Macbook or a "normal" laptop...

karmagarda

karmagarda

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Spotted we have an iMac thread running, made me think about my currently dying asus laptop. It basically will randomly shut itself down after running for about 30 minutes, sometimes after a few hours. It's because of a faulty chip or chipset on the board someplace that can be replaced, but as with my luck recently it's not under warranty. In fact it's probably about 3/4 years old at this stage...

So... Macbook or another "PC" or "Normal" laptop? Only one way to find out... FIGHT!

So, let's get the battons out, the fists ready, tell me... what should I get?

Points to note: I'm not in a hurry to get it, the other piece of shoyte will do me for a while yet. I will not use this for major photo editing. I will not run games on it (well, nothing too graphics intensive). It will mostly be used for net browsing, viewing photos, and maybe, just maybe minor editing to images. I will also use it for viewing videos/youtube/listening to music/generally standard stuff that should be too intensive on it. The next most intensive thing that will be run is solitaire... or the Macbook equivalent... or something... do macbooks have solitaire?

Anyway, can all you lot go fight amonst yourselves for me and I'll rummage through the resulting blood and guts to form my decision :p

KGO!


(Edit: Oh, and can you tell me why you made your choice? And maybe be specific about the brand/models etc? Ta muchly!! :))
 
Don't do it!!!! You have just cleverly reworded "mac vs pc" - close the thread while you still have a chance!

Before you throw your old lappy away and shell out a small fortune, try opening it up and making sure there isn't any dust and fluff clogging the vents and fan or keeping the processor nice and hot. It does sound like an overheating type of thing.

Failing that...it sounds like the cheapest netbook on the go would serve you fine! :)
 
flicker said:
Don't do it!!!! You have just cleverly reworded "mac vs pc" - close the thread while you still have a chance!

Before you throw your old lappy away and shell out a small fortune, try opening it up and making sure there isn't any dust and fluff clogging the vents and fan or keeping the processor nice and hot. It does sound like an overheating type of thing.
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Aye, I've done the standard stuff, but have found out it's a common fault with my particular laptop. Unfortunately mine decided to last long enough to want to screw me outside of warranty!
 
flicker said:
Failing that...it sounds like the cheapest netbook on the go would serve you fine! :)
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Ohh, you snuck an edit in there :lol:. Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. But I'm always open for a good oul debate to sway my decision :D
 
I'm sure they stick a small time bomb set to 366 days on certain components these days
 
Personally, if I had lots the money I would get a MAC
As I dont, I would get a normal Laptop

People bang on about how much better a MAC is than a Windows device but it depends on what you are going to do with it and what your tastes are.

I use a Sony Vaio laptop with Windows 7 and it does what I need it too.
I use it for net browsing, website design, watching films when im out and using Photoshop CS5

A MacBook seems to be twice the price of a similar spec Windows laptop and personally I dont think thats justified as it cant do anything more in my opinion to warrant that much money.

Like I said, If I was minted then a MAC would be my choice because I prefer the look, nothing else
 
I've also heard reports of a certain imac murderer that macs make yer wullie bigger... this has yet to be confirmed with photos though...
 
What size are you looking at? For a 13" incher i'd suggest a macbook, cheaper than the decent alternatives and if you don't like OSX you can always install Win 7 on it.

Anything bigger then I'd suggest a "normal" laptop as you put it. However remember to get the same quality you will be spending a similar amount on either (ie at least £800 to get a similar quality product).

If you just want a low power netbook the Dell 13z is apparently well though of, no idea what the build quality is like from personal experience but apparently it's good. That will set you back around £500 I think.
 
karmagarda said:
I've also heard reports of a certain imac murderer that macs make yer wullie bigger... this has yet to be confirmed with photos though...
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I thought that was the iphone...girls find men more attractive if they have an iphone apparently...or am I mixed up..:thinking:
 
karmagarda said:
Aye, I've done the standard stuff, but have found out it's a common fault with my particular laptop. Unfortunately mine decided to last long enough to want to screw me outside of warranty!
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If that's so then back to the retailer/credit card/finance provider quoting " not of merchantable quality and poss fit for purpose of use" under Sale of Goods act and/or Consumer Credit act. The "12 month manufacturers warranty" is in addition to your statutory rights and is more of a marketing ploy to imply added value.
 
