[LouboutinLove]

^ You missed the bit where you mention it's as ugly as hell.

[zedeneye1]

(Original post by LouboutinLove)
^ You missed the bit where you mention it's as ugly as hell.

its not...and do looks really matter to a student?

[PVisitors]

(Original post by zedeneye1)
here is a dell laptop, better than the non-retina macbook. We're not comparing retina model, cuz its too expensive and at 2300pound, not worth it:

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dells...=dhs&cs=ukepp1

The dell here has 2gb gt650m graphics.
plus SSD and the same processor as the fastest mac available.

You missed the bit where that is more expensive than the Macbook Pro Retina with Student discount.

You missed the bit where it is 3x thicker, 1KG heavier with an inferior display amongst the many other things.

I think for £1600 I would rather be buying a MBPR, for a cheaper price too. Equally I could buy the low end classic MBP for £1200 with my student discount, put in 8-16gb of RAM and a faster (Samsung 830 series) SSD in myself for even cheaper than the Alienware.

[A.J10]

(Original post by ANARCHY__)
Why would OP do this?

It could extend the life of their current laptop and save them a bit of money

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my E15i

[Kinkerz]

This is a very interesting thread. I'm in basically the same position as the OP. Trying to decide whether it's justifiable!

(Original post by Anetata)
I'm not saying a computer will magically stop working within a year at all. It's just not worth to pay the money for something you will have to replace in a few years time.

And yes of course. I do say myself that Mac computers look nice, and the OS looks slick, but like I said this does not justify spending so much money on it, to me anyway.


It just annoys me that people are so stupid and sheepish, and buy stuff because everyone else has it, and pay for the brand rather than what is inside. People these days will do anything that everyone else does to feel that they fit in, and Apple exploits that really well. I also applaud them for their marketing techniques, because it is amazing how they can get people to buy their products for such high prices without a second thought.

What I am saying is, why not buy something that can be equivalent/better and save yourself money, instead of being a sheep and jumping on the hype? Macs are not anything special!

"Because everybody else has it."
The overwhelming majority of people use a windows machine.

[rock_climber86]

i use a mac and have done for 3 years when my windows laptop died. I must say i'm still not used to the mac os and often dind myself wishing i had a windows. The pros of a mac are they are built to last. Had mine three years and its still going strong! Also I dont have an anti virus software. U pretty much eed one dor wondows but macs u can go without for now!


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[theronkinator]

(Original post by rock_climber86)
i use a mac and have done for 3 years when my windows laptop died. I must say i'm still not used to the mac os and often dind myself wishing i had a windows. The pros of a mac are they are built to last. Had mine three years and its still going strong! Also I dont have an anti virus software. U pretty much eed one dor wondows but macs u can go without for now!


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Had my £165 netbook for over 3 years now, still working fine. Not sure what your point is...?

Dell outlet have some fantastic deals on I5's for sub £400.

Or my dad got a new I5 HP laptop a few months back, cost £250. Was £500, with £100 cashback and £150 trade in for an old working laptop, we traded in a 10 year old one that we had lying around, but loads of people bought them from ebay for like £10 just to trade in. Really solid laptop as well, I5 (sandybridge), USB3, HDMI, dedicated graphics etc.

[rock_climber86]

(Original post by theronkinator)
Had my £165 netbook for over 3 years now, still working fine. Not sure what your point is...?

Dell outlet have some fantastic deals on I5's for sub £400.

Or my dad got a new I5 HP laptop a few months back, cost £250. Was £500, with £100 cashback and £150 trade in for an old working laptop, we traded in a 10 year old one that we had lying around, but loads of people bought them from ebay for like £10 just to trade in. Really solid laptop as well, I5 (sandybridge), USB3, HDMI, dedicated graphics etc.

no point - just saying i got a macbookpro after my window laptop died

[zedeneye1]

(Original post by theronkinator)
Had my £165 netbook for over 3 years now, still working fine. Not sure what your point is...?

Dell outlet have some fantastic deals on I5's for sub £400.

Or my dad got a new I5 HP laptop a few months back, cost £250. Was £500, with £100 cashback and £150 trade in for an old working laptop, we traded in a 10 year old one that we had lying around, but loads of people bought them from ebay for like £10 just to trade in. Really solid laptop as well, I5 (sandybridge), USB3, HDMI, dedicated graphics etc.

totally agree...

its not just macs that last...

other brands last equally long...

