Aluminum Macbook compared to white Macbook

Ive been looking to buy a 2.0 Aluminum macbook but the white macbook now has a little bit faster processor and its 300 dollars cheaper. So could anyone tell me what makes the aluminum macbook worth that extra 300 dollars if there is any reason at all? Thank you very much for your answers.

Hi there Oscar,
In addition to what has been said above, the Aluminum Macbook now has DDR3 memory, whereas the white one has DDR2. This theoretically means the Aluminum one should handle having many windows open at a time better, etc.
To tell you the truth, you won't see much of a difference. If you are on a budget the white Macbook would make lots more sense. However, I recently upgraded from my old black Macbook to the Aluminum one, and the Aluminum one seems much sturdier. I was constantly having to take my old polycarbonate Macbook in for repairs and other things. It may be that the white Macbook has been improved, but it may not. I had to get my whole front casing replaced for my old Macbook ($400). It may be that though the Aluminum one's initial cost is much more, the cost of maintaining it for several years will be less.
Hope this helped,
Sasha

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Macbook Aluminum vs. New White Macbook?

I just bought a brand new Aluminum Macbook, which is no longer in stores. I spent $1300. I believe I got ripped off. Do you suggest I keep this Macbook or return it and buy the new white Macbook? I do like the aluminum design more then the white though. lol. Suggestions or Recommendations are appreciated =]
Here are the specs:
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB DDR3 memory
250GB hard drive1
8x double-layer SuperDrive

You can get a NEW Macbook PRO for $1149. It has a FireWire port too.
Do you suggest I keep this Macbook or return it and buy the new white Macbook?
No. Return it and buy the new Macbook Pro.
The white Macbook has no FireWire port.

How will an external Hard drive designed for the macbook Pro work with my White Macbook? My white macbook has a Firewire 400 and the G-Tech HD has a 800 to 400 compatible cable for the firewire.

I am asking this because I want the G-Tech Hard drive says that it is designed for the macbook pro. Yet, I want to back up faster with by using my firewire 400 which is not an option on the one designed for the white macbook that does not have a firewire (only a USB port.) The G-Tech Hard drive comes with the 800 to 400 compatible cable and has 5400 RPM with 750 GB. Also, I've heard that laptops with low battery (mine all the time) won't have the power for a bus powered Hard drive (as in no ac plug in adaptor.) Can I just plug in my laptop? Any one know the answers from experience with this hard drive?

As far as I know, if a harddrive works with a Macpro, it should work with the Macbook: if your Macbook is low on power, plug in the AC adapter
If your Macbook has a firewire port, then it should be fine. BUt i would do somemore research first.

Black MacBook vs. White MacBook

I have recently been debating which MacBook to get. The White MacBook or the Black MacBook. Here are the specs for both MacBook's:
2.0GHz Intel Core Duo
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
100GB Serial ATA drive
AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook/iBook - Auto-enroll
How come the White MacBook was $1,798.00 and the Black MacBook was $1,948.00. This might sound a little ignorant, but would they both perform the same, or does it just cost $100+ more for black paint?!

Here's another way to save some money or justify the price of the black Macbook.
I ordered a Macbook from Amazon.com (white -- I don't care about the color and white is fine with me). Amazon has a $100 rebate and they don't charge tax, nor do they charge for 2-day shipping if you sign up for a free 3 month trial of Amazon "Prime". I ordered mine Monday and it arrived Wednesday.
I spent $150 for 2 Gb memory and another $160 for a 120 Gb hard drive from Newegg.com. Swapped them in myself and I have a nicely configured Macbook for roughly $1500. Do what I did and get the black one and it only costs you $1700. Plus you have an extra 80Gb hard drive you can buy an enclosure for to use as a backup.
Make sure you order the right hard drive for the Macbook! It takes a Serial ATA connector, not an ATA connector. There are fewer SATAs available and they are more expensive.
Good luck
PD
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.7) 1st gen. iPod Mini 4Gb

Will hard drive from a core duo macbook work in a core 2 duo macbook? (both white macbooks)

I want to replace my 1.83ghz core duo macbook.
Can I put the hard drive from this macbook into another macbook with a 2.4ghz core 2 duo processor?
The 1.83ghz is a white macbook. The 2.4ghz is also a white macbook.
Will it work okay this way?
I am trying to avoid doing a complete re-install.

While the two macbooks take the same hard drive(SATA), the core 2 duo will most likely have a larger hard drive(unless you replaced the original drive in your Core Duo).
Also, you cannot boot the Core 2 Duo computer with a drive from a Core Duo unless you reformat the drive and install OS X from the disks that came with the Core 2 Duo.

