Macbook Pros?

S

Schonza

Member
I've been looking into getting a laptop for school next year, and was wondering, would I be better of getting:
Macbook pro 15 inch:
intel core 2 duo 2.33 ghz
2gb 667 mhz ram
120 gb 5400 rpm hdd
6x super-layer drive
ATi Radeon x1600 mobile graphic.

Or like an asus laptop:
CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 2.33G
Screen 15.4" WXGA
Memory Size 2GB DDR2
Hard Disk 120GB
Optical Drive Dual Layer DVD Burner
Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon X1600


What are the real differences beside the OS? Wouldn't the Macbook technically be like a normal laptop, with a mac case/parts/operating system?
 
theres not a single difference with intel based macbooks apart from the fact all the notebooks have either higher or lower specs, the hardware is always the same with all macs. Your basically looking at either a slicker style notebook with the ability to run two OS's simultaneously or a vista notebook with all the usual issues of a regular pc. Im not biased to macs but if i was you id seriously find your nearest apple store and try one out for about 30 minutes and then the same on a vista pc. You'll understand why it was necessary. The student discount is brilliant too. Knocks off a fair chunk of dosh.
 
Once you go mac, you can ALWAYS go back these days with the whole, "We have our own OS, but now you can run another, better than ours in all regards..." system =P
I just dont like macs performance:price ratio.
 
It was a joke, OSX is nice, I cant say I like it much, the school laptops (Ibook G4 of the 12.1 inch variety) are always crashing and the desktops (eMacs) are always crashing also, the network power peripherals ETC all work fine. I dunno, bad introduction I suppose. On the same note I dont much like vista anyhow.
 
imo if you have to work with computers all day for say editing, design etc then a mac is the way to go! i actually have a Asus laptop which is pretty much that spec and also that macbook pro. i reccomend the mac book cos you might not have as many problems with it like you would a PC.

is there much a price difference in them?

:)
 
Other than the operating system there isnt much difference, the mac will look much nicer and from experience will be more stable. what are you planning on using it for?
 
If price isn't an issue, I would go with the Mac. The specs looks just about identicle, but Macsbooks are so much cooler and well made.
 
Well, I'm planning to use it for graphic design as such, and a lot of school work/uni work. I'll use it a lot in uni for assignments. Not going to be used for gaming, as I have my desktop. Also, getting some info for a friend who is planning to do the same things with his laptop, he just wanted to know if it would be would worth it. I also heard that adobe programs (like photoshop) and other editing programs acutally work better on mac operating systems. Is this true?
 
to talk about performance vs price ratio....I see people all the time with Apple Laptops that they have had for over 4 years and they are still running Tiger on them, with little to NONE performance decrease from when they bought them running Jaguar on them. My G3 ibook I just recently sold was a G3 800Mhz w/ 512mb of ram and it shipped with Jaguar (10.2) and I upgraded it to Tiger (10.4) and it still ran like a champ.

The thing with Apple computers is that it is a closed platform, so everything is optomized for their platform, so it is more compatible, more stable, and performs better overall. I don't know of any 4 or 5 year old PC laptop that can still run the latest software with little to none performance decrease.

There are down sides to a Mac, which IMO really aren't down sides. For people who want to game on a laptop you could argue that it will suck. Even though Macbooks run windows, and they even run it better than most PC laptops I have seen. People will also say there is less software, which is true there is, but at the same time there is a Mac equivilent for just about anything with a few exceptions: Auto CAD and Quickbooks, are maybe the only two major ones I know of that do not make a Mac version. There are however always a Mac alternative. So, if there is an application barrier holding you back you can either A) install windows on your mac and run it natively by dual booting, or B) run a virtual windows machine and run it that way

Having owned and/or supported and repaired just bout every brand of laptop there is in existence, I can say that the new Macbook Pros, may be some of the best laptops out there.
 
I would not agree that old PC laptops cant run the latest software, my Dads old Toshiba laptop, veteran of 4 years(in his posesion, several months in others) plays wow to some eficiency and it is 15.4 inch and not too heavy. From what I have seen macbooks running windows typically aren't stunning without being loaded. I would agree however that Macs are very well build, and have pretty good hardware, but there is something to be said about baying 2000+ for a laptop with an x1600.

I am a gamer, I believe that If I pay that much I should be able to see some gaming on a higher end scale. (I have played games on a macbookpro, (1gb ram c2d x1600... And was really not impressed, my laptop, granted its own issues... Runs the same games, on a higher resolution and settings better for 3/4 the price (if not less.)

