Old Mac vs. new Pc Please help

L

Layzzz

New Member
The question is "is it viable buy a 3 year old mac?"

Ok i know i'm a noob but i have to ask.

I am doing audio and video recording at koncerts my laptop has just died and i'm looking to buy a replacement for it. everybody is saying that mac is the best for this task... i just have the problem that i'm on a tight buget. so i'm thinking of buying a used laptop but which is best?

3 year old macbook pro (a new battery) 3 gb ram 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 160 gb, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM 17"

or

a 1 month old Acer 3820TG with 4 gb ram, 2,4 Ghz Core i3 370M, ATI 5650HD 1 gb GDDR3 13"

or the last option

a 6 months old HP ProBook 6440b with 2 gb ram, 2,26 GHz i5, and only Intel HD Graphics 14"

If you could help that would be great (the screen size isn't that important)
 
At this point in time, Mac and PC really have very similar capabilities. The only difference really will be what programs you use, though quite a few of them (like Pro Tools) are cross-platform.

Of those three, the Acer is definitely the most powerful machine, but I'd avoid buying an Acer for a new system. HP even more so. Their quality control is not the greatest.

What's your budget?
 
it's hard to say because i'm from Denmark and the prices here are very different (more expencive) than in the U.S but i have a little over half of what a normal new Macbook costs... i think that is the easyst way of putting it :)

You say the Asus is the most powerfull of the 3, is that because the 4 gb ram vs. the 3 or 2?? what is most improtant when i'm editing video, cpu,ram or gpu???

and BTW thanks for the speedy reply :)
 
Wait...you said it was an Acer? If it's an Asus then it's definitely the best value of the three.

It's more powerful overall because it has a decent CPU, the most RAM, and the best graphics chip.

If your video editing program supports GPGPU technology, then you'll likely be using that quite a bit for video editing, so it does come into play. The larger RAM capacity will help with big project files, and the CPU, while not as fast as the i5, is still fairly close.
 
Cheap PCs use the cheapest and lowest quality components. You get what you pay for regardless if it is a PC or a Mac. A good quality PC laptop will cost in the same ball park as a Mac laptop.

Anything sub $600 laptop wise is going to have cheap components for the most part. That is how they are able to sell them so cheap. They will use lower quality screens, cheaper electronic components and have a poorer build quality.

If you are going to be using the laptop in the field and recording audio with tons of things going on you are best saving your money for now and getting a decent laptop regardless if it is a PC or a Mac.
 
re:tlarkin
but my question was if i buy an older quality laptop (like the mac in my first post) will it serve me well or will it be better to buy a cheap newer PC???? because i can see that it would be better to buy a top of the line laptop but i just don't have the money, so what is my best option???
 
I actually own that Macbook Pro in question. I have the same year same model release, but mine is a 15" screen. I would put it up against most modern laptops still for performance.

However, may I ask what is it you are paying for it? I mean if it is anywhere near a new Macbook Pro, I would say just save your money and get a brand new one.
 
i am paying around a third of what a new macbook pro costs... would you say it is an okay trade? how long do you think yours will last (if you use it regualy)? (in years if it will last that long) i just have an idea that if you get a new battery for it the mac has a really long lifespan... BTW thanks for your help :)
 
I have used mine heavily and I have had some times when I barely use it. I say it has a few more years left in it for sure, but I will probably upgrade sooner. If you are paying 1/3 the cost of a new macbook pro I would say that sounds like a decent deal.

Macs hold their resell value.
 
i you are planning to keep and use the PC i would buy that. it has better graphics (the acer one). the probook is good specs but there is no dedicated graphics card, so if you are doing any sort of video editing i would recommend the acer. if you really like the mac software though, i would get a macbook with slightly better graphics
 
Drenlin said:
Of those three, the Acer is definitely the most powerful machine, but I'd avoid buying an Acer for a new system. HP even more so. Their quality control is not the greatest.
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with Acer, their higher end laptops are quite sturdy.

Layzzz said:
i am paying around a third of what a new macbook pro costs... would you say it is an okay trade? how long do you think yours will last (if you use it regualy)? (in years if it will last that long) i just have an idea that if you get a new battery for it the mac has a really long lifespan... BTW thanks for your help :)
Click to expand...

Unfortunately there is no way to tell this. No matter what brand of computer it is, it has a possibility of failing. My 3 year old Macbook has a dead backlight, whereas my old 3 year old Dell still works fine. Brand doesn't make a huge difference in this aspect..it's mostly just luck.

Honestly, for what your doing any of those 3 laptops will work. Have you checked to see if the program you use works on the mac? If you've already gotten used to a program I can tell you it's a real pain in the ass to switch. For example for video editing I learned on final cut pro, and by god is it frustrating to use any other program.

The Mac in the three you posted does use older technology, last generation cpu and a few generations back in gpu, though for what your doing this shouldn't play a huge role. Core 2 Duo's are still very decent cpu's, and even though the gpu is quite lacking for recording really doesn't matter.

In conclusion to my rambling, I would say either one of the first two would be my choice, I'd stay away from the HP..mainly cause Intel HD sucks big time. Generally if a computer is gonna fail from defect it would do it in the first 3 years anyway, so don't let that get to you.
 
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