Re: Please help - want to buy a Mac!

In article <Dk5Bg.1249$Cz6.404@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Gary Read" <garyread@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I am seeking advice as to what my best options are inside my budget
(£2,000).

That'll buy you a *lot* of machine. I'll bet you'll have money left
over!

I am a semi-pro photographer and want to get a Macbook to use on the road.
My real job is in IT using (mainly) the Office suite of programs. I'm not a
gamer so that's not important to me. My wife is going to college in
September so wants a machine to do her coursework at home but is absolutely
not interested in computers as long as she can use Word and send emails.

Well, Microsoft Word has been out for the Mac *longer* than on Windows;
that shouldn't be a problem. And the file formats for the documents are
the same, making cross-platform sharing pretty much a non-issue.
Microsoft Office for the Mac isn't cheap, but since your wife's in
college, she can get the Student & Teacher edition for under £100.

I would like to get a Macbook 2Ghz Core duo upgraded to 1GB RAM and 100 GB
hard drive. That takes care of £1100 so it's a question as to what to do
with the rest (ignoring software, I have a seperate budget for that).

Since you have a bit of a budget surplus, I'd recommend getting 2GB of
RAM third-party, rather than the 1GB from Apple. Apple's price for 1GB
isn't out of line, but for less than twice as much, the extra memory
will be put to good use. I'll have to leave it to someone else to
recommend a dealer in the UK for memory, though. It's standard PC5300
notebook memory. I'm assuming it'll be around £150-200 for two 1GB
modules.

I would really like to get an iMac and use it as a second display to the
Macbook (is that possible?)...

That's not possible. However, you *can* get an external display, either
from Apple or someone else, that connects through DVI. (A
MiniDVI-to-DVI adapter is £15.) The MacBook will allow you to use both
displays separately (rather than simply mirrored), which can be great
help when you need lots of display space. Or, you can use an external
keyboard and mouse, leave the MacBook closed, and use only the external
display. It'll support an external display up to 1920x1200 pixels.

....but could only afford a base unit and nothing
else. I thought of getting an Apple 20" Cinema Display (but am not sure of
the value for money there and if the Macbook would drive it properly),
keyboard and mouse so I could have a 'docking station' - type setup.

The cinema displays are *beautiful*, but you can get a similar-quality
display from other vendors for a bit less money. I've heard Dell's LCD
displays are excellent, believe it or not. Their 20" 2007WFP, for
example, is £437, including VAT and shipping, versus £549 for the Apple
20". They're both 1680x1050 pixels, both 0.258 dot pitch, and the Dell
claims higher contrast and brightness. And the Dell has a 3-year
warranty. For a computer, I wouldn't consider a Dell. For the monitor,
I'd give it serious consideration.

If you get the AppleCare warranty, it will also extend the warranty on
it to 3 years, so that's less of an issue.

I strongly recommend AppleCare on the laptops, if only because they take
so much more abuse being jostled around compared to a desktop machine.
I didn't buy it initially because I didn't yet have the money, but I
will get it before the 1-year warranty is up. I'd only get it initially
if I were buying the display together with it, and wanted to extend its
warranty as well.

So here's how I'd put it together:
MacBook 2.0GHz / 512MB / 100GB
20" Cinema Display
AppleCare for MacBook
Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter : £1761.99 incl VAT

2 1GB PC5300 Memory Modules : £200 or so


That should put you a little under £2000, and should get you a great
machine! If you take out the Cinema display, it's £1213 + £200 for
memory, leaving you £587 for a display. Dell's larger 2407WFP 24"
display is on sale right now for £619, which would put you only slightly
over budget, but would operate at the MacBook's maximum of 1920x1200.
It just depends on how big of a screen you want.


I hope that helps!
.

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