Macbook questions

[suklee]

My Thinkpad T43's LCD died, and I would have bought an Asus eeepc 10" tonight if the shop wasn't out of stock. I'm thinking why don't I consider the 13" aluminum macbook instead... Having never had a MB before, I have some questions:

1) It seems Apple overcharges a bit for the upgrade from the base size.. is it easy to swap the hard drive i.e. will any brand work as long as it's SATA? I know my Thinkpad is extremely fussy about other hard drives.

and will 7200RPM cause heat issues? because I noticed the upgrade options are all for 5400RPM.

2) Are the only differences between the 2.0GHz and 2.4GHz model the CPU speed, hard drive size (160 v 250) and the illuminated keyboard? If so...

Will I notice the 400MHz difference in CPU speed, or is it negligible?

And those of you that have the illuminated keyboard, is it actually useful (i.e. practical)?

3) Do these new Macbooks have hibernation? I googled and saw a lot of results for Macbook Pro and hibernation.

Thanks!

 

[TheStu]

1: The hard drive is stupid easy to upgrade. Remove the cover from the battery section, remove one screw, replace hard drive.
2: That I am aware of, yes, those are the only differences. I know that for some the backlit keyboard is a total deal breaker if it isn't there.
3: OS X doesn't have hibernate, it has sleep. And the real question is, what do you mean by hibernate? OS X should, by default, write the contents of RAM to the HDD, set the CPU to a very low power state, and continue to power the RAM. This allows you to do 2 things.
A: Wake from sleep very, very quickly
B: Pull the battery, and put a new one in and the system would not have to be rebooted

 

[suklee]

Originally posted by: TheStu
1: The hard drive is stupid easy to upgrade. Remove the cover from the battery section, remove one screw, replace hard drive.

That is good to hear.. although if I go with the 2.4GHz I wouldn't have as much of a need to do an immediate replacement due to the extra 90GB.

2: That I am aware of, yes, those are the only differences. I know that for some the backlit keyboard is a total deal breaker if it isn't there.

Hmm I guess for $250 or so extra, the 400MHz, 90GB, and backlit keyboard might be worth it... I'll take a look at this in person and decide.

3: OS X doesn't have hibernate, it has sleep. And the real question is, what do you mean by hibernate? OS X should, by default, write the contents of RAM to the HDD, set the CPU to a very low power state, and continue to power the RAM. This allows you to do 2 things.
A: Wake from sleep very, very quickly
B: Pull the battery, and put a new one in and the system would not have to be rebooted

The fast wake up time sounds awesome. I've experienced it with my Hackintosh but the sleep/restart doesn't work 100% of the time. My Thinkpad (Windows XP) takes a very long time to hibernate and equally long once the power's back on to load, log in, and load some more until it's ready to use. What you've described is similar to what my T43 does except my laptop (I believe) completely cuts the power.

In this sleep mode that has the CPU at the 'very low power state', is it safe to put the Macbook in a bag for transportation, or will it heat up too quickly?

 

[Kmax82]

Originally posted by: Kai920

In this sleep mode that has the CPU at the 'very low power state', is it safe to put the Macbook in a bag for transportation, or will it heat up too quickly?

It essentially is in an off mode, but saves all your current things in memory. It won't generate any heat in Sleep mode, and you can definitely safely put it in a laptop bag.

 

[xanis]

1) I don't know how it is with the new case design, but swapping the HDD on my MBP was pretty easy.

2) AFAIK, yes.

3) Hibernation, no. Sleep yes.

 

[TheStu]

With the mac sleeping, the power is so low that you can keep it in that state effectively for days before the battery completely dies. Since you are only powering RAM you consume approximately 1% battery every hour or so.

If you put the system into a position where it will start to heat up however (say between two pillows, in the trunk of a car, on the hottest day of the summer, like I did) the fans will kick on.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

One you start down this path, there is no end. *evil smile*

 

[Tyranicus]

I just have to chime in about the backlit keyboard. When I first ordered my MBP, the backlit keyboard was one of those features that I thought was cool but not really a big thing. 2.5 years later, I would never buy a laptop without one. i find it incredibly useful.

 

[suklee]

One you start down this path, there is no end. *evil smile*

Yep, I know! I've already started down the path with my hackintosh - thanks to Kaido's soup guide.

Thanks for all your responses. Merry Christmas everyone, and I'll report back if Santa drops a Macbook into my hands

 

[umrigar]

there are different sleep/hibernate functions available:

http://lifehacker.com/software...-safe-sleep-137310.php

http://www.macupdate.com/info....29979/deepsleep-widget

 

[mmntech]

Originally posted by: Xanis
1) I don't know how it is with the new case design, but swapping the HDD on my MBP was pretty easy.

On the old iBooks, I remember it was damn near impossible to replace the HDD. On the new Macbook, any idiot could do it. There's a panel on the bottom of the case that opens with a tool-less latch. This exposes the battery and HDD. It's just a standard 2.5'' SATA drive. The HDD is mounted in a plastic bracket fastened to the case with a single phillips screw. You can pick up a 500gb mobile drive of Newegg now for $110.

 

[xanis]

Originally posted by: mmntech

Originally posted by: Xanis
1) I don't know how it is with the new case design, but swapping the HDD on my MBP was pretty easy.

On the old iBooks, I remember it was damn near impossible to replace the HDD. On the new Macbook, any idiot could do it. There's a panel on the bottom of the case that opens with a tool-less latch. This exposes the battery and HDD. It's just a standard 2.5'' SATA drive. The HDD is mounted in a plastic bracket fastened to the case with a single phillips screw. You can pick up a 500gb mobile drive of Newegg now for $110.

Shit, that's even easier than my MBP (I have the last generation).

 

[Dacalo]

I would go see a Macbook in person before you purchase one. The 13.3" ones have VERY crappy display (washed out, weak black, poor viewing angle, etc.)

Check this out review at Gizmondo.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: Dacalo
I would go see a Macbook in person before you purchase one. The 13.3" ones have VERY crappy display (washed out, weak black, poor viewing angle, etc.)

Compared to the previous generation MacBooks the new Unibodys have incredible displays. And I have never really thought that the display on my MacBook was really a slouch.

I agree that you should go check out any purchase like that in person before hand though. I did it before I got my MacBook simply because I wasn't sure about the keyboard, and hadn't been impressed with any laptop keyboards up until that point. Let's just say, I am glad they are sticking with the chiclet keys... I love these things.

 

[Dacalo]

Originally posted by: TheStu

Compared to the previous generation MacBooks the new Unibodys have incredible displays. And I have never really thought that the display on my MacBook was really a slouch.

I disagree, and so do many of my friends and even sales people at the Apple store I visited. The previous Macbook has much better display (more natural color and better viewing angle.)
The 15.4" screen is great however.