MacBook Pro - wow! Another Windoze user converted.....

[allymac]

Got my hands on one of work's MacBook Pros from our laptop pool to work on for a couple of weeks. They are just beautiful. Quick boot up, very quiet, stunning screen. The one I have is a 2.4 Ghz core 2 duo, 2 GB ram, 15" screen. It's an absolute pleasure to use. When my home laptop reaches end of life I think I'm going to replace it with an MBP. I really have enjoyed using it this week, I don't want to give it back!

[paola105]

Hahaha yeah MBP's are great!

[DaveTheGrey]

MBPs are great but OS X is even better. (little bit hard to compare though :D )

[allymac]

It's the whole experience really. The build quality of the laptop compared with all the others I've used (and I've used A LOT - I head up a small IT department) is superb, the styling is beautiful. But you're right the OS itself is just brilliant. It just works. It's so intuitive and simple to use, and like I said the boot time compared to Windoze is incredible. I really am smitten :D

[bigslickster]

Yeah, i got my first apple last november(MBP) and i LOVE it. The only draw back is there are applications i need and games i play that are windows only. If all programs were created equally, i would get rid of my windows desktop in a heart beat. But sadly i cant.

[docal97]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

I have the same piece that u mentioned in your post, except with 4 gig of ram. It really is a killer piece. I would never consider a return to the 'dark side'

[Neil321]

Yeah, i got my first apple last november(MBP) and i LOVE it. The only draw back is there are applications i need and games i play that are windows only. If all programs were created equally, i would get rid of my windows desktop in a heart beat. But sadly i cant.

Not heard of bootcamp then?

[tdhurst]

Not heard of bootcamp then?

Pretty damn pricey to buy any Mac and use bootcamp the majority of the time. It's the hardware/software combo that makes Mac great, not the hardware itself.

[Neil321]

Pretty damn pricey to buy any Mac and use bootcamp the majority of the time. It's the hardware/software combo that makes Mac great, not the hardware itself.

So where did they say anything about using windows all the time and oh sorry i've only been using Macs on & off for around 5yrs now so i know nothing about the hardware/software combo

[Woot1289]

So where did they say anything about using windows all the time and oh sorry i've only been using Macs on & off for around 5yrs now so i know nothing about the hardware/software combo

Well if you read the quote...

Yeah, i got my first apple last november(MBP) and i LOVE it. The only draw back is there are applications i need and games i play that are windows only. If all programs were created equally, i would get rid of my windows desktop in a heart beat. But sadly i cant.

[tdhurst]

So where did they say anything about using windows all the time and oh sorry i've only been using Macs on & off for around 5yrs now so i know nothing about the hardware/software combo

Well, the previous poster explained your first comment.

Five years of Mac experience would actually be quite a bit for a large amount of people. Um...you don't know that Apple is the only company that makes Mac OS X and their Macs?

[bigslickster]

Not heard of bootcamp then?
Thank you for noticing me saying its a drawback that they dont run on mac and thats the only reason i use windows still....but hey we cant all read properly can we now?

[squeeks]

Not heard of bootcamp then?

can i stick a kick ass video card in my MBP to play my bootcamp games on? can i use a Q6600 quad core in my MBP for my video rendering?

didnt think so

best combo is a MBP/macbook (for internet and basic daily use) and a midrange ~$700 windows desktop for those intense gaming sessions / running windows apps you need a lot of power

[nephilim7]

you'd have to spend more than that to match the MBP in gaming... give it a spin.

my gaming desktop is a 6750 quad with dual ati 3870s, obviously it has more oomph, but not enough for me to bother walking over there and turning it on.

[tdhurst]

....but hey we cant all read properly can we now?

Obviously not, but that sure would be nice. You'd think we'd all be able to.

[TwinCities Dan]

Wow, talk about a highjacked thread turnin' ugly... :(

[SchneiderMan]

until i get mine ill be at the apple store/bestbuy everyday using the mbp's :D

[sixtyone]

they are pretty sweet... i just got mine this week...

quick learning curve and such a solid machine...

and yes, the screen is amazing

[squeeks]

you'd have to spend more than that to match the MBP in gaming... give it a spin.

