I also like OWC. Don't know about the prices.

Newegg. Crucial.com used to be the shit, but I the last few times I looked it wasn't worthwhile. Could be different now..

Thanks gang. I used OWC.

OWC also have great ext HDD cases in spiffy Aluminum.

The one with the 4 different interfaces is exceedingly handy.

Still considering the Mac thing. I'm quite decided to get a 13" MacBook Pro. However I'm unsure how necessary or interesting is upgrading it from 4Gb RAM to 8Gb. The upgrade costs more than 500 euros. I know it would be possible to do it myself, but I'd probably void the warranty, or it's possible it's not that easy and I end up screwing it up.

I will mostly use it as music server feeding the DA11 by USB, some web surfing and eventually, if I get some AD converter (perhaps a Duet or the like), making some vinyl or FM rips. Probably no video duties. Is still 8Gb RAM "that" worth the cost?

In any case I'd get it with a 500Gb HDD, though I'd keep the music library on an external USB HDD or I'd try to set up a wireless LAN so the laptop can use the files already stored in the main PC. Hopefully shaking hands between a XP PC and a Mac isn't impossible. Completely new to Mac OS.

Any comments and advice will be very appreciated.

I wouldn't bother with going from 4gb to 8gb yet. Start with 4gb, and then when the prices come down, upgrade. Replacing the memory is simple.

Still considering the Mac thing. I'm quite decided to get a 13" MacBook Pro.

I was in a similar situation and I went the Mac Mini route just a few weeks ago. I'm all set and I'll become a Mac expert as soon the holiday season will give me the needed time to complete my transformation....

Amicalement

PS

All the mods you're contemplating can be done for very little tech fees. So for me I dont bother opening the machine myself. Ex. my HHD went from 5400 Rpm to 7200 for essentially the price of the new HHD. I'm assuming it will be same for your memory. But in this case the price is, for now, astronomical....

Thanks for the replies, I think I'll stay at 4Gb RAM. The upgrade buys a new Duet, which is something that can be fun having. Being a Mac novice I wasn't sure the OS and "normal" software needed a lot of RAM.

So the "problem" is the 4Gb RAM modules being very expensive. I didn't think RAM was that expensive nowadays, and it was just a heavy mark up by Apple.

4GB is enough for a Macbook - My 4GB Macbook Pro can run a Mail, Safari, iPhoto, iTunes and Parallels with Win XP in it's own window at the same time just fine. My Wife's 3GB iMac and the kid's 2GB Macbooks struggle more doing that and they resort to using more virtual memory, but even those do fine when not running a virtual machine at the same time as multiple applications. (all the machines here are Core 2 Duo at 2 Ghz or faster)

4gb ddr3 so-dimms are expensive from anywhere, not just Apple. If you need 8gb, you'll know it, because you have some specialized, intensive use that calls for it.

4GB is enough unless you plan to do crazy amounts of stuff at the same time, such as run a VM while processing tons of RAW pictures in Aperture while you have 50 tabs open in Safari at once.

Apple Japan are offering Macs with 1% finance until XMas. If I qualify, that will be serious win and I will be able to have an ortho Xmas too.

Thanks again for the comments. I'm not planning to use the laptop for heavy duty tasks. I know iTunes may eat a lot of resources if managing a large library, but for your comments I suppose 4Gb must be enough.

Any Foobar2000 equivalent for Mac? I wouldn't like to have to transcode the flac files I own into alac. Many of them are HD files from HDTracks and the like.

Any Foobar2000 equivalent for Mac?

Unfortunately no. There's Cog which is a lightweight player with a simple interface similar to foobar, but its features are very basic. It supports FLAC though, so it's my player of choice when I want to spin lossless albums that I haven't converted to ALAC yet.

I'm still waiting for official FLAC support in iTunes or the release of a more flexible player like AmaroK or foobar, but I bet neither of these options will happen soon.

I use VLC for anything iTunes can't handle. Cog hasn't been updated in almost 2 years.

sbooth.org

he's got a universal player

There will be an app out eventually called twilight which plays flac. Unfortunately, right now it's really buggy.

Edited December 8, 200916 yr by grawk

Cog hasn't been updated in almost 2 years.

Still works perfectly on SL... If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I really wish they'd continue the development though.

Interesting programs. I may get that MBP sooner than later

Still considering the Mac thing...

FWIW, I was probably one of the most skeptical of Mac/OS X because of my background and work requirements, but once I made the leap of faith recently - it has been without the best experience...to go MAC. It all makes sense once you do it. In our household, we now have an iMAC (wife), MacMini (me), and ..cough..cough..hackintosh netbook (me, stealth mode). All the pure Windows PCs are gone! (although, I use Windows via Bootcamp quite often). However, I do not have direct experience with MBP to share with you. Good luck!

I think I might be buying a Mini in a few weeks. My 17" MBP was stolen, and I wanna replace it, but new MBPs should be announced within a month... So I'm thinking Mini + wait it out...

Are the MBPs being refreshed soon?

By average MBP lifespan, yes. Which is why I'm not replacing my MBP atm.

Really? When do you expect a new MBP is released?

I'd be surprised if there's a new one before february, except a potential speed bump.

Within the next month or so. I'm pretty confident that there should be something at least announced in January.

Mac Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy Your Mac, iPod or iPhone

Good to know, thanks guys. I've been toying with buying one for months, so I can wait for a couple of months else.