Is it worth investing in a Macbook Pro?
I know this has been asked a million times but I wanted to ask this question from my perspective.
I currently have a 3 year old hp Pavolion (SPECS: intel core i5, 4gb ram, 500mb HD, basic graphics) which is showing a lot of wear and tear, Its battery life is dire (around 2 hours at best) and it is constantly overheating or running incredibly slowly.
So I am looking around for a new laptop. My boyfriend is a computer science student who is incredibly familiar with this area (he builds his own desktops) and we have both agreed my laptop probably has up to a year of functional use left.
He has a macbook pro 13.3" (retina) for uni and he says for my needs that It would be a really good purchase. I do have the money for a MBP but because it is such a large investment I wanted to know the pros and cons.
I am looking for something which:
- very good battery life
- will last me until the end of uni at least (I have 4 years left)
I am not really going to be using it for anything other than watching videos/lectures online, accessing my university work and word processing. also storage isnt an issue for me because I have a 1TB external hard drive which I have everything on anyway.
any ideas?
I currently have a 3 year old hp Pavolion (SPECS: intel core i5, 4gb ram, 500mb HD, basic graphics) which is showing a lot of wear and tear, Its battery life is dire (around 2 hours at best) and it is constantly overheating or running incredibly slowly.
So I am looking around for a new laptop. My boyfriend is a computer science student who is incredibly familiar with this area (he builds his own desktops) and we have both agreed my laptop probably has up to a year of functional use left.
He has a macbook pro 13.3" (retina) for uni and he says for my needs that It would be a really good purchase. I do have the money for a MBP but because it is such a large investment I wanted to know the pros and cons.
I am looking for something which:
- very good battery life
- will last me until the end of uni at least (I have 4 years left)
I am not really going to be using it for anything other than watching videos/lectures online, accessing my university work and word processing. also storage isnt an issue for me because I have a 1TB external hard drive which I have everything on anyway.
any ideas?
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Is it *******s, for the same price as that you can get much better, which model as well?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by not_lucas1
Is it *******s, for the same price as that you can get much better, which model as well?
Just the basic model, you see i have researching into my other options and they don't seem to boast the same longevity, yes a lot of people get MacBooks for the brand but of the handful i know who researching their options they found it to be one of the better options for lifespan.
Can you suggest some other alternatives, it would be of great help.
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Original post by Natalierm2707
Just the basic model, you see i have researching into my other options and they don't seem to boast the same longevity, yes a lot of people get MacBooks for the brand but of the handful i know who researching their options they found it to be one of the better options for lifespan.
Can you suggest some other alternatives, it would be of great help.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Can you suggest some other alternatives, it would be of great help.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Whats your budget?
Original post by not_lucas1
Whats your budget?
Ideally under £900.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Here is the problem. We know the new Macbook Pros are just around the corner but not exactly sure when.
It's definitely the best machine for work unless you're working on some heavy 3D stuff but this way you would most likely use a desktop with dedicated GPU. Anyway, macbooks are great but unfortunately expensive.
If you're not going to actually do anything demanding you can think about Macbook or Macbook air.
It's definitely the best machine for work unless you're working on some heavy 3D stuff but this way you would most likely use a desktop with dedicated GPU. Anyway, macbooks are great but unfortunately expensive.
If you're not going to actually do anything demanding you can think about Macbook or Macbook air.
Original post by ICEN_Prophet
Here is the problem. We know the new Macbook Pros are just around the corner but not exactly sure when.
It's definitely the best machine for work unless you're working on some heavy 3D stuff but this way you would most likely use a desktop with dedicated GPU. Anyway, macbooks are great but unfortunately expensive.
If you're not going to actually do anything demanding you can think about Macbook or Macbook air.
It's definitely the best machine for work unless you're working on some heavy 3D stuff but this way you would most likely use a desktop with dedicated GPU. Anyway, macbooks are great but unfortunately expensive.
If you're not going to actually do anything demanding you can think about Macbook or Macbook air.
