Brother keeps trying to put me off.....

Murlyn · Jul 12, 2007

Yeah my advice is to definitely use one before laying any amount of money down on any computer.

Stetwin · Jul 12, 2007

Levi said:
He is right; especially when you factor in having to buy PS:CS3 for fast performance on a Mac. Plus, the MacBook certainly wasn't made to play the kind of games you could run on that PC.

Fortunately I already have PS CS3 for Mac so won’t have to pay out for it, I also own a PS3 so don’t require the Mac to play games, although been able to play some FPS’s and some RTS’s wouldn’t hurt but its not necessary!

Stetwin said:
I need it primarily for Photo editing and would also require the abilities to do web browsing (must be wireless connectible), word processing, weekly/calendar planner, some minor gaming (mainly FPS like FEAR or CS:S and some real time strategy too, would like to try C&C-3 and SC2 in the future), Music, usable as a DVD player on long journeys, Needs to be portable because I need to be able to take it every where with me

Above is a post I made in my first thread about what I need the macbook for.

Levi said:
1. Not only do you not need a Mac; the Mac you're wanting doesn't fulfill your needs.

So gaming aside why wont the Mac fulfill my needs?

Levi said:
2. Buying a Mac with those specs would cost £1600 (less with education discounts), plus the cost of PS:CS3, and Windows if you're wanting to play games. You sound pretty young, so I'm guessing you don't have £1600+ to spend on a computer that you could get for £950 that would do everything you require (minus OS X... is it really worth £650+ to you?).

Well my budget is about £800-£900 so with the HE Discount I can afford a Black Macbook, but as I have already said I own PS CS3 for Mac and I’m not wanting to put Windows on it so I will save some money there, Your right about me been young, im only 21 so don’t have a huge amount of money free or any that I can waste on a system that I will be unable to use or that is inferior and going to be in the shop more then in my lap, which is the reason I was looking at apple because my brother has had no problems in the last year with his Macbook Pro and I bought a “cheap” windows system last October and its already had a string of problems from hardware to software,

I guess i'm going to have to think long and hard about what im going to purchase but if you guys think that a Mac is not the answer then i will take your advice and look else where,

/Ste

SteveMBP · Jul 12, 2007

To be honest, those specs are hardly any different than that of the MacBook Pro. In fact, the MBP has a higher res screen (which is also using an LED Backlight). A backlit keyboard which is nice in the dark. And an operating system that I (being a recent switcher) consider to beat windows to a pulp. The MBP does only have 2 USB ports but you could just use a splitter for probably 10 euros. I'm not sure how much an MBP would be for you in euros but I think it would be worth it for you.

Stetwin · Jul 12, 2007

SteveMBP said:
To be honest, those specs are hardly any different than that of the MacBook Pro. In fact, the MBP has a higher res screen (which is also using an LED Backlight). A backlit keyboard which is nice in the dark. And an operating system that I (being a recent switcher) consider to beat windows to a pulp. The MBP does only have 2 USB ports but you could just use a splitter for probably 10 euros. I'm not sure how much an MBP would be for you in euros but I think it would be worth it for you.

UK Apple Store said:
Macbook Pro Prices

15-inch : 2.2GHz = £1,299

15-inch : 2.4GHz = £1,599

17-inch : 2.4GHz = £1,799

Macbook Prices

13-inch White : 2.0GHz = £699

13-inch White : 2.16GHz = £829

13-inch Black : 2.16GHz = £949

Which means with my budget I will only be able to afford a normal Macbook and not one from the Pro range,

MinaMACMan · Jul 12, 2007

Going over the uses you mentioned in your initial thread, I honestly think that the MacBook will fulfill all your needs minus the Gaming, which you already seem to have the alternative for (PS3)

Since you do have the PS:CS3 for Mac, it might be a waste of money to go out and buy a Windows laptop and then buy the Windows version for it.

I just came back from work and I had my Black MacBook with me and everybody in the hospital was amazed at the speed of the performance as well as how user friendly it was, mind you these were all Windows user who never ever touched a Mac in their lives.

I personally switched to Mac a few months ago and I couldn't be happier. Before I make the switch I had never touched a Mac before. I always had heard of how good they are and all the hype but never had a chance to play with one. The neared Apple store is a 200 miles drive for me so I just went a head and ordered online with no prior knowledge other than what I read online and from this forums. and let me tell ya, I AM ON HECK OF A HAPPY APPLE CUSTOMER.

Cheers

D3v1L80Y · Jul 12, 2007

vxd said:
It seems like you would generally play games on your laptop so maybe a Windows laptop would be a lot better

I would have to agree. This is probably the reason your brother is trying to discourage you.
If you game, then get a Windows machine.

Stetwin · Jul 12, 2007

D3v1L80Y said:
I would have to agree. This is probably the reason your brother is trying to discourage you.
If you game, then get a Windows machine.

I dont game at the moment and was only interested in one or two future releases, i have a PS3 that more then meets my current gaming needs. The laptop is going to be used for:

Stetwin said:
I need it primarily for Photo editing and would also require the abilities to do web browsing (must be wireless connectible), word processing, weekly/calendar planner, some minor gaming (mainly FPS like FEAR or CS:S and some real time strategy too, would like to try C&C-3 and SC2 in the future), Music, usable as a DVD player on long journeys, Needs to be portable because I need to be able to take it every where with me

Levi · Jul 12, 2007

Stetwin said:
Fortunately I already have PS CS3 for Mac so won’t have to pay out for it, I also own a PS3 so don’t require the Mac to play games, although been able to play some FPS’s and some RTS’s wouldn’t hurt but its not necessary!

