Comparison MBP vs. HP Elitebook

[jTreu]

What about this "beast"

The HP HDX 16 inch and 18 inch series -

16.1 inch costs $1050 and 18.4 inch costs $1349, both have FIREWIRE and meet same specs or exceed, and best of all there cheaper

Please advise on what to do, i dont know wether to get this or new Macbook!

Your at a mac forum full of people who love OS X, were gonna suggest OS X over anything else, if you want OS X get the macbook, if you dont care get an HP

 

[cube]

What about this "beast"

The HP HDX 16 inch and 18 inch series -

16.1 inch costs $1050 and 18.4 inch costs $1349, both have FIREWIRE and meet same specs or exceed, and best of all there cheaper

Please advise on what to do, i dont know wether to get this or new Macbook!

Do you find acceptable Linux applications for all your needs?
Does Linux have drivers for all the hardware in this computer?

 

[Timur]

It's a PC, if you want a PC. Buy it. If you want a Mac, buy a mac. Simple.

Well, some would argue: If you want OS X, buy the Dongle.

 

[vm7118]

and you can always go the "hackintosh" route. if the video card is a quadro, it will probably be easy to set up.

blu-ray and HDMI would seal the deal for me on the HP, but i'm a big HD guy.

that and the fact that you can probably upgrade. and it's probably cheaper. and it's probably built just as well (or better) than the MBP, regardless of what anyone here says.

and that vista can be just as responsive, unbloated, and "easy" to use as OS X. and that 80-90% of people will be using the same OS, so fixes and tech support are easier to come by, although it sounds like you don't need the tech support.

it's the things like the airport connectivity issue that worry me... why, after a full year, can't my MBP hold wireless signal without losing it randomly once a week or so? why can't my airport extreme be accessed through a web interface? why is my supposedly well-made and long-lasting apple product bending and lifting at the edges when my 10 year old thinkpad is as solid as the day i bought it?

why have i undergone FIVE (5!!!) repairs in the last three months, ranging from issues like the logic board (nvidia GPU replaced twice) to a fan suddenly not working?

why was my roommate able to buy a computer with almost the exact same specs (gateway M-6862 deal from early september), for LITERALLY one-SEVENTH the price?! ($350 plus tax vs. $2800). plus, his computer has a 512mb video card, HDMI out, and two USB ports side-by-side, and upgradability, and a full 64 bit OS, mine doesn't. all i have is a backlit keyboard and a huge freakin BACKLIT apple logo on the front.

get the HP, man. don't listen to the people here. i made a $3000 investment and i HIGHLY regret it.

my roommate will buy a new laptop every year for the next 7 years and still come out with more money than me, not to mention a MUCH better machine 7 years from now.

 

[Red-red]

Why don't we dig out some bad PC stories just to even it out? I'm sure it would crash mac rumours mind.

 

[OmahaGTP]

Every computer/notebook 'model' will have issues. Apple doesn't get their motherboards from a far off, magical land where manufacturer defects don't exist, and where hard drives spin freely, without a bad sector, until eternity.

It's a luck of the draw no matter what you buy. It's all in the warranty. It's all in the customer service.

 

[deadpixels]

Well, some would argue: If you want OS X, buy the Dongle.

It is obvious you're are leaning towards PC then just get it and give us some slack Also you're a *registered* user on a Mac forum means you must have read a lot about Macs and stuff. My point is i believe you already know pros and cons about both systems ( although i don't really see what could be so bad about Mac that could be a deal breaker and i can see thousands reasons not to go the M$oft route but oh well ...) so just think *different* for a second and make the right choice

 

[nishishei]

HP: 3 hours 40 minutes
: 5 hours 30 minutes

Note: battery life is from my own testing. The official battery life is "up to 5 hours".

BS. The MBP gets about 4:00 max on normal usage (50% brightness, WIFI on, and browsing/youtube). And about 45 minutes less when running Windows Vista (with Aero on) in Bootcamp. After about 8 months of use for my MBP, I now get only about 2:30 of battery on OS X and 2:00 on Vista.

Timur, here's some things people haven't mentioned. The MBP gets very very hot under prolonged use because it's aluminum body works as a sort of giant heat sink for the computer. The HP has a plastic underbody, so it doesn't quite burn your skin as much as the MBP when you have it on your lap.

You can buy the HP from HP's online store, try it out, and return it (they don't have restocking fees) if you don't like it.

 

[nishishei]

Also I believe the HP comes with 3 years parts and labor warranty in the price tag, and you have to buy AppleCare for the Mac.

 

[macrem]

I'd be embarrassed to whip out an HDX in public. Maybe its just me. Aside from being oversized, the pivoting screen just seems unnecessary and looks like a prop from the movie "Brazil":

No thx!

 

[Red-red]

Also I believe the HP comes with 3 years parts and labor warranty in the price tag, and you have to buy AppleCare for the Mac.

Does that make it look any better? It's shallow I know but it's an ugly machine that looks big and heavy. I would feel embarrassed pulling that out of a bag.

 

[macrem]

Timur, here's some things people haven't mentioned. The MBP gets very very hot under prolonged use because it's aluminum body works as a sort of giant heat sink for the computer. The HP has a plastic underbody, so it doesn't quite burn your skin as much as the MBP when you have it on your lap.