I have heard this, not sure if my laptop will last that long sadly 😓. All my friends from uni recommend a macbook and for the price/specs the pro is the better deal of the three (and also seems to be the longest lasting), whilst i have the money now i feel like it would be a good time to invest.
I understand i can get a better windows machine for less but ive not had great luck with windows PCs, mine has barely lasted 3 years and when i bought it i was told by many it was a good buy.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Natalierm2707
Just the basic model, you see i have researching into my other options and they don't seem to boast the same longevity, yes a lot of people get MacBooks for the brand but of the handful i know who researching their options they found it to be one of the better options for lifespan.
Can you suggest some other alternatives, it would be of great help.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Can you suggest some other alternatives, it would be of great help.
Posted from TSR Mobile
My main suggestion is to go in a shop such as pc world and look at the various laptops (dont buy from there though as they charge a fortune) as you might think you like one online but then when you get it hate the keyboard, which obviously you are going to be using a lot
For students (such as myself), I recommend the macbook air 11". Very lightweight and battery life is amazing (9 hours) plus you don't need to spend money on microsoft word/excel/powerpoint etc as it is included. Plus, it is fast and efficient. If you have an iPhone/ another apple device, it will work very well together (syncing music/photos). Great design (I love the backlight keyboard). Storage is SSD so it is quick.OS is also very simplistic. Low risk of getting viruses (don't need to but antivirus software like mcafee).
Cons- very few ports (you can buy adaptors to solve this)
Not ideal for gaming (not designed for that. If you want something extremely powerful, go for the MBP)
BUT, it's 749 GBP. I think it's worth it though.
Cons- very few ports (you can buy adaptors to solve this)
Not ideal for gaming (not designed for that. If you want something extremely powerful, go for the MBP)
BUT, it's 749 GBP. I think it's worth it though.
Original post by Natalierm2707
I have heard this, not sure if my laptop will last that long sadly 😓. All my friends from uni recommend a macbook and for the price/specs the pro is the better deal of the three (and also seems to be the longest lasting), whilst i have the money now i feel like it would be a good time to invest.
I understand i can get a better windows machine for less but ive not had great luck with windows PCs, mine has barely lasted 3 years and when i bought it i was told by many it was a good buy.
Posted from TSR Mobile
I understand i can get a better windows machine for less but ive not had great luck with windows PCs, mine has barely lasted 3 years and when i bought it i was told by many it was a good buy.
Posted from TSR Mobile
I am still using my macbook air 11" i bought in 2011
I would say get a MacBook Pro. Sure you could get a Windows laptop for cheaper and would have better specs but they will be bulky, have crap battery life and made out of plastic. Mac's are fairly light, powerful, made of metal and have a great battery life. The only downside is disk space is limited but I find no issue with that personally as long as you store videos and images online or on a external hard drive and being expensive. But to be honest if your going to do something. Do it properly! Plus students discounts will help I'm sure as I got my MacBook Pro for £899 back in December.
Also an Apple a day keeps the doctor away
Also an Apple a day keeps the doctor away
Yes! It makes everything so much easier and simpler
Depends. If you wanna fit in with the cool kids, you need a macbook. If you want functionality get something else!
Can you really justify spending about a £1000, on a flashy computer? Or would it be better to spend less and get a chromebook or decent laptop?
Macbooks are great for Photoshop etc, but if youre not doing graphics/art/photography then theres not much need. It will also cost more than what you've forecasted because you'd be crazy to splash out about a grand and not get insurance on it! (which will be a further £200 or so).
On the other hand, they do run really well, are quite reliable and are easy and quick to use. Plus they cant get viruses (but neither can chromebooks - just sayin!) like a laptop would.
I'd get a cheap but decent laptop, and stash away the rest of the money for a holiday or something.
Regardless go to PCworld/Curries etc and play on all the computers, there should be one that you instantly like (from use, not aesthetics!) and thats the one you should go for. If its a mac, then so be it. (also check out the second hand ones, might save you a few bob!)
Can you really justify spending about a £1000, on a flashy computer? Or would it be better to spend less and get a chromebook or decent laptop?