Sorry, in that case the MacBook is back in the game (way to make it hard on yourself ;D )

Stetwin said:
So gaming aside why wont the Mac fulfill my needs?

Well, if your only other main concern is being able to run PS, and you already have a universal version of PS... the MacBook will do fine. That said, with the extra horsepower in that PC it should run PS faster, and the dedicated graphics will cope with any game you want (even though it's non-essential, something tells me you can get PC games a lot cheaper than PS3 games ;D )

Stetwin said:
Well my budget is about £800-£900 so with the HE Discount I can afford a Black Macbook, but as I have already said I own PS CS3 for Mac and I’m not wanting to put Windows on it so I will save some money there, Your right about me been young, im only 21 so don’t have a huge amount of money free or any that I can waste on a system that I will be unable to use or that is inferior and going to be in the shop more then in my lap, which is the reason I was looking at apple because my brother has had no problems in the last year with his Macbook Pro and I bought a “cheap” windows system last October and its already had a string of problems from hardware to software,

I suppose the best thing (now the money is the same, and gaming capabilities less essential) is to have a play with a Mac for a couple weeks. If you like it, then go for it. It might not be as fast with image processing, but hopefully not significantly and it will save you any downtime...

Stetwin said:
I guess i'm going to have to think long and hard about what im going to purchase but if you guys think that a Mac is not the answer then i will take your advice and look else where,

/Ste

A good think sounds like a good idea: I'm sure it's no secret that most of us here prefer using/working with OS X... but sometimes it's just not right for the job.

I certainly don't want to talk you out of getting a Mac; I'm sure you'd love one, and now I know you already have PS:CS3 and aren't that bothered about the games then I'm sure it'll do just fine.

It's sort of a toss up:

Windows: Familiar, but less reliable system. Faster, with more gaming capabilities (plus larger screen etc.).

Mac: Superior OS, but with a learning curve*. Capable of performing required tasks, albeit a little slower. (*I'm guessing you haven't used OS X much... if you had you wouldn't be questioning whether you should get a Mac, you'd know

)

Personally I'd go for the Mac (I just spent 2 hours trying [and failing] to sort out some network problems on my mums Windows laptop and it reminded me how much I never want to use Windows again), but the choice is yours.

PS. Wow, 21... older than me... I'm actually in a similar situation at the moment (starting Uni in September), only I know I'm getting a Mac.. just don't know which one or when

bobtomay · Jul 12, 2007

Well according to my conversion that would make it about $550 american cheaper than the 15" MBP - missing bluetooth and wireless n - adding those two at the site wouldn't raise the price that much.

My first question - how reputable is this system builder there in the UK? Would do some searching if you're not familiar with them.

When I bought my MBP, a big reason was the price. I couldn't touch a system with the specs of the MBP from a builder that I would purchase from.

After 6 months on OS X now, and not being the gamer I once was, think I would be willing to pay a small premium for OS X over a windows machine. Whether you are either able or willing to pay this premium can only be answered by yourself. For me, if I was was still an avid gamer on the PC platform, windows would still be my choice at the price difference you're looking at.

Levi · Jul 13, 2007

bobtomay said:
Well according to my conversion that would make it about $550 american cheaper than the 15" MBP - missing bluetooth and wireless n - adding those two at the site wouldn't raise the price that much.

The 15" MBP with equal (actually very slightly better) specs is £650 ($1300)more.

The basic MBP is £1300; £350 ($700) more expensive and still has a lower spec than the PC.

I'm guessing you're comparing the price of the PC against the price of a MBP in the US... everything's more expensive in the UK (for example, I configured the Mac Pro to it's highest possible specs on both the UK and US store... the UK one would be £6,000 ($12,000) more for the same computer. Enough to buy a half-decent 2nd hand car).

ki99 · Jul 14, 2007

when it comes to looking at the specs for the price, keep in mind that it is so much more than that. no two OS's are the same and they use the specs differently. it seems like a mac would suit your needs better than just fine. i would definitely advise getting a mac. but i would also suggest using your brothers to see if you like OS X. and don't hate it 'cause you can't do something on it you could on windows. it's a different system, by a different company. give it a shot, and if you really don't like it, go with windows. but in my experience, os x will run better on the same specs as windows, in some cases, os x will run better on lower specs. it is all up to you, but i would strongly suggest getting a mac, it seems the perfect choice. and there is some fps and rts for mac, and probably more to come.

McLovin · Jul 14, 2007

smurfy said:
why dont you see if you can play around on his Mac. Don't listen to what someone else says, that's why people never find out how great Macs are. Try it for yourself!

Then why should he listen to your post?

I say he should you should get the PC. I'm guessing he's tried out his brother's PC before. Plus you can run Windows on Mac but that's just going to cost you more money (expensive hardware + expensive software).

slashjunior · Jul 15, 2007

This is not something you can ask a Mac forum. Of course there will be bias. You need to goto an Apple Store and check out the Mac for yourself and try to justify whether it is worth spending the extra on the Mac.

Don't write off MacBooks though. MacBooks are great for people like myself who don't need it for games or photoshop and just for surfing the net, listening to music and watching movies and like its smaller screen which makes it more portable.

If your needs are similar to mine then there is no need to get a MacBook Pro specced machine. Only you know that though and only you can judge if OS X is really worth shelling out an extra 600 quid for.