NationStates Jolt Archive

Since my laptop broke I have been looking for one worth buying as a replacement.

How about opinions on this?

Gateway M-153X. Vista Home Premium. Core 2 Duo 2.2gHz. 3GB RAM. 250GB HDD. Radeon 2600 512MB dedicated video. Just over $800

http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4023065&sku=G180-15007

Buy a Mac. I just bought the brand new 15" Pro Mac laptop and its sex with processors. Some of the more interesting highlights: Its laser/water jet carved from a single solid 2 lb block of aluminum so the frame is all one piece with no joints or screws for unbelievable frame stability and its a process that cant be cheaply or easily duplicated in China.

Guess what you shouldn't buy--an Averatec 2100. Why, you ask? Well, here's why:WITd 1000 dollars onop0this piece of shThis is exactly why is spenp0

*note that it actually deleted two whole lines.

This was the one I was going to suggest - You found a pretty good deal though

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=1551419&enkwrd=ALLPROD:1551419

Buy a Mac. I just bought the brand new 15" Pro Mac laptop and its sex with processors. Some of the more interesting highlights: Its laser/water jet carved from a single solid 2 lb block of aluminum so the frame is all one piece with no joints or screws for unbelievable frame stability and its a process that cant be cheaply or easily duplicated in China.

Eek ... I went to go check it out ... how the hell can they justify 2000 for a 15 inch laptop with the 2.4ghz core 2 duo and only 2 gb of ram

Thats 700 more then a comparable gateway (the gateway actually has twice the ram)

Or 800 more then an HP with the same processor, more memory and same video card

I dont need a fancy case that bad

Are you going to game on this laptop?

Buy a Mac.

Any less stupid suggestions?

This was the one I was going to suggest - You found a pretty good deal though

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=1551419&enkwrd=ALLPROD:1551419
That's terribly overpriced.

Are you going to game on this laptop?

Yes, which is why I picked one with a dedicated graphics card instead of a cheaper one...

Buy a typewriter. Less crashing. If you want games, supplement your purchase with the world's favourite, ball in a cup.

EDIT: Holy cow batman! My computer must be old. That laptop is about a zilion times more powerful than my desktop computer. Then again, it still plays Solitaire ok, and thats all you really need other than Word.

Eek ... I went to go check it out ... how the hell can they justify 2000 for a 15 inch laptop with the 2.4ghz core 2 duo and only 2 gb of ram

Thats 700 more then a comparable gateway (the gateway actually has twice the ram)

Or 800 more then an HP with the same processor, more memory and same video card

I dont need a fancy case that bad
I ran a comparison between Mac and Sony with Mac's new "cheap" Macbook Pro. To match the Sony laptop, I had to customize the Mac up which added $200 over the Sony's price.

Any less stupid suggestions?

Yeah for the price of the 15 inch base Macbook the OP could buy a laptop that exceedes the macbooks specs but also buy the cheaper (but close) proposed second laptop

Two laptops both in the performance neighborhood (one higher) for the same price of a single laptop

Sheesh

Yeah for the price of the 15 inch base Macbook the OP could buy a laptop that exceedes the macbooks specs but also buy the cheaper (but close) proposed second laptop

Two laptops both in the performance neighborhood (one higher) for the same price of a single laptop

Sheesh

Yea and i could buy fifteen crap cars for the price of one BMW too. Both groups go fast and both have four tires so why would anyone ever buy a BMW using your logic?

I ran a comparison between Mac and Sony with Mac's new "cheap" Macbook Pro. To match the Sony laptop, I had to customize the Mac up which added $200 over the Sony's price.

$200 more for an operating system that just works? $200 extra for never ever getting a virus? $200 more for a system that is better engineered and more physically durable then a crap Dell or a Sony? Sold.