Macbooks are great for Photoshop etc, but if youre not doing graphics/art/photography then theres not much need. It will also cost more than what you've forecasted because you'd be crazy to splash out about a grand and not get insurance on it! (which will be a further £200 or so).
On the other hand, they do run really well, are quite reliable and are easy and quick to use. Plus they cant get viruses (but neither can chromebooks - just sayin!) like a laptop would.
I'd get a cheap but decent laptop, and stash away the rest of the money for a holiday or something.
Regardless go to PCworld/Curries etc and play on all the computers, there should be one that you instantly like (from use, not aesthetics!) and thats the one you should go for. If its a mac, then so be it. (also check out the second hand ones, might save you a few bob!)
Idk up to you
Original post by Natalierm2707
I know this has been asked a million times but I wanted to ask this question from my perspective.
I currently have a 3 year old hp Pavolion (SPECS: intel core i5, 4gb ram, 500mb HD, basic graphics) which is showing a lot of wear and tear, Its battery life is dire (around 2 hours at best) and it is constantly overheating or running incredibly slowly.
So I am looking around for a new laptop. My boyfriend is a computer science student who is incredibly familiar with this area (he builds his own desktops) and we have both agreed my laptop probably has up to a year of functional use left.
He has a macbook pro 13.3" (retina) for uni and he says for my needs that It would be a really good purchase. I do have the money for a MBP but because it is such a large investment I wanted to know the pros and cons.
I am looking for something which:
- very good battery life
- will last me until the end of uni at least (I have 4 years left)
I am not really going to be using it for anything other than watching videos/lectures online, accessing my university work and word processing. also storage isnt an issue for me because I have a 1TB external hard drive which I have everything on anyway.
any ideas?
I currently have a 3 year old hp Pavolion (SPECS: intel core i5, 4gb ram, 500mb HD, basic graphics) which is showing a lot of wear and tear, Its battery life is dire (around 2 hours at best) and it is constantly overheating or running incredibly slowly.
So I am looking around for a new laptop. My boyfriend is a computer science student who is incredibly familiar with this area (he builds his own desktops) and we have both agreed my laptop probably has up to a year of functional use left.
He has a macbook pro 13.3" (retina) for uni and he says for my needs that It would be a really good purchase. I do have the money for a MBP but because it is such a large investment I wanted to know the pros and cons.
I am looking for something which:
- very good battery life
- will last me until the end of uni at least (I have 4 years left)
I am not really going to be using it for anything other than watching videos/lectures online, accessing my university work and word processing. also storage isnt an issue for me because I have a 1TB external hard drive which I have everything on anyway.
any ideas?
it's only worth it if you're a designer, artist, musician, film-maker, programmer or a hipster. anything else and youre much better off with a pc at the same price or even lower.
Original post by donte
Depends. If you wanna fit in with the cool kids, you need a macbook. If you want functionality get something else!
Can you really justify spending about a £1000, on a flashy computer? Or would it be better to spend less and get a chromebook or decent laptop?
Macbooks are great for Photoshop etc, but if youre not doing graphics/art/photography then theres not much need. It will also cost more than what you've forecasted because you'd be crazy to splash out about a grand and not get insurance on it! (which will be a further £200 or so).
On the other hand, they do run really well, are quite reliable and are easy and quick to use. Plus they cant get viruses (but neither can chromebooks - just sayin!) like a laptop would.
I'd get a cheap but decent laptop, and stash away the rest of the money for a holiday or something.
Regardless go to PCworld/Curries etc and play on all the computers, there should be one that you instantly like (from use, not aesthetics!) and thats the one you should go for. If its a mac, then so be it. (also check out the second hand ones, might save you a few bob!)
Can you really justify spending about a £1000, on a flashy computer? Or would it be better to spend less and get a chromebook or decent laptop?
Macbooks are great for Photoshop etc, but if youre not doing graphics/art/photography then theres not much need. It will also cost more than what you've forecasted because you'd be crazy to splash out about a grand and not get insurance on it! (which will be a further £200 or so).
