help me choose...

[malcompal]

i intended to buy a MB 2G speed and 1gb ram 80gb hd
i also got an offer for dell inspiron 6400 2g 2g ram 100gb hd
the difference is just the graphics the dell has 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™ , where to go ? ps: i am a heavy sketchup user , photoshop and 3dmax ? and wut about boot camb for 3dsmax?
the dell is cheaper
Help me !

 

[emac82]

There is a reason why the dell is cheaper. Buy the Mac, you won't regret it. Upgrade the ram to 2GB on the MacBook, if you can afford it (you can buy generic ram which is a lot cheaper than Apple branded ram) and if you need more hard drive space buy an External Firewire drive.

Mac OS X is a way stronger OS, over Windows...

 

[mattscott306]

i intended to buy a MB 2G speed and 1gb ram 80gb hd
i also got an offer for dell inspiron 6400 2g 2g ram 100gb hd
the difference is just the graphics the dell has 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™ , where to go ? ps: i am a heavy sketchup user , photoshop and 3dmax ? and wut about boot camb for 3dsmax?
the dell is cheaper
Help me !

I can already tell you, you are going to get most (if not all) responses saying "Buy the mac." Photoshop will run just fine on the specs for the mid-grade MB, (runs pretty well on my PB). While you can look at the video card on the dell being higher, you should also take into account that the architecture of OSX is going to be alot stronger then XP (and likely Vista). In the end, you're going to be getting a safer, longer lasting system by going with the MB.

 

[dllavaneras]

There is a reason why the dell is cheaper.

Would you care to list the reason/s? That's what the OP is asking for...

 

[malcompal]

i actually ask becouse i am studying architecture , i need autocad , 3dsmax and sketchup , will macbook afford to run these and render 3ds ?

 

[Twenty1]

If you're in school and need to run very specific, Windows only programs than it may be worth simply getting a Window's machine - especially if you're running graphic intensive programs and the video card is important.

You can still run these programs in Bootcamp, but I would suggest getting a MacBook with larger harddrive - at least 100 GB. You need to consider that your Window's machine should have at least 40 GB to run Windows and these programs (not to mention games, anti-virus software, and other windows only programs you might be interested in). On the Mac side, you're going to have photos, music, video's, MS Office and perhaps programs like Adobe Creative Suite. My whole point is that 80 GB starts looking really small once you're running two operating systems and all the stuff you'd really want to do.

If you really don't need a laptop, consider getting an iMac. Not only can you get a larger hard drive (250 GB), but you can get a larger screen - something really important for graphics. Obviously with laptops you pay for the portability.

 

[taildragger]

Personally after owning dells and using them for engineering software (this is what my schools comp lab uses) I am switching to an MBP. Personally, I wouldn't get the MB if your needing the better graphics card, I currently run a 64mb ati radeon card and its left me wanting more.

As for owning Dell, they seem to be a great machine for the first year, then they go down hill. I have a 5150 and this was a beautiful machine, 13 months later, it needed a new motherboard, bottom line, I've had 3 mother boards, 2 lcd's, 2 video cards replaced on this machine, and Dell won't give me a lemon and says that these are standard issues on these laptops. I haven't been impressed with their overall longevity. And then look at mac, I see plenty of people still using their 4yr. old ibooks that are running strong, still not as powerful as my machine, but running at a lot closer to their original specs than my machine.

So, just to reitirate, if I were you I'd get an MBP and scratch the Dell, and if your getting a windows machine, go for an IBM T-60 and don't look back.

 

[BlackMax]

So, just to reitirate, if I were you I'd get an MBP and scratch the Dell, and if your getting a windows machine, go for an IBM T-60 and don't look back.

I have to agreed. At work we used to have Dell notebooks, but switched to IBM a couple of years ago. The Dell's just didn't hold up and do not have the quality, ruggedness, fit or finish that you will find with the IBMs. So if you have to purchase a PC notebook, go IBM (Lenovo), which is built like a tank. Otherwise go with a MB or MBP depending on your needs.

 

[taildragger]

One other thing, if you can, don't buy a computer based on it being cheaper, this is one thing that will come back and bite you later on, its cheaper for a reason most of the time.

IBM is more expensive for a reason, they are incredible machines made for business and work, not for your three year old to drool on. My friends that are continuing their engineering education (Ph.D.s in device physics / materials engineering) are opting for the IBMs since they can get 5 or so years out of them. Myself and my roommate (process and structural engineers respectively) are opting for macs due to bad experiences with pc's and the fact that we can run both OS systems, unless I need windows I'd rather use the smaller code for OS 10.4. We also both realize that if we need to run a complicated or graphics intense engineering program then we are just going to do that on our business machines (or lab comps if I stay for that Ph.D....)

One other thing, remember that most of your school projects will be done in the lab, especially if you work in teams. The only reason that I installed the process engineering software on my comp at school was so I could run it in my office, and they wouldn't install it on my desktop....

