Finally bought a mac

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Well im now running my mac with 4gb. I was surprised at how easy it is to upgrade it. The whole process took no longer than 5 mins.

 

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Oh ffs Mike
how does such an intelligent person come out with so much crap some times?

Firstly, get off the stupid Mac vs PC debate, its old, its pointless, and its total crap, I take Zebs argument more seriously and he just thinks all mac users are twats (a lot of them are)

Secondly, why are high end systems assumed to be for games? I use more CPU and Memory now than I ever did as a hardcore gamer, I don't even know a game that can make love to my 8GB of RAM

if your studying with VMs, developing software, or really just doing any sort of multi tasking, then a low end laptop is probably not ideal

Try and be a little more open minded to what other people may choose to do with something. we don't all just sit at one end or the other.

 

Ive installed fusion and ive gotta say im impressed. What improvements are there in fusion 2 mate?

Oh and well said above.

 

Yes... but I'm probably not going to use a laptop to study with VMs... and neither Josh nor I develop software anymore.

Still, the point is there: you can get a PC for cheaper than you can a Mac. Macs are fine machines... but they cost more - that's all I'm sayin'.

You really wouldn't care for me telling you that you come out with crap sometimes, yourself, would you? Staff member or not, that's uncalled for.

 

Actually, I may not develop software here at work, but I occasionally do at home. Furthermore, if I were going to buy a new laptop, it would be a replacement for my desktop, meaning the laptop would become my main computer. Regardless of whether I play games, I want a solid, fast machine for my main workstation. Thus, I'm not considering ANY low-end laptops. If Apple made a low-end laptop, I still wouldn't consider it. And, my point is still this. Once you no longer consider the sub-$1000 laptops as viable options, the price difference becomes negligible.

That is, comparing feature to feature, most laptop computers above $1000 (including Macs) are roughly price equivalent. So, yes you can buy a cheaper laptop, but you're buying a cheap laptop. I don't want one of those laptops. As you know, I'm not some n00b who wants a Mac just because it's made by Apple. I want the best quality laptop I can buy for the best value, whether it's a Mac, a Dell, or some other brand. I won't even go into the Windows vs. Mac OS X debate. If I were to buy a new laptop, I would want a Core 2 Duo 2.4 or later, 160GB HDD or bigger, 2 GB of RAM, and dedicated video. I can tell you based on my recent research that I could buy a Mac with these specs for about the same price as a similarly equipped PC.

Here's further, even more researched proof:

Are Macs More Expensive
The Apple Mac Cost Misconception

 

Your links prove my point. Those laptops are built for gaming. If you aren't gaming or processing video, you don't really need a faster video card. Sure, you need a faster processor and more memory... but the video's not really necessary.

So, allow me to configure a Dell without the video card, but everything else being similar:

$1999 MacBook Pro
2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo
2 GB of RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB
200 GB HDD
15.4-inch LED LCD
Dual-Layer DVD Burner
802.11n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth

$1123 Dell Inspiron 1525
2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo
4 GB of RAM
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
250 GB HDD
15.4-inch LED LCD
DVD+/-RW Burner
802.11n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth

Oh, wait... those aren't the same stats... that's potentially a FASTER machine than the MacBook, what with the extra memory. And with a larger HD to boot. You don't get a dual-layer burner or that fast video card... but for a little more than HALF the cost, I'll take it!

And that's WITHOUT any Dell coupons that I can usually dredge up on the Internet.

So... you simply can't say that a Mac is "just as cheap" as a PC... cause it's not.

 

Out of curiosity, I scoped out a Dell XPS M1530 with the better video card...

$1649 Dell XPS M1530
2.5 GHz Core 2 Duo
4 GB of RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB
250 GB HDD
15.4-inch LED LCD
DVD+/-RW Burner
802.11n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth

So... you gain a little more processor speed, you gain 2 GB of RAM, you gain 50 GB of drive space, and you lose dual-layer burning... and you save $350.

I rest my case, your honor.

 

Point well made. I always knew Apple was bling...

 

*Ahem*

I suppose we *all* can produce *krap* from time to time. No one is immune and being intelligent doesn't mean we can't be influenced, and occasionally blinded, by our personal biases (and *everyone* has biases).

Now on with the show.

 

The Tom's Hardware linked discussed gaming laptops, the other discussed mid-level all-purpose machines, not necessarily gaming laptops.

If you don't need the video, then you don't need the Macbook Pro. So, a similarly configured Macbook comes up to about $1299. Figuring in tax and shipping on the Dell and you get a roughly equivalent price tag, with the caveat that the screen on the Macbook is 13.3 vs. 15.4, which I will concede is definitely a consideration.

 

That's *so* not the point.

Or, perhaps I should say that your post is crap. Wouldn't care for that, either, would you? THAT is the point, James.

 

Not so fast. Add in tax and shipping, and I can get an equivalent Mac for that price. Just this past weekend, I could have bought a brand-new Macbook Pro for $1700.

 

...and you don't pay tax and shipping on a Macbook?

That said, you don't usually have to pay shipping with Dell. And outside of Tennessee, Texas, and a handful of other states, most people don't have to pay tax on Dell's stuff.

Yes, it's quite a large consideration. You might as well configure a Dell with less memory, or a slower processor.

You might like Macs better, and that's fine. But you can't say that the price is "roughly the same", cause it's not.

 

Hey...if and when I produce krap, I'm willing to own it.

My point is "so what". If any two people have an issue with each other, they can take it into PM and resolve it there. No point in wasting a perfectly good thread on personal issues.

 

The only point I'm trying to prove here is that it isn't as clear-cut as you make it. I couldn't care less whether you buy an Apple product, a Dell product, or an HP product. I'm certainly not trying to evangelize Apple products; I've never even owned an Apple laptop. But, when you start analyzing all the data, it isn't a matter of who's cheaper, it's a matter of what do YOU (or I) want. Price is NOT the differentiating factor anymore. You may decide you're fine with integrated video, and I might want dedicated video.

I've ultimately decided that I don't want to buy a new laptop right now, but if I did, I'd seriously consider an Apple product, not because I'm a fanboy as Michael says, but because I want to buy the best quality product for my money. I really don't care whether that's a Dell, a Lenovo, or an Apple laptop.

 

That's all well and good... but I haven't produced "krap". And had I, I wouldn't expect someone to say that I produce "krap" on a site where personal attacks are discouraged. To say that it is illogical is fine. To say that it is misguided is acceptable. To say that it is absolutely incorrect is OK by me. To say that it is "crap" crosses the line.

 

No, I don't have to pay tax and shipping on a Macbook when purchased from an online retailer.

How is configuring a Dell with a slower processor or less memory equivalent to a smaller monitor? If I run an external monitor the majority of the time, I wouldn't notice a difference, whereas if I configured a Dell with a slower processor, I would notice the difference.

And, no, I don't necessarily like Macs better, but I don't like them less either. I guess to me, when I'm spending $1500 or more on a laptop, I don't consider $100 or so to be a significant deciding factor. I'd rather buy the best quality laptop I can, again, regardless of who the manufacturer is.

 

Best quality doesn't always equate to best quality for the money. I'd likely concede that Apple's stuff is good quality, though I'd have no idea how it compares with Dell's or HP's stuff. But for the money, the data's pretty clear.

 

Pffft... please, you've been lusting after Thomas's laptop since you set eyes on it.

 

Or bloody price comparisons!!!