need advice on purchasing MB

[iJimmy]

i've been in the market in purchasing a black macbook. i've been trying to sell my pc and finally got a decent offer.
but now i cant decide on whether to get a refurb 2.2ghz now or wait around until the june update when the MB's get the Montevina platform.

 

[robanga]

The waiting game is not a win/win thing. Buy the MB when you want and need it. There will always be new versions on the horizon.

 

[DaveWonders]

The refurb black 2.2 is a steal at $1049. You're never going to find a deal like that anywhere else...Also at newegg they have 4GB of RAM for $90, free shipping and even a $15 mail in rebate to make it $75. I think Santa Rosa with 4GB of RAM for around $1150 will be better than an unconfirmed chipset in a few months with 2 GB of RAM.

The link for the RAM is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146701

 

[Full of Win]

There is an old adage that goes something like "don't buy a first year model of any car". The same thing goes here, where Apple (or any other maker) will have bugs in the design that will really shine in the first months after release. Go over to the MBA forum to see some of the issues they are having with their new computers.

Another point... Intel might very well be delayed in ramping up their new CPU's, thus limiting supply and use by Apple. I'd not be shocked to see a paper release in August and a ship date of September.

 

[iJimmy]

thanks everyone for the advice. funny that you brought up that quote Full of Win, my parents are looking to purchase the 2008 Sequoia... and i told them the same thing. i just didn't want to sell myself short on my decision. now all i have to do is wait for the refurb blackbooks to come up on apple's site...those sell like hotcakes.

 

[iJimmy]

so now the question is...

should i get the 2.2ghz or 2.4ghz?
how soon will they start refurbishing the 2.4ghz black MB's?

 

[SFStateStudent]

From the sounds of it...

There is an old adage that goes something like "don't buy a first year model of any car". The same thing goes here, where Apple (or any other maker) will have bugs in the design that will really shine in the first months after release. Go over to the MBA forum to see some of the issues they are having with their new computers.

you probably don't own an iPhone; and you're probably still waiting for the a MB 3-4 years down the road! Since you made reference to the MBA Forum, (I'm an owner), you should also notice that many of the complaints regarding the MBA are from those that bought them the first couple of weeks of release in February, and many of the same "bugs" have been or are being addressed. Apple has really gone out of their way to make things right with the MBA for "owners" like myself and the other posters on the MBA Forum. You might want to "develop" a different analogy when referring to "MBA Forum...issues they are having with their new computers..." b/c unless you're an owner, you can only base your opinion on "hearsay" and "that dog don't hunt," at least with me. I'm giving my MBA to my brother b/c I miss my BlackBook 2.4 Penryn 250GB, and the MBA's hard drive is only 80GB, I miss being able to run InDesign CS, Photoshop CS and many other programs due to the hard drive size. I never had the overheating issues, though the fan got a little fast during the viewing of a movie, it wasn't a deal-breaker for me. The nicest ultraportable on the market today, and it's only been out since February. "iJimmy, get whatever you want, and enjoy your new MB!"

 

[Etrain]

i've been in the market in purchasing a black macbook. i've been trying to sell my pc and finally got a decent offer.
but now i cant decide on whether to get a refurb 2.2ghz now or wait around until the june update when the MB's get the Montevina platform.

Are you at any chance a student or a gamer? The reason I ask is because I am in the same boat, but as a student I will quality for the free iPod discount that will be rolling around towards June. So the BlackBook is $1400 with student discount, but after the iPod discount (I sell it on eBay) I will get it for about $1250 ($50 taken for expenses with eBay and time posting).

The reason I ask about games is that AnandTech recently mentioned the next platform in a review of the MBP (http://anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=3246&p=2). Here is a excerpt from the article:

"Montevina will also use a faster integrated graphics core (helping the MacBook) and a lower power chipset. . . . The timeline for all of this is pretty simple; you can expect Montevina before the end of 2008 (Intel lists it as June on its internal roadmaps, but you can expect to see it in notebooks anytime in Q3)."

If you can wait definitely wait, especially if your a student or care about gaming.

 

[Full of Win]

you probably don't own an iPhone; and you're probably still waiting for the a MB 3-4 years down the road! Since you made reference to the MBA Forum, (I'm an owner), you should also notice that many of the complaints regarding the MBA are from those that bought them the first couple of weeks of release in February, and many of the same "bugs" have been or are being addressed. Apple has really gone out of their way to make things right with the MBA for "owners" like myself and the other posters on the MBA Forum.

I did say the the first few months, and as the MBA was introduced two months ago, then that sounds about right. Not saying that Apple does not address the issues - but when an issue might make you miss a deadline or lose a client, no matter how good Apple is, you still suffer. Oh, and I got a launch day iPhone, becase I did not need it for business or anything, whereas I waited to upgrade to 10.5 becase a few issues with my OS would have really messed me up.

You might want to "develop" a different analogy when referring to "MBA Forum...issues they are having with their new computers..." b/c unless you're an owner, you can only base your opinion on "hearsay" and "that dog don't hunt," at least with me. I'm giving my MBA to my brother b/c I miss my BlackBook 2.4 Penryn 250GB, and the MBA's hard drive is only 80GB, I miss being able to run InDesign CS, Photoshop CS and many other programs due to the hard drive size. I never had with the overheating issues, though the fan got a little fast during the viewing of a movie, it wasn't a deal-breaker for me. The nicest ultraportable on the market today, and it's only been out since February. "iJimmy, get whatever you want, and enjoy your new MB!"