On the other hand, they do run really well, are quite reliable and are easy and quick to use. Plus they cant get viruses (but neither can chromebooks - just sayin!) like a laptop would.
I'd get a cheap but decent laptop, and stash away the rest of the money for a holiday or something.
Regardless go to PCworld/Curries etc and play on all the computers, there should be one that you instantly like (from use, not aesthetics!) and thats the one you should go for. If its a mac, then so be it. (also check out the second hand ones, might save you a few bob!)
I feel like this guy has experience, do what we both said about going to PCworld and you will probably find a good laptop suited to your needs
Original post by Natalierm2707
I know this has been asked a million times but I wanted to ask this question from my perspective.
I currently have a 3 year old hp Pavolion (SPECS: intel core i5, 4gb ram, 500mb HD, basic graphics) which is showing a lot of wear and tear, Its battery life is dire (around 2 hours at best) and it is constantly overheating or running incredibly slowly.
So I am looking around for a new laptop. My boyfriend is a computer science student who is incredibly familiar with this area (he builds his own desktops) and we have both agreed my laptop probably has up to a year of functional use left.
He has a macbook pro 13.3" (retina) for uni and he says for my needs that It would be a really good purchase. I do have the money for a MBP but because it is such a large investment I wanted to know the pros and cons.
I am looking for something which:
- very good battery life
- will last me until the end of uni at least (I have 4 years left)
I am not really going to be using it for anything other than watching videos/lectures online, accessing my university work and word processing. also storage isnt an issue for me because I have a 1TB external hard drive which I have everything on anyway.
any ideas?
I currently have a 3 year old hp Pavolion (SPECS: intel core i5, 4gb ram, 500mb HD, basic graphics) which is showing a lot of wear and tear, Its battery life is dire (around 2 hours at best) and it is constantly overheating or running incredibly slowly.
So I am looking around for a new laptop. My boyfriend is a computer science student who is incredibly familiar with this area (he builds his own desktops) and we have both agreed my laptop probably has up to a year of functional use left.
He has a macbook pro 13.3" (retina) for uni and he says for my needs that It would be a really good purchase. I do have the money for a MBP but because it is such a large investment I wanted to know the pros and cons.
I am looking for something which:
- very good battery life
- will last me until the end of uni at least (I have 4 years left)
I am not really going to be using it for anything other than watching videos/lectures online, accessing my university work and word processing. also storage isnt an issue for me because I have a 1TB external hard drive which I have everything on anyway.
any ideas?
I heard the price of aluminium is set to go up. Since thats basically what you're paying for when you buy a mac.
Nah but seriously though, they are good, have sturdy software decent support and they last a long time. FYI I have a 5 year old mac which still runs fine. I also have a two year old dell thats already knackered
I think its worth it if you have the extra money, but they are a lot more expensive than regular laptops and you could probably get a much higher spec for the same price if you bought a normal laptop. Mind you, from my experience it'll maybe last you a couple years wheres mine, as I said earlier is 5 years and counting and still runs like a dream with zero issues.
Not as good as they used to be however. But heres a nice analogy I told my friend who hates macs:
"Thing is about mac computers, is that they are complete s**t. Only problem is PC computers are dysentery"
Original post by Natalierm2707
I have heard this, not sure if my laptop will last that long sadly 😓. All my friends from uni recommend a macbook and for the price/specs the pro is the better deal of the three (and also seems to be the longest lasting), whilst i have the money now i feel like it would be a good time to invest.
I understand i can get a better windows machine for less but ive not had great luck with windows PCs, mine has barely lasted 3 years and when i bought it i was told by many it was a good buy.
Posted from TSR Mobile
I understand i can get a better windows machine for less but ive not had great luck with windows PCs, mine has barely lasted 3 years and when i bought it i was told by many it was a good buy.
Posted from TSR Mobile
The macbook pro may last longer but will most likely be twice as much as a windows laptop that lasts 3 years so youd have to get 6 years out of a macbook pro just to break even and thats not really realistic (if you still want good performance and battery life that is)
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