My brother was a long time PCer. Hes in his 50s now and was set in his computer ways and didnt want to go to the bother of learning a new system. Until one day they shut his cable off because his computer had just emailed 100,000 people in the last hour without his knowledge. i talked him into buying an imac (the one with computer built into screen but still a desktop) and hes now just bought his third since January for the rest of the family and he couldnt be happier.

do not buy what you asked about because that is exactly what i have and it is pretty much a piece of crap you should stick with microsoft office, because in all vtruth both Vista and Mac arent worth it

Yea and i could buy fifteen crap cars for the price of one BMW too. Both groups go fast and both have four tires so why would anyone ever buy a BMW using your logic?

Some poseur value, one assumes. If you NEED a vehicle that matches whatever performance value you can get out of a BMW, then you don't buy a Kia - but most people only NEED a Kia.

If I need a computer for gaming, and I'm going to spend thousands of dollars, I can buy something a lot more 'bang for the buck' than a laser-cut aluminium case. Indeed - the aluminium case machine would just make me look like a poser.

Yea and i could buy fifteen crap cars for the price of one BMW too. Both groups go fast and both have four tires so why would anyone ever buy a BMW using your logic?
My logic? my logic included a machine spec'ed into the same category

Indeed - the aluminium case machine would just make me look like a poser.

Why? Do you not recognize that a strong and lightweight case has significant positive market value?

$200 more for an operating system that just works? $200 extra for never ever getting a virus? $200 more for a system that is better engineered and more physically durable then a crap Dell or a Sony? Sold.



Sucker I got my OS for free ... does what I want better and easier for what I want it too as well.

And it runs on reasonably priced hardware that has had an amazing lifespan without problems

I would say the in at the moment is to buy a mac. they are the bomb

Why? Do you not recognize that a strong and lightweight case has significant positive market value?

No.

If I was going to throw my laptop at random shit, yes - a super tough box would be ever so helpful. But I don't throw my laptop at random shit. Indeed, I have a nice comfy padded bag to STOP me throwing my laptop at random shit. Forking over TWICE the price, just to get a case that WOULD allow me to throw my laptop at random shit would serve no other purpose than showing that I was either a poseur... or the sort of tool who throws their laptop at random shit.

$200 more for an operating system that just works? $200 extra for never ever getting a virus? $200 more for a system that is better engineered and more physically durable then a crap Dell or a Sony? Sold.

Well... for an operating system that "just works" and never gets a virus, you could try one of the N flavors of Linux (I use Fedora, but Ubuntu and others are just fine too). Plus you can get all sorts of free software (yes, including games) as well as support without having to enslave yourself to a set of expensive proprietary technology.

As for more physically durable, well, I don't know what kind of rigors you subject your laptop to -- but unless you regularly take take your machine hitchhiking across Rwanda or something I think you'll find that your machine will become rather obsolete long before its structural integrity fails, unless you perform some kind of direct trauma to the hardware that your shiny Mac is unlikely to survive either.

If you are serious about games, it's cheaper and easier to get an Xbox or PS3 or something than a dedicated gaming machine, much less a gaming *laptop*. Chances are that a serious video card alone will probably run a large fraction of the entire gaming console price; plus, a console will be able to run games made for that console over its lifetime, whereas there's probably no machine you can buy today that will run bleeding-edge games a year from now without upgrading your video card/motherboard.

No.

If I was going to throw my laptop at random shit, yes - a super tough box would be ever so helpful. But I don't throw my laptop at random shit. Indeed, I have a nice comfy padded bag to STOP me throwing my laptop at random shit. Forking over TWICE the price, just to get a case that WOULD allow me to throw my laptop at random shit would serve no other purpose than showing that I was either a poseur... or the sort of tool who throws their laptop at random shit.

If that were the plan I would go for a semi rugged or fully rugged toughbook ... thats one hell of a solid computer

$200 more for an operating system that just works? $200 extra for never ever getting a virus? $200 more for a system that is better engineered and more physically durable then a crap Dell or a Sony? Sold.
Mac fanboys can go fellate Apple on Apple boards.
I have nothing against Apple. No wait, I'm a liar, I have a ton against Apple. But I have nothing agaisnt using a Mac, I just refuse to because Apple fanboys are serious jerk offs.

do not buy what you asked about because that is exactly what i have and it is pretty much a piece of crap you should stick with microsoft office, because in all vtruth both Vista and Mac arent worth it
While I have no idea what the fuck you said, my other laptop is broken. And in such a way that it can't be fixed without a case replacement - a structural stress failure in a weird joint below the hinge that makes zero sense.

