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Recommendations for a basic Mac laptop in the $500 range (used)

My g/f's computer was damaged beyond all repair last week (one year or so old Compaq laptop) so I've been searching around to get a deal on a new (used) one. Previous to the Compaq she had an ibook which she loved. I'm also a big fan of Macs (plan to switch when my Toshiba gives up the ghost) but am not too sure about the older ones. I'm looking for something in the $500.00 range (or less) or so on Ebay. Her needs are very basic: web surfing, music storage with itunes, light photo editing, etc. Just for the sake of longevity, I would like to find one with one of the newer operating systems (OSX I think???) so what specs do I need to run that without it slowing down too much. Were there certain models that were better than others? I'm looking at the smaller screen sizes......12-13" or so.
 
If you can find an iBook with an Intel chip, that would be the way to go. I would def stay away from an older iMac or Powerbook with a PPC chip. Why? Age. Most of the better PPC laptops are in the 3-4 year old range, which is the point in time when major things can go wrong with laptops, such as logic board and screen failures. Ideally, you want something less than 2 years old with an extended warranty.

OSX 10.4, at minimum, tho 10.3 will work as well. Skip 10.2, AVOID 10.1.
 
Good advice from Cammy.

Basically anything with the intel duo core is gonna be really good. I personally prefer the Macbook PROs over the regular macbooks. But the regular macbooks, which are pretty much just as capable as the pro's--go for only 1000 to 1300 new, so finding one in the 500 range may not be too hard. If you can get Apple Care, DO IT. I don't know how it works when you buy used laptops, but Apple Care is one of the best things Macintosh offers.
 
Like others have said, go with a MacBook as it'll have the intel chipset, faster memory, better video, bigger & faster hd, etc.. Here's a link to the lowend mac website that watches for the best prices on Apple MacBook computers. They have a page for each of the newer computers. If you really need more power then go with the Pro version, it's more powerful but also more expensive. We have several MacBook Pros here at the university and they're very well liked.
 
I'm not sure how you feel, but I had been using an old iMac G3 AND a G3 Pismo powerbook running OS 10.3.9. I'm not sure, but I believe they were both upgradable to OS 10.4. I just never put out the money.

The ONLY reason I upgraded from my iMac was the screen was gong bad and it was too slow to run videos such as on youtube well and I figured my kids are comming of an age where they will be using the internet soon.

I had lent my Pismo to my Mom who absolutely LOVED it until she accidentally poured a cup of coffee into the keyboard and killed it. She is now enjoying a Sawtooth I cobbled together for her.

Now you probably want sonething a bit faster than the Pismo, but I wouldn't count out PPC machines just because they are older. Older macs just seem to retain their usability.

I have purchased items recommended through lowendmac.com and highly recommend you do your research there. They can tell you just how far and how much milage you can get out of an older mac, and I would trust buying a refurb advertised there over something from a random seller on eBay. They will also let you know of any known weaknesses of the older models.

Good luck and enjoy your Mac!
 
She actually looked out (sorta). Her sister gave her an older Mac Powerbook G4 yesterday that needs a little TLC and upgrading. A friend of mine is going to fix some of the issues for a few beers, so it's all good!
 
Cool, it does sound like she lucked out, I'm sure the powerbook G4 will be fine. At home we're still using G4 towers, iMacs, & iBooks with Mac OS 10.4. I haven't really had the need to progress past that. Plus the parts for these are still available & affordable.
Tony
 
Whatever you decide to get, I think having an adequate amount of RAM (~1GB) will make the internet, iTunes, and Word much more pleasant to use.
 
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