Macbook Pro i7?

[cuhnool]

I don't see how this is still going. If you think the Dell is better, get the Dell. If you want the Mac, get the Mac. When you buy computers, there will be things to sacrifice, and you will just have to buy according to your needs. Example, the Dell has the new i7, the Mac does not. But, the Mac runs OS X, the Dell does not. Just simple examples there.

But in all honesty, go for what you need, not what you want. If I bought the computer I wanted, I would have had to sell all my possessions and work more hours than I blink. But instead, I got something that fit well for my needs, which was a 2.1 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook with a gig of RAM. It has suited my needs for well into a year, and still does. Yes, it kinda lags a bit when doing heavy intensive stuff like running GarageBand with 15 tracks, each with their own effects, with Safari and iTunes running at the same time, but hey, it is still doing what I want it to do effectively.

 

[CrimsonRequiem]

I was looking over the hardware on the dell...and it seems they charge extra for some stuff like Bluetooth...

Are getting a better deal by making it seem like you are customizing every aspect of the notebook?

 

[osxx]

I am not saying that having a new i7 over the duo core 2 would not be nice but the current 2.8 with 4g's of ram sure seems plenty fast to me.

 

[informed101]

I was looking over the hardware on the dell...and it seems they charge extra for some stuff like Bluetooth...

Are getting a better deal by making it seem like you are customizing every aspect of the notebook?

Dell is tricky. They have different web pages offering different prices, promos and included specs. The page I went to had a discount on the system before configuring. I then configured it to my specs, got a price, then called their sales staff. On the line they're eager to deal! Gave me 7% off the total price! Frankly, I find Dell's multiple deal, multiple page of varying offers irritating and a bit manipulative. Kind of like the peanut and shell game where you have to guess if you're getting the "Real deal".

 

[RD423]

In theory a 17" screen is nice, but I have a cousin who purchased an hp with that size screen and after 2 months hated it. Said it was like carrying luggage around. IMO unlike most who like 15" screens I am completely satisfied with my 13.3" screen. Easy to carry around and I can see perfectly on it.

I don't understand why you would have to spend $2800 on a laptop when u can get a cheaper one for around $1500 because a 2.6 core 2 duo will handle anything and everything just fine, cuz like some1 else stated what good is having the extra cores if they aren't doing anything.

Why would u want 2 purchase a Dell? by far one of the worse pc companies out there.
Why would u want windows? The great improvements that they have so called made are the visuals and from what I've noticed it looks like they implemented certain things that OSX has had for years.

A blue ray player in a laptop? how many ways can u say useless except to try and get all of the ppl who has to have the latest tech. In this case I don't know about anyone else but I don't watch any DVD's on my laptop, never have and never will. When I'm watching movies I like to watch them on a TV so i can sit back relax and have a great screen to do it on.

But it sounds like you have already convinced yourself to buy the dell so good luck with that and Once u do decide to go Mac and OSX you will wonder what took you so long. Cause it took me about a month to really get the "how to" down and now I can't stand working on a windows PC. (Side note had a problem with Internet Explorer at school today on a windows computer and just reconfirmed why i was glad I switched)

 

[ZorroAMG]

BluRay on a laptop is rather useless, not like it's gonna look any better on that tiny 17" screen than a regular dvd....

 

[CrimsonRequiem]

BluRay on a laptop is rather useless, not like it's gonna look any better on that tiny 17" screen than a regular dvd....

Well only useful if you were to get the BluRay burner, and that's only if you actually have invested money into Sony's BluRay entertainment system.

 

[macwannabe]

why do you need a laptop.. just get the 27" iMac with the i7 and a blu-ray burner and call it a day. btw it has a SD card reader built in and all the new laptops have them as well. and if you wanted to watch blu-ray on a 27" screen at least it would value the quality a little bit more on a larger screen. i work at best buy so i have some slight experience in this. and blu-ray on a 17" screen is just ok.. you couldnt even tell the diff from 720 and 1080 on a screen that small. that high resolution doesnt really start to play until about 40" just my 2 cents. if you dont need to travel with it as much as you think you do. get the iMac it's a beast that runs OS X.

 

[DriftNismo]

It's been said for the past few years that for the same price as the Mac range you can get better specs elsewhere. When I bought my 15" MBP (2.4Ghz C2D, 2GB RAM, 200GB HDD, 8600m GT 256mb) I could have bought an Alienware M17 (2.8Ghz Dual Phenom or 2.2Ghz Quad Phenom, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, HD4850 1GB) for the same price, but if I did that I'd still be running Windows, or a quite buggy OS X. So I bought the MBP because I was more bothered about an OS that I would use every day for everything than I was about getting monster hardware that would only come into practice with gaming, and would just end up using Vista again for everything else.

Everything else aside, it comes down to the OS. Bluetooth isn't really a problem; I've never used the bluetooth on my MBP, and everyone I know on normal laptops or Macs never use their bluetooth other than for the Wireless Mighty Mouse anyway. If you considered getting a Mac, I'm assuming it was because you wanted the OS, not the specs. Blu-rays aren't going to look much different unless they are on a much larger screen, but either way, think about how much you will be watching movies and how much you will need that tiny extra bit of quality.

Make a list of everything that you do on the computer (browsing the web, photo editing, listening to music, etc) and then try them on a Mac and on a Windows PC, and see which OS works out for you better. If OS X is only a tiny bit better and you aren't bothered that much by it, then by all means get the Dell. If you still want the aluminium housing and other cosmetic refinements but don't mind not having OS X, go for a Vaio or something. In the end, it's all down to the OS. Do you need OS X?

 

[Doug b]

Objective ? You're getting pretty silly now actually. You just professed that you would spend an extra grand on a mac if they dropped in a quad core processor. And for what ? How many applications do you know of which take advantage of said processor ? How many apps are you running at once ? I think you really love the prospect of having the hottest specs available without concern for real-world performance.

That performance comes from a combination of the hardware, true.. but without the OS to make it all come together, the hardware means zilch.

Ok, so you got me. That system you listed is certainly diesel.. I'm still not impressed to be honest. And this isn't because I'm a Mac guy now. I was a Windows guy since I was a tyke. It's just that I know how quickly those specs will be "so last year", and again, it has less to do with the hardware and more to do with how the OS utilizes the power of said hardware.

Fine. Blueray drive. Say it. Say it until it makes you shake. I think it's premature for some people to say that it's useless in a laptop, but I still agree with the sentiment. I'd personally rather have an external blueray drive and here's why.. If I REALLY needed blueray playback on my laptop, it sure wouldn't be to play back movies on such a small screen. I'd hook it up to an external monitor or TV. That said, if I used it a lot, I'd rather have an external drive so that WHEN (not if) it finally gave out, I wouldn't have to take my laptop in for repairs. I'd rather just buy another cheap BR drive.

I personally only use my superdrive (the internal DVD burner) for installing software. I'm actually looking for an external housing unit for my bare DVD burner so that I don't even have to do that. I like keeping my internal drives as pristine as possible. I'm anal like that.

The MacBook Pro's have an SD card reader built in. I personally don't use it because I use CF cards, and wish they'd implement a multi card reader.

As for everything else, you HAVE made your mind up. You seem to think that the latest specs are going to make you work better or faster. Funny.. some people think that having the best DSLR camera that money can buy, makes them a great photographer....

I also understand that you feel you're getting more for your money with the Dell. Technically speaking, spec wise.. of course you are. So if that's what makes a computer great for you, then why are we still having this conversation ? You've been told countless times now, that the specs are only part of the equation. Yet it seems to be the most important aspect of it, for you.

So in all sincerity, be happy with the Dell and that's that.

Doug