Besides, it wouldn't play games anyway. If necessary, I can just wipe Vista off of it and get a friend to get me a copy of XP from school through the CS department's MS program.

While I have no idea what the fuck you said, my other laptop is broken. And in such a way that it can't be fixed without a case replacement - a structural stress failure in a weird joint below the hinge that makes zero sense.


LMAO does anyone else see the irony here when i was JUST mentioning the benefits of the Macs solid aluminum casing that several people poopooed as an irrelevant point?

But I have nothing agaisnt using a Mac, I just refuse to because Apple fanboys are serious jerk offs.

So let me get this straight, instead of benefiting from a product due to its positive qualities, you wont use a product only because of others opinions who you clearly dont even value? Ok then.

If that were the plan I would go for a semi rugged or fully rugged toughbook ... thats one hell of a solid computer

If I were spending the kind of money recommended for our aluminium friend, I'd spend it on a desktop instead, and get a machine that could throw me at random shit.

LMAO does anyone else see the irony here when i was JUST mentioning the benefits of the Macs solid aluminum casing that several people poopooed as an irrelevant point?
Because it is an irrelevant point. The failure was a freak accident and would have just as easily happened to an aluminum case. And besides that, if you are making choice of a laptop based on the case alone, you are a grade A dipshit.

So let me get this straight, instead of benefiting from a product due to its positive qualities, you wont use a product only because of others opinions who you clearly dont even value? Ok then.
I value you my opinion much more highly than that of people with their heads up Steve Jobbs' ass.

The jerk off fanboys are only one of a number of reasons I don't like Apple. And I want a laptop to play games on. I can't replace the OS on an Apple machine like I can on a Vista 64 bit machine.
Reason I hate Apple number 1: Apple hardware requires Apple software. Some company trying to mimic the Apple sued them over it after being sued for trying to make fake Apple machines.

LMAO does anyone else see the irony here when i was JUST mentioning the benefits of the Macs solid aluminum casing that several people poopooed as an irrelevant point?

You say irony, but I don't think it means what you think it mean.

LMAO does anyone else see the irony here when i was JUST mentioning the benefits of the Macs solid aluminum casing that several people poopooed as an irrelevant point?

Irrelevant to me, since I've never seen this happen (to me or in my experience). It's not to say that laptops can't break -- the more moving mechanical parts you put in a machine, the more likely it is to give, after all -- but it's like saying that everyone needs steel-toed boots because they can protect your foot.

Sure, at any moment, your foot could be squished by something heavy, but unless you are in a line of work where you lift heavy things a lot, it's probably not worth the investment for most folks.

LMAO does anyone else see the irony here when i was JUST mentioning the benefits of the Macs solid aluminum casing that several people poopooed as an irrelevant point?

To be fair from what I hear him discribing I saw one of the 17 inch macbooks when they were brand new in the same shape

Not saying it is a failing just saying it happens ... idiot user dropped it out of her lap when getting out of her car ... open at just that sickining angle to snap a hinge

Idiot that was when the macbook pro's were less then 2 weeks out of release

And besides that, if you are making choice of a laptop based on the case alone, you are a grade A dipshit.

This dipshit has a fully functioning computer with a perfectly intact case.. Do you?


The jerk off fanboys are only one of a number of reasons I don't like Apple. And I want a laptop to play games on. I can't replace the OS on an Apple machine like I can on a Vista 64 bit machine.

Why not? Much to Micro$ofts embarassment, Macs were running Vista faster then comparable PC machines were.