HAHAHA

okydokey

Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128338) $56
CPU 2.4ghz core2Duo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115032) $119 (we're only going for $700 not quad core)
Memory 4gb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231112) $79
HD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148316) 320gb $69
Hd3870 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161218) $135
DVD burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118012) $25
Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119115) $45
Vista Home Premium $89 swap XP Home for same price if you wish

shipping ~$49

$665 with above config
$755 with a 2.4ghz Quad core

and dont tell me that wouldn't whip the crap outta a MBP playing ANY game

[nephilim7]

your mbp must be broken, you have an ati one?

you also forgot the display, and the power supply (3870 isn't going to run on a cheap 'comes with the case' PSU)

the only game I have to run on my desktop is crysis at full option, use mbp for everything else happily.

cheers

[Neil321]

So what's wrong with you people?,yes i understand a windows desktop is better for gaming for power reasons,but there are plenty of users on here that play games using bootcamp & have windows only applications,oh and i'm sorry i cant be as perfect as you make yourself's out to be,try getting your head out your own ass

[squeeks]

your mbp must be broken, you have an ati one?

you also forgot the display, and the power supply (3870 isn't going to run on a cheap 'comes with the case' PSU)

the only game I have to run on my desktop is crysis at full option, use mbp for everything else happily.

cheers

i have a 2.4 how do i have an ATI one?

as far as PSU, yes i forgot that here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256032) is a nice silverstone 400w (even comes with 6pin PCIE conn.) that will run it just fine, its 46 dollars which puts us at about 701 a far cry from the "you'd have to spend more than that to match the MBP in gaming" that you suggested

and we're talking about building a windows desktop which doesn't have to include a monitor, im sure most people who would WANT a gaming machine have a monitor laying around they can use with it

___________

So what's wrong with you people?,yes i understand a windows desktop is better for gaming for power reasons,but there are plenty of users on here that play games using bootcamp & have windows only applications oh and i'm sorry i cant be as perfect as you make yourself's out to be

ok, i understand that, im just saying bootcamp isnt the end all beat all solution for people who need to run windows thats all...

i run bootcamp on my MBP just for those special occasions i need a windows all that wont run in parallels and i need a real windows environment for, that i dont want to run on my desktop

in your original post where you suggested bootcamp you made it seem like that was the perfect solution for everyone, and its not

[Neil321]

ok, i understand that, im just saying bootcamp isnt the end all beat all solution for people who need to run windows thats all...

i run bootcamp on my MBP just for those special occasions i need a windows all that wont run in parallels and i need a real windows environment for, that i dont want to run on my desktop

in your original post where you suggested bootcamp you made it seem like that was the perfect solution for everyone, and its not

Well i'm sorry but that wasn't how it was meant to come across,the way i saw it was a solution & NOT the be all & end all,to be honest i'm not into gaming but i do use bootcamp alot for other stuff ( work related ) & need a portable so for me the MBP is the perfect machine as soon as i'm finished with windows i either re-boot into OS X or suspend my VM,people see things in different ways,and a slagging off was a little unfair

[squeeks]

well, like i said, i apologize, it just seemed as if you were suggesting getting rid of all windows desktops in favor of bootcamp, and i was just pointing out how this wouldn't work

[nephilim7]

not trying to add to the nastiness in the other part of this thread. Its already full of enough fail.

most of the parts you listed were scary. Not saying you can't build a good reliable game rig that can spank the mbp for like half the price (or even less), but I think $700 is pushing it.

I'd put the figure at more around a grand to $1200 for decent stuff. (without display)

without the backdrop of whatever the arguments were about in the above messages this probably would have been a normalish back and forth, I'm not trying to be argumentative, and I apologize if I'm coming across as either pedantic or nitpicking. I really do enjoy the ability of my mbp to play games.

cheers

[Neil321]

well, like i said, i apologize, it just seemed as if you were suggesting getting rid of all windows desktops in favor of bootcamp, and i was just pointing out how this wouldn't work

To be honest i wish i never posted it,but i'm sorry also as maybe i should have put what i meant another way

[squeeks]

most of the parts you listed were scary. Not saying you can't build a good reliable game rig that can spank the mbp for like half the price (or even less), but I think $700 is pushing it.



scary?

i wouldn't go with that brand of video card id get sapphire like i always do...i was just trying to see how below 700 i could get the price, but other than that i dont see anything scary about those parts, its all stuff ive used in the past and had much success with, i build and maintain lan party computers, so trust me i know how to build a good cheap reliable gaming machine

[nephilim7]

I'm already regretting replying to any post with 'LOL' in it.

[allymac]

You see this is why I have never bothered with Mac stuff before. The attitude of a lot of the posters in this thread says it all - it sucks big time. I have never seen such a bitch fest created over absolutely nothing. The way some of you talk with such vitriolic tones and constant one upmanship, it's pathetic.

Apple is no different to any other computer acquisition. You think about what you will use it for and spec it appropriately. I don't see how that is so difficult. Why the hell you lot get your panties in a knot over it is beyond me.

[Neil321]

It don't happen that often and there have been apology's,but you cant stop people misunderstanding what you meant

[allymac]

This isn't an isolated thread though is it? I've spent a lot of time reading through these forums as I have been thinking about switching over to Mac at home. From what I've seen of this forum a significant number of threads end up like this. It's sad. It's playground stuff - my computer is better than your computer. It's kind of offputting.

[Eddyisgreat]

You see this is why I have never bothered with Mac stuff before. The attitude of a lot of the posters in this thread says it all - it sucks big time. I have never seen such a bitch fest created over absolutely nothing. The way some of you talk with such vitriolic tones and constant one upmanship, it's pathetic.

Apple is no different to any other computer acquisition. You think about what you will use it for and spec it appropriately. I don't see how that is so difficult. Why the hell you lot get your panties in a knot over it is beyond me.

I'm a little bit worried to interject myself in this thread but I come not to attack anyone :).

Of course there is an air of hostility surrounding macs and their users. Until Jobs finds a way to convey the message about their hardware to an audience that does not care about iPhoto and more about what OS X and Apple computers inherently offer , this will never change.

Granted, the majority of users that I have personally spoken to say that:

1) Macs look good and cost alot of money. Thats about it.
2) The only reason designers use them is because they would freak out if they had an "uglier" machine on their desk.
3) Macs can only run the arguably limited subset of applications available.
4) OS X is for idiots.

so on and so fourth. (I'd offer my rebuttal to each claim but thats for another thread).

Anywho, Apple has shot power users(indeed, a large population of individuals who troll THIS forum daily) in the foot by running the somewhat idiotic (in my opinion) mac/switch ads by appealing to your grandmotherly regular jane user pimping "mail" and firing up safari once in a blue moon to check out this new fangled internet

while

the power users / those in the know about Apple's methodology (hardware/software) are left to fend for themselves. Even power users from the "windows" world refuse to check out macs because of the above reasons (and maybe lack of extensive custom parts).

For some reason apple can't seem to run an ad about their growing popularity in the IT industry (our IT department runs solely on Macbook Pros for their main workstation and seem to get things done pretty quick) or why exactly Macs are used extensively in higher education (not Oregon trail, boys and girls).

Personally? I think its silly to try to convince another individual of why I chose my hardware, especially if ignorance is brought to the table early and in force.

I'll enjoy my ever growing lines at the Apple store and finding new awkward locations for my :apple: stickers, while secretly wishing that Apple would cater to the users "in the know" and knowing that people with stickers on their car's are FANs, not users :D.

[allymac]

I run a small IT department in a University. We happen to have the biggest lecture theatre on campus so we get pretty much every big VIP event hosted in our school. We had a big event last week and one of our clients made a big song and dance about having a Mac laptop and that everywhere he'd been IT staff could not support him. Needless to say the event went without a hitch and I was able to treat him like any other user. I got a letter from the client saying how impressed they were. But it wasn't the other 7 hours and 20 speakers that I assisted the client with that counted, it was the fact that I was able to support him and his Mac.

It's that air and attitude that I detest. It's a computer. It works the same way as every other computer, you turn it on, it has an OS, it does stuff, it looks nice. I remember encountering similar snobbery on various Linux distro forums - oh you can't possibly prefer X over Y. Well actually yes I can. I am allowed to see the merits of a particular machine or OS without being part of a gang. I bought a couple of little HP laptops for our pool last week - I identified there was a need for a small bung it in your briefcase so users can check their email and knock out a quick word document whilst they're at a conference. Some people only see the bad side - it's not very powerful, it doesn't have a CD drawer. Duh it's not all things to all people - it does what it was bought for it's very portable, light and you can bang out a quick email while listening to some drone at a conference. People get so hung up on well I can't tap dance on the top of the case while rendering 900000000000 photoshop pictures. If you want to play games, buy a gaming machine or perish the thought a games console :D

[Neil321]

I think i'm just gonna drop it,otherwise this might get even more ugly with Mac vs PC thing,in the end us Mac users know and that is all that matters,to the OP it's up to you if you want to use these forums but id think you would be missing out on a wealth of knowledge and most if not all users on here are willing to give friendly helpful advice

[nephilim7]

there is only one thing that can bring more joy than mocking people for drinking the coolaid, and that is to mock the people standing near the coolaid licking their lips in anticipation of stealing a drink when they think no one is looking

:D

[allymac]

Whispers - I didn't even mention games in the first place I only commented how quick and intuitive Mac OS appeared to be over Windows as a novice user.

I'll get me coat :D

[Neil321]

Right come on then lets get ugly :mad: nope sorry cant just looked at my watch and it's lunch time here in the UK so i'm off for a pint :D

[allymac]

Right come on then lets get ugly :mad:

:eek::D

OOooooh a pint, that sounds like an idea.

[Neil321]

:eek::D

OOooooh a pint, that sounds like an idea.

does doesn't it,bye all

[nephilim7]

but yeah... average user? I couldn't even imagine using windows as an average user.. almost every single machine that I've seen owned by joe blow takes 10 minutes to start up because of all the stupid malware and spyware they got by downloading their stupid cursors and free porn. Most of those guys would be happy with something with the computing power of a wristwatch. email. dirty vids. and a browser permaset to 'myspace' and 'adultfriendfinder'

when someone asks me what kind of computer to get for the last 3 years I've answered mac every single time and not just because I won't get any stupid phone calls/visits to delete the volcano of porn that invariably appears on their smoking ruins of a machine, but because it's an appliance.

I have an old next cube here, a working PDP-11, a gaming rig, a mythtv box, hell I even have a stupid newton in the closet (with a 2 meg flash card XD) and while I got this mbp for the sole purpose of running logic (I've used lgoc since the notator days).

How is it bad to be able to play games on the mbp decently.. can I pipe zippy the pinhead into eliza in emacs and not feel ashamed? can I play rogue and nethack on the same machine I do my paying gig on and not giggle just a little? should I feel bad that deep down I've always thought most manufacturers laptops look like they were designed by near-sighted pain golems on LSD and that vista while created by my former employer (who had a whole different kind of coolaid) is the worst OS MS has ever made?

cept for powershell.. that rocks.. till I found applescript and found out I could call it from perl and bash.

mmmm coolaid

[Lone Deranger]

You sound like a level headed guy. Please do stick around.

Whispers - I didn't even mention games in the first place I only commented how quick and intuitive Mac OS appeared to be over Windows as a novice user.

I'll get me coat :D

[!on]

Whispers - I didn't even mention games in the first place I only commented how quick and intuitive Mac OS appeared to be over Windows as a novice user.

ofcourse it helps when mac can see what pc is doing wrong & then offer an alternative. just suppose their roles were reversed & msoft was looking at apple instead. things could have been heaps different if a better upgrade to xp came along. i think, there's not alot of choice available (esp. in laptops) regarding o/s, people don't really want vista if they can help it, linux seems like something for uber geeks.... oh, there's apple, that big fashion icon... while xp get's more convoluted with security patches & updates, & still being the main target for attacks, apple effortlessly rises to the surface without doing much, & looks to be a safer computing experience for most 'normal' users wanting to start afresh, or just treat themselves. yeah i'll say it, osx is the succsessor to xp (well for me anyway :p)

how does this fanboy obsessive thing work if you've only just switched from pc to mac?

