Caving in - Tantative Purchasing Decision

[nemein]

Here's what was on my table: I'd been waiting for Montevista MBPs, but between the endless wait and me searching for other options, I'm starting to cave and going for this:

PC Desktop - ~$1300

EVGA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad 2.4 Ghz
EVGA Geforce 9600 GT 512 mb
4 Gb Ram
PC & Cooling 750 W Quad power supply w/ Silencer
22" Widescreen Matte LCD

I'm building this myself meaning I handpicked everything. And I won't be stuck with Vista. I also have the option of spending an extra $150 and running two 9600 GTs in SLI. :O

Add this to:

Revised Macbook: $1049
Given they finally get rid of the @#&$! combo drive in the lowest model... I'll buy this when it comes out, probably mid-september as the rumors are pointing to now.

TOTAL: $2349

Compare this to the mid-range MBP - $2399

Prices are in Canadian $, but I'm getting the student discount which is included in the prices. I'm seriously seeing absolutely no point in waiting for the new MBPs at the moment when there's this option available. What do y'all think?

[fr4c]

Works well if you don't need the power of a Pro on the go. If you're using the laptop pretty much for docs, emails, internet, and some light gaming the current Macbooks will suite you just fine.

And may I ask why a 680i board?

[nemein]

Yeah, I've no plans to use graphically intensive applications on the go - whatever the integrated card on the Macbook can't handle I'll just take back to my PC.

I chose the 680i because I wanted to try out the Nvidia chipset in conjunction with Geforce cards... that, and I do plan to eventually get a SLI configuration. Why, is there a reason not to choose the board? :)

[fr4c]

Perhaps prices in Canada are more expensive, but the reason I asked was because the newer 7 series (such as 750i) are getting quite cheap. I'm using a EVGA 750i board, and it has been flawless so far.

Word of advice, when you install the chipset drivers for the motherboard, DO NOT INSTALL THE MEDIASHIELD DRIVERS. Your PC will go in a constant cycle of BSOD after Windows updates as it screws your SATA drivers.