Convert me..

[Mot!]

I'm able to take advantage of the higher education prices, meaning I can get a 13" MBP for £789, with a 3 year warranty.

It'll be a step down hardware wise from my current laptop, a Dell studio 1555 which has:
15.6" 720p
Wireless N (do need this, recently gone N at home)
512mb 4570 (useless to me if I'm honest, I don't game, at all!)
2.4Ghz core2duo, 1066Mhz fsb
4GB DDR2
Backlit keyboard
64GB Crucial SSD (I don't store much locally, all on a NAS)

Would I be losing much if I went for the base spec' MBP with the 4GB DDR3 upgrade?
I'd put my SSD in too.

A few questions:
Is the 13.3" screen 16:10 ratio? I much prefer it.
Should I wait until the refresh?
Will my SSD hold the Mac OS and Win7 Pro 64bit (12gb)
Will I be able to access and use my FAT32 NAS?

Finally, are there any guides for die hard PC fans switching over?
I had a poly unibody a year or so ago and always booted into XP as I couldn't get on/do what I wanted with mac. I ended up selling it.

BTW, I have an iPhone too..will there be any benefits there?

I defiantly want to make the move to mac but I need guidance haha.

 

[TimR26]

If your at uni keep your current laptop and spend the money on booze instead :drunk:

 

[Mot!]

I'm not at uni lol..

Just know someone that can "hook me up"

 

[DB.]

I used education prices for mine. Apples really are the best out there imo. Ace computers and so reliable!

 

[Mot!]

Guys, I'm not feeling particularly converted =P

 

[Steviant]

Just go and buy it. You know you want to.

My advice would be to go for the higher spec one, if you are getting a student discount on it.

13.3 screen spec...

13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
Supported resolutions: 1280 by 800 (native), 1152 by 720, 1024 by 640, and 800 by 500 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio stretched; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio stretched

No idea what a fat lass is for. lol

 

[Mike_182]

If you can't go to the one that matches your current spec (assuming you use it), you'll regret doing it. It's a fantastic piece of engineering but if you use any of that power that the MBP won't provide then you've paid a premium for someone to buy it off you in a month or so when you realise you needed the bigger one or to stay put.

The MBP is a good piece of kit but unless you're minted it's a fashion accessory.

 

[David]

depends what u use a laptop for..surely if you're so desperate to use a mac, wouldn't a hackintosh project be easier? or else spank a load of money on another computer so you can browse the web diffreently, i'll never understand some people

 

[Munson]

So we should all use the same computers?

 

[Mike_182]

No, but if you can't afford the fashion on top of the function on the MBP, then you're better off with a Dell that delivers the function you need!

 

[Munson]

And? Same applies to kettles and toasters.

 

[Revels]

Same argument, different day.

 

[Mike_182]

And? Same applies to kettles and toasters.

The point the OP raised was that the spec of his Dell is technically better than that of the MBP. As such I suggested that if he uses the performance on a regular basis, then he'd regret either not getting the faster one or having bought one in the first place...

Same argument, different day.

Not really - this one's if you can't afford the premium for the pretty as well as matching your current spec, should you go for it. IMO, if you use the performance - no.

 

[sneeks]

The Dell spec listed doesn't look very special to me, I'd rather the MBP over that.

 

[Revels]

Yeah, it is.

It's always you moaning about Macs being fashion accessorys, over priced, under specced blah blah blah.

Unless that Dell just rolled off the production line this morning, I wouldn't place bets on it being much better than the MBP, if at all.

There's no way I'd have any spec Dell over a MBP.

 

[Munson]

Strange how Mike loves to bleat on about Macs being overpriced at every opportunity, yet when a few people say the same about his Clio, he spits his dummy out and gets himself banned x

 

[Mike_182]

It depends entirely what you use it for!

MBPs don't ship with quads, GPU is average-good, memory performance is good-very good. That's not sufficient for some people's uses of laptops - whether they should be on desktops not laptops is a different argument, but their use of a laptop if they 'need' those things is beyond what an MBP can deliver.

