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Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Notebook Hardware
another undecided laptop buyer
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<blockquote data-quote="bobtomay" data-source="post: 916132" data-attributes="member: 24160"><p>If you have been happy with your $600 Dell, then you should get another. For a manufacturer of off the shelf, proprietary computers at bargain prices, Dell puts out some decent systems at the prices you pay. But, you do get what you pay for.</p><p></p><p>If you're one that wouldn't even consider paying Dell that extra $150 or more they charge to go from the 2.0 Ghz CPU to a 2.10 Ghz, you may as well stop reading now and go get that Dell. An Apple is not for you.</p><p></p><p>However, if you want to actually compare machines then you need to know your stuff or be prepared to search out what really is the best. Dell is using the bottom of the line mobile CPUs.</p><p></p><p>Ex. The Inspiron 13", with the 2.10 Ghz chip vs the MacBook and it's 2.13 Ghz chip. The current regular price of these two machines has the Dell $50 higher than the MacBook. With their current sale price, it's $150 cheaper than the MacBook.</p><p></p><p>To the casual observer there are no differences between these two chips.</p><p></p><p>The 2.10 chip is an 800 Mhz bus with 2 MB Level 2 cache.</p><p>The 2.13 chip is a 1066 Mhz bus with 3 MB Level 2 cache.</p><p></p><p>The 2.10 has a thermal rating of 35 watts and a thermal spec of 105C.</p><p>The 2.13 has a thermal rating of 25 watts and a thermal spec of 95C.</p><p></p><p>So, not only does the chip in the Mac have a faster bus speed and more cache, it also uses less power and stays cooler. This makes for a more expensive part related to the guts of the system - the CPU and the motherboard.</p><p></p><p>That 2.10 CPU used by Dell is also not capable of Virtualization.</p><p>What this means for you probably most importantly, no XP mode support in Win 7.</p><p></p><p>The Dell uses 667 Mhz RAM.</p><p>The Mac uses 800 Mhz RAM.</p><p></p><p>The Dell uses the Intel X3100. (167th place)</p><p>The Mac uses the NVidia 9400M. (107th place)</p><p>You can look those up for yourself <a href="http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p></p><p>Dell Audio - 2.0 only without upgrade.</p><p>Mac - will put out 5.1 via optical from a 5.1 source - primarily DVDs or maybe iTunes, Amazon or Hulu HD movies and TV shows.</p><p></p><p>Have to add $25 to the Dell for wireless n instead of g.</p><p></p><p>We haven't even touched the OS's and included software yet.</p><p>Or the fact that there exists at this time zero viruses or malware in the wild that can affect OS X.</p><p></p><p>But, don't let any of this affect your decision. If you're interested, you need to do the research yourself, go to the Apple store and play with one. Call and make an appointment. If you're not convinced after your own research, you should buy that Dell.</p><p></p><p>btw: I'd really be interested in you pointing out a Dell with a better processor and RAM at half the price of a Mac. I've simply never seen one.</p><p></p><p>You should also know that while my primary machine is a Mac, 4 out of 6 of my own machines are Win boxes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="bobtomay, post: 916132, member: 24160"] If you have been happy with your $600 Dell, then you should get another. For a manufacturer of off the shelf, proprietary computers at bargain prices, Dell puts out some decent systems at the prices you pay. But, you do get what you pay for. If you're one that wouldn't even consider paying Dell that extra $150 or more they charge to go from the 2.0 Ghz CPU to a 2.10 Ghz, you may as well stop reading now and go get that Dell. An Apple is not for you. However, if you want to actually compare machines then you need to know your stuff or be prepared to search out what really is the best. Dell is using the bottom of the line mobile CPUs. Ex. The Inspiron 13", with the 2.10 Ghz chip vs the MacBook and it's 2.13 Ghz chip. The current regular price of these two machines has the Dell $50 higher than the MacBook. With their current sale price, it's $150 cheaper than the MacBook. To the casual observer there are no differences between these two chips. The 2.10 chip is an 800 Mhz bus with 2 MB Level 2 cache. The 2.13 chip is a 1066 Mhz bus with 3 MB Level 2 cache. The 2.10 has a thermal rating of 35 watts and a thermal spec of 105C. The 2.13 has a thermal rating of 25 watts and a thermal spec of 95C. So, not only does the chip in the Mac have a faster bus speed and more cache, it also uses less power and stays cooler. This makes for a more expensive part related to the guts of the system - the CPU and the motherboard. That 2.10 CPU used by Dell is also not capable of Virtualization. What this means for you probably most importantly, no XP mode support in Win 7. The Dell uses 667 Mhz RAM. The Mac uses 800 Mhz RAM. The Dell uses the Intel X3100. (167th place) The Mac uses the NVidia 9400M. (107th place) You can look those up for yourself [URL="http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html"]here[/URL]. Dell Audio - 2.0 only without upgrade. Mac - will put out 5.1 via optical from a 5.1 source - primarily DVDs or maybe iTunes, Amazon or Hulu HD movies and TV shows. Have to add $25 to the Dell for wireless n instead of g. We haven't even touched the OS's and included software yet. Or the fact that there exists at this time zero viruses or malware in the wild that can affect OS X. But, don't let any of this affect your decision. If you're interested, you need to do the research yourself, go to the Apple store and play with one. Call and make an appointment. If you're not convinced after your own research, you should buy that Dell. btw: I'd really be interested in you pointing out a Dell with a better processor and RAM at half the price of a Mac. I've simply never seen one. You should also know that while my primary machine is a Mac, 4 out of 6 of my own machines are Win boxes. [/QUOTE]
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Apple Computing Products:
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another undecided laptop buyer
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