Nov18Written by:
Kathy Nguyen
11/18/2009 9:45 AM 
Most of the time, Apple users could face hard choice. Will you upgrade your current machine by simply packing it with more RAM and drive space or is it better to just buy a new MacBook?
If you are an Apple user, you can face drive space problem after 16 months of power computing. It is highly probable that you will run out of drive space as you run more applications in your machine and add digital content over time.
Apple has a new product now called MacBook Pro. The new model seems up to the task to solve your dilemma but its cost is still too prohibitive.
Comparing the New MacBook Pro with the MacBook
A MacBook runs on a 2.4 GHz Intel processor. It is enough for users who need a machine that can be used for mobile computing. There is no doubt that the new MacBook Pro is very attractive. It can provide a slightly faster processor and slightly faster RAM. However, most users are not prepared to shell out $1,500 for a machine that can only provide slight improvements in performance.
The new MacBook Pro has a very enticing GeForce 9400M graphics. This is a significant upgrade but not reason enough to overturn the impressive performance of MacBook.
A MacBook has a 24-inch Samsung monitor. It offers a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 and is good enough for all types of computing tasks. It is not ideal for gaming but can hold up well in running commercial graphics and movie editing applications. In the graphics category, purchasing a new 15-inch MacBook Pro is not justified.
The Issue of Drive Space
One common problem that you will face if you're a power user is the issue drive space. Most often than not, you will run out of drive space after 16 months. This is particularly true if you love to record videos. The 250 GB hard drive will look puny indeed.
Within the 16-month usage benchmark, you will probably be down to 12 GB of hard drive. The most practical thing that you can do is to clean up your drive and reclaim valuable space. One thing is for sure though. If you are an Apple power user, you will need more than 250 GB of hard drive.
A MacBook also runs on a 2 GB RAM. This is usually enough to run multiple applications. Performance is good but you may encounter glitches if you run too many apps. If you need to optimize performance, you may need to shut down some apps before running resource heavy programs.
You can move your media files to an external server or hard drive. But if you like your files to be easily accessible to you, then you have to upgrade the hard drive of your machine. Seagate offers a 500 GB hard drive at 7,200 RPM while Western Digital offers 320 GB 7,200 RPM hard drive. Overall, upgrading your existing machine with more hard drive and faster RAM seems to be a much better option.