Apple upgrades plastic MacBook with 9400M
updated 07:20 am EST, Wed January 21, 2009
Plastic MacBook 9400M
Apple has without fanfare updated the white plastic MacBook to use NVIDIA's 9400M platform. The upgrade gives the least expensive portable the same graphics performance as the aluminum model and upgrades the processor to the same 2GHz Core 2 Duo and 1,066MHz system bus as the mid-range version. It also doubles the amount of minimum built-in memory to 2GB.
The revision isn't a complete overhaul of the computer and leaves the system to using 667MHz DDR2 memory instead of the faster 1,066MHz DDR3 for aluminum models. Apple similarly preserves the Mini DVI output instead of Mini DisplayPort and limits its upgrade options for displays to the 20-inch Cinema Display as a result.
A stock plastic MacBook is otherwise the same and comes with a 120GB hard drive, an 8X Superdrive and a standard non-lit keyboard. Options exist to upgrade to as much as 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. The system ships within 4 to 6 days from the online Apple Store.
Fantastic
01/21, 07:38am reply
LOL, this is awesome. FW400!!!!
csimon2
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2000
Firewire
01/21, 08:49am reply
This model has firewire400 ? Can't find the specs on Apples website, they seem to hide it.
Peter Bonte
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
Re: Peter Bonte
01/21, 08:57am reply
Yes, they appear to hide it away but start here:-
http://www.apple.com/macbook/white/
Will C
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Jan 2001
20 inch monitor
01/21, 09:06am reply
What c*** is that? do macbooks have a limit on external screen res? they must be able to to 1900x1200 and then what's the problem?
zaghahzag
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Aug 2006
Yup - FireWire 400
01/21, 09:09am reply
http://www.apple.com/macbook/white/specs.html
bennco
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2007
Interesting
01/21, 09:27am reply
This is interesting. I thought the white MacBook might be EOL, but it looks like they are setting up a low-mid-high range across two product names.
MacBook (white) - low-end
MacBook - midrange
MacBook Pro - high
njfuzzy
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2001
Interesting
01/21, 09:27am reply
This is interesting. I thought the white MacBook might be EOL, but it looks like they are setting up a low-mid-high range across two product names.
MacBook (white) - low-end
MacBook - midrange
MacBook Pro - high
njfuzzy
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2001
Odd
01/21, 09:34am reply
So, for $300 more you get the aluminum machine which does NOT have firewire but other than that is close to the same spec machine. Those cases must be expensive!!
bjojade
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2007
Great News
01/21, 09:46am (2 replies) reply
Now you can have a new MacBook with good graphics performance AND FireWire! Excellent.
For those who pooh pooh the need for FireWire...
Just yesterday I was helping a friend's daughter move from an old 900mhz iBook (running Tiger) to a new uni-body MacBook. I thought, cool, I'll just use Ethernet and be done in a snap. The Airport card on the iBook is G and dead, so using wireless wasn't an option.
The Migration Assistant on the MacBook REQUIRED that the other machine be running the latest version of Leopard! That's real handy for people upgrading from older Macs. So we were sheet-outta-luck and I spent most of the afternoon dicking with it.
Had the MacBook had FireWire, it would have taken maybe 2 hours.
Gee, thanks Apple. At least I can now recommend a FULL featured MacBook to friends and clients!
JeffHarris
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 1999
MacBook Alu Sales
01/21, 09:47am reply
I wonder if MacBook aluminum sales took a big hit and Apple is updating the plastiMacBook in order to keep selling machines to those of us with Firewire interfaces.
PBG4 User
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2001