Buy a Mac. I just bought the brand new 15" Pro Mac laptop and its sex with processors. Some of the more interesting highlights: Its laser/water jet carved from a single solid 2 lb block of aluminum so the frame is all one piece with no joints or screws for unbelievable frame stability and its a process that cant be cheaply or easily duplicated in China.
Why would you buy a pro? Go with the normal macbook. It's much cheaper and if I'm not mistaken, the macbook pro is less compatible with other things.

I have a macbook and it's not bad, I just found a program to activate the accelerometers to act like the keyboard or mouse input for whatever program you wish and can now play physical neverball... it's good fun. :) I would advise against getting upgrades from mac if you order one though, it's much cheaper to buy your own bigger hard drive and installation is a snap, same with ram chips. Also, try looking for refurbs or invoke student status to save some cash.

Oh, plus it's easy to install linux on it, there's a lot of open source software (so you can avoid a lot of the iLife junk) and you can use a terminal on osx. There's a lot of room for tinkering in general, or you could forgo the tinkering and use it as is with whatever visible customizing you want.

Reason I hate Apple number 1: Apple hardware requires Apple software. Some company trying to mimic the Apple sued them over it after being sued for trying to make fake Apple machines.
One of my friends has his machine triple booted osx, gentoo (a linux distro), winxp. I call bullshit.

You just have to know what you're doing is all or find a good instruction manual online.

This dipshit has a fully functioning computer with a perfectly intact case.. Do you?


My laptop is something like 3 years old, and also has no cracked case... and I could have bought 5 of them for what you spent...

That's the problems with those sorts of comparisons.

Why would you buy a pro? Go with the normal macbook. It's much cheaper and if I'm not mistaken, the macbook pro is less compatible with other things.


The gf wasnt happy with a 13" screen. We went with the upgraded 15.4" Pro 4gb Ram 2.53 duo

This dipshit has a fully functioning computer with a perfectly intact case.. Do you?
If I wanted a "full functioning computer with a perfectly intact case" that did jack shit I wanted it to do but surf the net and read email, I would get a linux laptop. Save myself at least $800.


Why not? Much to Micro$ofts embarassment, Macs were running Vista faster then comparable PC machines were.
Because Apple hardware and software is intrinsically linked. If you don't know what that means, look it up.

And you are a Mac fanboy, we get it. Go away before you get reported for trolling. You are contributing nothing to the thread.

LMAO does anyone else see the irony here when i was JUST mentioning the benefits of the Macs solid aluminum casing that several people poopooed as an irrelevant point?
I doubt that the solid aluminum case is that helpful when it comes to things that would actually damage a laptop. If you wanted to protect your laptop from serious damage, you'd put it in this: http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1090

The gf wasnt happy with a 13" screen. We went with the upgraded 15.4" Pro 4gb Ram 2.53 duo
Ah, I like the small-ish size for transportation reasons. If the screen size was an issue I'd plug it into the one on my desktop.

Because Apple hardware and software is intrinsically linked. If you don't know what that means, look it up.

The only thing you have to do if you want a macbook to run windows (or any other operating system) is leave a small partition with osx on it to save like 30 seconds of boot time. Otherwise I guarantee it works fine if you set it up right.


I should perhaps note that I'm a bit of an anomaly for a mac user, I basically got this because the hardware impressed me and a friend had put multiple operating systems on his machine with no major issues. I also enjoy tinkering a little...

I doubt that the solid aluminum case is that helpful when it comes to things that would actually damage a laptop. If you wanted to protect your laptop from serious damage, you'd put it in this: http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1090

The entire point of having a strong light laptop is so you DONT have to carry it in a piece of luggage to protect it.

I doubt that the solid aluminum case is that helpful when it comes to things that would actually damage a laptop. If you wanted to protect your laptop from serious damage, you'd put it in this: http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1090

This^^

The point of having a strong light laptop is so you DONT have to carry it in a piece of luggage to protect it.

Yes. Because that aluminium case is waterproof. Right?

Or... is the ONLY important factor in your estimation, it's structural strength within some peculiarly arbitrary limits?

UpwardThrust already pointed out there are better machines for taking REAL punishment, and Dakini pointed out there are more comprehensive solutions (that are probably way cheaper, thinking about it)...