Interesting, never though of that at the time it happened. Do you reckon the fact I purchased it in Australia cause me problems now? :lol:
 
And also, I've decided to stick with a laptop, gonna go dell inspiron or something. Be silly to go with a macbook when it would cost me around £800 to get a refurb, never mind a new lower spec one for about 300/400
 
Mac's are generally more reliable as they only have one set of hardware devices to look after, Windows OS can't be that specific. The main choice should be what software you'd like to use, although lots of the big software names cater for both Mac & Win o/s's. That said the latest intel based mac's make it a doddle to run windows virtually giving you the best of both worlds (you do need a copy of windows though!), I had this setup for a while and loved it, not just because it was a Mac, but because it gave me the flexibility I required.
 
pauljs said:
Mac's are generally more reliable as they only have one set of hardware devices to look after, Windows OS can't be that specific. The main choice should be what software you'd like to use, although lots of the big software names cater for both Mac & Win o/s's. That said the latest intel based mac's make it a doddle to run windows virtually giving you the best of both worlds (you do need a copy of windows though!), I had this setup for a while and loved it, not just because it was a Mac, but because it gave me the flexibility I required.
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I loved the Macbook pro i owned but sold it recently simply because of 2 reasons, firstly i simply couldnt justify spending a small fortune on mac based software when i already owned the Windows version, ie Office 2010 and Photoshop, Hark i hear you cry, why not install Windows on my Mac, well i did asnd this is the second reason i sold it, those who know will also know that running Windows on a Mac kills the battery life stone dead to about 60 minutes, not good.

Ive been looking at a mates Dell Studio XPS 1645 with the RGB-LED screen running at 1920x1080 and its stunning, no longer can Mac laptop users say they are the only ones with a colour accurate screen, the Dell is every bit as good if not better, they are pricey, you can get the basic spec with lower res and standard WLED screen for around £700 but a decent spec with the upgraded screen comes in at over £1200 and can go as much as £1500
 
A couple of questions before I pass my judgement;

1, Are you planning on using it out of the house lots? I use mine for about 6 hrs on the train everyday.

2, Is it likely to be 'used and abused'? Are you going to be throwing it in/out of rucksacks and taking it to inhospitable environments?

3, Are you used to the Mac OS?

4, How many hours do you spend on the comp each day?


DB
 
Impspeed said:
A couple of questions before I pass my judgement;

>> snipped below <<

DB
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1, Are you planning on using it out of the house lots? I use mine for about 6 hrs on the train everyday.

I don't take my current laptop everywhere, but I do occassionally take it when I go travelling.

2, Is it likely to be 'used and abused'? Are you going to be throwing it in/out of rucksacks and taking it to inhospitable environments?

It will get used more than abused, but... I won't lie... there's scuffs on my current one :lol:. It will get lugged around in a backpack, but not really bashed about. And it won't be taken to inhospitable environments, but it will go places with me.

3, Are you used to the Mac OS?

Nope, but I'm a software developer so a new OS won't matter to me. I've used most other OS's including a couple of flavours of Linux.

4, How many hours do you spend on the comp each day?

On my current laptop? Not many. On my desktop? About 3/4 hours on top of my work hours.

Currently I live quite close to my job so I walk or spend 10 mins on a bus, but if I ever have to travel to work again I would probably start carrying it around with me.

Now... what's the prognosis doctor? :D
 
I would say you're probably best off with a windows machine for what you're planning on, unless cost really isn't an issue.

I have a MacBook Pro and love it - great battery, screen, speed and stability so ideal for me processing on the move and between events. I'd say for the basic use the laptop would be put through with you, and owning it alongside the desktop, a £300-400 windows based laptop would be sufficient. As you say your Asus is 3-4 years old now and only just dying (guessing it cost between £300-400 new?) that's not a bad price per year considering a MacBook isn't likely to last a huge amount longer (okay, maybe 6-7 years) but cost 2-3 times the amount.

Build quality and durability, although important, isn't a huge deciding factor so whilst it would be nice to have one of the Dell Professional range with their Magnesium chassis and metal hinges it's never likely to get abused that much.

The OS, as you've said, isn't too important but just wanted to gauge whether you've used OS X much. I've only been using Mac's for 18 months now and although I use a Windows laptop for part of my day-to-day job I would never move back from a personal point of view.

Hope my thoughts have been helpful, sorry if not.



DB
 
Was closer to the £800 mark at the time. But laptops have come down dramatically in price since then. The same "spec" machine (in todays standards) is closer to the £500 mark.
 
