Tempted to cross back to the dark side

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I have a 6+ years old PowerBook G4 Aluminum 15" that I bought back in 2003. It is still going strong today and in pristine condition. The only failed part is the bluetooth, and I don't even bother to get it fixed as I rarely use it.
I am in the market for a new laptop since I need better performance for my work, and decide to keep the G4 for browsing and e-mail only. The ideal replacement is the Macbook Pro 15", and I was hoping Apple would refresh the Macbook Pro line (introduce intel i5 chip maybe) on yesterday's event. But they didn't, and I was dissapointed.
Today I look at some HP ads, and was tempted by their Pavilion dv7t quad edition, it has 17" screen, Intel Core i7, 4Gb Ram, 1Gb Nvidia GT 230M, 320Gb HDD for $1,260 (Macbook Pro 15" is $1980 for the one with dual video card)
I have to say i'm tempted.. :Oops:
Can you really feel the performance difference between Core i7 and Core2Duo chips? I will use the laptop mainly for photoshop and light 3D work.
 
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Here's my personal opinion - so for what it's worth:

Get what your comfortable with, but for heavens sake, don't get an HP consumer grade machine.

There are a lot of great laptops out there on both sides of the computing world. The core i7 in laptops has some great potential, but HP, honestly, has got a terrible rep when it comes to laptops - they break faster, they tend to have poor cooling (ie: they overheat), they're loaded with bloatware, etc.

Here's just one article on the topic:

Laptop reliability survey: ASUS and Toshiba win, HP fails -- Engadget

I honestly don't care what you get - Windows or Mac, I have and use both (windows laptop for gaming, Mac computer/laptop for my other day to day stuff) - you need to get what works for you.

ps - I should note - if you decide to look at an Asus, if you're looking at the G series that has the i7 (Gx1A), you might want to check the forums at http://www.notebookforums.com/ for Asus - their gaming series core i7 unit had some BSoD issues under certain circumstances - this may have been worked out now, but I don't know - all I know is that when I was looking at either a core2duo or i7 last year, there were some problems with the i7 - I ended up getting a C2D asus gaming laptop (slightly older version that was more in my budget range)
 
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Well, I'm going the other way. I'm a 15-year PC guy will become a Mac guy next week. Maybe you have forgotten how nice it is to be virus free without the need for antivirus and anti-spyware software slowing down the works?

I say bite the proverbial bullet and buy another Mac. Get the high-end one and be done with it for another 6+ years. Heck, finance it if you need to. (they have a 0% interest card for 12 months...)

This is the first I've heard of a graphics person even considering a PC. My sister and brother in law are both graphic artists and have never considered a PC.

If Mac works out for me, I'll never consider another PC either.

Also, remember that specs are one thing. But well-engineered construction is something that is easy to take for granted.

What about battery life? Don't Macs have much better battery life for the size than PCs?
 

dtravis7


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Besides Nethfel very good post, Do you really want Windows again? Remember, it's not just the new Intel i5 and i7, if you get a Windows Laptop you are using Windows. No OSX. OSX can not legally be installed on a Windows laptop.

So the choice is up to you, do you want to go back to Windows or stick with OSX?

Yesterdays Event was a special event just to launch the iPad. There will be other launches and updates to the Macbook Pro. Special Apple Events are for the release of a special product like the iPad and not to introduce a new Mac.
 
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In my opinion, it's all about the OS.
 
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Yes/no... the i5 is only dual core at 2.26GHz, so yea it's a better chip set, but you probably won't notice any difference unless it was quad core... of course, the mobile i7s they clocked down to 1.6GHz with a turbo up to 2.8GHz... cool, but you really wouldn't notice the difference much unless photoshop could make use of all 4 cores... but the C2D would be faster much of the time.

Anyway, I imagine the refresh will be in may, as it always is.
 
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Here's my personal opinion - so for what it's worth:

Get what your comfortable with, but for heavens sake, don't get an HP consumer grade machine.