For someone in school though I personally would get a thinkpad or macbook (preference going to the thinkpad) because they are built to last.

To each their own I hold nothing against mac users, save an elite few pricks.
 
CPTMuller said:
I would not agree that old PC laptops cant run the latest software, my Dads old Toshiba laptop, veteran of 4 years(in his posesion, several months in others) plays wow to some eficiency and it is 15.4 inch and not too heavy. From what I have seen macbooks running windows typically aren't stunning without being loaded. I would agree however that Macs are very well build, and have pretty good hardware, but there is something to be said about baying 2000+ for a laptop with an x1600.

I am a gamer, I believe that If I pay that much I should be able to see some gaming on a higher end scale. (I have played games on a macbookpro, (1gb ram c2d x1600... And was really not impressed, my laptop, granted its own issues... Runs the same games, on a higher resolution and settings better for 3/4 the price (if not less.)

For someone in school though I personally would get a thinkpad or macbook (preference going to the thinkpad) because they are built to last.

To each their own I hold nothing against mac users, save an elite few pricks.
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We have about 4,000 4 year old HPs and Gateways at my work that run like crap. We have a few of the older first generation G4 powerbooks that still run as fast as theydid when we got them. I also repair them less.

If you are a gamer I suppose it is a different story, but I run HL2 on my Macbook Pro C2D 2.16 2gig of ram (i only have two gigs because i run tons of virtual machines on it) and I can play it with the settings maxed out and it runs fine. Then again, I think gaming on a laptop is dumb and it is not for me. I'd rather just build a decent desktop for gaming and use the laptop for work, but that is just me.
 
tlarkin said:
We have about 4,000 4 year old HPs and Gateways at my work that run like crap. We have a few of the older first generation G4 powerbooks that still run as fast as theydid when we got them. I also repair them less.

If you are a gamer I suppose it is a different story, but I run HL2 on my Macbook Pro C2D 2.16 2gig of ram (i only have two gigs because i run tons of virtual machines on it) and I can play it with the settings maxed out and it runs fine. Then again, I think gaming on a laptop is dumb and it is not for me. I'd rather just build a decent desktop for gaming and use the laptop for work, but that is just me.
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This is what I'm trying to say, I'm not going to use the laptop for a lot of gaming, maybe some really light gaming when I get bored, but I have my desktop for gaming, the laptop is strictly for photoshopping/music editing/movie making and other work I"ll have to do. It's nice to hear some experienced people post their opinions though.
 
I have been thinking of a Macbook just for some Word processing and basic homework. I have a Windows desktop, what do I need a Windows laptop for?

1) will the macbooks work well with ext. hdds?
2) can I convert MS Office files from the Mac to Windows easily?
3) Would it be good for this type of work?
4) How much would the student discount apply?
5) If not this, what do you suggest?

With these specs:
MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White
Part Number: MA700LL/A
Superdrive 6x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
80GB Serial ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
Accessory Kit
2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
$1,299.00

Thanks
 
One thing worth noting...and one of the big reasons I'm hoping to switch to a macbook or macbook pro:

They cost some money, especially with the macbook pro. However, you have to think about the resale value. Macs resale value is amazing. The depreciation rate is so much less than a PC. I've spent ~$1500 on my PC, and it is now worth around $800. With a mac, take, for instance, a 12" G4 laptop. Those still sell for a pretty penny.
 
Thats true, the laptop I'm thinking about buying for school is less than 1/3 of its original value. But When I buy a computer its not because I want to sell it later.
 
I LOVE my Macbook pro. Honestly it's alot more stable and has a ton more features than any PC I've ever built or owned. I would suggest getting one and waiting for Leopard to come out either this summer or fall. It will blow Vista away...oh wait Microsoft copied Leopard...that's right :P
 
If spending almost, (if not more than), twice as much for the same or lesser hardware for a pretty os/laptop, go right ahead with the macbook pros...
Honestly, if apple got their prices to about only a $50 difference with a laptop of the same specs, I would definitely go with the macbook pro.
 
Well there are plenty of things that they have stolen from other places, I dont care as long as the ultimate goal is one super OS

Simplicity of Mac OS+ everything that I like about the PC the start menu windows new sidebar(better implemented than the mac thing) and just the overall way that PCs work)


Anyhow, I agree if macs were only 100 more I would totally buy one strait up away and load on windows. Sony is probobly the closest thing to them for windows. Overpriced but neat formfactor and small laptops. Meh prices are what drives me nuts about Macs.
 
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