Need buying advice for a MBP
Hi,
Hello to everyone here. This is my first post after months of lurking.
I am looking for ways to buy the following at the lowest price possible:
MacBook Pro 17-inch High-Resolution Widescreen Display
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 256MB SDRAM
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 - 2x1GB SO-DIMMs
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Though I plan to purchase it after the Leopard release, I am gathering info over time to make a cost effective purchase. I will be making my purchase in Oregon, US. I don't mind buying online from other merchants than Apple as long as they have a good return policy.
I have the following questions and would appreciate your advice:
1. Could I upgrade my RAM myself without voiding my warranty?
2. Could I upgrade my HDD myself without voiding my warranty?
3. Is it almost impossible to find notebook backpacks for 17" notebooks?
4. Do I have to buy RAM specifically made for MBP or any DDR2 PC2-5300 CL5, Unbuffered, Non-ECC RAM would do?
5. Are there any restrictions on the type of notebook hardrives? What types are compatible? I plan to get the largest 7200rpm SATA notebook HDD with NCQ and freefall sensors, like the Seagate Momentus 7200.2 or the new Hitachi 7200rpm 200GB dirves
6. Where would you recommend that I purchase a MBP to get the lowest price possible with the best configuration possible?
I've seen high-end configurations on e-Bay for unbelievably low prices. Are those reliable? Have the units been rigged with cheap parts?
Some e-Bay examples:
New-Apple-Macbook-Pro-17-2-4-Ghz-T7700-4GB-RAM-laptop
Apple-MacBook-Pro-17-2-4Ghz-HI-RES-160-Gb-7200-RPM-NEW
Thanks very much for your kind input.
-Ad
Hello to everyone here. This is my first post after months of lurking.
I am looking for ways to buy the following at the lowest price possible:
MacBook Pro 17-inch High-Resolution Widescreen Display
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 256MB SDRAM
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 - 2x1GB SO-DIMMs
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Though I plan to purchase it after the Leopard release, I am gathering info over time to make a cost effective purchase. I will be making my purchase in Oregon, US. I don't mind buying online from other merchants than Apple as long as they have a good return policy.
I have the following questions and would appreciate your advice:
1. Could I upgrade my RAM myself without voiding my warranty?
2. Could I upgrade my HDD myself without voiding my warranty?
3. Is it almost impossible to find notebook backpacks for 17" notebooks?
4. Do I have to buy RAM specifically made for MBP or any DDR2 PC2-5300 CL5, Unbuffered, Non-ECC RAM would do?
5. Are there any restrictions on the type of notebook hardrives? What types are compatible? I plan to get the largest 7200rpm SATA notebook HDD with NCQ and freefall sensors, like the Seagate Momentus 7200.2 or the new Hitachi 7200rpm 200GB dirves
6. Where would you recommend that I purchase a MBP to get the lowest price possible with the best configuration possible?
I've seen high-end configurations on e-Bay for unbelievably low prices. Are those reliable? Have the units been rigged with cheap parts?
Some e-Bay examples:
New-Apple-Macbook-Pro-17-2-4-Ghz-T7700-4GB-RAM-laptop
Apple-MacBook-Pro-17-2-4Ghz-HI-RES-160-Gb-7200-RPM-NEW
Thanks very much for your kind input.
-Ad
Comments
1. Yes
2. No
3. I don't think so. Here's a nice looking one: http://mac-case.com/MacCase%20Combo.htm
4. Any will do.
5. I don't think there are any restrictions.
6. If you aren't eligable for an edu discount and you don't mind buying the stock config, Amazon often has good rebates on apple computers.