Macbooks with Core 2 Duo processors, meet Memory!

For those of you lucky folks out there who have a Macbook Pro with a Core 2 Duo processor, I’m sure you’re saying to yourselves, “I sure do wish I could add 2 more Gigs more memory to this awesome notebook…but it’s so expensive!” Well, not anymore. If you’re willing to do it yourself, you can save a little over $500 on that memory addition.

“What’s that Uncle Mike? Did you just say that I can get 2 additional Gigs of memory for my Macbook Pro? “

What? Why do you keep making me repeat myself? Sheesh, I’m not that old. Yes, you see the Apple online store quotes $575 to add 2GB of memory to a MacBook Pro, and that cost is WAY too high. If you were so inclined to do it yourself, you could just go and see this lovely entry, order it, and when you get it, just put it into your MacBook Pro yourself! That’s an INSANE amount of savings, at the cost of a little bit of your time to put it in.

Don’t forget that Apple officially announced maximum memory for the MacBook is 2GB, not 3GB. So some folks would think that you can’t use a 2GB module for it. But actually it just works fine.

Now all that goodness aside, there is a tricky part to this. Those models have 2 memory slots, but the maximum they can utilize is 3GB of memory (1GB + 2GB). Even if you use 2 pieces of 2GB memory, you can only use 3GB worth of that. As my WoW buddies would say “Teh suxxors.” But that’s not totally true. If you run those same modules as a pair, it’ll work as dual channel, and that’ll work faster by 2-5% in a MacBook Pro and iMac. MacBook is another case as Video memory is shared with main memory there. This makes Dual Channel highly recommended. Granted if you don’t focus on graphic performance, 2GB+1GB is just fine, but if you need graphic performance, a pair configuration is highly recommended.

Hey, you in the back there…you look a little confused. What? You’ve never put memory into your own computer? Well…that’s something you should learn how to do! I’ll talk to one of our nice techs and see if they can write something up for a new post later next week. While they’re doing that, and while I’m writing up the next post here, I’d like to pose a question to all of our readers out there, and I’ll post the answers in a later blog…

What kinds of things would you like to see covered here in the YourMacStore Blog? While we do know a lot about Macs and such…we don’t know everything that YOU want to know. So start by asking us some questions…any Mac-Related questions, and we’ll do our best to answer them. That’s all for now!

-Mike Leader

100 Million iPods served...and counting!

Apple announced today in a press release on their website that they have officially sold their 100 millionth iPod. Just over 5 years ago, Apple sold the first iPod and that has now turned into five different generations of players, from the amazing 80G iPod Video, to the tiny & cool iPod Shuffle.

“At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that.”

The iPod's popularity has spawned a gigantic market for accessories over the years. From hard plastic cases, to leather-bound sleeves, to even some desktop stereos, over 4000 seperate items center around the amazing iPod. Now even 70% of US made automobiles have some connectivity for the iPod...

We all LOVE our music!

BUILDING A SUPER MAC MINI...

Building a Super Mac Mini

Who’s faster than a speeding bullet? More powerful than a locomotive? Able to change the course of mighty rivers? Can leap tall buildings in a single bound? Why Super Mac mini that is! What’s a Super Mac mini? Well read on true believer…

As we all know, the Mac mini is already a powerful tool out-of-the-box. However, with a little bit of modification, your Mac mini can be almost as powerful as a Macbook Pro. I know right now you’re saying, “Mike, will you please stop saying things you can’t back up?” Ahah! I can back this up!

You see, there are three great processor Intel Core 2 Duo upgrades for the Mac mini: the 2.0GHz, the 2.16GHz, and the mighty 2.33GHz. Right now the 2.0 and 2.16 are reasonably priced (for example: the 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and the 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) and would give your Mac mini quite a bit more power, if you were willing to install the new processor yourself. However, the 2.33GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo processor would practically be a “super upgrade” from the basic Mac mini “solo” processor. Granted the 2.33GHz processor is a bit pricey, but that is a lot cheaper than buying yourself a Macbook Pro (without the portability and such).