Moving HD from old white Macbook to new white Macbook

Hi all
I've hunted around Google but haven't found a conclusive answer to my problem.
I have a previous generation white Macbook. I put in a new hard disk (320g) sometime ago, and all works like a charm.
My wife finally wants to move from a pc to a mac. She is happy to have my current macbook, and for me to get a new white macbook. All good stuff.
So what I want to do is get a new white Macbook with the standard 160g HD because that is more than enough for her needs. All I'd need to do then is swap the HDs around.
BUT as I understand it, my HD's version of Leopard won't have all the drivers for the graphics card in the new white macbooks.
Can anyone help with a simple step by step guide to how I can put my HD into a new white macbook and get it working seamlessly? Is it even possible?
I've read something about swapping HDs and doing an 'archive and install', but I'm not totally clear on what I would be left with at the end of it.
I hope I've been clear. Happy to explain further if not, and would GREATLY appreciate any help.
Ev2

All the options I can think of, while they could be accomplished with two drives, would be a great deal safer with a third drive used as an intermediate. This can be any external Firewire drive (desktop size is fine), with at least as much space as you have files on your current HD.
First, clone your current system to this third HD using Carbon Copy Cloner. Boot from it and make sure it's complete.
Then, swap the two Macbook drives. The new Macbook will now have the 320GB drive. Boot the new Macbook from its installation disk, run Disk Utility to wipe the drive, and install its system from scratch. When you first boot from this system, it'll ask you if you want to transfer information from a previous Mac. Attach the external HD through Firewire, and transfer your old files back.
Now, you'll need to wipe and reinstall the old Macbook's system on the 160GB drive.
Matt

White MacBook takes too much time to boot up

Hi there.
I got the topcase(keyboard) of my MacBook repaired. (White MacBook 2006) and after that it takes nearly 7 up to 10 seconds after pressing the power button that I first see apple logo and it boots up.
I'm not sure but seems like that detecting the hardwares take too much time .
any solution?
PS: I'm running Snow Leopard(10.6.2)

macbig wrote:
OK, 32 seconds is not good. I don't think it has anything to do with a keyboard repair. You need to try a little maintenance: Reset Pram - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
Repair Permissions - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1452
Run Disk Utility >applications>utilities>disk utilities>verify disk
How much free space do you have on your HD: Right click on HD icon and select "get info" in the drop down menu (if you don't have right click capabilities, highlight your HD icon, go file in the Apple menu, and select "get info" in the drop down menu. Let us know your results.
Yes PRAM was the the problem, I've already tried it from this thread http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2303507&tstart=0
by the way thank you .

Black MacBook showing up white in Finder.

Hello all, I've had a Mac for a little over a year now, so obviously I've only gotten to use Leopard, and I'm uncertain about Tiger, Panther, etc. But whenever I have my computer shown in the sidebar in the Finder, my Black MacBook always shows up as White, and I don't really understand why. No one in my immediate family uses a Mac, so I can't test to see if it shows up Black or White in their Finder.
This is one of those annoyances that you know is really small, but it just bugs you. Can anyone help?
Thanks
Steve
PS - I know that the Finder has hi-res icons (512x512) located at /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle
Right-click on the bundle and select "Show Package Contents". There's actually a lot of really slick hi-res icons to be found here.
What I'm getting at is I can see all of the Apple portables over the years (including a black MacBook and a white MacBook.) I know it's there but it's not showing the right icon for my computer.

Could be the codes read by that piece of software do not necessarily distinguish between the black and white models - which is only a cosmetic difference. On my various systems the icon for a given item is not even always the same - right now on my main MacBook my USB disk attached to the Airport Extreme router looks like an iMac while the same view from my wife's PowerBook it looks at it should (like a router). If it works I wouldn't worry about it - but you could try a cache cleaner utility to see if that makes any difference - or if you know for such which icon file is being used - copy the black icon file and rename it to take the place of the white icon file.

Aluminum vs. White Macbook

I'm looking to purchase a Mac for my wife and am wondering on your thoughts of an Aluminum unibody or White Macbook. I have the 13 inch aluminum unibody, but the white one is not as expensive.
Is there a real difference? Your thoughts and suggestions.
Thanks

Under the hood, the machines are identical in terms of non-upgradeables like CPU and GPU. Both support up to 8GB of RAM although Apple only officially supports 4GB of the MacBook. The FireWire can be a huge deal breaker, especially if you have multiple Macs, FireWire peripherals or you're a fan of Target Disk Mode. While Apple has offered increased support for other means of replicating some of the functionality of FireWire in the form of Ethernet you still cannot beat the handiness of Target Disk Mode in the event of troubleshooting or transferring data.
I'll ask give the nod to the SD card slot, while I personally don't use it as it was originally intended (rapid access to SD cards from cameras) I've actually found myself using my SD cards for external storage and even installing custom images of OS X for troubleshooting. It's proven to be pretty handy and has basically become like a third USB port for me.
I personally like the fit and finish of the brushed aluminum unibody design, but I will say the unibody adoption on the MacBook (although it's still plastic) is a significant improvement over the previous design which was prone to structural fatigue over the years.
Honestly, you can't go wrong with either decision. If you do end up with the MacBook, I would encourage you to make the 4GB of RAM upgrade one of your first purchases.

