Considering purchasing a new Macbook today....

[Mayareira]

Buying a mac limtis what you can do a ton. We also have to take into fact that macs blow on games. We are indeed on a gaming forum.

You should've put this sentence at the beginning of your post so I wouldn't read through all of it.

Vista x64 on my 2~ year old MBP is one of the most stable Windows experience I've had recently and made me ditch my desktop PC without a second thought.

That said, Macs are good. I am not going to turn this into a Mac vs. PC as I've been using PC's for 20~ years now and "my dad beats your dad!!!!11" arguments are lame. Buy a mac if you...

1) Are going to use it in your professional life. For daily "shoppings" on Photoshop you won't notice a huge difference, but software like FinalCut basically doesn't have an alternative.

2) If you prefer OS X. With Boot Camp, a Mac is no different than a PC with same specs. You won't be limited in gaming or anything else.

3) If you find it "trendy". Look, there is nothing wrong with investing on something you'd like, enjoy to use. I personally don't like the way Macs look...backlit keyboard is sex, however. If I really wanted something that looks awesome I'd go with Sony Vaio.

4) Build Quality. Macs excel in this area.

...and more, people have said a lot of things already. Its really quite simple, If you want a Mac, buy a Mac.

[Cephius]

Relax, people. Give thoughts on the Macbook for the guy, no reason to turn this into the 439th chapter of the PC vs. Mac debate. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Like anything else, it boils down to personal preferences. It's no secret that Macs cost more, but thats what you pay for simplicity and less headaches.

[Senoska]

Relax, people. Give thoughts on the Macbook for the guy, no reason to turn this into the 439th chapter of the PC vs. Mac debate. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Like anything else, it boils down to personal preferences. It's no secret that Macs cost more, but thats what you pay for simplicity and less headaches.

Don't come here and tell us not to turn this into a PC vs Mac debate and then drop your opinion on the matter.


Back to the actual discussion[not at you, Cephius.]:

Pretty much every reason you're wrong has been pointed out. You can't see the depreciate slower and then not compare it to the reality. Further more, why don't you post that picture you shooped up awhile back where you compared a 4 year old laptop to the pictures on the mac site to really show how well you can argue.

[Darus Grey]

-
Pretty much every reason you're wrong has been pointed out. You can't see the depreciate slower and then not compare it to the reality. Further more, why don't you post that picture you shooped up awhile back where you compared a 4 year old laptop to the pictures on the mac site to really show how well you can argue.

You clearly live in an alternate reality where I "shooped up a picture"(that never happened genius).

You said the same retarded shit last time too, so I'll spare the repeat of calling you out again.

Just admit you're a hater who hates random shit for stupid reasons even you can't understand, and move on. Seriously, everytime the topics brought up you fucking foam at the mouth to be let out of your cage so you can make some quip about those who use them.

Meh, I'll just save us both the time and link the old thread you're talking about(including the non-existent shooped image, GG) http://www.bluegartr.com/forum/80320...-laptop-2.html you refused to back up a damn thing you said then, and I doubt that's changed now.

[Korietsu]

I'm with Darus on this one. I even dualboot windows, and I get the same preformance on Win 7 against a laptop with similar equipment that's a PC, even with the less than optimal bootcamp drivers. I can't say that I'm not impressed at the responsiveness though.

The difference is clear on a clean install of OSX and Win 7. I compile and run programs from the command line much quicker, programs open faster, and even chipmunk basic runs quicker in the OSX environment. In fact with a prime number sieve, chipmunk complied and ran the whole program in 3 seconds, vs the comparable pc, which took 13. And a BASIC prime number sieve is stupidly small.

That and I actually have this wonderful option of running both OS's, where as with a hackintosh, I have a very narrow range of hardware that is easily configured. Battery life on my MBP is amazing compared to all of the windows machines I've had the pleasure of running with, barring select Lenovo models. I've still got 3 hours on a battery that is currently at ~65% health, and is at suggested replacement. I had half the time on the exact same hardware using a PC, on a full battery at a similar level of use as my own.

Not to mention that the drivers for all the hardware is tuned for each system. You're not using some generic brand all drivers, you're using a very select set of drivers meant to cause the least amount of conflicts as well as increase the performance, straight out of the box. Not to even mention the better x64 support.