Its not like they stop working...

you dont hear about broken macs as much because there isnt enough macs around, otherwise I see no reason why a mac wont break down, it has pretty much the exact same hardware inside it as other brands...

The reason why they don't break down could probably be cuz people take extra care of it..
If you take good care of a non-mac laptop, it will also last a long time...

[ANARCHY__]

(Original post by A.J10)
It could extend the life of their current laptop and save them a bit of money

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my E15i

A Wubi installation is a considerably slower alternative to the full Linux switch which is potentially daunting anyway. How would it extend laptop life?

[A.J10]

(Original post by ANARCHY__)
A Wubi installation is a considerably slower alternative to the full Linux switch which is potentially daunting anyway. How would it extend laptop life?

In my personal experience, my linux installations tend to run with less freezing and the like. Completely, anecdotal and without evidence I know, but it made my computer not feel so sluggish.

[ANARCHY__]

(Original post by A.J10)
In my personal experience, my linux installations tend to run with less freezing and the like. Completely, anecdotal and without evidence I know, but it made my computer not feel so sluggish.

A Linux installation usually is quicker. But a Wubi installation isn't.

[MrFulton]

I'll always be fascinated by the responses people give in debates such as this one, primarily because I was in the 'Macs suck, lol' camp for years.

It wasn't until I hit around 19 that I realised I'd never actually owned a Mac and didn't have any foundation on which to base my knowledge that they sucked. This is the case with the majority of people who say things like 'you're paying for a brand' and (ironically) 'you're brainwashed'.

These are very recycled phrases when it comes to this tired argument, perpetuated by young people who think they sound cool because they're oh-so-clever but have never actually used iMacs/MacBooks. It wasn't until I bought a 2012 iMac (27"), and then a MacBook Air, before I realised how silly I must've sounded bashing people who owned Apple products as I had no real argument.

As people have mentioned many times in this thread -- yes -- expect to pay for more for lower spec than a Windows-based equivalent. Unless you shell out for the new Retina MacBook, you aren't going to 1GB dedicated graphics on the cheap. However, if you value leading design, OS reliability, bespoke (and often beautifully designed apps like Sparrow, Reeder, Echofon, ForkLift, Coda -- I could go on), customer support and other things, which really come into their own when they combine to form a more cohesive package, and you actually LIKE the OS -- then go for a mac if you have the money.

There is blind fanboyism on both sites, and neither are ever correct. PCs and Windows are still great -- for many they suit their needs without having to shell out the dosh and may not care about design. Also: if people can afford a Mac but wouldn't necessarily use it for more than a 'facebook' machine, then why can't they get one? There's no pre-requisite of activity that people need to carry out before they can own one. It not having to be reformatted every year/year two years might be a reason enough alone for some.

[montstar]

I have a white macbook and while the OS is good, user friendly and stylish, the laptop itself hasn't stood the test of time. The white casing has a crack near to the trackpad, at the place where the top of the laptop comes into contact with the bottom of the laptop when it's closed. I've seen lots of other people with the same crack in the same place- its a design flaw. But apple won't fix it (for free) if it's out of warranty.
What's more my screen stopped working for no apparent reason. The LCD works but there's no backlight- probably a problem with the power cables to it. It'll most likely cost hundreds to get it fixed as its out of warranty and apple even charge you to diagnose the problem. I looked after it very well and rarely took it out anywhere, it just wasn't built to last.
I got it in 2009, so I've had it about 3 years, but my old dell laptop of 5+ years, is still working fine.

That said I don't hold it against apple, I've recently bought an iPad. But Windows 7 (and probably 8) are very user friendly, i originally bought the mac because vista was so awful, but now the gap between pc and mac is smaller than ever. My point is, unless you have a specific need for a mac (like needing particular programs) and/or money is not an issue, I would simply get a good quality pc that will last.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[SDA20]

Okay; I think it all depends on how much you're going to use the computer. I use Linux, Mac and Windows OS for different purposes and they all (obviously) have their advantages/disadvantages so I will try to avoid listing those.

DURABILITY:
My brother has had his Mac for 5 years and during that time he has upgraded the RAM. It's still going strong. I have a Macbook air and also a 5 year old dell. The dell has been upgraded a bit; new RAM and put W7 on it, it gained a huge boost with the new OS and RAM and I really do think W7 is a good OS. I know a lot of people with dells who've all had issues with battery life and chargers having to be regularly replaced. On the whole I've yet to see any real reason to say that mac's last longer than pc's and visa versa. I only got the MB air as the netbooks / ultra books seem very flimsy for my liking and I needed the portability but not at the expense of the computing power.

