[mattsajay]

I am a computational biology student who wants to purchase a macbook.
I do moderate programming stuff (mathematica, matlab, maple, R statistical computing, c, java, python and lisp) and some graphics (photoshop, imageJ etc). These are modest uses and not very high end like professional coders or image editing.
what configuration would you guys suggest for the macbook. my budget is around $ 1500 (with educational discount). of course i can go upwards max upto 2 grand if the deal is great. but preference is around 1.5 grand.
specifically,
1. is there a perceptible difference in performance for the above requirements between a 2.16 ghz and a 2gz chip
2. is a 2 gig ram sufficient?
3. has anyone made a dual boot system with mac tiger and kubuntu/suse linux
4. i keep getting mixed reviews about refurbished systems. any advice specifically for the type of job i will be doing (as mentioned above).
5. am i right in understanding that 2 gig is the max ram possible for C2D macbooks out int he market right now. (i.e. even if I buy ram 2x2 gigs later, i CANNOT upgrade my system. Does the same max 2 gig ram capacity hold for MBPs?
i expect the notebook to last for 3-4 years till my thesis is done.
your inputs are greatly appreciated.

[maflynn]

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1. is there a perceptible difference in performance for the above requirements between a 2.16 ghz and a 2gz chip

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No typically if you save some money from going to a 2.0 GHz and use that money towards ram your going to see a superior boost in speed.

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2. is a 2 gig ram sufficient?

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Yes 2 gig should be ok, I'm running photoshop on my macbook with only a gig though its not my main machine.

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3. has anyone made a dual boot system with mac tiger and kubuntu/suse linux

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I have not but I've seen posts and stuff about people getting triple to work. (osx/windows/linux) so getting a double boot with linux is possible. There's also an easier solution to run linux and windows and that's Parallels

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4. i keep getting mixed reviews about refurbished systems. any advice specifically for the type of job i will be doing (as mentioned above).

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Refurbs are a great way to save a little cache on good system. I've generally heard good things, though once in a while you do read a post of someone getting a defective unit, but the same could be said with a new machine.

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5. am i right in understanding that 2 gig is the max ram possible for C2D macbooks out int he market right now. (i.e. even if I buy ram 2x2 gigs later, i CANNOT upgrade my system. Does the same max 2 gig ram capacity hold for MBPs?

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MBP's limitis 3g and you are correct you CANNOT upgrade the system save for the memory (if you have < 2 gig) and the hard drive).

I own a coreduo (not c2d model) of the Macbook and its a great machine. You need to look at how you are going to use it, and how well the MB fits that need. For instance, the screen is 13" as opposed to 15" for the MBP. Would that pose a problem? The exterior of the MB is much more durable then the alu. case found on the MBP so for throwing it in a backpack or such, its a great computer.
I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not but apple provides education discounts for instance a brand new stock MB 2.0GHz will run you 999 as opposed to 1099.
I also like the black model but you are paying a premium for the color /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif