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Dell Inspisron 1720 VS Macbook Pro

aditghai

aditghai

macrumors regular
Original poster
Hi
I am not asking any of you to convince me but why is the Macbook pro so much more expensive.

I configured a Dell Inspiron 1720 with a 17 inch Screen, 2.33 Ghz, 2 GB RAM, 120 GB HDD, inbuilt cam for $899(With $400 coupon)

Now a similar MBP would be $1000 more expensive.

I have been a Long time Windows Power user and am thinking of switching but i can get a more powerful machine with the DELL. IS there any reason i should go with Apple?
 
You can't compare the Inspiron line to the Macbook Pro. For a similar spec comparison, you must compare the XPS1530 to the Macbook Pro.

The XPS (with similar specs) ends up being less than $300 cheaper than the Macbook Pro 2.2ghz model.

Alot of the difference in price can be attributed to the free, full versions of software you get on the Mac (namely iLife) and not having to pay for virus protection or run scans (time is money).

Note: I had to compare the 15" version because there is no 17" XPS laptop, only 13", 15" and 20". However, most people don't recommend the 17" Macbook Pro anyway because you do pay a large price premium for the larger screen.
 
because dude...it's a Dell. In other words, it's a piece of crap.

I can't begin to tell you how many friends I have who have owned Dells and have had the hard drive crash or otherwise completely die within a year or so of owning it. My favorite story involved three friends whose hard drives crashed within a week before finals my first semester of law school.

Add in the fact that Dell has absolutely horrible customer service and that is why the reason that there is a price difference.
 
Apparently the Dell uses a lot of cheap plastics according to reviews I have read. My brother just got one. Until I get to play with it I am unable to give a proper review of it other than those based on the opinions of others.

I think the MBP is a bit overpriced, well it is out of my price range anyway. I have never understood why someone would want a laptop with a 17" screen either. Surely that defeats the whole point of being mobile. Although, with more people trading in their desktops for laptops then I guess it makes sense if you are going to spend most of you day over a desk. Personally, I'll stick with my iMac and MacBook combo.

I was happy with paying the slight premium for my MacBook and iMac and I am sure the same will be true of a MBP. I am no power user, but from what I can see Leopard is faster than Tiger and you probably have heard about the Vista horror stories and what a memory hog that can be. All you can do really is ask friends and go and try the different machines at your local computer place.
 
Dell are not all bad, their consumer stuff (ie Inspiron, Dimension) is however.

If you compare a Inspiron and a Latitude (business), you will see the Latitude costs a lot more for less specs, simply because of the better build quality, style, etc. That is why it would appear consumer Dells are cheaper and faster, because they use the crappest stuff, and boy their ugly. I bet that XPS is at least 2" thick.
 
I've seen a few of the new Dell machines and they're definitely looking great. The company has a bad reputation on this forum but there is no arguing that their machines are a million times better value than Apple's in many respects.

Comparing the MacBook Pro and the XPS 1520 is interesting. I made one up on both sites to be as close as possible:

MacBook Pro vs Dell XPS 1520
2.4GHz Core 2 Duo -- 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM -- 2GB RAM
200GB HDD -- 250GB HDD
256MB nVidia GeForce 8800GT -- 256MB nVidia GeForce 8800GT

The difference in price is $625. Basically Dell will sell you the same machine for that much cheaper. It includes Windows Vista Home Premium too, meaning that on the software side of things, the two should be pretty much equal.
 
Yet when you are spending that much on a laptop then I doubt $625 is that much of an issue.

As others have said. Just be cautious of Dell's build quality and reliability. Why not check out HP and Lenovo's as well?
 
imaketouchtheme said:
You don't only buy a Mac for the hardware. Apple creates the best software in the business. The main reason people buy a Macs.
Click to expand...

But if you're already used to Windows then there really isn't much point switching any more in my opinion. Windows XP is now rock solid and Windows Vista's feature set exceeds that of Mac OS X in many respects. Sure, when I changed a few years ago there was a need, but nowadays things are just so close between the two (or three) OSs that it maybe isn't worth people's trouble any more.
 
slashjunior said:
Yet when you are spending that much on a laptop then I doubt $625 is that much of an issue.

As others have said. Just be cautious of Dell's build quality and reliability. Why not check out HP and Lenovo's as well?
Click to expand...

Well I just headed over to dell's website and built the XPS m1530 and it has 4gb of ram and 250 hdd and the rest as close to a MBP 15.4 as possible and its $2457 and $1858 after a $599 instant savings. It weighs more, is thicker and is running vista...

People buy macs for the software, and why not take advantage of the biggest student promo in apples history this year...
 
1: The dell is running a Windows O/S - Vista's bloatyness eradicates any performance gains you may perceive you are gaining with newer hardware. XP is a compromise. OS X is an inherently more efficient OS and therefore is quicker on lesser hardware.
2: The Dell will depreciate beyond belief. It will be worthless in months.
3: The performance of the Dell will degrade almost as quickly as it loses financial value. The two maybe related..
4: It's likely to be shoddily built, and lacks quality.
5: It's not cool like a Mac
6: It's not running OSX - no iLife for you!
7: No need to go hunting for drivers - I've yet to install a driver on my mac's yet!

and last but not least..

8: You will NOT be happy with it in 2 weeks time once the 'my new computer' shine has worn off...it will just be another sucky PC laptop running crappy windows...

It is evidenced by legendary and rampant fanboyism that Apple products continue to make their owners ridiculously happy...by focusing exlusively on the hardware you are ignoring the fact that OS X is a joy to use, to live, work and play with.
 
neiltc13 said:
But if you're already used to Windows then there really isn't much point switching any more in my opinion. Windows XP is now rock solid and Windows Vista's feature set exceeds that of Mac OS X in many respects. Sure, when I changed a few years ago there was a need, but nowadays things are just so close between the two (or three) OSs that it maybe isn't worth people's trouble any more.
Click to expand...

XP is awesome, can't get it from dell. Vista is well, not so hot. Sure it can do things, but does it function as well as Leopard, I don't think so, plus he could run it anyway on his mac too. If you got to get a PC get XP, but how much longer they'll support that OS is debatable, hopefully till microsoft 7.
 
xhambonex said:
People buy macs for the software, and why not take advantage of the biggest student promo in apples history this year...
Click to expand...

I am looking for a laptop, and I planning on getting the MBP, reason being is for the hardware as well as the software.

you mentioned it's the "biggest student promo in apple history this year" how big is it? Seems like they're just giving a free ipod (or 200 rebate on any ipod) and maybe a free printer (100 rebate on any printer that's 100+)?
 
surferfromuk said:
Really ? How so...
Click to expand...

Think he'll answer this?
I use Vista (have to), am a power user, and cannot think of even ONE attribute on Vista that compels me to compare it favorably over OS X. Not one.
I think it would be easier to point out the 1 billion Vista flaws. More fun too.

Vista

Is

An

Abomination
 
Les Kern said:
Think he'll answer this?
I use Vista (have to), am a power user, and cannot think of even ONE attribute on Vista that compels me to compare it favorably over OS X. Not one.
I think it would be easier to point out the 1 billion Vista flaws. More fun too.

Vista

Is

An

Abomination
Click to expand...

I loved that line. "More fun too".

But yes, I couldn't even think about comparing Mac OSX to Vista. I like Linux Ubuntu more than any Windows OS out there. That's why I run a LiveCD when I have to be on a Windows computer.
 
imaketouchtheme said:
You don't only buy a Mac for the hardware. Apple creates the best software in the business. The main reason people buy a Macs.
Click to expand...

That is very subjective. You almost say it like it is fact. I got a Mac for OS X. However, this is not the case for everyone and believe it or not there are a lot of satisfied Windows users.

neiltc13 said:
But if you're already used to Windows then there really isn't much point switching any more in my opinion. Windows XP is now rock solid and Windows Vista's feature set exceeds that of Mac OS X in many respects. Sure, when I changed a few years ago there was a need, but nowadays things are just so close between the two (or three) OSs that it maybe isn't worth people's trouble any more.
Click to expand...

A good point and quite refreshing to see on a Mac forum 😛

surferfromuk said:
1: The dell is running a Windows O/S - Vista's bloatyness eradicates any performance gains you may perceive you are gaining with newer hardware. XP is a compromise
2: The Dell will depreciate beyond belief.
3: The performance of the Dell will degrade almost as quickly as it loses financial value. The two maybe related..
4: It's likely to be shoddily built, and lacks quality
5: It's not cool like a Mac
6: It's not running OSX - no iLife for you!

and last but not least..

7: You will NOT be happy with it in 2 weeks time once the 'my new computer' shine has worn off...it will just be another sucky PC laptop running crappy windows...

It is evidenced by legendary and rampant fanboyism that Apple products continue to make their owners ridiculously happy...
Click to expand...

That is a bit harsh.
1. You know, the only complaints I have heard about Vista have been from whiney bloggers and YouTube videos most of whom are geeks. I do not have a problem with geeks and bloggers. However, I have a few friends with Vista who are not that great with computers and find Vista fine. That is the market Microsoft and Apple worry about not some blogger complaining on a YouTube video.
2. Depreciation. Is that really an issue when it comes to computers? Most computers are worth pretty much nothing after a few years anyway.
3. Is there any evidence of this? I have a 5 year old XP machine that I built myself and have never changed any of the hardware and it still runs like new. Maybe it is because I used quality hardware in the first place, but there is little evidence to support that statement.
4. Valid and fair point. Yet Macs are known for their problems as well. Cracking MacBooks, gradient problems on the iMac etc.
5. Whatever floats your boat.
6. Only really an issue if you use iLife. I personally use iPhoto, but apart from that I rarely use the other programs because I am not into recording movies or music or creating a website. The Pros will go out and get the Pro equivalents such as Final Cut, Photoshop and Aperture anyway.
7. Again, very subjective. For many a computer is just a utility to get work done, browse the internet or chat with friends, much the same way people buy a fridge to cool their cheese and beer. It gets the job done.

Having said all that people may ask why I am a Mac user lol. However, I do like my Macs and it is my personal preference. Although, come on guys, they are both computers and in reality are very similar, everyone is different and it is only the user that can make the decision on whether it is worth spending the bit extra on a Mac, in much the same way a user decides whether to spend a bit extra on a Lexus over a Toyota.
 
surferfromuk said:
Really ? How so...
Click to expand...

Windows Media Center mops the floor with Front Row or any third party alternative for Mac OS X and that alone for me is a huge benefit of having a Vista machine over an OS X one, especially if you consider how much time it takes to learn how to use OS X.

I've also found many third party applications to be less feature rich than Windows counterparts. There is much less choice in the Mac OS software market and taking Usenet as an example, Unison is completely and utterly blown away by NewsLeecher for Windows. For the record, I have never once run any antivirus software on any of the Windows PCs in my home and I see no need for anyone to invest in anything of the sort.

I have to say that my Vista box was much more reliable than the iMac I'm writing this on now. I can think of one time when a piece of software has quit on Vista and that was probably because I was doing some silly things in a game. Mac OS continually shows me windows telling me programs had to quit because they became "unresponsive" and I've had a couple of kernel panics too.

Please don't miss my point here - I still believe firmly that Mac OS is better overall (although Tiger was a lot more reliable) and I'm now so accustomed to it that I can perform many tasks quicker on OS X than I can on a Windows machine but if I was to be giving advice to anyone who is considering "switching" then I would ask them to seriously reconsider before jumping on the bandwagon.

I made my switch in 2005 when things were not so rosy on the Windows side and when there was a clear lead for OS X. Now we've got Vista which looks great and clears up some of the loose ends on XP things are tied in my opinion. The time for advising people to invest their time in learning a new operating system because Windows sucks has passed.

Switching to Mac OS X is definitely not worth $625 in my opinion.
 
Media Centre and Front Row is something I rarely use anyway and I still think it is a niche market for people watching TV and movies on their computer, so I don't think Microsoft is on to a winner there.

In general I am very impressed with the third party apps on OS X. There are probably 10x more apps on Windows, but 90% of those apps are pretty useless. OS X has fewer apps but the Mac developer community seems a lot better and the speed some developers adapted to Leopard was great. The only thing I miss is foobar2000 from Windows, but that is no big loss.

I have been using a Mac for a year and a half now and using Leopard since it was released. I have never suffered a Kernel panic. Tiger was indeed very stable. And in all fairness I have found Leopard stable as well. Sure, it has its slight bugs but these will be ironed out over time like they were in Tiger.
 
neiltc13 said:
Windows Media Center mops the floor with Front Row or any third party alternative for Mac OS X and that alone for me is a huge benefit of having a Vista machine over an OS X one, especially if you consider how much time it takes to learn how to use OS X.

I've also found many third party applications to be less feature rich than Windows counterparts. There is much less choice in the Mac OS software market and taking Usenet as an example, Unison is completely and utterly blown away by NewsLeecher for Windows. For the record, I have never once run any antivirus software on any of the Windows PCs in my home and I see no need for anyone to invest in anything of the sort.

I have to say that my Vista box was much more reliable than the iMac I'm writing this on now. I can think of one time when a piece of software has quit on Vista and that was probably because I was doing some silly things in a game. Mac OS continually shows me windows telling me programs had to quit because they became "unresponsive" and I've had a couple of kernel panics too.

Please don't miss my point here - I still believe firmly that Mac OS is better overall (although Tiger was a lot more reliable) and I'm now so accustomed to it that I can perform many tasks quicker on OS X than I can on a Windows machine but if I was to be giving advice to anyone who is considering "switching" then I would ask them to seriously reconsider before jumping on the bandwagon.

I made my switch in 2005 when things were not so rosy on the Windows side and when there was a clear lead for OS X. Now we've got Vista which looks great and clears up some of the loose ends on XP things are tied in my opinion. The time for advising people to invest their time in learning a new operating system because Windows sucks has passed.

Switching to Mac OS X is definitely not worth $625 in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I'd say a lot of this is subjective p.o.v stuff but anyway :

1) Windows Media Centre is a UI wasteland - I can't believe you think it's a good app - I think it's shockingly awful. Anyway, hysteria aside, you have to understand that Front Row is intentionally written to be simple. It's not trying to be iTunes or iPhoto or anything else - just a simple way to play media with a SUPER SIMPLE remote control. That's it's only brief and in that regards it succeeds.

2) Third party apps - mmh, never seen a better looking, easier to use Windows app yet that I couldn't find a nice equivelant on the mac. All windows apps still look like nasty 1995 shareware apps to me. Even Skype on the PC is a UI disaster - I couldn't believe the hideous complexity of it compared to the Mac version. But I'm really not qualified to comment on all apps, I mainly use FCP2 and Logic and they are, IMO, without equal. iWork, iLife are also super easy and nice to use.
(Newsreaders ? Do people still use them ?)

3) No AV/Spyware on your PC - very courageous - very personal decision. Macs - not a decision that needs to be made.

4) Never had OS X crash on me ONCE - EVER!. Never had a major Apple app crash on me once ( apart from the occasional Safari hang but that's really a handful of times - oh and Color has crashed out occasionally too). Occasionally had a couple of third-party apps drop out but they never once took down the OS. I'd call App reliability a draw apart from Apple's own apps which are beyond comparison for reliability.

I've used PC's for years but I genuinely would never recommend a PC running Vista to anyone. I'd be ashamed when they start telling me about the problems they have knowing that I'd recommended it to them. I remember the first time my mother in law found a keylogger on her PC and that's with running Zone Labs AV/A-Spyware. All that Credit card data, personnel data - sent who knows wheer! - it was horrific!! I recommended her that PC and that software - NEVER AGAIN. She's had a mac now for nearly a year and she'll never go back!

Short end of it - Recommend a Mac - you just KNOW they are never going to come storming in saying 'why did you recommend this to me!'...

Shame you haven't 'totally clicked' with your mac but that's Ok.
 
slashjunior said:
That is very subjective. You almost say it like it is fact. I got a Mac for OS X. However, this is not the case for everyone and believe it or not there are a lot of satisfied Windows users.



A good point and quite refreshing to see on a Mac forum 😛



That is a bit harsh.
1. You know, the only complaints I have heard about Vista have been from whiney bloggers and YouTube videos most of whom are geeks. I do not have a problem with geeks and bloggers. However, I have a few friends with Vista who are not that great with computers and find Vista fine. That is the market Microsoft and Apple worry about not some blogger complaining on a YouTube video.
2. Depreciation. Is that really an issue when it comes to computers? Most computers are worth pretty much nothing after a few years anyway.
3. Is there any evidence of this? I have a 5 year old XP machine that I built myself and have never changed any of the hardware and it still runs like new. Maybe it is because I used quality hardware in the first place, but there is little evidence to support that statement.
4. Valid and fair point. Yet Macs are known for their problems as well. Cracking MacBooks, gradient problems on the iMac etc.
5. Whatever floats your boat.
6. Only really an issue if you use iLife. I personally use iPhoto, but apart from that I rarely use the other programs because I am not into recording movies or music or creating a website. The Pros will go out and get the Pro equivalents such as Final Cut, Photoshop and Aperture anyway.
7. Again, very subjective. For many a computer is just a utility to get work done, browse the internet or chat with friends, much the same way people buy a fridge to cool their cheese and beer. It gets the job done.

Having said all that people may ask why I am a Mac user lol. However, I do like my Macs and it is my personal preference. Although, come on guys, they are both computers and in reality are very similar, everyone is different and it is only the user that can make the decision on whether it is worth spending the bit extra on a Mac, in much the same way a user decides whether to spend a bit extra on a Lexus over a Toyota.
Click to expand...

I think you said it all when you say " I do like me Mac's"...I don't know anybody who say's the like their 'PC running Windows' - they may like game they play on it but that's where it ends..

but you have to admit a Mac comes with a lot less hassle - day in day out ?
 
neiltc13 said:
Windows Media Center mops the floor with Front Row or any third party alternative for Mac OS X and that alone for me is a huge benefit of having a Vista machine over an OS X one, especially if you consider how much time it takes to learn how to use OS X.

I've also found many third party applications to be less feature rich than Windows counterparts. There is much less choice in the Mac OS software market and taking Usenet as an example, Unison is completely and utterly blown away by NewsLeecher for Windows. For the record, I have never once run any antivirus software on any of the Windows PCs in my home and I see no need for anyone to invest in anything of the sort.

I have to say that my Vista box was much more reliable than the iMac I'm writing this on now. I can think of one time when a piece of software has quit on Vista and that was probably because I was doing some silly things in a game. Mac OS continually shows me windows telling me programs had to quit because they became "unresponsive" and I've had a couple of kernel panics too.

Please don't miss my point here - I still believe firmly that Mac OS is better overall (although Tiger was a lot more reliable) and I'm now so accustomed to it that I can perform many tasks quicker on OS X than I can on a Windows machine but if I was to be giving advice to anyone who is considering "switching" then I would ask them to seriously reconsider before jumping on the bandwagon.

I made my switch in 2005 when things were not so rosy on the Windows side and when there was a clear lead for OS X. Now we've got Vista which looks great and clears up some of the loose ends on XP things are tied in my opinion. The time for advising people to invest their time in learning a new operating system because Windows sucks has passed.

Switching to Mac OS X is definitely not worth $625 in my opinion.
Click to expand...

For most people having Windows Media Center is really not that much of a benefit since few people I know actually use it often. I find that Front Row is actually very nice to use because it is so simple, and as some said before, it isn't supposed to be overly complicated.

I've actually found the opposite to be true - I've found Mac apps to be as feature rich or more feature rich than Windows apps (for the most part) and in general, I've also found that more apps doesn't always mean better, since there are a ton of horrible Windows apps out there and none really that I have found for OS X. As for the AV/Spyware software, just because you don't have to doesn't mean that millions of other users don't. Frankly, that doesn't seem like a wise decision since I've gotten my fair share of viruses and spyware whose effects have definitely been lessened by AV software. But on Macs you never have to worry about that.

Vista more reliable? I have a Vista machine in addition to my Macs and I find my Macs much more reliable than my Windows computers. I've never had a kernal panic and my Macs have never frozen, while my PCs freeze fairly often.

And I'm really surprised that you think Vista is so good. In my experience, Vista has performed ok, but in no ways has it been excellent or better than OS X. And also, in my experience, switching over was a breeze and wasn't hard at all. My parents just recently switched and they had no problems adjusting and they aren't that tech savvy.

After using OS X I can say that when going back to using my PC, I notice how unintuitive it is and miss some features of OS X such as Expose which I find very useful.

All in all, it all really depends on personal preference, but I find OS X to be much better than Windows.
 
Petey07 said:
I am looking for a laptop, and I planning on getting the MBP, reason being is for the hardware as well as the software.

you mentioned it's the "biggest student promo in apple history this year" how big is it? Seems like they're just giving a free ipod (or 200 rebate on any ipod) and maybe a free printer (100 rebate on any printer that's 100+)?
Click to expand...

I don't know read the apple insider article

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...lanning_biggest_back_to_school_promo_yet.html

Thats all i know.
 
slashjunior said:
2. Depreciation. Is that really an issue when it comes to computers? Most computers are worth pretty much nothing after a few years anyway.
3. Is there any evidence of this? I have a 5 year old XP machine that I built myself and have never changed any of the hardware and it still runs like new. Maybe it is because I used quality hardware in the first place, but there is little evidence to support that statement.
Click to expand...

2. If you go looking on eBay, you can find G3 iBooks going for $400+. I think that a computer from any other company running a processor 8 or 9 years old it would be found on the side of the road, not going for multiples of hundreds of dollars.

3. He was referring to Dell, not XP boxes in general.
 
I don't really know how to say this, but doesn't Vista seem like a Windows attempt at a OS X style operating system. Yet you want to recommend Vista, which is a first attempt of Apple's countless and successful attempts at the same style operating system? XP is reliable. AND by the way its not $625 more for an operating system...have you ever considered the effort it takes to get a mac repaired? Its really a joke how easily Apple will fix or replace your computer, I don't get that kind of support for Windows machines. I know the Lenovo I looked into (same price as my MBP, better graphics, better screen res, better durability) had to be sent out to a service station and at least a couple weeks wait for repair. My mac had an issue, I drove to the store, waited 20min, and left...

there are lots of other things that make up that price difference...besides just tech specs on the computers
 
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