Refurbishing my own Macbook: Yes or no?
(Refurbishing, even!)
I have a Core "1" Duo Macbook (very first model, 2 GHz) that's a decent little machine that I'm relatively happy with... Or at least, I'm happy with it in terms of its performance.
In terms of the hardware, it's the thing that has made me lose faith in prebuilt computers and made me build my own desktop. The computer has done the following:
-Hard drive corrupted when installing Leopard
-Exactly 1 year later, the hard drive up and died
-Battery is dead
-Hinges broke on screen, and is currently limp
To be fair, I'm a bit rough on some of my electronics, but it's still been something of a disappointment.
Needless to say, I've already had to replace the hard drive and install new RAM; I never got a new battery and run it on AC power when I need it. However, I'm going to college soon and I'm going to need a functional laptop or netbook one way or another, and it's not going to cut it as it is right now.
At first I thought I might get a decent-power ASUS netbook or something, but now I'm thinking I may just see what I can do about my Macbook. I would need to:
-Get a new battery (easy)
-Replace the keyboard (probably easy)
-Replace the hinges (sounds kind of hard)
Just those three would run me about $300 + tax and shipping. I'd also kind of like to add an SSD to the machine, though; not a big one, just something small.
Anyway, all things considered, is this worth it? Would it be more cost-efficient and safer to just go for a new laptop? I'd kind of like to get something with a better processor and maybe some better integrated graphics in case I get some Half-Life vibes or something out of my house. At the same time, though, I would like to keep something with OSX (I love the operating system) and if it does end up cheaper, that would be nice.
It partially comes down to this: Would something with an SSD and the 2 GHz Core Duo be faster than something with an i3 and dedicated graphics?
Also, if I go for the refurbish:
-Can I take the optical drive out to reduce the weight? I don't need it due to my PC.
-I have 2 GB RAM in there already; is what I heard about there being a 2 GB limit true? I mean, I'd like to put 4 GB in there even if the 32-bit limit kicks in, but it kinda sucks if I can't put any more in...
-Would mixing black and white parts look cool or just stupid?
I have a Core "1" Duo Macbook (very first model, 2 GHz) that's a decent little machine that I'm relatively happy with... Or at least, I'm happy with it in terms of its performance.
In terms of the hardware, it's the thing that has made me lose faith in prebuilt computers and made me build my own desktop. The computer has done the following:
-Hard drive corrupted when installing Leopard
-Exactly 1 year later, the hard drive up and died
-Battery is dead
-Hinges broke on screen, and is currently limp
To be fair, I'm a bit rough on some of my electronics, but it's still been something of a disappointment.
Needless to say, I've already had to replace the hard drive and install new RAM; I never got a new battery and run it on AC power when I need it. However, I'm going to college soon and I'm going to need a functional laptop or netbook one way or another, and it's not going to cut it as it is right now.
At first I thought I might get a decent-power ASUS netbook or something, but now I'm thinking I may just see what I can do about my Macbook. I would need to:
-Get a new battery (easy)
-Replace the keyboard (probably easy)
-Replace the hinges (sounds kind of hard)
Just those three would run me about $300 + tax and shipping. I'd also kind of like to add an SSD to the machine, though; not a big one, just something small.
Anyway, all things considered, is this worth it? Would it be more cost-efficient and safer to just go for a new laptop? I'd kind of like to get something with a better processor and maybe some better integrated graphics in case I get some Half-Life vibes or something out of my house. At the same time, though, I would like to keep something with OSX (I love the operating system) and if it does end up cheaper, that would be nice.
It partially comes down to this: Would something with an SSD and the 2 GHz Core Duo be faster than something with an i3 and dedicated graphics?
Also, if I go for the refurbish:
-Can I take the optical drive out to reduce the weight? I don't need it due to my PC.
-I have 2 GB RAM in there already; is what I heard about there being a 2 GB limit true? I mean, I'd like to put 4 GB in there even if the 32-bit limit kicks in, but it kinda sucks if I can't put any more in...
-Would mixing black and white parts look cool or just stupid?
Comments
Just in my nsho only - save yourself the grief and go buy what you need new or sorta new ala an Apple refurb.
Yeah, you can save heaps by doing it yourself on the old one - but unless those hinges are easily obtainable and there is no damage on the case parts you may end up with a revamped cripple.
Good luck !
IIRC, any Apple Store will refurbish a MacBook for $300 as long as parts are still available. contact your local Apple Store and see what the deal is. i believe they refer to it as "Out Of Warranty Refurbish"
Really? I've never heard of that. Can you give a link or something official that mentions that option?