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OWC Tips & Deals 3/31/2008
Intro: Greetings from Woodstock! We're officially ten days into Spring, but already having had two snow storms since the start of our new season - well, we're more ready than ever for the real Spring to begin. Ready too for what's next from Apple too. Heck, we're only 11 weeks from Apple's WWDC event. Always something around the corner. Plenty of new from just the past month though, and time to lead on into what's new there. With our move to the new location in the final stages, I advise now some of the writing isn't going to be pretty - but felt compelled to get this one newsletter out for March. One last newsletter originating from what's been OWC's home base since our last move in 2001. Anyway.... New MacBook 13.3" 2.1GHz, 2.4GHz replace 2.0GHz, 2.2GHz Models While Apple rarely changes model price points, it's what does change that keeps these Macs getting better and better for that same dollar spent. This trend continues with the latest bump to the MacBook 13.3" line. This time around, it's a few steps forward and, maybe, a smidge of a step back when looking at the processor cache. Whereas the 2.0GHz and 2.2GHz models both had 4MB of shared L2 Processor Cache, the new 2.1GHz and 2.4GHz have only 3MB. We'll circle back to that after getting the rest of the raw specs out of the way... The new 2.1GHz White for $1099 ships base with 1.0GB Memory, 120GB HD (2.0GHz was 80GB), and CDRW+DVD Combo drive. Upgrade options include going to 2.0GBs of memory for an extra $100 or 4.0GB for $500; hard drive can be bumped to 160GB for $50 or to 250GB for $150. For less than Apple bills for the 2.0GB Mem upgrade you can go to 4.0GB from us... for less than the upgrade to the 250GB drive, you can buy a new 3yr warranted 250GB or 320GB drive to slide in + use the 120GB as backup, etc. If you want to burn DVDs, you'll need to step up to a 2.4GHz model - for whatever marketing reasons Apple has not made SuperDrives an option on its lowest cost Macbook models. Starting at a base of $1299, the 2.4GHz White MacBook comes standard with 2.0GB of memory (2.2GHz had 1GB), 160GB Hard Drive (was $120GB), and a SuperDrive. You can factory upgrade the memory to 4GB for $400 (or get 4GB straight up from us for $90 + have 2 1GB modules to sell, trade, or keep as spare) and the hard drive to 250GB for $100 (or buy a new 250GB from us for about $102.50, with up to 320GB available). Finally, if the cool Black version fits your taste - at $1499 this model is identical to the $1299 white model, except instead of a 160GB drive it comes with a 250GB drive. Swinging back around to the difference in L2 Cache on the processors. The new Macbooks use Intel Penryn processors with 3MB of shared L2 vs. the prior models tht used Merom equipped with 4MB of shared L2. Both the current and the former utilize the Santa Rosa chipset/motherboard platform and test results definitly hand it to the Penryn, especially on the 2.1GHz vs. 2.0GHz, for processor performance. A little less L2 cache, but clearly more than made up for in other optimizations. As a quick note before elaborating further, given the choice of buying a new base Macbook to replace another base Macbook - you're far better off instead upgrading the memory of your existing Mac beyond that base. From the same test results grid - you can see that even a MacBook from late 2006, when loaded with 4GB of memory, is faster or nearly equal to either current (even the 2.4GHz) when looking at the 1.0GB or 2.0GB Memory results... For any Mac running OS X (and technically windows too), more memory can make a lot more difference than a faster processor alone. I find it interesting that the 2.1GHz model runs some realworld tests close to 20% faster than the 2.0GHz version when both have 1GB of memory and impressively close to 10% faster when both models with 4.0GB of memory installed are compared. While the processor is only 5% faster by clock speed, the sum of the whole delivers quite a bit more and actually is only bested by the 2.2GHz model by a 1-3%. Definitely an impressive real world performance bump to this base MacBook. While of course the 2.4GHz models are faster than the 2.1GHz, the best obtainable benefit over the 2.2GHz is actually not as impressive, although more within expectation. In fact - in reviewing real-world results - the 2.4GHz with 2GB of memory actually tests marginally slower than an equally configured 2.2GHz MacBook. Kinda of interesting.... with the 2.2GHz model, your performance benefit upgrading from 2.0GB to 4.0GB can be upwards of close to 20%. When you take the 2.4GHz from 2.0GB to 4.0GB of memory, the gain is closer to 30% and this memory enhanced performance lets the 2.4GHz MacBook real-world performance 6% to 12% better