13-inch White MacBook updated; better processor and graphics chip

[Jim Haw]

Last week, Apple quietly updated their most affordable MacBook, the 13-inch white polycarbonate MacBook. It now sports the same processor and graphics chip with that of the $1,299 (Php71,990.00 at the Philippine Apple Online Store) 13-inch aluminium unibody MacBook. The white MacBook also had a RAM upgrade; default is now 2GB from what used to be 1GB.

The $999 (Php55,990.00) white MacBook is an excellent option for those who are looking to save $300.

Though the white MacBook now has the same 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo and NVIDIA GeFroce 9400M chips with that of the unibody MacBook, it doesn't mean the latter is not worth considering.

MacWorld's Peter Cohen in his article cites the differences between the white and aluminium MacBooks:

The more expensive aluminum-clad MacBook features faster memory—1,066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, compared to 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM. It also has a hard disk drive that’s one-third larger than the drive on the $999 model—160GB, versus 120GB. You also have the option of getting a Solid State Disk (SSD) drive on the aluminum MacBook, something you can’t buy for the $999 model. And that Mini DisplayPort interface is compatible with Apple’s new 24-inch LED Cinema Display, which won’t work with the white MacBook.

But the white MacBook does have its advantages:

...especially for Mac users who have already made an investment in some camcorders and external storage devices: It’s the only MacBook in Apple’s lineup that still has a FireWire port. The white MacBook features a FireWire 400 connector, making it compatible with myriad standard-definition camcorders, hard drives and other devices that have shipped since the late 1990s. The white MacBook also features a mini-DVI jack, meaning that connecting it to a DVI or VGA-equipped display is markedly less expensive than having to buy the Mini DisplayPort adapter required for the aluminum MacBook. Apple sells the mini-DVI adapters for $19 each, while its Mini DisplayPort equivalents are priced at $29.

If you are planning to get a Mac portable, the white MacBook is worthy of consideration. With the money you can save by foregoing the unibody MacBook, you can buy an external drive or buy a 2.5-inch drive to make up for the 40GB difference. The other differences, the faster memory, SSD, and MiniDisplayPort, are in my opinion, of lesser importance. The new graphics chip, as shown in previous benchmarks, will perhaps be more than up to the task when it comes to photo editing and some movie making using the new iMovie '09.

The updated $999 MacBook is a worthy buy.

[Source: Macworld]