In all honesty, go grab one of the new macbooks, they're fast, efficient, and can do just about anything you need. If you want to spend a little more, pick up a 15 inch pro, get a larger HDD, bootcamp win 7 x64, and install some gaems. I have no problems running labview/xilinx/logicworks/etc in OSX. I have plenty of problems with lockups/crashes/straight up indescribable problems in windows with those programs in windows.

Hell, I have a friend who has the old clamshell iBook that still runs like a champ, and his mother has a G4 that works like a champ still too, and they're goddamned retarded when it comes to computer maintenance. He's upgraded to a MBP, and he enjoys it, and it's currently in Afghanistan with him, enduring some pretty nasty conditions atm.

[Cephius]

Meh, nevermind.

[Khamsin]

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7...f0eae5005a.jpg

I'm surprised that after this many years, they still haven't figured out how to add another button to the mouse. Or maybe it's just pride. Either way, they should get with the times. With better controls and interface, more people might consider a Mac.

[Isiolia]

I'm surprised that after this many years, they still haven't figured out how to add another button to the mouse. Or maybe it's just pride. Either way, they should get with the times. With better controls and interface, more people might consider a Mac.

The Mac OS has natively supported multi-button mice since....'98? Well before OS X at any rate. Before that there were add-on extensions from third parties. Control-Click has been the same functionality as well.

They've been making mice that are "multi-button" for several years as well. The more recent mice are capable of sensing which side you click on and doing right/left click. Annoying, yes, as you can't have fingers resting on both sides, but it's there. They also have native scroll functionality in the OS, and have been making mice with a scroll ball for years. Perfect? No. But again, not absent.

The touch capability is also somewhat different. The newer laptops have a multi-touch trackpad on them. Which is to say, the trackpad is a little iPhone/iPod touch surface. You can scroll on it by using two fingers. "Right click" by using multiple fingers to click. They also support gestures, and zooming with the pinch/expand motions, and so on.

The new mouse takes those ideas and maps them to the top surface of the mouse. You win some, you lose some: a review of Apple's Magic Mouse - Ars Technica

Personally? I don't care for their mice. I've got a $10 Logitech plugged into this Mac Pro. Works with the same exact functionality I'd get in Windows. I do like their trackpads, at least the more recent ones, though only on the OS X side. The Boot Camp drivers for them could be better.


What I find surprising is that so many people harp on "one button" mice still, when it's not the case, and hasn't been for years.
I think they do stick with the appearance of it due to pride or just thinking it's more elegant. Either way, you can plug in whatever the hell you want to use over USB anyway, making it largely a moot point. The exception being with trackpads and not-Mac OS.

[dejet]

You...don't understand why someone would upgrade their computer? And then sell the old one? Really?

I don't know what to say to that, that's some straight up WTF shit...

Maybe you're better off never giving advice on anything ever again, trust me on this one.



And you sir, are wrong.

Seriously, I must of been born with a genetic defect that allows me to see more than 5 seconds into my future and actually weigh my options based on long-term evaluations, it's certainly not a common skill as you point out.

I guess im just use to upgrading the comp i have *zing*


ok I was being nice, flat out Macs have no use outside
1) people who need it for work
2)people who want to waste money
3)people who have to be in with the trends
4)people who dont know what "my computer" is

flat out going to say it, for what a mac does the price sucks, a PC can get twice as much in it and last just as long for the reasons I posted before. What you can do with a mac is limited in almost any way. They are not as good as people think they are. get that into your head. You are a fanboy. Darus.

I posted saying if i needed a mac I would pick one up, but you seem to think that macs are so much better then PC's this is not true.

If you just buy a PC off the net ya odds are a Mac will be better. Build one? not so much it will make a mac look like a joke. Get with the times, if they let you customize a mac a little it might be a better price. Till then I will stay with a PC that can do everything a mac can and more.

[Darus Grey]

I guess im just use to upgrading the comp i have *zing*

Thinking before you speak is obviously not your strong-point. I'm sure I'm not the only one who cringed at how stupid that made you sound.

Though I love your stereo-typical use of fanboy.

Who exactly just made a large post saying that PCs are better always? Oh, you, fanboy. I haven't commented on anything other than prebuilt vs prebuilt price.

GG.

[Isiolia]

ok I was being nice, flat out Macs have no use outside
1) people who need it for work
2)people who want to waste money
3)people who have to be in with the trends
4)people who dont know what "my computer" is

Well, I would say there's also the rationale of "just 'cause". I got my first Mac basically because I felt like messing with the platform. Granted, this was back in '97, so the market was a little different all around, but still. Can't say I needed it, but I felt like having one so I bought it, as a second machine.

