[HELP] Buying a MacBook

After spending years looking and admiring the apple family, I'v decided to join in, by buying me one of these new reallay smooth looking MacBooks. I know that's there will still be a good time waiting for it's arrivel, but I figure since I'v spent years deciding to buy one, what difference will it make waitng a couple of months more...?

anywho, the question is quite simple.. - or maybe it's not - anyway, as this will be my first mac, and I'm used to looking at pc configurations, I'm pretty confuesd about what my needs will be on a mac....

My primary use for the pc is Internet, email, adobe cs2, homepage making and other fun stuff...

So which of the 2 new MacBooks will be best for me... the 1.67GHz version with ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM or the 1.83GHz version with ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM....???

I expect to get 1 GB ram no matter what, just for kicks, but the harddrive size is of no matter, since I allready have a 250 GB external harddrive which I figure can be used for the MacBook...

Another question is, if it's just a wast of money for my needs, and if I should just buy a PowerBook or iBook instead....? and ofcause in this case, which one?

I'll apreciate any comments of this matter, since no matter what it'll be quite a lot of money to spend.

#349157

Well I'm writing all of this on a 1.3GHz PowerBook and it can do everything you listed perfectly well, so I'd say the lower spec one would be fine considering the price gap.

I'd also say that it's probably worth getting the macbook over the PPC overings. Why? Simply because it's the newer machine and will benefit from the greater effort being put into offerings for intel macs from now on.

#349158

If you're going to use Photoshop, it can't hurt to get the 1.83Ghz model, as well as another 512MB of RAM or so. OS X likes RAM, on top of Photoshop LOVING RAM.

Though, personally, I would hold off a few months, let the first-gen hardware bugs get sorted out, and then jump in.

#349165

good point Desides !!

I really think you should wait and see what's up with those new machines.....

anyway, I'm waiting.

#349169

I'd say "just jump in".

As for "waiting out the bugs", I bet if any problems arise, firmware updates and such would smooth them out.

Plus, there really isn't much new about them, aside from the iSight and Front Row.

What is there to lose?

#349172

.. i'd wait for a while see what the 12" (please apple go for 13.3".. and 17" models look like and wait for bugs to be ironbed out). As adam curry put it you don;t want to pay to be aplle's beta tester.

#349179

Alterion, I doubt there would be any smaller sizes...for a intel processor the prices arent going to go much lower and and if they were the same they 12"'ers wouldnt sell...

Get as much ram as possible, it isn't because it will be slow it is just it will be a lot smoother running 1GB+

#349212

I'd say get the MacBook, but for CS2, WAIT. Probably wait until Adobe release an intel/universal version of CS2, or wait untill CS3, which will probably be universal anyway. Just keep in mind rosetta will make your powerpc programs a bit slower, so wait until those apps that you will use are built for intel macs.

I don't know if this would be faster or slower than rosetta, but if you wanted you could use VMware to run intel apps that are for windows, untill they make universal OS X ones.... Just a thought.

#349250

Thank you guys very much for all the comments... Although I'm still a bit confused, I think I'm gonna go with the MacBook Pro with 1.67GHz, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, 80 GB Harddisk, 1 GB RAM and all the other fun thinks included...

#349393

And in return you will give us screenshots and photos of it?

#349808

As soon as I recive my new laptop, I'll make a new post, with pictures and everything

The this is, that I think I'll have to wait until sometime in april before I get one... Seems like other people also think this is a pretty nice little machine.... don't understand why

#353448