I am finally joining the bandwagon and getting a Laptop. I feel it is the next step for me and in the future will be very convenient. The main thing that orginally detered me from Laptops was the fact that Desktops could hold a lot more power and performance. Well now technology has sped up and there are high end Laptops that look very powerful. I have been looking at two different comanys, which I have heard plenty of good things about; Sony VAIO and Apple Mac.
I guess I should explain my uses for a computer. What I plan to do is to transfer all of my music files onto a Western Digital 400GB External Hard Drive and use that as my ONLY storage device for music. Then I am going to clean out and reorganize my Desktop (which I am keeping just because I still would like it around). I may use it specifically for Gaming, but I don't play computer based games that often. Anyway... I'm really into my music so the idea behind the External Hard Drive is that I can connect it via USB to either my Desktop or Laptop, whichever I am using at the time, to access my music files. Obviously it would be inconvenient to carry around an External Hard Drive but I could always transfer some music files onto my Laptop (or iPod) for when I will be leaving the house.
I would like my Laptop to be my MAIN computer. I will be using it for Internet Browsing, Chats, Video Chat (maybe), Music, Gaming (maybe), School and for Architectural Design Programs such as autoCAD. I want a high end fully loaded light wieght Laptop that will last me a long time and will be very reliable and won't give me any problems. So now back to the dilemma... VAIO or Mac, which comes down to Windows or Mac OS.
I grew up with Windows like most, so it's what I'm most comfortable with. I will admit that Windows XP sometimes is annoying, but I've really never had any real problems with any of my computers, which have always used Windows. I have heard from others that Mac OS is really simple, easy, and very attractive. I have heard it runs better than Windows and is much more reliable. The only downside to Macs that I have heard about are the fact that if something goes wrong and something needs to be replaced that it can get quite expensive. I also am wary about how new the Intel based Mac's will perform since they are very new and have probably plenty of room to have kinks that will need to get worked out through their first years of public usage.
Ok so I have chosen two computers... Here are the specs:
Sony VAIO SZ180PC Notebook
Intel Core Duo Processor T2500 2 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache
Windows XP Professional w/ SP2
1 GB RAM PC2-4200 533MHz DDR2
100 GB 5400 RPM Serial ATA w/ G-Sensor Shock Protection Hard Drive
13.3" WXGA Display (1280x800) w/ XBRITE Technology
Intel Integrated Wireless LAN
Hybrid Graphic System NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 w/ Turbo Cache 128 MB
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 128 MB RAM/Video Memory
DVD+R Double Layer / DVD±RW Drive
Weight: 3.7 lbs
Built in Camera & Microphone
If I go this route I'll probably (if I can afford to) will upgrade to 2 GB RAM, but I can always do this later on if I choose not to originally. I would also probably downgrade the Hard Drive to 80 GB, I don't need 100 GB worth of storage honestly, but the again I might not change it since an extra 20 GB would be nice just in case.
MacBook Pro Notebook
2 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor 2MB L2 Cache
Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger
1 GB (single SODIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
100 GB Serial ATA/100; 5400 rpm Hard Drive
15.4" Display (1440 x 900) TFT widescreen
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 w/ 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM & Dual-Link DVI
Super Drive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Weight: 5.6 lbs
Built-In iSight Camera, DVI, VGA
Just like I would with the Sony, I might upgrade to 2 GB RAM and possibly downgrade to 80 GB Hard Drive.
CONCLUSION
In terms of comparison they are basically the same computer. They match up pretty well numbers wise. Obviously I have to consider Windows vs. Mac OS X... NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 vs. ATI Mobility Radeon X1600... 3.7 lbs vs. 5.6 lbs... Repair Services & Technical Support... In terms of price they will pretty much be balanced as well, so that's not really that much of a concern at this point. I'm just confused as to what would be better for long term use.
Does it come down to personal taste or is one truly better than the other? Like I said before I am worried about the new Intel technology inside the Mac and since it's in it's first generation I'm wondering what problems I might run into, if any...
I need some advice. I hope some of you can help. Thanks in advance!
I guess I should explain my uses for a computer. What I plan to do is to transfer all of my music files onto a Western Digital 400GB External Hard Drive and use that as my ONLY storage device for music. Then I am going to clean out and reorganize my Desktop (which I am keeping just because I still would like it around). I may use it specifically for Gaming, but I don't play computer based games that often. Anyway... I'm really into my music so the idea behind the External Hard Drive is that I can connect it via USB to either my Desktop or Laptop, whichever I am using at the time, to access my music files. Obviously it would be inconvenient to carry around an External Hard Drive but I could always transfer some music files onto my Laptop (or iPod) for when I will be leaving the house.
I would like my Laptop to be my MAIN computer. I will be using it for Internet Browsing, Chats, Video Chat (maybe), Music, Gaming (maybe), School and for Architectural Design Programs such as autoCAD. I want a high end fully loaded light wieght Laptop that will last me a long time and will be very reliable and won't give me any problems. So now back to the dilemma... VAIO or Mac, which comes down to Windows or Mac OS.
I grew up with Windows like most, so it's what I'm most comfortable with. I will admit that Windows XP sometimes is annoying, but I've really never had any real problems with any of my computers, which have always used Windows. I have heard from others that Mac OS is really simple, easy, and very attractive. I have heard it runs better than Windows and is much more reliable. The only downside to Macs that I have heard about are the fact that if something goes wrong and something needs to be replaced that it can get quite expensive. I also am wary about how new the Intel based Mac's will perform since they are very new and have probably plenty of room to have kinks that will need to get worked out through their first years of public usage.
Ok so I have chosen two computers... Here are the specs:
Sony VAIO SZ180PC Notebook
Intel Core Duo Processor T2500 2 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache
Windows XP Professional w/ SP2
1 GB RAM PC2-4200 533MHz DDR2
100 GB 5400 RPM Serial ATA w/ G-Sensor Shock Protection Hard Drive
13.3" WXGA Display (1280x800) w/ XBRITE Technology
Intel Integrated Wireless LAN
Hybrid Graphic System NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 w/ Turbo Cache 128 MB
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 128 MB RAM/Video Memory
DVD+R Double Layer / DVD±RW Drive
Weight: 3.7 lbs
Built in Camera & Microphone
If I go this route I'll probably (if I can afford to) will upgrade to 2 GB RAM, but I can always do this later on if I choose not to originally. I would also probably downgrade the Hard Drive to 80 GB, I don't need 100 GB worth of storage honestly, but the again I might not change it since an extra 20 GB would be nice just in case.
MacBook Pro Notebook
2 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor 2MB L2 Cache
Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger
1 GB (single SODIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
100 GB Serial ATA/100; 5400 rpm Hard Drive
15.4" Display (1440 x 900) TFT widescreen
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 w/ 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM & Dual-Link DVI
Super Drive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Weight: 5.6 lbs
Built-In iSight Camera, DVI, VGA
Just like I would with the Sony, I might upgrade to 2 GB RAM and possibly downgrade to 80 GB Hard Drive.
CONCLUSION
In terms of comparison they are basically the same computer. They match up pretty well numbers wise. Obviously I have to consider Windows vs. Mac OS X... NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 vs. ATI Mobility Radeon X1600... 3.7 lbs vs. 5.6 lbs... Repair Services & Technical Support... In terms of price they will pretty much be balanced as well, so that's not really that much of a concern at this point. I'm just confused as to what would be better for long term use.
Does it come down to personal taste or is one truly better than the other? Like I said before I am worried about the new Intel technology inside the Mac and since it's in it's first generation I'm wondering what problems I might run into, if any...
I need some advice. I hope some of you can help. Thanks in advance!