There are a lot of great laptops out there on both sides of the computing world. The core i7 in laptops has some great potential, but HP, honestly, has got a terrible rep when it comes to laptops - they break faster, they tend to have poor cooling (ie: they overheat), they're loaded with bloatware, etc.

Here's just one article on the topic:

Laptop reliability survey: ASUS and Toshiba win, HP fails -- Engadget

I honestly don't care what you get - Windows or Mac, I have and use both (windows laptop for gaming, Mac computer/laptop for my other day to day stuff) - you need to get what works for you.

ps - I should note - if you decide to look at an Asus, if you're looking at the G series that has the i7 (Gx1A), you might want to check the forums at Quality Notebook and Laptop Reviews, Benchmarks, News, Discussions, Pricing and more. for Asus - their gaming series core i7 unit had some BSoD issues under certain circumstances - this may have been worked out now, but I don't know - all I know is that when I was looking at either a core2duo or i7 last year, there were some problems with the i7 - I ended up getting a C2D asus gaming laptop (slightly older version that was more in my budget range)

Thank you for the heads up about HP products. I guess I was just tempted for the price they offer for a system with brand new i7 processor. For HP price, I can only get 13" MBP (but then apple hardwares are always more expensive :D)

While sometimes we take things for granted, I do appreciate the security of running MacOS X, and believe me I will never forget that :)
This is actually my biggest concern when I was tempted to switch back to Windows. I am comfortable using both OS, but for security, stability, and user-friendliness, OS X wins.

Probably I should wait for the refresh in May then, hopefully the MBPs will be updated with new processors, or at least better specs.
Thanks guys for all the opinions :)
 
C

chas_m

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I would just add that now that Apple are doing their own chips, you may find that the lower-end consumer stuff starts to move away from Intel.

But yes, I agree with the posters above -- computer-OS X=unacceptable.
 
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I HIGHLY doubt they will move their computers away from intel anytime soon. Other devices maybe, but I doubt their systems. The Intel processors are extremely powerful and well established. Moving to an unproven chip for their main stream computers would prove disastrous IMHO - software that is coming out is being fine tuned for intel based CPUs, and as much as Apple likes to stand out in the crowd, and no matter how much they don't mind throwing people for loops, I don't think they would make that move for their main computer base. Tablet, some sort of netbook, yes, laptop - I have my doubts - at least until this new chip has proven itself and they come out with a version that is significantly faster (or can prove that it can do more with with a lower clock speed).

It's a big leap going from making a single core, low power CPU that is en embedded device CPU (it's based upon ARM architecture (see: AppleInsider | iPad's custom Apple A4 processor includes ARM-based CPU, GPU ) to a main stream system CPU... unless they have a seriously awesome hidden design that's ready to bust out into the public eye, I don't expect to see a full laptop made with one of these processors. Yes, I know its 2-4 core capability, but ARM technology is still more embedded tech...
 
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They put a core i7 in a LAPTOP? Do you have to carry a trolling motor battery around with it? How about an asbestos shield to keep your legs from becoming deep fried?

I stopped using laptops when battery life dropped to where they wouldn't even last through a short haul flight.
 

CrimsonRequiem


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They put a core i7 in a LAPTOP? Do you have to carry a trolling motor battery around with it? How about an asbestos shield to keep your legs from becoming deep fried?

I stopped using laptops when battery life dropped to where they wouldn't even last through a short haul flight.

They aren't called laptops anymore people. They care called notebooks, and for good reason. Unless you like burning your thighs...
 
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Interesting note, Crimson. I have a couple year old Lenovo T61 for work that does get warm, but not so hot that I can't put it on my thighs. But it is nowhere near as powerful as what we're talking about here.

My wife wants a new.... notebook... refuses to consider Mac; too stubborn. She just wants a good PC notebook. Looking at Bestbuy.com, there are several Toshiba notebooks with this processor. I think they go down to about $700 or so. She'll probably end up with one of those.
 

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