Mac Pro vs other laptop

Y

Yiannis

New Member
Hello,

I have always had Windows laptops and only experience with HP, Dell and Toshiba. Now this is what I do on my laptop:

1. Watch movies
2. Play Fotball Manager (low graphics high processing power needed)
3. Browse the internet
4. Programming for websites e.g building ecommerce websites

I am not sure if I should get a really good windows laptop for 800 Euros or get the same specs Mac Pro for 1800 Euros.

Could someone tell me if it is advisable to go for a Mac Pro instead of another laptop? I mean is it worth the money for what I want it to do?

Thanks.
 
1337dingo

1337dingo

Active Member
with mac your paying for the logo, it has its ups but its to expensive for what it is, i suggest the windows based laptop, then you have 1000 euros left over to spend on sweets
 
D

daisymtc

Active Member
I would say mac have better screen and user experience. However, it is hard to convience to pay extra 1000 euro.
 
S

soflanetworking

New Member
my 2 cents...

#1 - Macs are not any better than PCs, if you spent the same amount on a PC as an entry level MAC it would be just as fast, and just as capable.

#2 - If you have been using a PC for any length of time, the switch to a MAC is a challenge to say the least. You have to relearn how to do everything. Stay with PC, save a few bucks, and make it easy on yourself. Those who rave about their MAC's are just showing off.
 
DMGrier

DMGrier

VIP Member
It is a personal preference but I will tell you this, if you buy a good laptop brand it will last just as long, Mac is now a target of Malware and from what I read the scanner they offer now for it is garbage as it was expected with new growing pains. Microsoft offers protection from virus, spyware and Malware with there software you can download and it works pretty well.

The OS in most bench mark test preform about the same and as some have already said, it is a different OS to learn. I am familiar with Windows and several Linux OS and I had to use a buddies Mac running Leopard and it was a living nightmare for me.

Get what you want but if you go PC I recommend Lenovo Thinkpad or a Sony Vaio.
 
tlarkin

tlarkin

VIP Member
You'll want to get the Mac, or a PC and run Linux. The whole world wide web is ran off of open source standardized software. With a Mac out of the box you get bash, mysql, perl, php, python, ruby, apache, ssh, and many other features you will want to use and learn if you are going to run giant ecommerece sites.

I assume you will be working with CMS systems a lot too, which are built from the ground up using open standards, like python, php, mysql and so forth. Windows heavily lacks these features, and require you to install tons of third party apps. Which, it is not impossible to install all of these things on a Windows box, but I just don't think it is optimal.

It is a personal preference but I will tell you this, if you buy a good laptop brand it will last just as long, Mac is now a target of Malware and from what I read the scanner they offer now for it is garbage as it was expected with new growing pains. Microsoft offers protection from virus, spyware and Malware with there software you can download and it works pretty well.
Click to expand...

Macs have had malware for a long time now, and Apple doesn't offer any sort of scanner. Security firms do, like Symantec and McCaffee. Then there are free open source ones like ClamX that is for Unix based systems.

Here is what you do, 1) don't run as administrator and keep a separate account for administration - that right there doesn't allow any malware to install anywhere on your computer period, and 2) don't install janky software from the web or pirated software

I am a pretty good computer user and I have maybe, like less than 10 times in my life got some sort of virus/malware/spyware/trojan on my Windows boxes in the past 15 years. I still haven't ever had one on a Mac.

Malware that fools the user into installing it is nothing to do with security of the system, because it is fooling the end user. This sort of thing there is zero defense against, except for the fact of educating the user. If all users refer to my 2 suggestions earlier, regardless of windows, OS X or Linux they probably won't ever have a problem.
 
Des_Zac

Des_Zac

Member
I am bias towards Macs of course, so don't be surprised that I am going to say pick the Macbook Pro, (That's what you're talking about right?) But before I fixed my ibook I bought off of eBay I hadn't touched a Mac in my life and it took me 15 minutes to understand how to work it. It is not something that will take you months to understand.. That's a common misconception.

But before you buy you must consider these things.

#1: Macs can dual-boot Windows OS

#2: Mac OS is not hard at all to understand

#3 Macs are, contrary to popular belief, supported for years.

#4 Macs are not at all over-priced, read here -> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/apple-mac-leopard-windows-vista,1985.html
 
mihir

mihir

VIP Member
Des_Zac said:
I am bias towards Macs of course, so don't be surprised that I am going to say pick the Macbook Pro, (That's what you're talking about right?) But before I fixed my ibook I bought off of eBay I hadn't touched a Mac in my life and it took me 15 minutes to understand how to work it. It is not something that will take you months to understand.. That's a common misconception.

But before you buy you must consider these things.

#1: Macs can dual-boot Windows OS

#2: Mac OS is not hard at all to understand

#3 Macs are, contrary to popular belief, supported for years.

#4 Macs are not at all over-priced, read here -> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/apple-mac-leopard-windows-vista,1985.html
Click to expand...

#2 - It is not about difficulty it is about the time taken to switch, which happens with every OS switch, some might consider it as a pain while others as a learning experience.

#4 - That link is from 2008.
Lets try that now -
Macbook Pro - $2499
CPU - 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
Memory - 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X2GB
HDD - 750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 RPM
Screen - MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Glossy Widescreen Display
GPU - AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1GB GDDR5

Do I really need to link a Windows Laptop
 
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DMGrier

DMGrier

VIP Member
tlarkin said:
You'll want to get the Mac, or a PC and run Linux. The whole world wide web is ran off of open source standardized software. With a Mac out of the box you get bash, mysql, perl, php, python, ruby, apache, ssh, and many other features you will want to use and learn if you are going to run giant ecommerece sites.