than a 4GB equipped 2.2GHz. In summary - the 2.1GHz is a nice performer and if it came with a SuperDrive, I think Apple would be selling a lot fewer of the 2.4GHz models. If you want to be able to burn DVDs in addition to CDs, either of the 2.4GHz models really is the only way to go as the after market cost to upgrade Macbook optical drives pretty much eats the $200 difference between a 2.1GHz and 2.4GHz - never mind the performance, memory and drive benefit you may was well enjoy too - should that internal drive DVD burning capability be a must. As always, buying whichever model base and then adding the extra memory and/or hard drive capacity from your friends at OWC - that's a win-win with considerable cost savings + wider array of options too. So there ya go. New MacBook Pro 15 & 17" Speedbumps, 'faster' 2.6GHz Top Speed option The Apple MacBook Pro line up all gets a nice bump this time around. All three stock of the base model offerings get bumps to Video Ram, Processor speed, and storage. Like the MacBooks, all the MacBook Pro models have been moved to the Penryn processor, replacing the prior generation's Merom. Unlike the MacBook - except in the 2.4GHz model, the MacBook Pros use a version with 6MB of shared L2 Cache. In addition, Apple has added their 'Multi-Touch' interface technology to the MacBook Pro trackpads - which allows the cool finger control inputs you also get on the iPod Touch or iPhone. Here is breakdown by model for the bump differences. First, the entry level Macbook Pro 15" remains $1999 and is now equipped with a 2.4GHz Processor (was 2.2GHz), 200GB Hard Drive (was 120GB), and Superdrive. The video remains Nvidia 8600M GT, but is now with 256MB vs. the prior model's 128MB. Although you don't need the additional VRAM to support the built in or built in + even a 30" display, the additional VRAM does improve the performance of the video processor. In addition to just raw display, the video processor also gets used for 3D rendering, rotations, etc - since Apple OS X 10.4.x, Core Video acceleration actually utilizes the the video processor to perform/share task load that used to be done by only the processor. You get benefit for not just games, but also for the heavy lifting in Photoshop and other applications too. Although this MacBook Pro has only 3MB of L2 Cache vs. the 4MB the prior models have, its real world performance vs. the former is very impressive. At worst it's actually on par with the prior generation 2.4GHz (smoking the 2.2GHz equiv cost), and in some tests showed up to a 20%+ advantage. Very impressive as this doesn't just beat the old 2.2GHz - it even provides benefit vs. the prior 2.4GHz model which had cost $500 more. Next up you have equally equipped 2.5GHz MacBook Pro 15" and 17" models to choose from. Starting at $2499 and $2799 respectively, both come base with 2.0GB of memory, 250GB hard drive (was 160GB), and SuperDrive. While the video is still Nvidia 8600M GT, in this case the VRAM has been bumped from 256MB up to 512MB. Again, more VRAM gives more video performance in how OS X Core Video can make use of that Video Processor's capabilities. Now - we don't have 2.5GHz test results posted yet - but seeing how significant the performance gains are from the 'old' 2.6GHz 17" vs. new 2008 Model 17" @ 2.6GHz, there is no doubt a significant performance benefit to be shown between it and the 2.4GHz model it replaced. More on that 2.6GHz processor model option two paragraphs below... The following are the current upgrade options applicable to all three models. First off, all three ship as noted above with 2.0GB of memory standard that can be upgraded at the factory to 4.0GB for an additional $400. For less than 1/4th of that cost (and you'll have the 2 x 1GB stock modules as well), $90 gets you a 4GB Kit straight up from us. It's definitely worth having the extra memory and I'd think the $300+ savings makes our offer a pretty good buy. The hard drive options are a little more competitive factory installed - although very narrow.... On the 2.4GHz model - your option are $50 to jump up to a 250GB HD or $100 to move to a faster 200GB 7200RPM. For the 2.5GHz models, you start at that 250GB 5400RPM as standard and the only other option is the 200GB 7200RPM which from the 250GB is a $50 option. OWC offers a range of hard drive specials including 250GB drives from about $105, 200GB 7200RPM from $135, and a 320GB 5400RPM for $145. On the hard drive options - it's all about what you'd do with the stock drive if bought aftermarket + if the factory options are what you want in terms of the capacity too. Unique to the 2.5GHz Models, in addition to the memory and hard drive choices you also have that option for a 2.6GHz Processor. This is a $250 premium and currently we do not have tests to compare