My quick and dirty Macbook review

Kabal · 4th June 2006, 10:26 PM

After the inital hiccup with my first macbook (page down key didn't work) I received a replacement and I've just spent the whole weekend using it and I thought I would whip up a quick list of the good and bad stuff about it.

The Bad:
General fit and finish - small gaps around where the bezel meets the lcd, gaps/unevenness around where the keyboard face bit meets the bottom around the edges etc. The vent at the hinge is slightly warped (was really warped when I got it, pushed it mostly back into shape). Also has a few fine (but long) scratches on the hinge right out of the box (only visible on certain angles). All very minor, and about what u get on PC laptops of the same $$, but not very Apple like IMO

Two fingers+click = right click - great feature, only it often stops working when u sleep the machine and bring it back. Have to disable and reenable (or reboot) to get it back.

Airport - stops working when coming out of sleep sometimes, changing network or turning off/on fixes it.

Fan noise - At a certain cpu temp the fan turns on and off constantly, not super annoying.. I assume they will fix this in a firmware/software update or something. The fan volume itself is pretty damn quiet when its on constantly. You can notice it when its turning on/off all the time though.

Buzzing - very quiet buzzing noise if u put your ear up very close to the machine.

The Good:
Airport reception - soooo good

The keyboard - I can type so fast on this thing it is awesome

The trackpad - Zomg its huge.

The screen - the glossy looks great IMO, lightyears ahead of the old iBook displays.

Performance - It's crazy fast for an apple notebook in its price range.

General looks - It's oh so pretty.

I'm pretty damn happy with it overall.

cronicavenger · 5th June 2006, 12:07 AM

hey thanks for the mini review.. i'm thinking about buying one but all these issues (fan, heat, graphic problems) are putting me off... also because its first rev...
have you had any problems with the graphics??
what specs did u get?

mliuboy · 5th June 2006, 9:46 AM

may i ask whether your unit was a custom order, and how long did it take for you to receive your replacement from the day the courier picked it up to return to apple syd?

Kabal · 5th June 2006, 10:24 AM

No problem with the graphics. CPU temp is pretty warm in CoreDuoTemp (idle 50-55deg, 70deg maxed out -but im in melbourne and its winter so its not exactly hot...). Bottom of the machine is never too hot to touch.

I had a courier pick up my old one on a monday and I had the replacement on friday.

Machine specs are a stock 2.0.

carazy · 5th June 2006, 1:13 PM

cronic you'll be happy to know not everyone has those problems.
Infact my MBP 2.16ghz 15"4 beasty has none of them. It's perfect from start to finish with regards to build quality.

My only problem is getting the microphone to work in windows XP

Oh and the illuminated keyboard (in Xp)

FantoM_CircuiT · 5th June 2006, 1:30 PM

maybe they replaced your faulty unit with a recon'd one or something hence the reason for the poor build quality. What was build quality like on the first unit or didnt you have a chance to notice?

Kabal · 5th June 2006, 2:48 PM

It was exactly the same (acutally maybe worse). Those in store I've looked at have all been the same too (MBP's included).

Most people probably wouldnt notice. I'm pretty picky about how things fit together

Irrational · 5th June 2006, 5:35 PM

Hrmmm.. That's pretty much the exact opposite of what other reviews I have read have said.

Maybe it's just a bad batch or something!? or juts Rev 1 quirks.
\

DavoRulz · 5th June 2006, 6:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carazy

Infact my MBP 2.16ghz 15"4 beasty has none of them. It's perfect from start to finish with regards to build quality.

But that's the Macbook Pro. Aren't they $3k or something like that?

At any rate, it's a little disturbing to find build quality issues. Especially on a $2k notebook

Kabal · 5th June 2006, 6:17 PM

Normal ppl probably dont pay attention as much as me

When I say the bezel has gaps i mean if u look almost parallel down the face of the screen u can see a tiny gap between the plastic and the screen (where some light from the backlight comes through). You cant see it looking at it normally. The gap where the keyboard face meets the edge is tiny too, probably not even 0.5mm but you can definitely see it is uneven in a couple of spots.

It feels pretty solid in general, I cant imagine it falling apart any time soon.

