[WaterMelnKidd]

I need a Mac really bad for media, so I put up an ad on GumTree to swap my Asus Eee PC 1201n for anything Mac (iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini) to a reasonable extent and I was willing to pay a bit too.

This is what my netbook has (it's been upgraded a bit):

Intel Atom N330 1.6Ghz Dual Core (Hyperthreading and overclockable to 2.2GHz)
3GB Various Modules of DDR2 RAM
250GB SATA HDD (5400RPM)
Nvidia ION (9300GS)
12.1" 1368x768
Great overall condition

And I've just got an offer, after all of the other ones which I didn't like / wasted time on, for a MacBook Pro 15".

He doesn't know much about it other than it's a 2006 model with a 120GB hard drive - he says it might be a late 2006, which I'm guessing it is because the 120GB is in the highest scale of the early 2006 models and the lowest of the late models, so I doubt he bought the best possible without knowing much.

My question is, if it is actually an early 2006 model and it has a Core Duo 1.86Ghz processor, is that still going to be faster than my Atom? If it is actually the early, that means it's going to have a maximum RAM of 2GB, or 4GB if it's the late 2006. I like the idea of an X1600 though, better than my 9300GS still. I don't care about battery life and heat though.

Is it still worth it?

 

[subliminally incorrect]

yes the core duo should still perform better than an atom processor (think of the atom equivalent to a pentium 3, but with a smaller die and less power draw).

if you need more media performance you should make the switch.

 

[noak]

Well, I would go on ebay, go to advanced search and search each laptop and check for completed listings. Look for what both recently sold for, is the Mac sold for more on average, by all means get it and sell it.

 

[TwilightEscape]

I would ask him for the serial number and what OS version it is. This way you can be sure it's a 2006 and not something else.
Serial number can be obtained by clicking the Apple -> About this Mac -> Double clicking where it says Version 10.X.X

I assume it's not a Mac you could get hands on before you trade it? If it is though then you should also check the System Profiler to make sure that he hasn't removed anything from it. I.e. pulled out a stick of RAM or something.

Last thing you would want to check is the battery. It's at least $80 for a new battery, $129 if you buy it from Apple and other sites sell them cheaper. Again to find this would be the Apple -> About this Mac -> More Info -> Power
Check the Cycle Count and make sure it's below 300 and the Max Charge Capacity should be greater than 3000. Otherwise the battery is probably going to need to be replaced shortly.

If that all checks out and it's not in horrible condition (broken screen or whatever) then it's definitely a good trade. Mac's hold their value rather decently.

 

[WaterMelnKidd]

I'm going round to his house today to take a look at it.

He can't look right now as he's at work, but I paid $310 for this and I'm including my $70 Logitech M305 mouse which I paid $25 for, so I'm basically paying AUD$335 for a MacBook Pro 15" Core2Duo 2.16GHz which I'm fine with.

I'll just upgrade the RAM to 4GB (3GB addressable) and see what other options are available to me.

TwilightEscape, I'll do all that when I go round tonight, thanks.

 

[WaterMelnKidd]

Just made the swap.

It's a Core 2 Duo 2GHz with 2GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM and a 120GB SATA HDD. Gonna get another 1GB in there (swap one of the sticks for a 2GB) and get a 1TB WD 2.5" or 500GB hybrid.

 

[Radeon915]

I'd get another 2GB for it instead of just 1, and Snow Leopard if it isn't already running that (or even Lion, should be released in like a week..). SL and Lion are both 64bit, so you can use the full 4GB then.

 

[Mygaffer]

That Macbook is waaaay better than your netbook. Jump on it. You can install Windows on it and be way better off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaterMelnKidd Just made the swap. It's a Core 2 Duo 2GHz with 2GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM and a 120GB SATA HDD. Gonna get another 1GB in there (swap one of the sticks for a 2GB) and get a 1TB WD 2.5" or 500GB hybrid.

You came out way ahead, great trade! Just hope it doesn't have any problems.

 

[Captain Razer]

congrats! even the core duo is about %300 more powerful than atom N330! and the ATI gpu is really decent for casual gaming!