I assume you will be working with CMS systems a lot too, which are built from the ground up using open standards, like python, php, mysql and so forth. Windows heavily lacks these features, and require you to install tons of third party apps. Which, it is not impossible to install all of these things on a Windows box, but I just don't think it is optimal.



Macs have had malware for a long time now, and Apple doesn't offer any sort of scanner. Security firms do, like Symantec and McCaffee. Then there are free open source ones like ClamX that is for Unix based systems.

Here is what you do, 1) don't run as administrator and keep a separate account for administration - that right there doesn't allow any malware to install anywhere on your computer period, and 2) don't install janky software from the web or pirated software

I am a pretty good computer user and I have maybe, like less than 10 times in my life got some sort of virus/malware/spyware/trojan on my Windows boxes in the past 15 years. I still haven't ever had one on a Mac.

Malware that fools the user into installing it is nothing to do with security of the system, because it is fooling the end user. This sort of thing there is zero defense against, except for the fact of educating the user. If all users refer to my 2 suggestions earlier, regardless of windows, OS X or Linux they probably won't ever have a problem.
Click to expand...

I actually a few months ago posted a link directly from Apple's tech support with a available scanner they do offer. I do agree Linux is a nice thing to install on a PC, I am just saying a PC can last just as long, my Mom's HP is well over four years and still running with no problems which surprise me due to the fact that HP has the highest failure rate amoung PC manufactures, in fact ASUS and believe it or not Toshiba has less hardware failure rates in there laptops then Apple in studies conducted by Engadget.com and then this other one posted by a member last week but cannot remember the link.
 
Des_Zac

Des_Zac

Member
I hate to fight about Mac vs. PC but..

#1 That laptop has a lower res screen, the Macbook Pro has 1920x1200.

#2 This Comes with Home Premium and you would have to pay an extra 210 dollars to get the best Windows OS, while Macs have one version of the OS, unless you consider the Server edition which is only $50 more.

#3 It doesn't have a better i7, the Macbook Pro clocks at 2.2Ghz and the Windows laptop you mentioned is only at 2.0Ghz.

#4 The Macbook Pro has a built in HD iSight Camera.

#5 The Macbook Pro comes with iLife 2011.

#6 Thunderbolt and Firewire 800 ports

#7 Comes with 100 dollar Mac App Store Gift Card

#8 Aluminum Unibody Enclosure

P.S. I was comparing to the base model.
 
Perkomate

Perkomate

Active Member
just gonna throw in my 2 cents here.

If you want to have the brand, then go Apple.
If you want to have value for money, go for a Windows machine.

Contrary to popular beliefs, Mac's aren't virus proof. They also aren't any faster than a Windows computer with the same specs.

The problem is, that to get the same specs, they start to become very VERY overpriced. I mean, to upgrade it on their website, is so much more expensive than a Windows computer.

Just have a think about what you need.
 
FuryRosewood

FuryRosewood

Active Member
you cant compare a mac pro to a dell desktop, their running xeon processors with a workstation board...IT WILL cost a little bit more. the toms hardware article does have truth to it, if you want to turn a blind eye to it, go right ahead, try speccing a machine out with a workstation board, a good w3550 processor and some ram, and see how much it costs you, it likely will cost a bit more than what you imagine.
 
Last edited:
DMGrier

DMGrier

VIP Member
Des_Zac said:
I hate to fight about Mac vs. PC but..

#1 That laptop has a lower res screen, the Macbook Pro has 1920x1200.

#2 This Comes with Home Premium and you would have to pay an extra 210 dollars to get the best Windows OS, while Macs have one version of the OS, unless you consider the Server edition which is only $50 more.

#3 It doesn't have a better i7, the Macbook Pro clocks at 2.2Ghz and the Windows laptop you mentioned is only at 2.0Ghz.

#4 The Macbook Pro has a built in HD iSight Camera.

#5 The Macbook Pro comes with iLife 2011.

#6 Thunderbolt and Firewire 800 ports

#7 Comes with 100 dollar Mac App Store Gift Card

#8 Aluminum Unibody Enclosure

P.S. I was comparing to the base model.
Click to expand...

I am not saying that the Mac does have some up's but some of them really don't matter example being screen resolution to most is not going to matter considering most computer users don't need Facebook in HD. The baseline Macbook Pro does not come with a i7 it comes with a i5 2.3 Ghz where as a PC in the price range will usually come with the 2.5 Ghz i5. Aluminum body does not matter in fact for cooling purpose it is not good and I explained in a earlier discussion which no one could prove me wrong on that one. Thunderbolt completely awesome technology but 80% of computer users will never use it.

Here is the reality, Mac's are not built any better and most of it features users wont care about and if they do you can get all the same features with the exception to the things the Apple has patent for about 2-300 dollars less. What it comes down to is if you want performance and gaming Windows is the best option, if you want the same performance if not better performance and outstanding security Linux is the next best option. Apple in my opinion is only good for those who want the name and that is not a bad thing but don't make the argument that Mac's price can be justified cause they cannot. They do offer a lot of cool stuff but 90% of users do not care about and would prefer to see a Macbook with a slightly lower resolution screen, no thunderbolt and even a Mac with a i3 if they could save a few hundred bucks.
 
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