EPTBuy Mac or PC laptop? - Page 7
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gogogadgetflow
United States2583 Posts
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LooseMoose
United States184 Posts
Gaming wise.. yeah it's kind of a drag if you aren't playing anything Blizzard as most other companies don't port to mac. While at college my roommate and one of my suite-mates had their PC's die. They were both HP's... so if I had to suggest something I'd steer clear for an HP laptop. Anyways, I'm not sure what you've been told, or why you think you can't run MSN, Safari and Itunes at the same time. I run SC2, Itunes, safari is always up with tl.net in the background and I'm on ventrilo all at the same time. Yeah, the MBP's get a little hot, but it's pretty standard. Afaik I haven't heard of anyone's MBP dying because of the heat. (Notice I'm not calling it OVERHEATING as I believe the hardware will be able to stand it) and if that doesn't comfort you there are cooling pads that can help with the heating. The battery life is pretty damn good on mac's as well. Having a full day of classes (4-6 hours) straight running a word processor and itunes at the same time shouldn't be a problem. If you do have some heavy duty programs to run in your classes most universities will have power plugs for you to use. The only gripe I have with apple is the price. I know for about half as much as you would pay for a MBP you could get a better PC hardware wise, but I just can't stand windows and I don't think I'll ever go back. All in all, if you do actually have parents that will fork out the cash, I'd recommend getting a mac. | ||
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QuanticHawk
United States32051 Posts
i mean, if your parents are paying and you really dont care about spending the money i guess... but PC sounds better. | ||
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DorF
Sweden961 Posts
here's the source if you don't believe me : for PC : http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalion_101_W761CUH_Gaming_Notebook for Mac: http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC373LL/A?mco=MTc0Njg1ODE This is the 15 inch version of the Macbook Pro , you just have to decide if you want to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a machine with little to no performance for the prize in question or a machine with a humane pricetag. Btw I'm totally unbiased  | ||
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Appl
United States1 Post
Cons: Processing power (I cant run iTunes, Safari, Msn together): Yes you can.. if you couldn't they would be genuinely worthless. Awful heating problems because its all one big case: I have no heating problems, and I do have a unibody Macbook. When you set them on your'e lap they really aren't hot because of the material on the bottom, and all in all they, and PCs get to be about the same temperature. Crazy fan (if i run a flash game the mac sounds like its taking off a runway): Somewhat true, OS X and Flash don't work together well, but my fan has never gone off on my Macbook. On my old Powermac, it's loud, but you won't be buying that. Awful compatibility: It seems like you won't have compatibility with anything at first, but it's really not true. There hasn't been a single program I couldn't use. Photoshop, Word, Chrome, Starcraft BW, Starcraft 2, whatever, they all work. My printer works with it with no problems, and my old printer did too. Mouses are plug and play, so are keyboards, it's all good. If however, there IS a program you need for school that isn't compatible, do not get a Mac. Expensive: True, but you get what you pay for, in my opinion. | ||
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HaruHaru
United States988 Posts
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samalie
Canada87 Posts
Alienware M17x vs MacBook Pro 17" Processor: Both Intel i7 620M (2.66GhZ) (tie) HDD: 500GB 7200 RPM (tie) OS: Windows 7 vs OSX (tie, really) LCD: 17" 1920x1200 LED Backlit (tie) Video: 1GB ATI 5870 vs 512MB nVidia 330M (Big Advantage: Alien) Optical: Slot-load DVD writer (tie) Wireless: 802.11n (tie) Warranty: 3 year in-home (both upgraded from basic 1 year) (tie) Price: $2,833 vs $3,011 (Canadian dollars) Since you said you're a student, I priced the MBP in the Education Store at Apple: $2,711 So, essentially, in this exact comparison, you are paying a $178 premium (or from the education store, saving $122) for OSX & the Apple logo, and in return getting the same system with a significantly inferior graphics card. (In 3DMark06, the 330M rates approximately 50% of the 5870...now, granted, the 5870 is pretty much the best mobile graphics card on the market today). THe 330m rates almost identical to the ATI HD 4650 for those ATI comparitive folks in the crowd. And yes, Alienware sucks/is overpriced too, but I'm trying to compare like for like. | ||
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Vin{MBL}
5185 Posts
finally, does anyone think applecare is worth it? im near the end of my 1 year warranty and i am considering buying it, but i think if something goes wrong in 1 year or so i might be better off buying a new laptop (for the upgrade etc; ). i have a mbp 13" mid-2009 version | ||
Bockit
Sydney2287 Posts
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mrproper
Romania93 Posts
![[image loading]](http://www.mopo.ca/uploaded_images/mac-vs-pc-webcam-is-broken-769833.jpg) Also "Macs" in general are "PCs" as defined by the term. so the question is "what is better, tomatoes or vegetables?" | ||
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Keniji
Netherlands2569 Posts