...so, I guess we're back at 'poseur' value. That's all it's got going for it.

Why? Do you not recognize that a strong and lightweight case has significant positive market value?

Why do you need a laptop with a single piece chassis? Is it moonlighting as a melee weapon?

The entire point of having a strong light laptop is so you DONT have to carry it in a piece of luggage to protect it.

So the aluminum case pads all the parts inside it from a fall? Think not.

And stop trolling. No one gives a shit. You arn't contributing anything besides smug.

The entire point of having a strong light laptop is so you DONT have to carry it in a piece of luggage to protect it.
My point is that I very much doubt that the aluminum case protects much more than a normal case especially given how thin the macbook cases are to begin with (granted I don't examine macbook pros on a regular basis). Moreover, it doesn't protect from things like water whereas the pelican cases do. If I was going on some sort of field expedition, I wouldn't trust that an aluminum case would protect my laptop, I'd buy one of those.

I always find anti-Mac fans to be far more vitriolic than those who use Macs, which is borne out in this thread.

Ultimately it's about preference, the fact is that the Mac is simple and intuitive, it's a joy to use even if it isn't as complete in terms of available applications compared to the PC.

One thing I do find, and I find the same with Linux, is that the Mac community is incredibly helpful, it's very easy to find any solution to a problem because it's pretty centralised whereas you often need to hunt through different forums, help boards for the PC, often getting conflicting answers.

Clearly, in terms of price and variety, the PC is the way to go, especially if you're a heavy gamer.

I find the Mac/PC wars to be tedious, and certainly place some of that blame on Apple for continuing it, as seen in their ads, but if your image is predicated on which computer you own, you're pretty sad already.

In regards to the new computer, go with what you are most comfortable with and what you require, what fits your needs, budget, etc...

The first computer in my home growing up had been an Apple II. The last, before I moved out was a Powerbook. When I went to go get a computer I went with a product that I was familiar with, a Mac. I had been intending to go with the standard MacBook at the time but I ended up going with the top end MacBook Pro at the time. I could justify the cost.

Others can't justify the cost premiums. Others go with different OSs, maybe for familiarity or work related reasons, software requirement, etc... It is a matter of personal preference. When a product comes out that fits my needs when I need it, my personal preference may change. I am not an Apple fanboy, I am an Apple user and that may change.

This seems to be a fairly balanced view and might help you decide on what laptop to get.

http://technologizer.com/2008/10/19/is-the-new-macbook-expensive/

This seems to be a fairly balanced view and might help you decide on what laptop to get.

http://technologizer.com/2008/10/19/is-the-new-macbook-expensive/

It seems fairly balanced... except... it looks like they're comparing a production MacBook to customised PCs? If you have to compare pret-a-porter to tailormade to get price-parity... then there isnt price parity, surely?

This seems to be a fairly balanced view and might help you decide on what laptop to get.

http://technologizer.com/2008/10/19/is-the-new-macbook-expensive/

A rather good article I think but I would argue it at several points (or at least recognize the limitations)

1) He did a good job restricting it to a fair comparison of 13 inches, the problem is this does not look at some of the most popular lines. Personally I think of all the lines the 13 inch and the mini are the closest to a directly competitive price. The Macbook pro line and some of the higher end desktops get really outrageous compared to alternative hardware

2) Looking at the ones he gave the macbook a "pass" to were things of personal preference. While he does not do a direct tally at the end so no specific point of contention he seems to be using these things as equal weight in the end

For example the Keyboard/Touchpad and Aesthetics (same for case color for the sony)

But overall not a bad article

It seems fairly balanced... except... it looks like they're comparing a production MacBook to customised PCs? If you have to compare pret-a-porter to tailormade to get price-parity... then there isnt price parity, surely?
Some of his arguments are rather specious as well for example the networking comparison

1) Having a Gig interface in a laptop with a 5400 RPM drive is next to worthless
2) The fancy aluminum case seems to have an impact on wireless range. Now I have not worked with them sense they changed over to the new N adapters but there was a significant difference in performance of the original Macbook pro's and their equivalent PC for wireless range

