The Student Room Group

Is it worth investing in a Macbook Pro?

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Original post by SalazarSlytherin
£400 extra on a brand name


Again wrong.

Dell Precision 5510 with identical spec to maximum spec rMBP 15" - £2659.96
HP ZBook Studio G3 Workstation - £2504.40
Maximum spec rMBP 15" - £2549

Lenovo doesn't make a comparable equivalent.

So, the Dell is £110.96 more expensive, and the HP is only £44.60 cheaper.

HP are known for being incredibly unreliable, and having horrific customer support.
Dell as of late are known for having constant product recalls and horrific customer support.

(All builds assuming inclusion of extended warranty to 3 years, in line with AppleCare equivalent cover.)
Original post by iainvg
Again wrong.

Dell Precision 5510 with identical spec to maximum spec rMBP 15" - £2659.96
HP ZBook Studio G3 Workstation - £2504.40
Maximum spec rMBP 15" - £2549

Lenovo doesn't make a comparable equivalent.

So, the Dell is £110.96 more expensive, and the HP is only £44.60 cheaper.

HP are known for being incredibly unreliable, and having horrific customer support.
Dell as of late are known for having constant product recalls and horrific customer support.

(All builds assuming inclusion of extended warranty to 3 years, in line with AppleCare equivalent cover.)


I accept your points around blind assumptions surrounding price/performance of macs vs PCs, but I'm unsure comparing PC's at the £2500 region, which is well outside what the vast majority of students (including the OP) would be able/willing to pay is a great example.
Reply 62
I love my Mac Pro and strongly recommend it. I hate windows with a passion so it made sense to not buy one of those lol. I don't think you'd need the pro as an air would be sufficient. I bought a pro thinking I'd need that but turns out I didn't. I have used it for my access course and will be hoping it lasts me another 3 years at uni. If it's anything like my iPad that still runs quicker than some newer models now I'll be okay!
Original post by Elivercury
I accept your points around blind assumptions surrounding price/performance of macs vs PCs, but I'm unsure comparing PC's at the £2500 region, which is well outside what the vast majority of students (including the OP) would be able/willing to pay is a great example.


That's any easy enough comparison to make as well. If they are even considering an MBP we can assume they can at least afford one, otherwise this entire discussion is moot point. Running off the absolute minimum specs of the 13" Macbook Pro.

Dell XPS 13: £1385.60 - Dual core i5-6200U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256gb PCIE SSD
HP Spectre 13: £1228 - Dual core i5-6200U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256GB PCIE SSD
Lenovo Yoga 900: £1123.59 - Dual core i7-6500U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256GB SATA SSD
Apple rMBP 13": £1198 - Dual core i5-5257U, 8GB RAM, Intel Iris 6100, 128GB PCIE SSD

Apart from the SSD, Lenovo has by far the best spec.

However, the price differences are almost negligible for most of them (excluding Dell being almost £200 more expensive than the rest), which would then bring it down to who has the best customer support.

Apple > HP > Dell > (pretty much every other manufacturer in existence) > Lenovo. (Go look at Trustpilot if you think this is biased, as this is what it's based on)
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by iainvg
Again wrong.

Dell Precision 5510 with identical spec to maximum spec rMBP 15" - £2659.96
HP ZBook Studio G3 Workstation - £2504.40
Maximum spec rMBP 15" - £2549

Lenovo doesn't make a comparable equivalent.

So, the Dell is £110.96 more expensive, and the HP is only £44.60 cheaper.

HP are known for being incredibly unreliable, and having horrific customer support.
Dell as of late are known for having constant product recalls and horrific customer support.

(All builds assuming inclusion of extended warranty to 3 years, in line with AppleCare equivalent cover.)


I can't find an identical spec Dell Precision 5510. The HP is £1,554.10 which is £1000 cheaper not £44, and apple products are designed to become obsolete after a few years. This is my last reply I don't have time for you apple fanboy. I don't think OP wants to spend £2500 on a laptop either.

BTW just checked amazon -
Macbook pro £1019, Identical spec asus laptop £549
Macbook air £750, identical spec acer laptop £399

And don't even get me started on the new model with :hahaha: ONE PORT
(edited 7 years ago)
Absolutely YES
Original post by iainvg
That's any easy enough comparison to make as well. If they are even considering an MBP we can assume they can at least afford one, otherwise this entire discussion is moot point. Running off the absolute minimum specs of the 13" Macbook Pro.

Dell XPS 13: £1385.60 - Dual core i5-6200U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256gb PCIE SSD
HP Spectre 13: £1228 - Dual core i5-6200U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256GB PCIE SSD
Lenovo Yoga 900: £1123.59 - Dual core i7-6500U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256GB SATA SSD
Apple rMBP 13": £1198 - Dual core i5-5257U, 8GB RAM, Intel Iris 6100, 128GB PCIE SSD

Apart from the SSD, Lenovo has by far the best spec.

However, the price differences are almost negligible for most of them (excluding Dell being almost £200 more expensive than the rest), which would then bring it down to who has the best customer support.

Apple > HP > Dell > (pretty much every other manufacturer in existence) > Lenovo. (Go look at Trustpilot if you think this is biased, as this is what it's based on)



Where abouts are you getting these prices from?