Huh? My MBP has been running on my lap for hours. It is practically silent and slightly warm.

 

[Red-red]

Huh? My MBP has been running on my lap for hours. It is practically silent and slightly warm.

Shhhhh don't say that.

 

[macrem]

I'm not completely adverse to the idea of getting a non Mac laptop, although so far no one has shown one that would begin to lure me away from MBPs. I'm not a "fanboy". I have a fairly new HP desktop machine at home running Linux too. I am just not interested in any of the PC laptops I have seen. Just having a few higher spec components (wrapped in cheap plastic) is not going to cut it...

 

[Wireless Buddy]

hehe every Mac comes with iLife (iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie, iWeb, Garage Band) instead of bloated crap that comes with every PC. iWork is a very cheap alternative to Office which opens all Office files (including 2007). Mac OS X can natively use Office 2007 files in Quick Look or Text Edit.

iLife is bloated crap. It is just overrated, fancy PC bloat. And iWorks sucks. You have the same options on both Mac and PC at that point: Microsoft Office, or OpenOffice/NeoOffice (I use NeoOffice).

 

[Wireless Buddy]

...better design

Says you.

... just works factor (Apple make hardware and software)

That means nothing, haha. The faults of Windows are the result of bad design and programming, not the fact that hardware is from one company and software is from Microsoft.

 

[Red-red]

That means nothing, haha. The faults of Windows are the result of bad design and programming, not the fact that hardware is from one company and software is from Microsoft.

No there not, it's a mixture of both. It still doesn't get away from the fact vista is a awfully design OS. It makes the simple, complicated. XP is great, just a little dated.

 

[vm7118]

No there not, it's a mixture of both. It still doesn't get away from the fact vista is a awfully design OS. It makes the simple, complicated. XP is great, just a little dated.

Have you actually used Vista recently? It's really not that bad these days. I have Leopard, Vista 64, and Ubuntu all on my MBP. Vista is just as rock solid as OS X for me, at least.

That and for the rare occasion I want to play a game, OS X can't cut it. And mkv2vob, and many, MANY other amazing little programs ONLY run under Windows.

There are a lot of downsides to going the OS X route...

 

[duykur]

it does seem to be true that you are already leaning towards the hp side.
hp makes a fantastic pc. that is the reason they are the lead in their industry.
personally, if i had to get a pc, i would get an hp model.

really? HP is high quality? What have you been smoking?
HP + Gateway make the worst quality computers in the business(save for packard bell) our school bought a cart full of HP laptops $1700 each and half don't work!!!

you can never seem to get wi-fi, crashes alot and they keep breaking.

 

[Minimoose 360]

Oh lord not another one...

 

[NT1440]

Dont forget that buying an elitebook makes you an elitist!
We cant have that now can we?

 

[snowmoon]

If you have never *used* OSX you probably don't even understand the argument. The fact of the matter is that OSX actually integrates the technology it bundles in a way that makes it possible to actually use it.

I am forced to use MS products at work, no one can pay me enough to endure that at home as well. I only use it at work because my boss insists on buying Dells and requires that I use outlook.

 

[Timur]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions so far!

Your at a mac forum full of people who love OS X, were gonna suggest OS X over anything else, if you want OS X get the macbook, if you dont care get an HP

That's what it will come down to. You folks can stop the "Windows/Vista is bloated crap" arguments though. I'm very adept at configuring it and neither stability, performance nor bloat are problems here. So in don't need anything "dumbed" down, but still welcome good design (as in usability, performance and looks). I'm curious about OS X, but I also already know it in parts from my band-mate. Actually word goes that lowest latency performance for audio-interfaces is still a bit better performing on Windows ASIO compared to OS X core-audio.

"Usability" doesn't matter much though once I start my software. Because all the audio software I'm currently running on Windows will work just the same on OS X besides the menu bar acting different. For a musician his Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software effectively becomes his "OS" from where all plugins and controls are run. The inclusion of well specified IAC virtual Midi ports is a big plus on OS X.

But it's not only about the OS, Macbooks have been used on stage by thousand of musicians worldwide which means you know you are buying a working solution. On the other hand the new MBPs are first generation products, so I guess the latter argument is only partially true. One important piece of software called Max/MSP runs more stable on OS X and offers slightly more features. That is because it's an original Mac application that got ported to Windows.

Someone mentioned how the Alu Mac can get hot on your lap because of the Aluminium being a big heatsink. I can imagine that this is an advantage on hot stages where any kind of additional cooling is very welcome. If that keeps the fan-noise down it also is an argument for home/studio use where the laptop is sitting on its stand and an external keyboard is used. My current desktop PC is very quiet both because I prefer it that way and because I do recordings right beside it.

I don't care much for the "I" stuff, I'm an owner of Office 2007 Professional on Windows and I will likely get VMWare or Parallels just to be able to use that without Bootcamp.

I'm still waiting for shops to get their demo units so that I can have an actual look at it plus I'm collecting informations and doing calculations on the price point. My current conclusion is that if I buy a MBP then it either has to be a new 2.8 Ghz model or a last gen (refurbished) 2.6 Ghz model. The new 2.53 ones perform slightly worse for my kind of applications than the old 2.6 ones.