That one also bugged me (and forgot to include it in my other post)

Some of his arguments are rather specious as well for example the networking comparison

1) Having a Gig interface in a laptop with a 5400 RPM drive is next to worthless
2) The fancy aluminum case seems to have an impact on wireless range. Now I have not worked with them sense they changed over to the new N adapters but there was a significant difference in performance of the original Macbook pro's and their equivalent PC for wireless range

That one also bugged me (and forgot to include it in my other post)

The aluminium case thing doesn't surprise me. I bought myself a nice new cellphone, at one point, with a sexy aluminium case... and reretted it later, because it had the worst reception ever, and dropped more calls (still on the same network that the phones before AND after were on) than all my other cellphones, put together. Ever.

dell 1525... i think thats the number. its 15-something. two people i know have that as personal laptops, and are mondo happy with them. not sure what the 3d performance is like

As for more physically durable, well, I don't know what kind of rigors you subject your laptop to -- but unless you regularly take take your machine hitchhiking across Rwanda or something I think you'll find that your machine will become rather obsolete long before its structural integrity fails...

lol, i like you :)

(and you GnI (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14120316&postcount=19))

I always find anti-Mac fans to be far more vitriolic than those who use Macs, which is borne out in this thread.

Ultimately it's about preference, the fact is that the Mac is simple and intuitive, it's a joy to use even if it isn't as complete in terms of available applications compared to the PC.

One thing I do find, and I find the same with Linux, is that the Mac community is incredibly helpful, it's very easy to find any solution to a problem because it's pretty centralised whereas you often need to hunt through different forums, help boards for the PC, often getting conflicting answers.

Clearly, in terms of price and variety, the PC is the way to go, especially if you're a heavy gamer.

I find the Mac/PC wars to be tedious, and certainly place some of that blame on Apple for continuing it, as seen in their ads, but if your image is predicated on which computer you own, you're pretty sad already.

its a fair point. the thing i find annoying about Macs, be it actual users on occasion, or - more importantly - their PR and overall message, is the air of superiority. this notion that their OS "just works" when mine does too, or that i'm supposed to be in awe of the minimalistic design or the fact things are hewn out of solid aluminium. its quite cool, but it doesn't really make it better as far as i'm concerned. hence, when these things are said, there's a real schoolyard "my computer's better than your computer" thing going on, which i'd be happy to not engage in... but they started it ;)

isn't it a bit sad that almost any thread on "what computer should i get" ends up as a mac-vs-PCs arguement? :p

its a fair point. the thing i find annoying about Macs, be it actual users on occasion, or - more importantly - their PR and overall message, is the air of superiority. this notion that their OS "just works" when mine does too, or that i'm supposed to be in awe of the minimalistic design or the fact things are hewn out of solid aluminium. its quite cool, but it doesn't really make it better as far as i'm concerned. hence, when these things are said, there's a real schoolyard "my computer's better than your computer" thing going on, which i'd be happy to not engage in... but they started it ;)

isn't it a bit sad that almost any thread on "what computer should i get" ends up as a mac-vs-PCs arguement? :p

It's a form of evangelism. As soon as the topic comes up, you have to Preach The Good Word. Or something.

It's a form of evangelism. As soon as the topic comes up, you have to Preach The Good Word. Or something.

I normally just spend my time arguing one side or another lol I have some pretty heavy background on all sides and just enjoy the topic :)

Well fuck, I meant to buy it yesterday but forgot and it is sold out today. Damnit to hell.

On the subject of the MacBook that some are trying to pimp so hard...

Just found this: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/29119/be-carefulvery-carefulwith-your-new-macbook/

"Apple's glossy new notebook line is gorgeous, all right, but the new "unibody" design means fixing a dent or a cracked screen could be a pricey proposition.

The bloggers at CrunchGear have compiled a list... Among them (I won't list every point; you can click through to the CrunchGear article for the rest):

The glass screen is fused with the LCD display: That means if you crack the glass panel, you'll have to replace the actual display, too. Say buh-buy to four or five C-notes.