Oh I had another great bug before too - My windows file sharing/smb server or whatever decided to constantly restart itself over and over, using all my cpu (and making it run pretty hot

). Hard to find too because the process list doesnt show any one single process eating all your time time, as its a different process each time it starts up. Never had that on my last mac, not sure if its an intel/macbook related bug or what. My SMB log file was like 2gb by the time I found out what was going on

carazy · 5th June 2006, 8:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavoRulz

But that's the Macbook Pro. Aren't they $3k or something like that?

At any rate, it's a little disturbing to find build quality issues. Especially on a $2k notebook

$3,999 ;-)

I'm picky as hell as well and mine is like a jewel. I love it.

jboles · 6th June 2006, 2:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kabal

Oh I had another great bug before too - My windows file sharing/smb server or whatever decided to constantly restart itself over and over, using all my cpu (and making it run pretty hot

). Hard to find too because the process list doesnt show any one single process eating all your time time, as its a different process each time it starts up. Never had that on my last mac, not sure if its an intel/macbook related bug or what. My SMB log file was like 2gb by the time I found out what was going on

I'm having the same problem with my MBP and it's really annoying. After each restart the CPU usage will go to 100% and I have to go into system preferences and restart the Windows File Sharing.

Opteron · 6th June 2006, 2:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carazy

I'm picky as hell

So i assume you done your research before you purchased it? And also realised that your not having problems with the backlit keyboard in XP and that its just not supported at the moment?

BenZor · 6th June 2006, 6:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kabal

After the inital hiccup with my first macbook (page down key didn't work) I received a replacement and I've just spent the whole weekend using it and I thought I would whip up a quick list of the good and bad stuff about it.

The Bad:
General fit and finish - small gaps around where the bezel meets the lcd, gaps/unevenness around where the keyboard face bit meets the bottom around the edges etc. The vent at the hinge is slightly warped (was really warped when I got it, pushed it mostly back into shape). Also has a few fine (but long) scratches on the hinge right out of the box (only visible on certain angles). All very minor, and about what u get on PC laptops of the same $$, but not very Apple like IMO

Two fingers+click = right click - great feature, only it often stops working when u sleep the machine and bring it back. Have to disable and reenable (or reboot) to get it back.

Airport - stops working when coming out of sleep sometimes, changing network or turning off/on fixes it.

Fan noise - At a certain cpu temp the fan turns on and off constantly, not super annoying.. I assume they will fix this in a firmware/software update or something. The fan volume itself is pretty damn quiet when its on constantly. You can notice it when its turning on/off all the time though.

Buzzing - very quiet buzzing noise if u put your ear up very close to the machine.

Can i get your serial number? Or atleast the beginning. Becuase mines A
4H62 revision, and I have had NONE of the symptoms you've described at all. Infact, this is my main machine, for work and home, So i spend a good 14 or so hours a day on it, coming in and out of sleep, doing onsites etc, and I've never, ever had a problem with it.

my only issue is it gets a tad hot while charging, but not enough to render it useless. I was playing with an Athlon 64 noname the other day, and it actually melted an A4 sheet protector to the bottom of it :/

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavoRulz

But that's the Macbook Pro. Aren't they $3k or something like that?

At any rate, it's a little disturbing to find build quality issues. Especially on a $2k notebook

Compared to my Dell, that was $2800 and had about 14 warranty repairs... This is much better.
My dell lost a line of pixels out of the box, then again at 4 months, 11 months. Motherboard died, PSU died (internal DC Board), AC Plugpack died, Video card died, track pad died, wireless died, hdd died, optical drive died... Only 2 things that were original in the machine from dell in the end were the CPU and the RAM....then I upgraded the RAM.

DavoRulz · 6th June 2006, 9:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenZor

Compared to my Dell, that was $2800 and had about 14 warranty repairs... This is much better.
My dell lost a line of pixels out of the box, then again at 4 months, 11 months. Motherboard died, PSU died (internal DC Board), AC Plugpack died, Video card died, track pad died, wireless died, hdd died, optical drive died... Only 2 things that were original in the machine from dell in the end were the CPU and the RAM....then I upgraded the RAM.