[MattZani]

Convert here too! but to be honest, i was a convert before i had one! Been wanting to get onto OS X for 4 years! Finally got my MBP 2 weeks ago, never going back unless its to build me own. I will always have atleast 1 Mac Computer!:apple:

[7031]

Glad to see you like the Macbook! I must admit, the build quality of Macs is brilliant.

I hope to see you around the forums!

[nephilim7]

:apple: <===== coolaid

[panosg77]

Got my hands on one of work's MacBook Pros from our laptop pool to work on for a couple of weeks. They are just beautiful. Quick boot up, very quiet, stunning screen. The one I have is a 2.4 Ghz core 2 duo, 2 GB ram, 15" screen. It's an absolute pleasure to use. When my home laptop reaches end of life I think I'm going to replace it with an MBP. I really have enjoyed using it this week, I don't want to give it back!

Once you go Mac you never go back :D

[bigslickster]

Wow, i started some problems, im sorry all i was saying is if everything that worked in windows worked on mac i would get rid of my windows desktop. Im sorry i wasnt trying to start a argument between windows and mac. Also im sorry neil321 i understand what you were saying, i was just in a pissed off mood when i read it and reacted a little irrational.

[88888888]

yea i just got my hands on my first mac- mbp and im loving it. tiger os is amazing. So simple and very efficient. and the ability to run bootcamp to play some games is just great. :D

[kockgunner]

Convert here too! but to be honest, i was a convert before i had one! Been wanting to get onto OS X for 4 years! Finally got my MBP 2 weeks ago, never going back unless its to build me own. I will always have atleast 1 Mac Computer!:apple:

me too! i was converting everyone to use macs when i didn't even have one haha. i finally got my macbook pro and love it. i used to be those people waiting for a new revision but i couldn't resist. those people were right, buy it when you need it and you won't be disappointed!

[Neil321]

neil321 i understand what you were saying, i was just in a pissed off mood when i read it and reacted a little irrational.

That's Ok,things just get a little of base now and then

[Whiternoise]

Well, at least it started off as a promising thread "MBP isn't broken when i is recieves it OHW NOES!1!". Makes a nice change ;)

Seriously though, it's good to see someone praising the MBP instead of complaining - and admittedly rightly - about the screen being just the wrong shade of pink, or the lcd frame not being within 1 degree of perfect flatness, etc.

Glad you like it!

[lordthistle]

The usual sterile discussion.

I wonder how many non-zealot people would still buy apple hardware if they could run Mac OS on awful/normal computers or notebooks, like maybe a Sony Vaio or a Lenovo.

And yes, the beginning of the post is unusual for a MBP.

thistle

[tdhurst]

The usual sterile discussion.

I wonder how many non-zealot people would still buy apple hardware if they could run Mac OS on awful/normal computers or notebooks, like maybe a Sony Vaio or a Lenovo.

And yes, the beginning of the post is unusual for a MBP.

thistle

But would the Mac OS run as WELL on these budget machines?

[lordthistle]

But would the Mac OS run as WELL on these budget machines?

As I previously said: "non-zealot". Zealots don't matter :cool:
--thistle

[Cadium]

MacBook Pro computers are some of the best notebooks on the market, and are designed to last for quite some time. Enjoy your purchase :) :apple:

[tdhurst]

As I previously said: "non-zealot". Zealots don't matter :cool:
--thistle

Dude, we totally matter.

[lordthistle]

Dude, we totally matter.
You obviously do, like any other living creature. And you do matter for apple, who can afford lousy quality controls relying on your blind trust/faith.

My answer "... don't matter" was related to my question. I am sure zealots would buy apple hw even if they could run Mac OS on much cheaper and reliable hw. That's why I excluded you :cool:

-- thistle

[tmelvin]

I've been in IT since '91. I used to be the typical, Mac's are for schools and artist types. They look nice, but you need a big fat PC to do "real work", especially IT stuff. Then I had a chance to peek at a MBP at an Apple store about 2 years ago. I can't recall what version of OS was running; I think it was OSX, but not positive. But I fell in love. Just this past March/April I could finally afford my own iMac and MB [went that route so I could have a home PC and a work laptop vs. just the laptop]. I've never looked back. As for the IT stuff I do? MB handles it fine; actually better than any PC I've ever owned...