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College Student: MBP or VAIO?

M

maddan

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 15, 2008
156
0
I would like to know if I should buy the standard 2.53 15" MBP or the new Sony VAIO with Intel Core i7 processor? It will be for college, and will be in use 4+ years.


You can view the Intel here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...lack/9705382.p?id=1218154378383&skuId=9705382

Which one would you recommend? Why?

My uses:

Word Processing
Spreadsheets
Slide show Presentations
Music and Movies (16GB+)
Videos
Lasts for 4+ years
Lightning fast (regardless of age; 4+ years)
Browsing
E-mail
PDF
Plenty of document storage room (I remember one of my friends that had a mac that would not save or download any more files; they had used up all the space; can't have that happening to me over the course of 4 years)


Keep in mind I will be studying marketing and will probably be using a graphics program.
 
What course will you be studying? Could do with some more information about what your actually going to do with it?
 
When do you need it by? Unless you're starting school in the next few weeks, I'd wait for a spec refresh on the MBP (hopefully in the next month or so) before making a comparison.
 
Well as you want it to last well for 4 year, I would personally go with an updated macbook pro. The only thing you would have to worry about is compatibility with the said graphics program. You can use bootcamp but this can become a pain if you have to do it repeatably.
 
stridemat said:
Well as you want it to last well for 4 year, I would personally go with an updated macbook pro. The only thing you would have to worry about is compatibility with the said graphics program. You can use bootcamp but this can become a pain if you have to do it repeatably.
Click to expand...

Will using bootcamp affect the Mac's performance? Will it slow down anything?
 
maddan said:
I would like to know if I should buy the standard 2.53 15" MBP or the new Sony VAIO with Intel Core i7 processor? It will be for college, and will be in use 4+ years.


You can view the Intel here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...lack/9705382.p?id=1218154378383&skuId=9705382

Which one would you recommend? Why?

My uses:

Word Processing
Spreadsheets
Slide show Presentations
Music and Movies (16GB+)
Videos
Lasts for 4+ years
Lightning fast (regardless of age; 4+ years)
Browsing
E-mail
PDF
Plenty of document storage room (I remember one of my friends that had a mac that would not save or download any more files; they had used up all the space; can't have that happening to me over the course of 4 years)


Keep in mind I will be studying marketing and will probably be using a graphics program.
Click to expand...

Given you asked this question in a Mac forum, I doubt you'll have ANY vaio supporters, including my self. Therefore, get the MBP. The Mac you suggested exceeds your needs; you'll have no problems with this Mac.

Habitus :apple:
 
Nope bootcamp runs windows natively as if using a Windows laptop. Your other option would be virtualisation using programs such as VM Ware Fusion etc. These do not run at native speeds and performance of intensive applications do struggle.
 
Habitus said:
Given you asked this question in a Mac forum, I doubt you'll have ANY vaio supporters, including my self. Therefore, get the MBP. The Mac you suggested exceeds your needs; you'll have no problems with this Mac.

Habitus :apple:
Click to expand...

agreed. you're asking your question on a mac forum. maybe you already know what your answer is?

btw, boot camp works great with the updated drivers for windows 7.
 
donga said:
agreed. you're asking your question on a mac forum. maybe you already know what your answer is?

btw, boot camp works great with the updated drivers for windows 7.
Click to expand...

No, I actually expected people to look at both computers, my needs, and give me sound advice. And thanks for the blip regarding bootcamp; it makes the MBP look like the more versatile and better choice at this point. Thinking about upgrading to 2.8 GHz instead because apparently I need a computer with a 256MB video card.
 
In four years (or longer) will any computer be "lightning fast"? The first Macbooks are LESS than four years old and they are anything but "lightning." By all means they are usable but hard to go back to.
 
be sure to buy the updated macs...I am not too sure whether the macs are good deals in their current state...if you buy them now...you might eventually experience buyer's remorse when they do release the 'next level' Macs..just my 2 cents..All the best fr college
 
That thing (VAIO) weighs almost 7lbs!!!:eek: Go do this... go pick up a one gallon jug of water at the store for .99 cents and carry it around with you, all... day... long. Then you will have your answer.... :rolleyes:
 

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sikkinixx said:
In four years (or longer) will any computer be "lightning fast"? The first Macbooks are LESS than four years old and they are anything but "lightning." By all means they are usable but hard to go back to.
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Uh... I have a MBP from 2007 (late 2006 model) and it's quite fast, thank you very much. It managed to keep pace with my friend's 13" MBP in non CPU-intensive stuff like Word and e-mail (but not youtube :p )

Any computer that's 4 years old will work just as fast as a new one when it comes to opening files and surfing the net (assuming you don't use vista). The new i3,i5, and i7 CPU's are quite nice, but if you don't get one it won't make your computer unusable that much faster.

