ChIcKeN_HaWk

I'm sure, because of my lack of time spent, much debate gets thrown around about this subject. However, I am looking for objective view here...

Some jacko broke my window and stole my backpack with my laptop in it, which sucks, but life goes on...I really like the new unibody macbook pro, with the 2.53ghz, or potentially spending the extra $250 for the bigger HD and dual video card.

On the other hand...It looks like I could pick up a PC much cheaper than the cost, but if I put the specs side by side, they are pretty close.

What are peoples' thoughts here?

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DarkFury

Personally, I stick with PCs as they are a bit cheaper than the Mac. But if you are heavy into multi-media, then you might as well go get the Mac and spend the cash.

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ray

What are you using the laptop for?

I would personally go with a cheaper option simply because i typically upgrade my laptops every 3 years.

ChIcKeN_HaWk

I use the laptop for school and personal use...Nothing too dramatic, but I lost a macbook and loved the ease of use, no spam or viruses, and the lack of crashing. I'm afraid if I go back to a PC, I'm in for some headaches that i gave up two years ago only to save a couple of bucks...

Jeffbx

PCs are no more or less stable than Macs - it just depends on how careful you are about surfing & how much maintance you plan on doing.

That being said, you're looking at a Macbook that will set you back what, $1700-2k? Unless you're planning on doing some 3D gaming with it, a PC will cost half that much for general office apps/email.

But it also depends on what you're used to. If you've been using a Mac for a long time, you'll probably be more productive with another Mac. So if cost isn't a concern, stick with Mac. I think they have a deal going on right now for students where you can get a free ipod touch if you buy a macbook - that's a nice bonus.

InfiniteNothing

Personally, I like the way Macs are built. Slot loading DVD. Aluminum body. Keys that don't run together. Backlit keys. Mag safe power. It' all in the details.

I also like the operating system. It's always felt more responsive (booting, shutting down, going to sleep, menus, opening programs, etc) than Windows. I also like the way you move around (expose, dock, quick view, spotlight, time machine). It's always felt like I don't spend as much time flipping through windows/menus looking for what I want. For the hard core user, the unix terminal is a much superior and standard command line system. You'll carry those skills to linux if you ever go that way.

Oh PS they just refreshed their lines yesterday. Also you'll get a free update to 10.6 when it comes out ($30 for the rest of us). It's a good time to buy.

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InfiniteNothing

I don't think Malware is the only cause of PC hang ups. Bad drivers are notorious. Vista had some serious issues early on. I still get the occasional freeze without a BSOD every now and then on the PC. Usually, I just have to restart explorer. Sometimes I can't even get the task manager up though.
13" MacBook pro starts at $1200
http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/
I can't deny that they are more expensive in general though.

Jeffbx

Yeah, I assumed he was looking at the 15" since he mentioned the dual video cards, so $1700-2k. Crazy overpriced if you ask me, but I sure wouldn't turn one down if someone bought one for me!

ChIcKeN_HaWk

You're right, I am looking at a 15", but I don't think I will wage on the dual video cards being that I'm not much of a gamer except for the occasional Mafia Wars. With the student discount along with Apple Care, it's just shy of 2k. When I do a comparable search for specs on Dell's website, the closest match to specs is the Dell XPS1530 maybe? When I compare components, it looks like the Dell comes out at just about $1800 with what appears to be a 1 year warranty and a lack of an Ipod (if thats important). However, the Dell has a slightly larger HD and free upgrade to Blu-ray player.

I don't know if one where to add a larger warranty, what would happen to the pricing, but Dell doesn't have a store to bring the machine into (convenience factor) and your still at the mercy of Microsoft products consistantly crashing and having driver issues! Seems to me that the extra couple of hundred dollars spent would far outweigh the time spent messing around with problems of an inferior operating system?

Winston

i am tempted on this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834152108
MSI EX625-227US

-16" WXGA glossydisplay (1366x768)
-ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 512MB DDR3
-Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 2.0GHz processor
-4GB DDR2 RAM
-320GB 5400RPM hard drive
-Windows Vista Home Premium
-DVD Super Multi drive
-802.11N wireless, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
-6-cell battery
-5.95 lbs, 1.4-1.63" thick
-1 year limited warranty

All for . . .

$699.99 after $50 mail-in rebate.
oh also 2.5% cash back on bing

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Jeffbx

Oh geez - stay away from the XPS series. Way overpriced for what you get.

A similarly equipped Latitude E6500 will cost you about $1200, including 3 years of next day on site service - no need to carry it in anywhere.

eSDee

Chicken Hawk, if you go to college or know someone who does, you can get a great educational discount of the MacBook Pro or any other Apple product. Especially now with the new models released, you should be able to get a minimum of $400 off the old models. Plus, there is a promotion now where you get a free ipod with your purchase:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/cam...back_to_school

If you have the money, I'd go with the Mac. You'll eventually end up loving the OS over Vista or XP.

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ChIcKeN_HaWk

I feel like a victim of the marketing via the Apple Corporation, but I've used alot of machines in my day, specifically PC based machines, and after owning a Macbook for over a year, its like butter in comparison, but money is always an issue.

Obama didn't respond to my bailout plan...

I think I might have to drop the coin for what i really want instead of settling for second best...

InfiniteNothing

You could always just buy a last generation model. It's the less consumerish thing to do.

attgig

I'm guessing you only want the pro because of the 15" screen?

the screens are definitely better on a mac. even when you raise specs of most pc laptops to the mac's specs, you'll get a better screen on the mac.

However, think of what you're using it for, and while a pc may not be comparable in terms of specs, your productivity may not be that much lower to counter the extra grand you may spend on a mac.

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netbrowser

You should also check out the Apple store's refurbished section. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...ac?mco=MTIzMzI

They've had great deals in there in the past. People tend to buy Macs, decide on different model, return and Apple has to sell it as refurbished.

attgig

oooh! air with ssd for 1150. that's pretty nice.

Showtime

I'm liking macs, but win7 could change that for me. They had a promotion for a free ipod touch when buying a mac. There should be a decent deal going soon (for back to school) if not currently.

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