top and bottom - appears to be an overlap seam. I think I would have to file it down if I bought one.

The glossy screen was not too distracting but I believe I prefer the matte. Screen folded back 10 degrees farther than the MPB revealing another small design error - it lifted the rear of the computer off of its feet when fully opened. Those feet by the way are great!

Other than the above, fit and finish were fabulous. I was neutral about black versus white, so the less expensive one would be my choice. Both had a matte finish inside, the black was matte outside and the white glossy outside.

None of the machines I picked up were more than warm on the bottom, unlike the MPBs which were scorching.

TheIceMan · May 19, 2006, 12:53 AM

So did you return it for a new one?

SkaGoat · May 19, 2006, 01:01 AM

I think it's a little petty to return it because it's a little uneven... you are the reason our electronics cost so much.

Gamoe · May 19, 2006, 02:06 AM

Originally Posted by SkaGoat

I think it's a little petty to return it because it's a little uneven... you are the reason our electronics cost so much.

No, rather it's the other way around-- Apple sells us a top-notch computer, and we should rightfully expect top-notch quality and design. I say go return it if you feel it doesn't quite deliver as promised, geltab.

TheIceMan · 03:05 AM

Agreed. These things aren't cheap. You paid good money for it.

[Edit]: Clarification. geltab I'm in agreement with you and Gabriel. Go return it and demand another one.

geltab · May 19, 2006, 02:41 AM

please, I am the reason electronics are so expensive? get real. I buy a computer for $1300 and it is delaminating on the top and I should keep it. sure.

iBorg · May 19, 2006, 03:09 AM

Originally Posted by geltab

Still on the agenda are to install my 160gb Seagate hard drive...

The largest HD available for MB and MBP is the 120 GB, since it requires a SATA drive - the 160 GB Seagate is PATA.

I'm anxiously awaiting larger SATA drives - my 120 GB drive is almost full of music and photos, leaving only 15 GB at present.

iBorg

geltab · May 19, 2006, 03:20 AM

yeah, I just found that out today about the sata. oh well $350 down the tubes!