EDIT: Oh, and I'd get a Dell over a Vaio or a MBP right now. Once they refresh, I'd still get a Dell, but I'm rather biased against Apple anymore, and can't see the reason to pay the price premium for the Sony.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Uh... I have a MBP from 2007 (late 2006 model) and it's quite fast, thank you very much. It managed to keep pace with my friend's 13" MBP in non CPU-intensive stuff like Word and e-mail (but not youtube :p )
Click to expand...

Good point, I have a late 2006 MBP as well, Core 2 Duo 2.33 Ghz & ATI X1600. It's been upgraded with 4 GB of RAM and 320 GB drive. In GeekBench, it scores at 84% of the current unibody model. Runs VMware (winXP), WoW, everything else I throw at it. It's 3.5 years old and it runs all the very latest software and is perfectly usable.

That said, if the new MBP has Core i5, ATI graphics (screw nvidia and their failing crap parts), and supports 8 GB of RAM, I'm totally gonna upgrade. :D
 
Jack Flash said:
Don't buy a laptop that doesn't have an Arrandale processor.
Click to expand...

I agree. Looks for the new intel core i5/i7 processors based on the 32nm chips. If you want super performance in a laptop get the core i7 quad core (720qm) but that core i7 is based on the 45nm chip and has been known to suck battery power like crazy.

So if you want to laptop get the Sony Vaio since it has the newere core I chips. Otherwise wait until Apple updates it's MacBook pros with the new intel core processors. Than you can compare Sony vs mac. Right now the performance on the newer intel core I processors in the Sony laptop will outperform the current intel core 2 in the MacBook pros.
 
Alright. I have plenty of time, anyways. I guess I'll just have to wait a few months to see the MBP updates.
 
For lugging around in college, the MBP which should be refreshed soon will be a better option.

You will definitely get biased results asking on a Mac forum ^^

Even I'd say though, go with the MBP, personally I'm not a fan of Sony or Dell. If you said ANY other brand (within reason), I would have possibly gone the other way depending on the specs :)
 
JoelKelly said:
For lugging around in college, the MBP which should be refreshed soon will be a better option.

You will definitely get biased results asking on a Mac forum ^^

Even I'd say though, go with the MBP, personally I'm not a fan of Sony or Dell. If you said ANY other brand (within reason), I would have possibly gone the other way depending on the specs :)
Click to expand...


Either one will do what you need. Getting the Mac gives you the option of bootcamping and having the best of both worlds. Given a choice, I will always go with a Mac and OSX but its a personal preference.
 
Don't buy Sony. They purposely break their products through software updates and then try to force you to pay them to fix it.
 
pigbat said:
Either one will do what you need. Getting the Mac gives you the option of bootcamping and having the best of both worlds. Given a choice, I will always go with a Mac and OSX but its a personal preference.
Click to expand...

I second that. But the weight of the Vaio may drag him down if it's for college, hence why the 13" is so popular with college students.
 
Not saying that Apple is perfect, but a few things to consider before you purchase a Sony laptop (I've owned a Sony Vaio laptop and desktop):

- Cheap build quality / materials -- they look nice at a glance, but after a week with one you start noticing all the places where they skimped

- Horrible ecosystem of "necessary" drivers and add-ons to take advantage of whatever is inside

- Bad resell value -- if you plan to own it until you recycle, then disregard

On the plus side, it fools most people who don't know better that you have a nice looking laptop.
 
I totally agree regarding the make of the Sony laptops. I actually went into Best Buy to look at both notebooks today, and the Sony felt cheaply made compared to the MBP. I was not liking the plastic feel, and kept thinking about how it was not going to fall apart if I were to carry it around with me all day. It just felt that way. There is definitely superior aesthetic design on the MBP; it is streamlined and feels very sturdy. Although I have to admit it was heavier than I thought it was going to be... pretty sure the Sony felt just a tad lighter. But I am sure a good backpack or case will solve the weight problem.
 
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