New white Macbook vs last years aluminum Macbook

Hey all,
I currently have last year's standard aluminum macbook. My mom just won a standard macbook (the new white one) in a sales competition. She offered to give it to me and take mine. Besides this new one having snow leopard vs min only having leopard, what are some of the advantages of taking the new one? I kind of like my aluminum frame makes it feel sturdy, this new one however is VERY clean looking and I'm digging the interface a little more. Spec wise what would be the better decision?
Sorry if this is in the wrong place..
Thanks

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Aluminum has been shown to have more interference with WiFi, although not as bad as some other substances. Aluminum notebooks can receive WiFi generally as well as most other notebooks, though some people have noted more issues.
Your mileage may vary.
Polycarbonate has had a tendency to get more dirt, but that's also partly due to the fact it is white. Dark dirt attracts itself to white surfaces as much as a light dirt attacts itself to dark surfaces. Nothing you can do about that except keep your work area clean of food, drink, and anything else that might impact your machine in its color.
Don't underestimate the strength of the polycarbonate body. It is the same material, albeit not as thick as bullet proof vests. So I wouldn't trust it to a bullet, but then again, if you have bullets near it, you have greater problems!
You still need to be careful of how you plug in cables regardless of the body*:
http://www.macmaps.com/frayguide.html
Furthermore, in willing the machine, I hope the seller made sure to include everything that came with the machine new. See my FAQ* on buying used and refurbished Macs:
http://www.macmaps.com/usedrefurbished.html
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.
Message was edited by: a brody

Is the Aluminum MacBook worth the extra $$$ over the new White MacBook

Hello,
This is going to be my first Mac purchase and am leaning towards the White MacBook over the Aluminum model but I've read a few postings on issues with the White MacBook display...
Thanks

Having a polycarbonate body, the white may look more fragile than the one piece aluminum but fragile is not a word I'd use to describe it. In the past year I've seen a MacBook that's fallen from a moving motorcycle - the case scuffed up but not broken and diagnostics showed the computer unharmed. Another owner brought in her MacBook that had been run over by a car - the top case cracked but the LCD unbroken and the computer passed diagnostics. I watched a student drop his MacBook as he carried it under his arm, it came to rest opened on the floor and I was certain the top had come loose but no. It was fine. And my own MacBook fell from the desk to a wooden floor and survived unscathed. Obviously others can recount examples where their MacBook was damaged by a fall but these examples indicate that the MacBook might be breakable but it isn't fragile. Not like the Dell notebook I saw fall from a desk this spring and shatter.

White macbook

will a late 2006 white Macbook work with Mountain Lion

To Upgrade to Mountain Lion... Your Mac must be one of the following models:
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)

White Macbook (Early 2009) Why mini-DVI to S-video adapter no longer works?

I am a lifelong Mac user and by now think I pretty well know the ins and outs of Macs and most Mac-related issues... but this one has stumped me.
The new white Macbook was upgraded to include many of the components of its big brother unibody Aluminum Macbooks (including 1066 MHz frontside bus and the NVIDIA 9400M) just over a week ago. I was lucky enough to be in the market for a new laptop about this time and snatched one up a few days ago (retiring my awesome 12" Aluminum PowerBook G4 which is still kicking).
One of the main reasons I upgraded was to be able to use Silverlight 2.0 (d--- Microsoft) as I can't watch streaming lectures from school without it. A nice bonus would be the ability to stream Netflix videos to my TV through my laptop which I've wanted to do for a while. Anyone who has bought one of these new Macbooks and uses their laptop with their TV as much as I do has probably read one of these two links:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3413
http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9319G/A?mco=MzE2OTkzMA
Note the asterisk at the Apple store: "* This adapter is not compatible with the 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo white MacBook introduced in January 2009."
Can someone tell me why this is? I've been using the s-video out of my Apple laptops for the past 6 years... why change it now? Is this a temporary problem or permanent change?
I have been fervently searching for a work-around but no blogs, forums, or boards have given me any answers. One tech blogger at http://createdigitalmotion.com/2009/01/22/white-macbook-snubs-adapter-i-want-my- tv-out/ speculates that Apple is cracking down on DRM video being watched on TV's... but that makes no sense, any new TV can use the DVI output still supported by this computer.
Dear Apple: PLEASE give me my TV back!!! I want to watch Netflix and use that cool Front Row feature you put in your system!
Message was edited by: zioneyes