the benefit of the current model 2.5GHz vs. 2.6GHz. We will have this by the beginning of next week included for both 15" and 17" models via our real world memory benchmarks page.. Personally, with the results I've seen of just the 2.4GHz vs. the 2.6GHz - as long as you do upgrade to 4.0GB of memory, probably not going to be a that significant of a difference. I also expect results will be faster with the 2.5GHz 2008 model than the 2007 model Macbook Pro with 2.6GHz option is too. Some of this is inferred to comparing the current 2.4GHz and 2.6GHz models results we do have posted. While there is up to a 23% benefit in one test 2.4GHz vs. 2.6GHz with 2.0GB of memory installed, the same test shrinks the 2.6GHz benefit to only a 7.6% advantage when comparing the same with 4.0GBs of memory. Another test is hardly more than a 2% performance difference between 2.6GHz and 2.4GHz with 4.0GB of installed memory, although is a 20% spread in the 2.0GB mem configs. The best spread is with our Photoshop CS3 process test, where 4.0GB installed memory configs still show where the faster 2.6GHz processor does shine bright beating the 2.4GHz version by a solid 13%. Now, in this spread test, I'd expect part of the gain comes also from the larger L2 Cache and the higher amount of VRAM the 2.6GHz model has compared to the 2.4GHz, in addition to processor speeds... As the 2.5GHz shares same amount of L2 and VRAM, it's going to be interesting to see just how much difference there really is with just raw processor speed being the difference. One thing for sure, spending $90 to go to 4.GB of memory is a slam dunk performance booster bargain for any Core 2 Duo Mac. Unique to the 17" model for some time has been the option to upgrade from a 1680x1050 resolution display (typical 20" widescreen display resolution) to a high-resolution 1920x1200 display panel (max resolution the Apple 23" Cinema HD Display supports) for an extra $80. IMHO, this option has always been a no brainer if you're buying the 17" and now, with this option also being an upgrade from standard CCFL lit TFT to Apple's first LED backlit display available in 17" - this option should require not a moment of thought. Even if you'd rather display at the lower resolution, benefits of the LED display including lower power use, brighter/crisper colors including true white, and better longevity make this $80 well spent. The MacBook 13.3" as well as Macbook Pro 15.4" went standard to LED last year, no doubt the 17" will soon fully transition as well - but till then, $80 is well spent for the LED screen version as well as the resolution benefit. Alright - that's a lot of info. But the short of it is - this is a pretty decent upgrade for the MacBook Pro line, although I'd expect there is something more to come this summer. New iMacs.... not yet... Nothing new on the iMacs since last fall - but all indications are for something to be landing rather soon. Rumors out there also suggest the iMac could be the first Apple model to have Blue-Ray as an option. We'll hopefully see something pretty soon. In the mean-time, I've noticed there are pretty decent deals on refurb iMacs found in Apple's Specials section. OWC has purchased dozens of Apple refurbs for our own internal use over the years and have rarely had a problem. We've always bought 'current generation' refurb stuff (usually starts showing up 10-14 weeks after a new model has first shipped) and they've always been like new and these come with a full 1yr Apple warranty too. If you're in the market now and like the features on a system you find on Apple's refurb listing, from personal experience - they're like new systems at a really nice discount. All said, if you can wait - stuff only gets faster and cheaper... and when new iMacs do come out (whenever that may be) - the current crop will only get cheaper on the refurb deal. Apple Computers 14% of US Market by unit, 25% by dollars spent As covered by AppleInsider, February 2008 sales data shows Apple to have taken a 14% share by unit volume and a 25% share of the actual dollars spend on new computers in the US. More Macs means more software development, support, etc - and of course Apple growing success should only mean good things for the future Mac model development. One thing's pretty much for certain, overall - Apple's computer sales business continues to move in the right direction - even if it's now Apple, Inc. and not Apple Computer, Inc. OWC to complete move to its new Green facility this weekend It's a bit over two years ago that I started OWC on the path to its new Green Headquarters. The first challenge was finding a suitable place to build, but that was nothing compared to what went into bringing everyone online to do this building project with 'green thinking' in mind. From my perspective, many resources are not infinite - especially our water supply, things not built to last ultimately create more pollution be it from total replacement of ongoing maintenance, using less energy means reducing pollution and improving air quality given the reality of how much energy comes from non-renewable sources today. In addition to the positive environmental benefits of building with green in mind, long term (it's definitely long term here...) - these costs come back through savings through the efficiencies of green technologies. The way the system is stacked, despite all the 'green politicing' out there, it's a lot harder to build this way than one might think. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it - and honestly, in our neck of the woods - I hope our project being done does make it easier for others. Making the investment today vs. putting out that cost in higher energy expenses year after year, well - you've got a win-win going when you choose the green path. Our new HQ earned us a 9th place ranking on ComputerWorld's Top 12 IT providers list (in the company of IBM, Sun, and Verizon) and when this building receives its official LEED certification, we expect it to be one of just over a hundred to be certified at the Gold or Platinum 'green' points level. As I noted before, it is fully my intent to help 'leed' the way as to have lots more company in the not too distant future. In late February we began our move with our then off site accounting and art departments. After the successful move our those two departments, we proceeded to the most difficult portion of the moving - our warehouse (inventory, receiving, fulfillment), assembly, and testing operations. This part of the move, which was done successfully over a weekend four weeks ago, was a full team effort and the Friday before saw the last orders processed from 1004 Courtaulds - the Monday following saw full resumption with orders shipping out new from our new 2650 Bridge Lane home. Now we prepare for pretty much the final portion of our move this weekend. Our sales, customer support, product development departments - as well as yours truly - will be making the move and our team will be fully united under the same roof for the first time in several years. We're pretty excited and most certainly looking forward to taking what we do for you, our customer, to a whole new level with the room we have to grow and develop. Overall, thus far, we've been able to make our department moves with minimal disruption or visibility in terms of the services we provide. Unfortunately, for this last transition - there will be an impact to our phone system. Starting about 4PM on Friday, OWC will only be able to support e-mail and live chat communications. Our regular phone lines will have a message advising of this and at worst this communication channel will be back to fully normal hours and operation by Monday April 7th. Hopefully will be much sooner, but it's Monday at the very latest. FWIW, was actually a phone company snag which actually extends our planned downtime this weekend that has delayed the rest of our move to this weekend as it is. I'd hoped to be writing this very newsletter a couple weeks ago from our new HQ, but short of some unforeseen event - we're in final process and the next newsletter will surely originate from the new digs. Thank you for being a part of what has brought upon this path as well as making it all possible. Backing up is a good thing.. In many prior newsletters I've reminded readers of the importance of having a good backup. If you've purchased one of our OWC or NewerTech external solutions, well, for most of this decade we've included quality Mac backup software and currently include the award winning Prosoft DataBackup 3 as part of the package. A little different kind of backup strategy, Apple's Time Machine software which also works awesome with our solutions - is now built in to Apple OS 10.5.x Leopard. More than just a backup for whatever your latest files archived, it gives you hourly/weekly/monthly 'time machine retrieval' of older file versions and deleted files too. Arguably (and I do), it's not a horrible thing to have a backup of your time machine backup since now it's more than just a backup itself. Storage is pretty inexpensive these days.... the cost of losing ones data, regardless of cause, can be a bitter pill indeed - even if it's possible via a data recovery service. Recently I read an article about a customer who was mad at Apple that they couldn't recover their iTunes library lost on a failed computer hard drive via what they had stored on their iPod. Never minding personal documents, digital photos, and other irreplaceably bits in the digital domain - if you've purchased music from the iTunes store (or just