I'm not saying that the MBA is a bad computer, its just that there are reports of issues with the early models. The OP was thinking of a June release of the new notebooks, and I would wait at least a month or two past the introduction to jump on board. I was not saying wait for revision B+ . Oh, and being an owner would do little good, since I would be one data point among many, and thus the conclusions I would draw from such a limited sampling would be suspect. With that said, going to forums and seeing the issues is not a good metric either, since those having a problem are more likely to post. However, the fact that the same issue is being mentioned does imply to me that its a common issue.

 

[iJimmy]

Are you at any chance a student or a gamer? The reason I ask is because I am in the same boat, but as a student I will quality for the free iPod discount that will be rolling around towards June. So the BlackBook is $1400 with student discount, but after the iPod discount (I sell it on eBay) I will get it for about $1250 ($50 taken for expenses with eBay and time posting).

The reason I ask about games is that AnandTech recently mentioned the next platform in a review of the MBP (http://anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=3246&p=2). Here is a excerpt from the article:

"Montevina will also use a faster integrated graphics core (helping the MacBook) and a lower power chipset. . . . The timeline for all of this is pretty simple; you can expect Montevina before the end of 2008 (Intel lists it as June on its internal roadmaps, but you can expect to see it in notebooks anytime in Q3)."

If you can wait definitely wait, especially if your a student or care about gaming.

i'm a student, not much of a laptop gamer. photography is my hobby so i am (will) be editing pictures. i'll probably be editing dvd's.

 

[vansouza]

Buy what you can afford and as much of it as possible.

 

[iJimmy]

Buy what you can afford and as much of it as possible.

i have my mind set on a black macbook. just wanted to get some advice of which one to purchase. 2.2ghz, 2.4ghz or wait for the (june) update.

 

[SFStateStudent]

I'm an owner of the BlackBook 2.4 Penryn 250GB...

i have my mind set on a black macbook. just wanted to get some advice of which one to purchase. 2.2ghz, 2.4ghz or wait for the (june) update.

and I run InDesign CS, Photoshop CS, iDVD, iMovie, and Final Cut Pro HD 4.5, and I totally support anyone considering the BlackBook 2.4 Penryn. It sounds like you would be using the same Media Programs as I, so I would give the BlackBook FIVE STARS out of FIVE STARS! Make sure you have a 500GB external hard drive, to keep your projects off the BlackBook desktop until you need 'em. The BlackBook is fast and I've had 7-8 tabs open at the same time, without having to worry about the sluggishness or slowdown effect or other computers that I've used in the past. A great choice, and one that sounds like you are ready to make the leap! Get Some!

 

[DaveWonders]

Jimmy, I don't think the 2.4 will be as heavily discounted as the 2.2 when it hits the refurb store. Hopefully someone else can chime in and inform us how soon a new update gets put in the refurb section.

It's my understanding (read: don't flame me with your opinions) that the Penryn update had no significant power increase. I read somewhere though that they ran an average 10 degrees F. cooler. Also they bumped the memory to 2 GB but if you get the deal I posted earlier with 4 GB for $75 that point is moot. Personally I'd jump on the 2.2 as soon as you see it in the store next. Unless you have time to wait and don't mind spending more when the opportunity arises...

Also check out MacMall as they probably have a $100 rebate on a new Blackbook with Penryn. I'm not sure how much more of a discount you'd see in the refurb store IF/WHEN you saw one. Just an idea.

 

[VideoShooter]

Buy the 2.2...

For $1050 it's a serious steal. I'm typing this on one now.

I'm sure the difference in speed is something you wouldn't notice. I think I remember seeing the speed difference was barely apparent because of the loss in cache...

I got the Black macbook refurb for 1050 - added 4 GB and am VERY happy.

At this price... Use it for a year - resell on ebay and buy the next version.

 

[chrisgohcs]

and I run InDesign CS, Photoshop CS, iDVD, iMovie, and Final Cut Pro HD 4.5, and I totally support anyone considering the BlackBook 2.4 Penryn. It sounds like you would be using the same Media Programs as I, so I would give the BlackBook FIVE STARS out of FIVE STARS! Make sure you have a 500GB external hard drive, to keep your projects off the BlackBook desktop until you need 'em. The BlackBook is fast and I've had 7-8 tabs open at the same time, without having to worry about the sluggishness or slowdown effect or other computers that I've used in the past. A great choice, and one that sounds like you are ready to make the leap! Get Some!

hi

i run photoshop cs2 on my macbook and it steams like mad. does urs appear the same?

 

[iJimmy]

2.2ghz here i come.....

ps: please stop buying them from the refurbished store!!! LOL

 

[SFStateStudent]

I've not had that problem...

hi

i run photoshop cs2 on my macbook and it steams like mad. does urs appear the same?

with Photoshop CS, but I do notice that surfing the Internet there are certain websites that have High Flash Content, that will cause the fan to kick-in, but seems to be normal besides that situation.