 

[thejadedmonkey]

i actually ask becouse i am studying architecture , i need autocad , 3dsmax and sketchup , will macbook afford to run these and render 3ds ?

no. I think you'll find that OS X is just a more pleasant experience, but it's your call to decide if that experience is worth the price difference and lack of a true video card in the MB.

Now if you were to get a $2000 MacBook Pro...

 

[taildragger]

just some more food for thought

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2767

Have you thought about a desktop or is portability something that you need?

 

[emac82]

Would you care to list the reason/s? That's what the OP is asking for...

Dell is cheaper because they do not care about the quality components they put in their machines; they put whatever is the cheapest at that time. Maybe this isn't the case on all machines but it is the case on their low end machines. Also, you have to get service direct through dell, as opposed to the many Apple Authorized Service centers. Apple tech support is great, and they make the OS and the machine, so you will only have to call Apple. You don't have to call Dell, and then call Microsoft...

I hope this is enough reasons.

 

[heehee]

If you are using 3DS Max, get the Dell. I haven't used Max in a Mac before, but I have 128 MB video card in my PC and I still want to throw it away when doing my project for school and I'm no expert in Max.

 

[Chrispy]

I'm going to agree with the poster a few posts up... if you do decide to go with a windows machine get a Lenovo Thinkpad. The T60p is designed for exactly what you are looking to do. Also, don't get Vista on a laptop if you go windows either. I have been reading a large number of reports that battery life suffers quite a bit on laptops running Vista vs. running XP SP2. Just some food for thought.

 

[swwack91]

absolutely no competition...

the specs won't even matter - OSX manages RAM and utilizes CPU power so much better than Windows it's sick....

go for the mac! there's a birdy (an entire macrumors thread) whispering in your ear!!!

 

[polevault139]

MBP should be good for your needs. But take others advice and if you do go the windows route get the Lenovo(IBM) Thinkpad T60. We have T43's at my school for portable labs and I have seen kids drop them from the tops of desks and they still all hold up. They are a little slow but they do have the older processors, unlike the T60's which have the Core 2 Duo.

So if you go Mac- MBP
Windows- Lenovo T60 Thinkpad

 

[Mattydj]

If you want my honest opinion on what i think you should do. Buy a Powerbook. You just have to surf these forums to see that people with macbook(pro)s are having quite a few problems. So i would sa don't get the inspiron (i own an inspiron 6000 they arent all they're cracked up to be.)

I'm thinking of trading in my macbook for a powerbook 17" if anyone would but i don't have enough posts for marketplace and if i post any more here my post will be deleted.

 

[Erasmus]

If you want my honest opinion on what i think you should do. Buy a Powerbook. You just have to surf these forums to see that people with macbook(pro)s are having quite a few problems. So i would sa don't get the inspiron (i own an inspiron 6000 they arent all they're cracked up to be.)

I'm thinking of trading in my macbook for a powerbook 17" if anyone would but i don't have enough posts for marketplace and if i post any more here my post will be deleted.

Don't listen to him. The Macbooks blaze the pants off Powerbooks, and there are NOT many problems with either the Macbook or Macbook Pro (Silent majority versus vocal minority). The Macbook will run well, I don't think the X1400 would be that much better than the integrated MB graphics. In terms of the MBP, if you are willing to spend a litle more money, it will beat the pants off the Dell, and probably other Dells that are in a similar price range to the MBP.

Macbooks have excellent build quality, and Macbook Pros have even better build quality. In a poll I ran recently, out of 84 polled mac rumors members who owned a Core 2 Duo mac, only three were unhappy with their mac, and those three had only joined Mac Rumours after buying their mac, more or less to get help for it. There were more problems with Core Duo intel Macs, but then they were the Rev. A products, and is to be expected.

In conclusion, buy the mac, the chances of you buying a dud MB or MBP are very, very slim.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/281823/

And lo, the true purpose of the poll is revealed.

 

[skinnylegs]

I honestly feel that either rig will get the job done. I think it really comes down to which OS you would rather use. I choose OS X but maybe that's just me.....

 

[Mattydj]

Don't listen to him. The Macbooks blaze the pants off Powerbooks, and there are NOT many problems with either the Macbook or Macbook Pro (Silent majority versus vocal minority). The Macbook will run well, I don't think the X1400 would be that much better than the integrated MB graphics. In terms of the MBP, if you are willing to spend a litle more money, it will beat the pants off the Dell, and probably other Dells that are in a similar price range to the MBP.

Macbooks have excellent build quality, and Macbook Pros have even better build quality. In a poll I ran recently, out of 84 polled mac rumors members who owned a Core 2 Duo mac, only three were unhappy with their mac, and those three had only joined Mac Rumours after buying their mac, more or less to get help for it. There were more problems with Core Duo intel Macs, but then they were the Rev. A products, and is to be expected.

In conclusion, buy the mac, the chances of you buying a dud MB or MBP are very, very slim.

When i bought my macbook i was hoping that it was just a small majority and that there were far more which were running fine. Then the problems started.
I dont want to start an argument nor Hijack this thread so i'm off.