built a large tunes library from your own CD/music collection), your iPod is not a backup to that and never by Apple has it been suggested to be. For reasons of DRM, you can have up to 5 computers authorized for music on your itunes account - but there is no restriction on the number of iPods. Bottom line is, if you don't have a backup to what you've bought on iTunes, Apple doesn't offer the opportunity to download what you've bought again short of you paying for it again..... Anyway - this is a video article from a tech writer who suffered his own drive failure. I believe he got one of those bad Seagate drives based on information revealed towards the end of his story. He gave his drive to DriveSavers for the recovery process, who we also recommend. At Macworld, he bought one of our On-The-Go portable bus powered solutions as to not be in the position of worry again - should another drive fail on him. If there is anything in a computer that's most likely to fail, that's going to be the hard drive or your optical drive. Of those two, a failed optical drive is just an inconvenience remedied by a replacement. A failed, lost, or even stolen hard drive, with data you've not backed up - well, it's an experience you just don't want to have so please backup! Featured Deals: Storage Specials, New Clearance, Laptop Stand, & More Access your Reader Exclusive Special's Page for more deals too. New Clearance Items Just Posted Admittedly, garage sale after garage sale we've had some items that have seemingly lingered forever. In an effort to remove that 'clutter' from the more dynamic and quicker moving 'fresh' clearance items - we've moved them to an obsolete items listing. A lot of different older generation iPod accessories + some other odds and ends, there's still some nice stuff included - and now really priced to disappear. :) Which brings us to our 'fresh' new clearance goodies. Currently that includes over 120 different items, many of which are freshly posted over just the last couple days. Items posted in this listing are first come, first served - limited to stock on hand - and consist of various used, open box, refurb, trade in, discontinued products that are all listed at a discount. Some current highlights include: Apple 1GB 667MHz SO-DIMMs for MacBook/MBPros, iMacs, Mac minis (Intel) for $15 ATI Video Cards from $89.99 Apple SATA Notebook HDs up to 160GB from $27.50 New Maxtor 300GB External for $89.75 New miniStack FW800/400/USB2 + Hub 250GB Solution for $149.50 Apple SuperDrives for PowerBook G4 from $75.00 External FireWire, FireWire & USB2 enclosures kits from $34.99 Models with FW800, for SATA drives, for IDE/ATA, Opticals too And a whole lot more. These items go quick... the sooner you visit, the more goodies there to maybe find your bargain among. Tune, Watch, Record, Playback TV & Video on your Mac for $35 Miglia's TV Micro Express is a plug and Play via USB 2.0 and lets you tune analog TV or Cable right to your Mac. A great way to capture A/V from VCRs, and other devices too. Included software converts recorded video to iTunes so you can even playback on your iPod or iPhone too! Requires OS X 10.4 or later, an available USB 2.0 Port, and a Mac with a G4, G5, or Intel processor 1.25GHz or faster. Brand new with 2 year warranty. Reader deal at $35 We also have a wide selection of higher end options from both Miglia as well as Elgato. Models supporting Digital/HD, hardware encoding, etc. from $79.99. Drives for MacBook, MacBook Pro, PowerBook, & iBook - more for less More Capacity to store inside, More Performance too! Upgrade your MacBook or MacBook Pro Internal SATA Hard Drive 160GB Hitachi TravelStar 5K160 5400RPM 8MB 3yr Warranty now $72.50 250GB Western Digital Scorpio 5400RPM 8MB 3yr Warranty now $102.50 200GB Seagate Momentus 7200RPM 16MB w/G-Force anti-Shock now $132.50 Special with OWC fulfilled 3yr Warranty 320GB Western Digital Scorpio 5400RPM 8MB 3yr Warranty now $145.00 *Highest Capacity 9.5mm currently shipping* Also check out our full Notebook SATA 2.5" Options listing. NoteBook 2.5" PATA (IDE/ATA) for all iBook & PowerBook G3/G4 Models* *Most models that shipped prior to October 2002 are limited to 128GB of Recognized HD Capacity on internal IDE/ATA controller bus. Models manufactured after Oct/2002 are not subject to this limit. 