Ziatron wrote:
Apple does not regularly read these forms. The best way to communicate with Apple is with the below link.
http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbook.html
Thank you for your helpful and detailed response, Ziatron. I am aware Apple is unlikely to peruse my forum post, I was just crying out in anguish at the gods that be, so to speak.
Everything you wrote is consistent with what I have read in other places, thanks for consolidating it here. I am not as proficient in display technologies as I am in other areas so let me see If I am understanding you correctly. Apple has licensed HDCP technology and is employing it across its desktop and laptop lineups. The new white MacBook was the last of the MacBook lineup to be upgraded to include this new technology and as it still retains the older Mini-DVI out rather than the new Mini-Displayport Apple had to "flip the switch" and turn off the MacBook's ability to put out video through the old adapter. I notice that there is no Mini-Displayport to video adapter available in their store. Am I good so far?
So I am left to assume that they turned off the capability of outputing to s-video because that output cannot be managed by the new HDCP technology, correct? If so, I suppose I understand but am still frustrated as it seems they are prevent the growth of a few weeds (illegal content) by burning the whole lawn (preventing many such as me from using the output I love). Thanks for your help again.

Macbook 13.3 white, the screen goes off and only comes on when screen moved

Hi.
I have the macbook 13.3 in white, early 2009 model. The screen keeps going off and the only way I can get it back on is to move the screen back and forth. By the looks of things this is a common problem and it's usually related to a cable between the screen and the logic board.
My question is, how easy is it to open the mac up and get to this cable to re-connect it properly?
Or do Apple repair this FOC due to it being a popular problem?
Thanks
Mark

My girlfriend has a white macbook that is just over the year warranty. We were going to get the Apple care, but forgot as we got the computer at Best Buy and didn't expect to have problems. I've always previously been a PC guy and had never had problems with my Dells. They all still run and work perfectly but are just obsolete in many ways.
I'm very disappointed with the Macbook. The screen freezes and fades to white and you have to move the screen to get it to work. The computer is still running fine, it just seems like a connection to the screen that is the problem. I brought it to the "genius bar" and they went down and opened up the computer. When I got it back they advised it might be the cable for the screen or the screen itself. He went on to say Apple will not just fix that problem, the only option is to have Apple do a $470 (I believe that's what I was quoted) warrantied overhaul of the entire machine. They don't just fix the problem, they go through the whole machine for $470 and its warrantied. He said a computer repair shop could probably fix the problem cheaper. My problem is that this was a fairly expensive machine that is barely over a year old and its having a problem that it seems many people are having and their only solution is to spend half the money of a new one to fix something as small as a cable that is definitely their fault. I do not think the screen needs to be replaced or the logic board as when you pinch the screen and angle it, it works amazingly. I opened up the machine just to take a look and it seems that the cable for the video goes through the hinge and there is a pleat inside the hinge shaped to contour the outside of the machine when closed that tugs on the cable slightly. I also saw that there was some missing screws that the "Genius Bar" may not have put back. They told me they unplugged and inspected the video cable and the computer worked better for a while which leads me even more to believe there is something wrong with the cable and the hinge design.
I think Apple should fix this problem. This problem that is becoming more and more common and it is definitely a product defect. We are paying a decent dollar for these products compared with PC laptops out there. I'd like to see some decent service. This is not a $470 "one fix fits all" problem for the customer, this is an easy fix for the company to make on faulty products. It will cost them little and its the right thing to do. I predict more and more people will be complaining about this problem in the coming year. They should not be able to profit on this flaw after so recently profiting on the machines.
-JC

What are my options for having my case for my Early 2008 white macbook repaired?

I own an early 2008 white macbook and as most people know they were notorious for ending up with cracks in the plastic body. Well, mine has it's fair share of cracks and the little nob on the bottom used for securing the battery in place has also broken off. The computer still runs great and does everything I need, but the keyboard and trackpad are glitchy, the battery won't stay in place, and it just kind of looks bad with the cracks. How can I go about getting these things fixed? I read that apple was fixing the cases for free for a while if it was within 5 years of purchase but I was NEVER told about this even when I took the laptop into the apple store several times for general questions and I am now beyond 5 years since purchase. I've seen plenty of third party sites to buy new cases on, but is there any chance the apple store would be willing to replace it for me still a this point? Also, since the plastic casing is so prone to cracking is it possible to replace my keyboard with one of the keyboards from the late 2008 aluminum body to avoid future chipping or would this not fit my model?

dts2012 wrote:
is there any chance the apple store would be willing to replace it for me still a this point?
Call an Apple store and ask.
dts2012 wrote:
is it possible to replace my keyboard with one of the keyboards from the late 2008 aluminum body to avoid future chipping or would this not fit my model?
no.

Aluminum Macbook compared to white Macbook

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