Simple preference as well. Sure, pragmatically, if you need to do x and y tasks, you can probably find the most economical device to do them. For many users, a netbook running Linux would do fine. That doesn't stop them from walking out of Best Buy with an 18" behemoth of a laptop running Win7 that cost several times as much. Personally, I'd never buy a machine like that, but if that's what they prefer then fine.

Simply liking the platform is enough of a reason to me. I think a recent survey showed that the vast majority of Mac users also owned at least one PC too NPD: Apple Owners Have More Money and Stuff - Tom's Hardware


Macs do tend to preserve resale a bit better. IMO, this is in large part due to the narrow model lineup, and that they're the only official product line that runs the Mac OS. I've only sold one of mine, the first Mac I had. Sold it a year, year and a half or so later for $1500, and I'd paid maybe $80 more...
Still, I don't think it's really think it's due to superior hardware (though most Apple stuff is very nicely integrated), but more due to the lack of choice for it. Part of it is simply branding though, as people still paid more, new and used, for Apple hardware back when there were clones. My Power Tower Pro was a better machine than a Power Mac 9500 across the board, and it was cheaper.

Different products have different resale, even if they do effectively the same thing. A glance through a Kelly Blue Book will tell you that much.

[Electro]

Ok let me just say this....

My dad's company uses G5 Powermacs all the time for their design building plans. They have 7 G5's and 7 High end desktops. I called him and asked him
his opinion. He stated that they saw a higher performance in speed with the macs. They also have had 2 pc's power supplys crap out, and 1 mainboard. The only issue they had with one of the G5's was the keyboard going out.

Plus he told me the "mac's have a higher resale."

[dejet]

I had a long post about pros and cons on macs and PCs, but I just dont see the point. This person came asking reasons to buy a mac. I think I gave decent ones, in my view however PCs are a better buy unless you need to use products that onyl macs can use. I also like to think that if you are on a gaming forum odds you you play games. This being true for most people would lead you to buying a PC anyways.

Is it cheaper to buy a mac+ PC ? ya mac can play some of the games, but it took nearly 4 years for someone to get FFXI working in a stable way on a mac, that is a big selling point for me.

Ok let me just say this....

My dad's company uses G5 Powermacs all the time for their design building plans. They have 7 G5's and 7 High end desktops. I called him and asked him
his opinion. He stated that they saw a higher performance in speed with the macs. They also have had 2 pc's power supplys crap out, and 1 mainboard. The only issue they had with one of the G5's was the keyboard going out.

Plus he told me the whole "mac's have a higher resale."

then by all means get a mac. I still stand by my PC lasting 6 years and still kicking ass. maybe I got lucky tho.

[Electro]

then by all means get a mac. I still stand by my PC lasting 6 years and still kicking ass. maybe I got lucky tho.

I don't doubt your pc is a great pc. This is the whole point of me not wanting to build one. Yes, my desktop is a PC I built and it runs great. I was looking to try something different, which is why I asked for opinions.

The only thing is when you ask for opinions the douches come out and begin to bash. I never asked people to tell me people are morons and trendy for purchasing a certain product. Truth is half you are the type I suppose that state "i don't care what people think" but truly do. I figured I would get this type of response out of people, but my question was simply "what are your thoughts on the new Macbook."

As for the whole following a trend goes, half of probably followed the windows 7 trend too huh?

Also I realized most of the responses came from people who don't own(or have owned) macs.

Thank you for those of you that responded and answered the question.

[Mayareira]

Is it cheaper to buy a mac+ PC ? ya mac can play some of the games, but it took nearly 4 years for someone to get FFXI working in a stable way on a mac, that is a big selling point for me.

What the hell are you babbling about?

A Mac with Windows installed via bootcamp can play every single game out there, period. I truly hate Mac vs. PC piss contest, but you are blatantly lying now.

[Senoska]

Ok let me just say this....

My dad

First mistake.

company uses G5 Powermacs all the time for their design building plans. They have 7 G5's and 7 High end desktops.

What counts as a "High end desktop"? Are the stats comparable/same?

I called him and asked him his opinion. He stated that they saw a higher performance in speed with the macs.

In what way?