"Unibody" design means no individual (and thus, replaceable) panels: As we learned on Tuesday, the new MacBook casings are carved out of a single piece of aluminium—great in terms of structural integrity, bad if you happen to dent the thing, which means you'd have to replace the entire assembly.

Tough-to-fix keyboard: As CrunchGear points out, teardown analysis of the new MacBook keypad revealed that it contains a whopping 56-plus screws, taking a good 15 minutes to remove. Don't even think of eating a muffin while you type."

On the subject of the MacBook that some are trying to pimp so hard...

Just found this: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/29119/be-carefulvery-carefulwith-your-new-macbook/

Apple never does anything that won't make them money, even if it is to the detriment of customers. I would say especially if it is to the detriment of customers. The fanboys will overlook it and Apple kill two birds with one stone - props for making stuff out of a single block of aluminum for toughness and the environment, and charging idiots thousands of dollars more to fix their machines when they break.

On the subject of the MacBook that some are trying to pimp so hard...

Just found this: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/29119/be-carefulvery-carefulwith-your-new-macbook/

I had a friend actually bend the case (not sure if he did he did buy a refurbed one)

Not a functional impairment just anoying on a flat surface

He was the campus MAC rep though so he got another one eventually for cheep

Apple never does anything that won't make them money, even if it is to the detriment of customers. I would say especially if it is to the detriment of customers. The fanboys will overlook it and Apple kill two birds with one stone - props for making stuff out of a single block of aluminum for toughness and the environment, and charging idiots thousands of dollars more to fix their machines when they break.

To be fair if you buy the warranty it is pretty comprehensive ... I have seen some crazy stuff done in the dorm to them and they manage to get warenty work done on them

On that note Dell also has a great warranty as well (Though as we deploy Dell servers I got dell repair certified on them so I did not have to deal with annoying front end reps "Just give me a fucking new motherboard, I know it is the board I swapped Hard drive. RAID controller, cables, memory and even a processor just give me the fucking board")

To be fair if you buy the warranty it is pretty comprehensive ... I have seen some crazy stuff done in the dorm to them and they manage to get warenty work done on them


Read the article I posted. Look what's NOT covered:

"...this might be a good time to scrutinize the terms of Apple's one-year hardware warranty, which (and I quote) does not apply to "damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes," nor to "cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents, and broken plastic on ports, that does not otherwise affect the product's functionality or materially impair your use."

Read the article I posted. Look what's NOT covered:

Those restrictions are often fairly standard from what I have seen the only exceptions are specific and extra accidental damage plans covered by some companies (Dell comes to mind again with one of thoes offerings)

Within their scope the Mac warranty tends to be pretty solid and I have seen them push it to stuff I would have considered accidental damage

Also if I am not mistaken their laptop warranty covers software support too which is exceedingly rare (and more useful in a business class environment then home computing)

Not saying it is "out there" high end warranty just seems to be on the good side of par dealing with the effects of students having to call upon it

all I can say really is this-

lol mac

Those restrictions are often fairly standard from what I have seen the only exceptions are specific and extra accidental damage plans covered by some companies (Dell comes to mind again with one of thoes offerings)

Within their scope the Mac warranty tends to be pretty solid and I have seen them push it to stuff I would have considered accidental damage

Also if I am not mistaken their laptop warranty covers software support too which is exceedingly rare (and more useful in a business class environment then home computing)

Not saying it is "out there" high end warranty just seems to be on the good side of par dealing with the effects of students having to call upon it

I'm looking through the waranty and trying to work out what exactly they think they SHOULD cover. As far as I can tell, they think they should cover defective parts and assembly and... no, that's about it.

