lostindasea

MB PRO OPTION #1
13-inch : 2.26GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB memory
160GB hard drive1
SD card slot
Built-in 7-hour battery2
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

PRICE $1,099.00

MB PRO OPTION#2
new
13-inch : 2.53GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
250GB hard drive1
SD card slot
Built-in 7-hour battery2
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

PRICE $1,399.00

MBPRO UPGRADED OPTION#1
# 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
# 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
# 250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
# SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
# Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide
$1,234.00

Do i need to spend an extra $165.00 to get 0.27ghz better processor? Mostly needed extra memory for running multiple apps while making some videos on iMovie for fun and extra hard drive space for installing Windows and saving movies / importing raw DV capture.

Also how many of you get the extended Apple Care Protection Plan ($183)?? Is it really worth it? I'm not a computer novice and I can fix many problems myself. Apple guy said its a must even if my school repairs Mac for no charge, bc the tech guys @ my school apparently have to go through my warranty to fix it for free.

aforautumn

get the first option and upgrade the ram yourself. its not a tricky process whatsoever.
the difference in processing power is nominal. if you think that its very likely that you'll need the extra hard drive space, option 3 isn't a bad deal.

long story short, dont let the ram and processor be the deal-breaker. you may decide that you dont need the ram upgrade anyways.

lostindasea

yea i was thinking of the first option, same thing. But i didn't want to go tinkering voiding warranty or whatever and the hassle of finding the right part, its warranty. plus i only got a couple of weeks left

so do i need the extended warranty, since its really an investment? or is the warranty like the ones you buy for big screen tvs that never get used?? i mean they say that macs are the best and won't break down or get viruses

aforautumn

upgrading the memory doesn't void the warranty. thank god computer manufacturers have the sense to do that.

as for finding the right part, Newegg.com - Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Laptop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BC1067 - Laptop Memory . bookmark it

extended warranties are, as a rule, rip-offs. the vast majority of computers work perfectly fine, and if they break, they break during the standard manufacturers warranty (usually a year). HOWEVER, that doesn't mean you shouldn't get one. If you know absolutely that you wont be able to afford a new computer should this one break, you should consider it. another option, which is cheaper, is to buy the laptop using a credit card that automatically puts a warranty on these kinds of purchases. if you dont know if your credit cards offer this, i would call them and ask.

zapakovex

I would say AppleCare is an exception to that rule, really. I got a brand new battery for my 3 year old macbook a couple months ago out of it, and they're pretty expensive. They also replaced the entire case for me, so it looked like a brand new laptop. Mainly because of this, I was able to sell that laptop for somewhere near 90% of my original purchase price and buy a brand new high-end 15" macbook pro .

aforautumn

consider that the battery and case upgrades together still cost less than applecare

i dont have a price for a new case (for all i know they took out the harddrive and put it in a totally different machine), but i cant imagine it being equal to the cost of the warranty.


but applecare is absolutely an exceptional warranty/support service. its just expensive.