OPERATING SYSTEM:
Ok so I have to be honest here, from my experience of it, the unix type operating systems are very reliable. Thats not to say windows is not reliable (though vista is useless). Windows 7 is very reliable and I am glad my university has upgraded its desktops to W7. From all my experience of the operating systems mac (just) has the edge. Relating to the posters dilemma, do not get a macbook purely on the OS, try out Ubuntu if you want a mac-esq OS. For netbooks / old notebooks you benefit from running a more lightweight OS like linux. If you have the power; run windows 7.

HARDWARE:
This is entirely down to what you want the computer for. In my instance, I wanted power, portability ,resilience and reliability. There are some good ultra books out there, but netbooks are not built to last (or at least they will not last). The final decision for me was the macbook air and I haven't regretted it. I use a linux desktop and a lightweight macbook air so I cannot necessarily advise on bulkier laptops. I would most probably go for a pc should I get a bulky laptop, but I would never buy a laptop larger than 11.6inch in the first place.

GENERAL:
Windows (7) is an all round great operating system, ok it can get a bit sluggish when using lots of applications etc. However, this is not exclusive to windows. Windows is more supportive for programmers / gamers / scientific work. Mac computers (seem) built to last, maybe its just the aluminium chassis that make me think this but who knows how my macbook will perform five years down the line...

If I was in your situation, I would save the money and but a good spec'd PC but put a clean install of Ubuntu on it. Comes with open source equivalent of word / excel etc. Linux can have its problems with installing applications but it is very secure for web surfing (even more so than mac).

Hope you make the right decision!

[metro2610]

So, I weighed everything up, took everyone's advice into perspective annnd...

...I bit the bullet today and bought a Macbook Pro!

Decided in the end that it's an investment and that with all the extras you get from Apple (Two weeks returns policy, two years free AppleCare on top of the warranty, £70 Appstore giftcard), it beats any Windows laptop in my opinion.
I know there are arguments to both sides and I agree with many of the ones which support Windows but I feel that this, overall, is a sound investment for me.

Cheers for all the posts on this thread! Appreciate it

[jumpingjesusholycow]

It depends on what you need it for. If you're heavily into your graphic design, your music production or video editing then a Macbook Pro is a great choice, but for there's a host of students who've went out and spent a grand on a laptop they're going to use simply for writing up a few essays, doing a bit of facebooking and browsing the web. Don't get me wrong, a MBP can be a monster of a machine that's much more capable than the average laptop, but if you fall in the latter category, you're probably better off just buying a new mid-premium Windows laptop every 2 years than spending a small fortune on a MBP.

EDIT: nevermind, you've just made your decision

[metro2610]

(Original post by jumpingjesusholycow)
...

Haha, cheers for the post all the same man!

Aye, that was first thought with it, if was going to be used just for Facebook, writing up documents and the like then it wouldn't be worth it at all. I'm getting into music producing and video editing though so I'll be using it the Macbook for a lot of different tasks - Helped me make my decision in the end

[jumpingjesusholycow]

(Original post by metro2610)
Haha, cheers for the post all the same man!

Aye, that was first thought with it, if was going to be used just for Facebook, writing up documents and the like then it wouldn't be worth it at all. I'm getting into music producing and video editing though so I'll be using it the Macbook for a lot of different tasks - Helped me make my decision in the end

Ah excellent choice then As far as I'm concerned you might as well burn a pile of cash ala Joker style if you're not going to use it for nothing besides writing up an essay and browsing the web. That said, knowing you've actually got a use for the processing grunt and hardware capabilities that the MBP has to offer means you've got what you paid for. And it helps that the design of Apple products is genuinely second to none.

[A.J10]

(Original post by jumpingjesusholycow)
It depends on what you need it for. If you're heavily into your graphic design, your music production or video editing then a Macbook Pro is a great choice, but for there's a host of students who've went out and spent a grand on a laptop they're going to use simply for writing up a few essays, doing a bit of facebooking and browsing the web. Don't get me wrong, a MBP can be a monster of a machine that's much more capable than the average laptop, but if you fall in the latter category, you're probably better off just buying a new mid-premium Windows laptop every 2 years than spending a small fortune on a MBP.

EDIT: nevermind, you've just made your decision

Not trying to be antagonistic or anything, but why do people say macs are better for video/audio editing?