im going to college in the fall and my dad wants to get me a new computer. i got a macbook last spring and he wants to get me a pc so since its free to me and i just got a macbook i decided why not. so with that in mind what is the best pc laptop to get? thanks
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
already have a macbook, whats the best pc laptop?
- Thread starter krogers34
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Likely your not going to get an answer here, but I like Dells. Check out their XPS laptops only.
If he really wants to spend the money, buy the 24" apple display. You will appreciate the bigger screen.
Yeah. It'll make a great mirror, since his MacBook doesn't support it and the OP won't be able to use it.
Tell your dad not to waste his money. You have a computer that's better than most PC laptops out there, and you can only use one computer at a time. If he insists on spending money on you, ask for something useful: like an Apple Store gift card!
you could dual boot.
But what I did is I got my macbook when i entered college. I still have it and did some upgrades on it so 3 years later it's still running great. So what I recently did was got an Asus 1000he netbook, which runs windows, to compliment my macbook. Now the netbook comes everywhere with me and the mac is my main computer for home.
Netbooks are awesome for college, for the price, for the portability and especially as a compliment to a Mac...which are better than PCs
But what I did is I got my macbook when i entered college. I still have it and did some upgrades on it so 3 years later it's still running great. So what I recently did was got an Asus 1000he netbook, which runs windows, to compliment my macbook. Now the netbook comes everywhere with me and the mac is my main computer for home.
Netbooks are awesome for college, for the price, for the portability and especially as a compliment to a Mac...which are better than PCs
ThinkPads are probably the best laptops (including Apple laptops) out there. They've got an excellent track record when it comes to durability and reliability and they tend to be very well engineered, efficient machines.
I bought a ThinkPad X61s recently. It was either that or a MacBook Air, and to me the choice was simple:
I could have gotten a MacBook Air. For $1799 I would have gotten a 1.6Ghz CPU, 2GB of RAM that I can't upgrade, a 120GB drive, and a total weight of 3lbs. I also would have gotten a 1 year depot warranty.
With the ThinkPad I could get a 1.6Ghz CPU, 4GB of RAM (user-upgradeable), a 500GB disk (again: user-serviceable), and a total weight of < 3 lbs. I could also tack on a four year warranty, add accidental damage protection *and* upgrade to next-day on-site service. Add in the cost of a used dock via eBay and my total bill came to.... *drumroll* $1600.
Yup. I paid almost $200 less than the MBA, got a machine with better internals, a lighter weight, a 6 hour battery life and four years of unconditional on-site coverage.
To add insult to injury, the X61s idles at about 42C. With both cores fully-loaded I can just barely hit 55C. I don't have an MBA, but I'd be willing to bet that they run a wee bit hotter than that...
Apple makes some nice machines, but when it comes to a subnotebook price/feature comparison they don't really have a prayer against the ThinkPad X series.
I bought a ThinkPad X61s recently. It was either that or a MacBook Air, and to me the choice was simple:
I could have gotten a MacBook Air. For $1799 I would have gotten a 1.6Ghz CPU, 2GB of RAM that I can't upgrade, a 120GB drive, and a total weight of 3lbs. I also would have gotten a 1 year depot warranty.
With the ThinkPad I could get a 1.6Ghz CPU, 4GB of RAM (user-upgradeable), a 500GB disk (again: user-serviceable), and a total weight of < 3 lbs. I could also tack on a four year warranty, add accidental damage protection *and* upgrade to next-day on-site service. Add in the cost of a used dock via eBay and my total bill came to.... *drumroll* $1600.
Yup. I paid almost $200 less than the MBA, got a machine with better internals, a lighter weight, a 6 hour battery life and four years of unconditional on-site coverage.
To add insult to injury, the X61s idles at about 42C. With both cores fully-loaded I can just barely hit 55C. I don't have an MBA, but I'd be willing to bet that they run a wee bit hotter than that...
Apple makes some nice machines, but when it comes to a subnotebook price/feature comparison they don't really have a prayer against the ThinkPad X series.
Buy a netbook for portability. Most of school work requires only web browsing and word processing. You don't really need a full size laptop for it. Your back would appreciate something small and light.
It's also good to have something rugged (or cheap enough that you don't care about scratching or denting) so you can throw in your backpack with whatever you have in there.
PS- pick a model that you can perform hackintosh if you really don't want to deal with Windows.
It's also good to have something rugged (or cheap enough that you don't care about scratching or denting) so you can throw in your backpack with whatever you have in there.
PS- pick a model that you can perform hackintosh if you really don't want to deal with Windows.
While it's definitely a generous gesture from your dad, I have to agree with those who have stated that he should save the money. Unless you've already done it, he could help you max out the ram and hard drive. Or maybe update to the latest office suite you use. But a 2nd laptop would be redundant.
Get the base MacBook Pro with Higher Education discount (roughly a saving of 15% plus 3 year AppleCare for around $60). Then dual boot and have Windows on it.
It'll meet all your needs, and you don't want to end up with "once you go Mac there's no going back" syndrome if you get a PC instead..
It'll meet all your needs, and you don't want to end up with "once you go Mac there's no going back" syndrome if you get a PC instead..
I think any brand will work just fine. I've used Gateway, Dell, Acer and Toshiba and haven't had an issue with any. Just find one that looks the best to you and go with that one. I wouldn't worry too much about specs because for around $600-$700, you'll get something on par, if not better than what a standard Macbook offers.
IMO, getting a PC laptop would be completely superfluous.
Your MB is already a PC laptop if you want it to be, since it can run Windows.
I agree that a mac is the best PC laptop too, but if it is free, get a nice Asus notebook. Just don't get gateway, and especially, Dell, as they are horrible because they use old, cheap parts, and often have RAM maxxed out, and at very low speeds. There are also a few HP quad core laptops that are good, even though I don't usually agree with HP. Also, I recommend AMD, as you will get way more bang for your buck, and they will last longer.
I agree with what others have said. Ask for the equivalent, which is a memory upgrade for your macbook if needed, and parallels or the other one, to run windows. Also ask for a legit copy of windows and office apps for both windows and mac. A nice big dual use monitor/TV, like a 32" or 37" HDTV would be good for you too.
I completely agree. I'm in the US Army and I took my Dell XPS M1210 to Iraq and it came through with flying colors. A+ build quality in the XPS line from my experience.
+1 for the dual boot option. You got the best of both worlds.
If you want a new laptop per se, get a Sony Vaio. They're quite expensive but qualitywise pretty good. And since your dad is paying..
As a system admin on a school I see a lot of dell, asus and acer laptops passing by and really, they're not great. Both the quality of materials and design are poor. Most of em look like they were assembled with spare parts coming from all over.
I got a friend who works at Acer and he always tells me he would never buy one..says enough to me.
If you want a new laptop per se, get a Sony Vaio. They're quite expensive but qualitywise pretty good. And since your dad is paying..
As a system admin on a school I see a lot of dell, asus and acer laptops passing by and really, they're not great. Both the quality of materials and design are poor. Most of em look like they were assembled with spare parts coming from all over.
I got a friend who works at Acer and he always tells me he would never buy one..says enough to me.
Get a netbook. There are several good options out there - browse around and see which one best suits your needs as a student.
A second laptop is silly, but a netbook gives you a smaller alternative (though still very much a novelty).
A second laptop is silly, but a netbook gives you a smaller alternative (though still very much a novelty).
I agree with some of the others. Why spend the money on another laptop? Keep the MB, and tell your dad to give you the money for things you'll want/need at school