They also have had 2 pc's power supplys crap out, and 1 mainboard. The only issue they had with one of the G5's was the keyboard going out.

Apple doesn't make the hardware. I don't even understand were you're coming from with this. Assuming you have intel based shit, you're using the EXACT same/very similar hardware. How can you bitch about it going out when they are built the same way with a different OS?

Plus he told me the whole "mac's have a higher resale."

HURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Mayareira]

Apple doesn't make the hardware. I don't even understand were you're coming from with this. Assuming you have intel based shit, you're using the EXACT same/very similar hardware. How can you bitch about it going out when they are built the same way with a different OS?

Apple(or any other firm) doesn't make the hardware, but they set the standards of the manufacturer firm that does the hardware for them. It doesn't work like a regular newegg purchase and assemble especially for the laptops. You tell them what you want them to do and how you want it to be done, and they do it for you(excluding the CPU).

That's why MBPs and certain other PC Laptops are better known with their durability.

What counts as a "High end desktop"? Are the stats comparable/same?

High-end is high end(latest/leading model). Power PC and Intel architectures are different, you can't compare them merely by looking at their clock speeds.

HURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I don't know what the heck this stupid shit means, but eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices is a good source for comparing resale values.

[Isiolia]

Apple(or any other firm) doesn't make the hardware, but they set the standards of the manufacturer firm that does the hardware for them. It doesn't work like a regular newegg purchase and assemble especially for the laptops. You tell them what you want them to do, and they do it for you.

That's why MBPs and certain other PC Laptops are better known with their durability.



High-end is high end(latest/leading model). Power PC and Intel architectures are different, you can't compare them merely by looking at their clock speeds.

I'd say you're both right in terms of "who makes it". Apple designs their boards and all, but uses the same off-the-shelf chips as most others. Laptops are going to be like that for most, though with desktops a lot of companies don't even do that. They just use OEM-only boards from ASUS or whatnot.
Some of the problems Apple has had have been directly related to parts made by other companies. For example, the IDE controller issues on the B&W G3 towers.

Hard to say with the performance. You can have ports of programs that favor one platform or the other. In my experience, statements like he quoted are often just subjective opinion due to preference or past luck (or lack thereof) with a particular machine. Still, even the most recent G5s were discontinued over three years ago. A "cutting edge" PC from today wouldn't exactly be a fair comparison anyway =P

[Electro]

...

[Darus Grey]

Last time me and Senoska argued about this, he said that facts were irrelevant, so I wouldn't take anything he says seriously.

Though to you, I kind of have to say get used to this.

I always find it the height of hypocrisy that even the simplest question about macs will provoke these idiots to shit up the thread with their uninformed babble.

If I started posting in every windows thread that windows sucks and that there was no reason to own one, people wouldn't find that acceptable, and rightfully so. Yet it's perfectly ok for them to come into a mac thread and do the same shit, well constantly throwing out "bandwagon, trendy, fanboy"...etc.

Hey, geniuses, last I checked, the number of mac users shitting up your windows threads was 0. Put that into perspective.

Anyways, to clarify what I've been saying and that Isolia touched on, I have *never* claimed that Macs have better re-sale/slower depreciation because the "hardware is better".

That is irrelevant, In the thread I linked to earlier, I specifically noted it's due to the closed nature of the brand, and simple branding itself. Senoska and Dejet seem to have issues grasping that, yes, if you take the same hardware and stick an Apple logo on it, *it's worth more*. Senoska in particular lives in a fantasy world where same hardware always equals same price. HUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Want a windows example? Ferrai branded Laptops. Game Over.

Anyways, if you want a mac, get one, worst that happens is you sell it 2 years later for 70-80% of what you paid, so well the upfront cost is higher, you're really not taking much of a fiscal risk with the purchase, and can use it for a long time with very little depreciation.

Maybe I missed it, but what exactly do you want it for?

For me, as a scientist(specifically a linguist(, you'll find that the science community is very OSX oriented, and there's actually thousands of research specific software that is OSX only.

Also the "video/graphics" "mac isn't better anymore" used to be true, and then with SL is true again. All the major vendors are making their software(or have) 64bit native, and compatible with OpenCL/Grand Central. You can google benchmarks I believe to show what exactly supporting those standards does to performance.

Well windows can support OpenCL, it's not at the OS level, and relies on 3rd party hardware developing software specific to their hardware more or less.

Anyways, stuff.