Dayum. Sucks to be you. I guess there are lemons here and there, but bloody QC should pick them up before they go out

4th June 2006, 10:26 PM	#1
Kabal Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,045	My quick and dirty Macbook review After the inital hiccup with my first macbook (page down key didn't work) I received a replacement and I've just spent the whole weekend using it and I thought I would whip up a quick list of the good and bad stuff about it. The Bad: General fit and finish - small gaps around where the bezel meets the lcd, gaps/unevenness around where the keyboard face bit meets the bottom around the edges etc. The vent at the hinge is slightly warped (was really warped when I got it, pushed it mostly back into shape). Also has a few fine (but long) scratches on the hinge right out of the box (only visible on certain angles). All very minor, and about what u get on PC laptops of the same $$, but not very Apple like IMO Two fingers+click = right click - great feature, only it often stops working when u sleep the machine and bring it back. Have to disable and reenable (or reboot) to get it back. Airport - stops working when coming out of sleep sometimes, changing network or turning off/on fixes it. Fan noise - At a certain cpu temp the fan turns on and off constantly, not super annoying.. I assume they will fix this in a firmware/software update or something. The fan volume itself is pretty damn quiet when its on constantly. You can notice it when its turning on/off all the time though. Buzzing - very quiet buzzing noise if u put your ear up very close to the machine. The Good: Airport reception - soooo good The keyboard - I can type so fast on this thing it is awesome The trackpad - Zomg its huge. The screen - the glossy looks great IMO, lightyears ahead of the old iBook displays. Performance - It's crazy fast for an apple notebook in its price range. General looks - It's oh so pretty. I'm pretty damn happy with it overall.

5th June 2006, 1:30 PM	#6
FantoM_CircuiT Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Brisbane Posts: 985	maybe they replaced your faulty unit with a recon'd one or something hence the reason for the poor build quality. What was build quality like on the first unit or didnt you have a chance to notice? __________________ wigwam Last edited by FantoM_CircuiT; 5th June 2006 at 1:35 PM.

5th June 2006, 5:35 PM	#8
Irrational Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Adelaide, SA Posts: 614	Hrmmm.. That's pretty much the exact opposite of what other reviews I have read have said. Maybe it's just a bad batch or something!? or juts Rev 1 quirks. \ __________________ "I would rather live one day as a lion than a thousand years as a sheep" For all your Nespresso Needs Follow my Photo Blog Flickr

5th June 2006, 12:07 AM	#2
cronicavenger Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 32	hey thanks for the mini review.. i'm thinking about buying one but all these issues (fan, heat, graphic problems) are putting me off... also because its first rev... have you had any problems with the graphics?? what specs did u get?

5th June 2006, 9:46 AM	#3
mliuboy (Taking a Break) Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,305	may i ask whether your unit was a custom order, and how long did it take for you to receive your replacement from the day the courier picked it up to return to apple syd?

5th June 2006, 10:24 AM	#4
Kabal Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,045	No problem with the graphics. CPU temp is pretty warm in CoreDuoTemp (idle 50-55deg, 70deg maxed out -but im in melbourne and its winter so its not exactly hot...). Bottom of the machine is never too hot to touch. I had a courier pick up my old one on a monday and I had the replacement on friday. Machine specs are a stock 2.0.

5th June 2006, 1:13 PM	#5
carazy Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Adelaide Posts: 436	cronic you'll be happy to know not everyone has those problems. Infact my MBP 2.16ghz 15"4 beasty has none of them. It's perfect from start to finish with regards to build quality. My only problem is getting the microphone to work in windows XP Oh and the illuminated keyboard (in Xp)

5th June 2006, 2:48 PM	#7
Kabal Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,045	It was exactly the same (acutally maybe worse). Those in store I've looked at have all been the same too (MBP's included). Most people probably wouldnt notice. I'm pretty picky about how things fit together

5th June 2006, 6:17 PM	#10
Kabal Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,045	Normal ppl probably dont pay attention as much as me When I say the bezel has gaps i mean if u look almost parallel down the face of the screen u can see a tiny gap between the plastic and the screen (where some light from the backlight comes through). You cant see it looking at it normally. The gap where the keyboard face meets the edge is tiny too, probably not even 0.5mm but you can definitely see it is uneven in a couple of spots. It feels pretty solid in general, I cant imagine it falling apart any time soon. Oh I had another great bug before too - My windows file sharing/smb server or whatever decided to constantly restart itself over and over, using all my cpu (and making it run pretty hot ). Hard to find too because the process list doesnt show any one single process eating all your time time, as its a different process each time it starts up. Never had that on my last mac, not sure if its an intel/macbook related bug or what. My SMB log file was like 2gb by the time I found out what was going on