Gary Coyle said:
I loved the Macbook pro i owned but sold it recently simply because of 2 reasons, firstly i simply couldnt justify spending a small fortune on mac based software when i already owned the Windows version, ie Office 2010 and Photoshop, Hark i hear you cry, why not install Windows on my Mac, well i did asnd this is the second reason i sold it, those who know will also know that running Windows on a Mac kills the battery life stone dead to about 60 minutes, not good.

Ive been looking at a mates Dell Studio XPS 1645 with the RGB-LED screen running at 1920x1080 and its stunning, no longer can Mac laptop users say they are the only ones with a colour accurate screen, the Dell is every bit as good if not better, they are pricey, you can get the basic spec with lower res and standard WLED screen for around £700 but a decent spec with the upgraded screen comes in at over £1200 and can go as much as £1500
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I'm intrigued... Why?

If dual booting I see no reason to have such a major difference in battery life between the two OSs, especially as the macbooks have a similar battery size to the 9 cell Dell ones (AFAIK). If running in bootcamp or virtualisation then maybe that's the problem?

Yes, one may be slightly more efficient and need slightly less battery but from the sounds of it you're talking 50+% difference not 5-10%.:thinking:
 
neil_g said:
was that calibrated though? i still havent got around to doing mine but i dont think its far off of my calibrated 2209WA?
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Depends on the screen type, im sure you know but the CCFL are seriously poor, the LCD are better then theres the top end LED backlit LCD which is a premiun and rarely seen on anything other than the E6500 with 1900x1200 res, they have started offering the W-LED and the RGB-LED in the high end Precision M6500
 
Amp34 said:
I'm intrigued... Why?

If dual booting I see no reason to have such a major difference in battery life between the two OSs, especially as the macbooks have a similar battery size to the 9 cell Dell ones (AFAIK). If running in bootcamp or virtualisation then maybe that's the problem?

Yes, one may be slightly more efficient and need slightly less battery but from the sounds of it you're talking 50+% difference not 5-10%.:thinking:
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Dunno why mate, google it and see, but it happens.
 
Gary Coyle said:
Dunno why mate, google it and see, but it happens.
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Just have. :)

The suggestion seems to be there is a driver problem, which makes sense as Apple have a tendancy to release half arsed software for windows machines.
 
I'm not an apple fanboy by any means, I have a normal PC desktop, but it's true that the battery life on Windows when dual booting on a Macbook is pitiful compared to OSX. I'd probably put it down to not as good drivers or something like that.
 
Gary Coyle said:
Depends on the screen type, im sure you know but the CCFL are seriously poor, the LCD are better then theres the top end LED backlit LCD which is a premiun and rarely seen on anything other than the E6500 with 1900x1200 res, they have started offering the W-LED and the RGB-LED in the high end Precision M6500
Click to expand...

mines the LCD, i'll bung the spyder on it monday and see what it comes up like.
 
Amp34 said:
Just have. :)

The suggestion seems to be there is a driver problem, which makes sense as Apple have a tendancy to release half arsed software for windows machines.
Click to expand...
It pained me to sell the macbook pro last week but theses no way i could afford to duplicate my windows software so to me installing Windows was the answer particularly as windows ran far, far quicker on the mac than on a PC based machine of similar spec, but i need a laptop out in the field so really had no choice as a 1 hour battery is no good to me.
 
neil_g said:
mines the LCD, i'll bung the spyder on it monday and see what it comes up like.
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I had the LCD on my E6500 which i sold to KIPAX on here and the screen was quite good, the 1440 x 900 res was just about right for me on a 15.4 inch lappy

Ive just (10 minutes ago) bought a Studio XPS 1645 with the RGB-LED from a mate in the trade, its got a mag alloy chasis and lid like the Latitude but just an aliminium base, very strong but not quite as much so as the lattitude, its also got the free fall sensor as well.

i pick it up Tuesday, 3 years at home business warranty and 3 years accidental damage as well, brand spanking new.
 
mines the E6500 too. its the 15" laptop we're issuing to new staff at the moment (touch wood no ones had any issues yet other than damage via neglect).

not seen the XPS 1645 to be honest other than a quick google shows THIS which is worth a read.

edit - ah yes i know which one you mean.. nice looking laptop physically and spec wise.
 
not read the above posts, but macbook for sure

changed to one a couple of months now a used one, and if i could afford to in the future would upgrade and choose mac all the time

just works great, even booting up and turning off is so much efficient compared to pc
 
will buy a good S/H one before christmas when they will be cheaper. Excellent machines and worth every penny S/H if you get a good one .
 
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