They are expensive for the 'meat' of the spec, however whether they're overpriced or not is an opinion formed on what you need it to deliver. If you need a good screen, glowing keyboard and multitouch, then yes - the MBP is ideal. If you need raw processing power and memory bandwidth, I'd say a top spec Precision (or whatever they're calling them now!) is a better idea.

You can't just preach to people that the MBP is 'better than any Dell' (or other brand!) because whilst in 90% of cases in your opinion it might be, there's always that group of folk who have requirements it can't deliver on.

 

[sn00p]

I'd rather have the resale price on the mbp after 3 years than the dell.

My g4 PowerBook (which I still use as my main machine) still sell for 300+ on eBay, it's over 5 years old!

 

[Lagerlout]

All the reason you need. Once you've had Mac, you never go back iirc. Join in!

 

[Mike_182]

I'd rather have the resale price on the mbp after 3 years than the dell.

My g4 PowerBook (which I still use as my main machine) still sell for 300+ on eBay, it's over 5 years old!

FPMSL at choosing how you spend a grand based on resale in 3 years! Have you ever modified a car?

 

[Revels]

All the reason you need. Once you've had Mac, you never go back iirc. Join in!

I should be in one of those pics TBH.

:approve:

 

[Mike_182]

I should be in one of those pics TBH.

:approve:

I laughed at it. There's elements of truth in there! But I have to say the majority of Apple's releases do make a little bit more of an improvement than storage size...

 

[seb]

You get upset when people question your reasoning but when someone comes in with a valid point it gets lol'd at?

IMO it all comes down to the persons needs. I surf Internet music etc. I am rich enough to buy a mbp. The battery life pisses on my old laptop, it boots in seconds and is then ready to rock, unlike ANY laptop I have ever used.

If you need a windows laptop get one, I don't so didn't

 

[Mike_182]

IMO it all comes down to the persons needs. I surf Internet music etc. I am rich enough to buy a mbp. The battery life pisses on my old laptop, it boots in seconds and is then ready to rock, unlike ANY laptop I have ever used.

If you need a windows laptop get one, I don't so didn't

But you've just agreed with me? IF you need to surf ClioSport, listen to music and put pictures on it then yeah - MBP is fine if you can afford the money! If you're dealing with databases and need two more processing cores, the MBP can't do that...

 

[Munson]

Of course, anything that requires the very best in performance is always going to benefit form faster performance. That's a given. The problem with uber power laptops is that they are hot, noisy, and chew through batteries. Anyone who really does require a super computer, is better off with a desktop. You will say that's not part of the debate but it is. Uber laptops are a waste of time, not to mention that you need to keep upgrading the entire machine every two years if you insist on keeping up with the latest advances. Been there many times before. Desktops for go, laptops for show.

However, if one absolutely has to use a laptop, and absolutely has to have the lastest 12-core, video-encoding-crushing CPU, a GPU that still can't play Crysis properly, and a battery that lasts about an hour, then yes, an MBP probably isn't the best choice.

 

[Mike_182]

You've obviously missed the point where I said:

whether they should be on desktops not laptops is a different argument

I completely agree that that sort of performance needs a desktop, but it's not always feasible for said person (they tend to be 'important' enough to shout until they get what they want) to have a desktop. Also have to bear in mind that battery life isn't an issue for some people as even trains have electricity sockets...

However - different argument, different day! To the OP, the Dell isn't the best spec in the world and if you're not using every inch of it, then you won't notice a blind bit of difference in performance. If you want one, go for it!

 

[Revels]

Have you used a Mac for an extended period of time, Mike? Not just 5mins in the shop.

The more I use mine, the more I love it. What I use it for, I could and probably should have bought a £200 netbook. But it's such a joy to use.

I keep trying to multitouch and various other things that my Dell work machine can't do. Makes the MBP seem even better.

 

[Munson]

No. I didn't miss any points. I even referred to that point (and countered with an alternative opinion) in my post, which you obviously only read up to the point where you decided to reply.