The OP said she had £900.
I think this comes down to

1. if you want something thats flashy and customer service is great (and you can go into store to get it fixed) go with macbook pro
2. if you want a good laptop and willing to do some software 'cleaning' a few times a year go for a 500-600 windows laptop (I mentioned before but the asus zenbook ux305)
Reply 68
Original post by dm5779
I love my Mac Pro and strongly recommend it. I hate windows with a passion so it made sense to not buy one of those lol. I don't think you'd need the pro as an air would be sufficient. I bought a pro thinking I'd need that but turns out I didn't. I have used it for my access course and will be hoping it lasts me another 3 years at uni. If it's anything like my iPad that still runs quicker than some newer models now I'll be okay!


I have had a lot of people recommend the air, but personally for the price I am paying I thought I would invest a little more and get the pro.
Reply 69
Original post by iainvg
That's any easy enough comparison to make as well. If they are even considering an MBP we can assume they can at least afford one, otherwise this entire discussion is moot point. Running off the absolute minimum specs of the 13" Macbook Pro.

Dell XPS 13: £1385.60 - Dual core i5-6200U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256gb PCIE SSD
HP Spectre 13: £1228 - Dual core i5-6200U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256GB PCIE SSD
Lenovo Yoga 900: £1123.59 - Dual core i7-6500U, 8GB RAM, Intel 520, 256GB SATA SSD
Apple rMBP 13": £1198 - Dual core i5-5257U, 8GB RAM, Intel Iris 6100, 128GB PCIE SSD

Apart from the SSD, Lenovo has by far the best spec.

However, the price differences are almost negligible for most of them (excluding Dell being almost £200 more expensive than the rest), which would then bring it down to who has the best customer support.

Apple > HP > Dell > (pretty much every other manufacturer in existence) > Lenovo. (Go look at Trustpilot if you think this is biased, as this is what it's based on)


I did not have that much to spend, if you viewed my OP I stated i had around £900-£1000... but thanks anyway.
Depends on your needs. Personally I'd opt for Mac Air - cheaper price point.
Original post by Natalierm2707
I did not have that much to spend, if you viewed my OP I stated i had around £900-£1000... but thanks anyway.


I don't think they had any intention of helping, they just wanted to win their Mac vs Windows argument.
Original post by Natalierm2707
I did not have that much to spend, if you viewed my OP I stated i had around £900-£1000... but thanks anyway.


In your original post you didn't actually reference a price requirement. You merely stated that you had the money for an MBP, but not at £900-1000.

In which case, Macbook's are not worth it for you. Macbook Air's are the only things that would fit in that price bracket (unless you go for a generation or two previous refurb - which has it's own inherent quibbles) and they haven't received a worthwhile update in spec since 2014. The 2015 Macbook (the single port ones) are just junk.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by iainvg
In your original post you didn't actually reference a price requirement. You merely stated that you had the money for an MBP, but not at £900-1000.

In which case, Macbook's are not worth it for you. Macbook Air's are the only things that would fit in that price bracket (unless you go for a generation or two previous refurb - which has it's own inherent quibbles) and they haven't received a worthwhile update in spec since 2014. The 2015 Macbook (the single port ones) are just junk.


The baseline macbook pro retina (which is more than enough for op needs) is 900 with the student discount (1000 without)
Original post by madmadmax321
The baseline macbook pro retina (which is more than enough for op needs) is 900 with the student discount (1000 without)


Not without Applecare it isn't. If you are buying something in that price range, getting sans extended warranty is complete lunacy (Well, dependent on the results of today, you could technically get 2 years inclusive cover courtesy of certain not particularly well known EU consumer laws which supersede UK consumer laws). However, added bonus with Applecare on the Edu store is it comes with an additional 3 years of cover over the baseline, instead of the usual 2 extra.
Original post by iainvg
Not without Applecare it isn't. If you are buying something in that price range, getting sans extended warranty is complete lunacy (Well, dependent on the results of today, you could technically get 2 years inclusive cover courtesy of certain not particularly well known EU consumer laws which supersede UK consumer laws). However, added bonus with Applecare on the Edu store is it comes with an additional 3 years of cover over the baseline, instead of the usual 2 extra.


When I went and brought my brothers (hes not a uni student yet) they offered the apple care for £50 extra if it was brought along side the macbook pro retina there and then (though is offer isnt available online at the time) so itll still be within budget if the op just goes into store
(edited 7 years ago)
Me, personally would love a Macbook pro but only because I am a Software Developer and I need a program called Xcode to make iOS apps which will only run on macs.

If your not like me then it's a waste of money, I mean £1400 is a lot of money, if you just want a good, reliable laptop that will handle anything other than playing heavy games then i recommend a Samsung in the £500 price point.

HPs are known to over-heat, so are Acers

Other good reputable brands are Asus and Sony, Toshiba is good but sometime, like 20% of the time they can overheat so get a good warranty if you gonna go Toshiba.

Also: Dell is great for general purpose, very reliable too. Definitely worth the price.
Original post by iainvg
Again wrong.

Dell Precision 5510 with identical spec to maximum spec rMBP 15" - £2659.96
HP ZBook Studio G3 Workstation - £2504.40
Maximum spec rMBP 15" - £2549

Lenovo doesn't make a comparable equivalent.

So, the Dell is £110.96 more expensive, and the HP is only £44.60 cheaper.

HP are known for being incredibly unreliable, and having horrific customer support.
Dell as of late are known for having constant product recalls and horrific customer support.

(All builds assuming inclusion of extended warranty to 3 years, in line with AppleCare equivalent cover.)


Where abouts are you getting these prices from?
Original post by 999tigger
Where abouts are you getting these prices from?


Direct from their relative websites.
Reply 79
I am looking to purchase a mac...I am hearing that the air is good but its too thin imo

which model is best for me to get? I was looking at the 15 inch macbook pro.

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