I'm looking through the waranty and trying to work out what exactly they think they SHOULD cover. As far as I can tell, they think they should cover defective parts and assembly and... no, that's about it.
Its possible their practice differs from the recorded Warranty

Would be interesting to see how the paper warrantys stack up between most of the major competitors. I have simply been comparing out of a few dozen (at most a hundred) Warranty claims that students had to do because of various circumstances

They have never really given me or them much of a run around compared to the competitors

Could simply be the service at the other end of the phone too, that and I was not being overly anal because it was not my hardware :)

It's a form of evangelism. As soon as the topic comes up, you have to Preach The Good Word. Or something.

yup, that pretty much sums it up in a lot fewer words :tongue:

i'm not anti-mac, i just don't get on with evangelism. for the record, i'm not really pro-Windows either - if we weren't so reliant on MS software, and if only everybody was computer literate enough to cope with the change, then i'd change over the company to linux asap. i guess that makes me pro-PC, but who cares?

I normally just spend my time arguing one side or another lol I have some pretty heavy background on all sides and just enjoy the topic :)

that you do, lol. i'm always sure to look out for your posts in a tech-related thread ;)

Anyway, some one help me find a laptop like the one I posted, it got sold out. Probably because one of you jerk offs bought it >_>

Anyway, some one help me find a laptop like the one I posted, it got sold out. Probably because one of you jerk offs bought it >_>

the dell i was on about earlier seems more expensive than that one was linky (http://www.dell.com/home/laptops?~ck=mn#subcats=&navla=&a=58106~0~911380,55474~0~866166,51795~0~812540,55846~0~879657,55103~0~857204)

the first 1530 in the link is $1,074 with a slightly better cpu than your original one


if you were in the UK i'd recommend something like this maybe http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/range.html?t=nb&c=home&r=X15


have you looked at asus http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=5&l2=132

I found a HP that is around the same price that is slightly worse, but I will have to replace the OS - all the damned Vista Home Premium OS' are 64 bit which is almost as bad as a Mac for games.

I found a HP that is around the same price that is slightly worse, but I will have to replace the OS - all the damned Vista Home Premium OS' are 64 bit which is almost as bad as a Mac for games.
I had used Vista64 and XP64(pro) I did not have real problems on anything that I run. I had to upgrade when wanting to run more then 4 Gb of ram

i enjoy looking at them too. i like the idea of portability, something i can throw in a backpack and take with me, wherever my feet might wander. i remain reluctant, with my limited cash flow, to make what is for me, that much of an investment, in something that would be that easy for someone else to rip off.

$200 more for an operating system that just works?

And isn't supported by the vast majority of the gaming software world. An important fact to any gamer.

Hardware performance is also superior per dollar over Macs.


$200 extra for never ever getting a virus?


Actually, that's $200 on the hope that no one will have enough interest to look for exploits and loopholes to write viruses for. That being said, I've seen at least one benign virus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBJQ5085kSo) written for Macs. If someone decides to make it malicious, you, confident in the false idea that Macs are invulnerable, are likely to spend much time in grief.


$200 more for a system that is better engineered and more physically durable then a crap Dell or a Sony? Sold.

Macs are pretty, which given current industrial trends, is all there is to it. Durability is not much of an issue, unless you're a big klutz who drops them now and again down the stairs.


My brother was a long time PCer. Hes in his 50s now and was set in his computer ways and didnt want to go to the bother of learning a new system. Until one day they shut his cable off because his computer had just emailed 100,000 people in the last hour without his knowledge. i talked him into buying an imac (the one with computer built into screen but still a desktop) and hes now just bought his third since January for the rest of the family and he couldnt be happier.

Your brother likely failed to keep his anti-virus and anti-spyware up software to date. It's his choice if he wants to go with a Mac, but the industry, and by and large the tech savvy, and the performance minded, wouldn't ever use one, or at least one that didn't have it's OS ripped out and replaced with something more suited to their purposes.

Now pretty, if I wanted pretty, would be something like this (http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/hardcorepc_reactor?page=0,0).

http://dl.maximumpc.com/galleries/hardcorepc/hardcorepc_09_sm.jpg

The cooling benefits of a purpose built total immersion oil cooled rig would also be a big plus to me.

Since the one I wanted sold out, I am considering between these two:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220348

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834147743