 

[Mike_182]

I had a MPB for a year or so - they're nice enough but inappropriate for my work and at home I just use the one I get free. I'd sooner spend the money on AV kit and cars.

Problem is I work in IT, so I get a lot of kit for free and spending money on something 'pretty' to do the same job as something I'd not even be replacing makes me somewhat stupid. If I didn't govern what I put on my laptop then I'd look at it again, but until then I can do what I like with it so I've no inclination to part with money for an ornament!

 

[daydotz]

Macs don't need the extra power they run more eficently if cs is to beleived apple could offer silghtly better hardware

Pcs are always going to sound better value an most prefer windows an they are catching up with apples battery life an finish

 

[Mike_182]

Macs run more efficiently? At what? Mac OS X is a 'cleaner' OS than Windows, but the current generation hardware is near identical to a couple of other 'Windows' laptops bar the whizzbangs.

 

[daydotz]

Macs run more efficiently? At what? Mac OS X is a 'cleaner' OS than Windows, but the current generation hardware is near identical to a couple of other 'Windows' laptops bar the whizzbangs.

thats sort of what i was trying to say

 

[sn00p]

FPMSL at choosing how you spend a grand based on resale in 3 years! Have you ever modified a car?

But you're saying that they cost more, I'm merely pointing out that it's not as simple as that.

And not that it has anything to do with it, but no, I've never modified a car.

 

[Aluco]

New ones tomorrow or the 14th is the current rumour. I got bored and bought a guitar instead but I'll probably still buy one.

 

[Mot!]

woww, there was no need to diss my Dell..whoever said it's not a particularly good spec'.

I know it's not a quad and isn't 2.8Ghz but it's still waaay more powerful that your average laptop. I'm happy with it's performance anyhoo..

Other than the usual browsing, music and so on, I encode a bit of video.

I'm definitely not a power user.

At the moment, I can get one cheap and a feel like spunking a bit of cash on a sexy MBP, plus with the 3 year warranty, it'll be worth that little bit more in 1-2 years time.

Aluco, why did you have to mention the refresh lol..I don't know whether to hang on or order now!

 

[Revels]

You have to pay extra for 3 year warranty BTW.

 

[Mot!]

You have to pay extra for 3 year warranty BTW.

It's inclusive with the higher education discount Revels (online only that is!)

While you're about, can you recommend me a guide, something that'll help me get used to how i'll do things that I'd usually do with windows.

Simple stuff, like how to tell which programs in the dock are open and which are just shortcuts and how to install stff so that it doesnt come up on the "desktop"

Things like that have always confused me!

 

[sneeks]

woww, there was no need to diss my Dell..whoever said it's not a particularly good spec'.

I know it's not a quad and isn't 2.8Ghz but it's still waaay more powerful that your average laptop. I'm happy with it's performance anyhoo..

That would probably have been me I didn't mean it was a bad spec but some of the comments I'd read from people seemed to suggest you would be getting rid of a Dell with a far higher spec than the MBP when this was clearly not the case. If anything the spec was fairly similar on paper.

 

[Aluco]

woww, there was no need to diss my Dell..whoever said it's not a particularly good spec'.

I know it's not a quad and isn't 2.8Ghz but it's still waaay more powerful that your average laptop. I'm happy with it's performance anyhoo..

Other than the usual browsing, music and so on, I encode a bit of video.

I'm definitely not a power user.

At the moment, I can get one cheap and a feel like spunking a bit of cash on a sexy MBP, plus with the 3 year warranty, it'll be worth that little bit more in 1-2 years time.

Aluco, why did you have to mention the refresh lol..I don't know whether to hang on or order now!

Because if you pay the current prices for the current spec you're a r****d. Do not buy one yet ! today could be the day (It's a tuesday )

 

[Mot!]

Yeah, I'm gonna hold off for the refresh even though I'm chomping at the bit haha.

My Dell's going in for warranty repair and the Mrs has my "spare" laptop, looks like I'll be using my media centre to browse.

That's one thing I can't fault Dell or Apple on, warranty claims..they're both really easy to deal with, Apple more so.