On June 08 2010 05:01 samalie wrote: OK, I managed to do as close to an Apples to Apples comparison as I can... Alienware M17x vs MacBook Pro 17" Processor: Both Intel i7 620M (2.66GhZ) (tie) HDD: 500GB 7200 RPM (tie) OS: Windows 7 vs OSX (tie, really) LCD: 17" 1920x1200 LED Backlit (tie) Video: 1GB ATI 5870 vs 512MB nVidia 330M (Big Advantage: Alien) Optical: Slot-load DVD writer (tie) Wireless: 802.11n (tie) Warranty: 3 year in-home (both upgraded from basic 1 year) (tie) Price: $2,833 vs $3,011 (Canadian dollars) Since you said you're a student, I priced the MBP in the Education Store at Apple: $2,711 So, essentially, in this exact comparison, you are paying a $178 premium (or from the education store, saving $122) for OSX & the Apple logo, and in return getting the same system with a significantly inferior graphics card. (In 3DMark06, the 330M rates approximately 50% of the 5870...now, granted, the 5870 is pretty much the best mobile graphics card on the market today). THe 330m rates almost identical to the ATI HD 4650 for those ATI comparitive folks in the crowd. And yes, Alienware sucks/is overpriced too, but I'm trying to compare like for like. Why would you even buy/compare 17" notebooks? They are so huge and heavy you can't carry them around anyway. I "only" had an 15" notebook and wouldn't buy it again. I'm definitely going for a smaller one now. Why buy a notebook when it's not mobile at all? To the mac vs windows thing: I have access to both (everyone in my family are mac fanatics since like forever. I even have a Powerbook from 1995 in my room because it looks so oldschool and awesome (yes i'm a nerd) - so I'm more biased pro mac). Still I would recommend a windows pc when you have to ask. macs defintiely have their pros but they are worse in cost-performance-ratio when you don't know why you buy them. Well, macs do look better and they have this life-style-image (lol), except for that I would buy a windows. (If you need an mac for your image buy an Iphone, because that's actually better than the competition (imo)) | ||
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Qwertify
United States2531 Posts
Anyone of those loud mouth Apple people are trying to overcompensate for the lack of popularity Apple has. Apple is good, and Macs are OK, but I just prefer the simple, powerful, and compatible PC. | ||
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HaruHaru
United States988 Posts
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Wr3k
Canada2533 Posts
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samalie
Canada87 Posts
On June 08 2010 05:10 Bockit wrote: I would disagree with windows 7 vs osx as a "tie, really". Pretty subjective though I know...rating the OS is extremely subjective, and we could have a bitter argument as long as this thread already is over which OS is superior. Its easier to rate it a tie than to start the fight The problem is, OS quality changes depending on what you're using the damn thing for. For the average home user (your parents, my wife, my kid, that sort of thing), OSX probably reigns supreme. Its exceptionally easy to use, and the built in iLife type applications are second to none. For the gamer and "regualr office drone", Windows is by far the preferred OS. Its standard, there's an asspile of software out there for it, etc. For the hardcore geek, Linux > * Hence, tie  | ||
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samalie
Canada87 Posts
On June 08 2010 05:19 Keniji wrote: Why would you even buy/compare 17" notebooks? They are so huge and heavy you can't carry them around anyway. I "only" had an 15" notebook and wouldn't buy it again. I'm definitely going for a smaller one now. Why buy a notebook when it's not mobile at all? I've been on a 17" notebook for ages now...my current Dell XPS is about 10lbs and I have the backpack for it...I carry it around with me everywhere - to say that it's "not mobile" is shortsighted. It may not be what YOU want, but its still plenty "mobile" for my needs. But for me personally, the laptop is a desktop replacement (which I know I pay a hefty premium for), so 17" is my standard. YMMV. | ||
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vek
Australia936 Posts
Desktops are always going to be better, cheaper and more fun to use but if you absolutely have to get a laptop and you have $3/4k lying around then you might as well get a macbook. If not you can get a wintel laptop with better specs for $1.4k. Can always bootcamp install Windows 7 or replace Mac OS altogether if you dislike it also. I've had no issues with drivers. | ||
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Zealotdriver
United States1557 Posts
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Jibba
United States22883 Posts
On June 08 2010 05:01 samalie wrote: OK, I managed to do as close to an Apples to Apples comparison as I can... Alienware M17x vs MacBook Pro 17" Processor: Both Intel i7 620M (2.66GhZ) (tie) HDD: 500GB 7200 RPM (tie) OS: Windows 7 vs OSX (tie, really) LCD: 17" 1920x1200 LED Backlit (tie) Video: 1GB ATI 5870 vs 512MB nVidia 330M (Big Advantage: Alien) Optical: Slot-load DVD writer (tie) Wireless: 802.11n (tie) Warranty: 3 year in-home (both upgraded from basic 1 year) (tie) Price: $2,833 vs $3,011 (Canadian dollars) Since you said you're a student, I priced the MBP in the Education Store at Apple: $2,711 So, essentially, in this exact comparison, you are paying a $178 premium (or from the education store, saving $122) for OSX & the Apple logo, and in return getting the same system with a significantly inferior graphics card. (In 3DMark06, the 330M rates approximately 50% of the 5870...now, granted, the 5870 is pretty much the best mobile graphics card on the market today). THe 330m rates almost identical to the ATI HD 4650 for those ATI comparitive folks in the crowd. And yes, Alienware sucks/is overpriced too, but I'm trying to compare like for like. If you're going to compare the big boys, you should really just use the Envy 17, MSI GX740 or Asus G73 to the 17" Macbook Pro. Between the Macbook and an Alienware, I'd take the MBP. Envy 17 is like $1600, GX740 is $1400 and the different G73 models go from $1400-1900. You can also get good Bing Cashback deals on all the PC laptops. HP sometimes does 25%. Anyways, not sure where the OP went but he should really pose his question here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/what-notebook-should-i-buy/ Most people on TL don't know what they're talking about. >.> You'll get less biased answers there, with less PC and Mac fanboys, and people are up to date. You won't get anyone recommending their 3 year old Thinkpad, or people trying to win arguments with image macros... >.> | ||
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cujo2k
Canada1044 Posts
But option 3) linux ftw | ||
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