120.0GB 5400RPM Hitachi 5K250 ATA 8MB Cache HD w/3yr Warranty $72.50 160.0GB 5400RPM WD Scorpio ATA 8MB Cache HD w/3yr Warranty now $79.50 250.0GB 5400RPM WD Scorpio ATA 8MB Cache HD w/3yr Warranty $113.75 *highest available capacity for PowerBook/iBook* Also check out our full Notebook IDE/ATA 2.5" Options listing from $49.99. Amazingly - Memory has managed to hit new, lower all time lows All the big buys like Micron, Hynix, Elpida, Samsung, etc - are losing their tails on today's over supply of memory that's got these companies selling at significant losses just to keep their cash flow turning. When I read about their collective billions a year in memory losses, well - they must balance things out over time I suppose. Earlier in the year, prices actually looked like they were going up - and while even with this minor bump we never had our 4GB MacBook/MacBook Pro/iMac Intel/Mac mini Intel kits go above the $100 mark... it's now for the very first time that we've got these kits for less than $90 - if that's any indication. Max your MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Mac mini that's equipped with a Core 2 Duo processor to 4.0GB Kit - now for $89.75 Up to 32GB for Apple Mac Pro Xeon based systems from $37.44 per Gig. Upgrade PowerMac G5 PCI-X Models up to 8.0GB, iMac G5 1.6GHz/1.8GHz/2.0GHZ Models to 2.0GB - $81.50 for 2 x 1.0GB Module Matched Pairs Find reader specials on lots of other memory upgrades on the Reader Specials Page. Find Advance LifeTime Replacement Warranted, Apple Spec memory for nearly every Apple model easily with our online guide. VidPro Laptop 'Workstation' Stand + Hub for $34.99, Other Goodies The VidPro SN-925 Workstation Laptop Stand is not just a great stand for your laptop, it also gives you a 6-Port USB 2.0 powered hub + Media Card Reader, Special Buy at $29.00! Kensington DC to AC Inverter Powers 120v via Car - $29.00 (Like New refurd) PERFECT for MacBook power adapter, other AC devices you want to power on the road. CaseLogic Neoprene Sleeve for up to 12.1" iBook/PowerBook - $9.99 Kensington PocketLink Retractable Ethernet, USB2, RJ11 3 cables in 1 $5.00 Targus Retractable USB powered LED Clip-On Light - $9.99 Protect your Mac and other Accessories with an AC Surge Protectors from $7.95 Hot Deals Blast Newsletter & mode Reader Specials See all of our regularly updated deals, just for readers, on the Tips n' Deals Reader Specials page. Get our latest Reader Specials, promotions, clearance notices & more via our Hot Deals Blast newsletter. Join this free OWC newsletter and you'll get our latest deal updates about 4-6 times a month. For fun and of interest It was on April 1st, 2007 that Google introduced their new revolutionary 'TiSP' broadband internet service. Originally code named 'Dark porcelain', this service was to offer a way to connect homes to local high speed fiber optic nodes over the "last hundred smelly yards". Perhaps tomorrow Google will announce some equally new, and 'under' groundbreaking service or technology. :) Closing: It is time to bring this newsletter to a rapid close. Much to yet do this week and then from the same chair but in the new HQ, will soon be typing away into the next newsletter. I couldn't let all this info go too cold and beyond March... and I know there's plenty yet to come that'll keep the flow of bits rolling for April. Thanks for reading - the best to you and yours always... watch out for those April Fools jokes come tomorrow... and hope you'll be reading when we send our next OWC Tips n' Deals across the data nets. :) We Support our Troops The 'fine print': Contact Information+ ++++++++++++++++++++ Sales: sales@macsales.com or 800-275-4576, International 815-338-8685 Customer Service: custserv@macsales.com or 800-275-4576 / 815-338-8685 Tech Support: Online Tech Center or 815-338-8685 Please feel free to e-mail any comments or suggestions to:suggestions@macsales.com You may ALWAYS reply to our OWC Tips and Deals e-mail at owc@macsales.com with any questions or comments as well - PLEASE change the subject to reflect your e-mail question/comment to ensure a speedy reply! Other World Computing div. of New Concepts Development Corp. 1004 Courtaulds Drive Woodstock, IL 60098 815-338-8685 This is an free subscribed E-Mail Newsletter that can be joined via or website. This e-mail is only received if you have joined our list. Notification is e-mailed to your address when you join as well as if you choose to cancel, which you may do at anytime, no hard feelings. :) To change, remove, or add an e-mail address for our newsletter, you can visit our online subscriber page anytime. If you'd just like to unsubscribe, that can also quickly be done by clicking the link at the end of this e-mail. Prices & availability subject to change without notice. New specials go up and old specials updated everyday. We Apologize for typographical errors. This e-mail may be freely distributed in its original form, complete and without any modification, alteration, insertion, or anything else that would make this different from the original intent. If you would like to 'reprint' just a portion you may make a request by e-mail to: larry@macsales.com. All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2000-2007, Other World Computing - Since 1988 |