For those of you out there who are nervous about updating your processor, you really don’t have to worry. Most dealers will be happy to install the processor for you for a fee. Please remember that installing this kind of modification may void your warranty, so please check that before doing so.

All in all, the upgrades are worth it in speed and efficiency. While the cost may be daunting to some, it’s really a lot more affordable than most folks think. For example, the Mac mini I’m using right now is set up with the 2.33GHz processor, and wow it’s fast!




-Mike Leader

OCTA-CORE STRIKES!

Yesterday, Apple released the 8-core Mac Pro workstation. Currently, the Quad G5 is already quite fast, but with the power of TWO Quad Core Intel Xeon processors running at 3.0GHz in the new 8-Core, that’ll make it run up to 2x faster than the Power Mac G5 Quad!

Looking at Apple’s website, building that 3.0 GHz 8-Core will add on an additional $1498 to the cost. The standard model alone is $2499…so the base price of the “Octa-Core” hits with a bullet at just below $4000. I bet some of you are cringing and saying “OW Mike! Why did you shoot me right below my $4000?” It’s easy, because that’s a cheap price.

“Cheap price? What’s in the water there at YourMacStore.com?” (Trust me, you if you haven’t had beach water, you don’t want it.) What we’re talking about here is that it’s a cheaper prices than say the 2 PC Quad Core 2.66GHz Xeons…that’ll run about $2500 for a dealer…so you can imagine the retail price. (The prices for a 3GHz model aren’t available yet, but they should be a heck of a lot higher when they do come available.)

What we think here is that if you have an original Mac Pro, and then replace the 2 CPUs to Quad Core, it’ll work as an 8-Core processor. That’s a pretty big upgrade, and whilew we’re considering how to make it happen on our store, you start getting your wallets ready…you know that you want one.


-Mike Leader

SEETHRU THE LOOKING GLASS...

Speck Products Presents:

The SeeThru case for MacBook Pro




13” varieties





15” varieties:



Everyone loves to keep his or her gadgets protected, because naturally we’re all a little clumsy. Who hasn’t dropped their iPod or notebook at least once? Heck, the first thing my girlfriend got when she got her iPod for her birthday was a clear plastic case to keep it from getting scratched…and to look at the inscription on the back too. I know you’re saying, “Mike, what about notebooks and laptops?” Especially with the great look that Macbooks have, we don’t want them to get scratched, and that would mean either not taking them out of the box they came in, or finding the right kind of case.

The SeeThru case from SpeckProducts is pretty darn cool, provides a lot of “oomph” for it’s cost, and is available either for the 13” or the 15” MacBook Pro. The case itself is 1.5mm thick, and snaps right on with a minimal amount of work. However, we found that attaching the bottom part is a little bit tricky, just because you have to make sure that the little hooks are in the right place. However, once in place, the SeeThru really…well…shines through. It not only has openings in the case for you to get at all of your ports and indicators without any issue. This coupled with the 74 vents on it to make sure that the heat from your MacBook is properly vented, helps to keep the case light, but durable. It also has some nice little rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from sliding around on slick surfaces.

One of the best things about the Speck SeeThru cases is not just the scratch protection, but the esthetic value of the color change. You can see at the links posted above what a MacBook Pro would look like in each of the colored cases. The 15” ones, for example, have a wonderful red case, that when placed on a black MacBook Pro creates a wonderful dark cherry color, and while on a white MacBook Pro it is a bright red color that practically leaps off of the case at you.

These items will go a long way for users who want to stand out from other Mac users AND protect their notebooks from scratches. I might even dare say that someone creative enough could do all kinds of things with the clear case, even getting out their paintbrushes and painting it! (Please note that Speck Products doesn’t advocate this, and neither do I, but it sounded creative at the time.)

In the end, this is a great little worthwhile product, and if you’re looking for a way to keep the scratches off of your MacBook Pro, then it’s the item for you!

-Mike Leader