Crappy PC lappyand dual 1.8 G5 -or- Crappy Mac lappy and a 3.2 GHz Pc?

[jaw04005]

So, what you all are saying is that ditch the capable Dell lattitude and go with a mac lappy, and thats it? I just think that is sort of a waste as the dell can handle the other stuff (portability situations like library visits, etc.) fine and if I had a DP G5 1.8 I'd have a high power mac to game on and do everything else I want to do on it such as iLife, etc.

Am I missing something or...? Why would it not be wise to just add a G5 DP 1.8 to go with my current laptop??

It looks like you have already made up your mind, the community here has given you good advice from all sides. Its ultimately your decision now. Personally, as much as I dislike Dell.. I don't think a 1Ghz lattitude is a piece, and would work fine for research and the occasional trip to the library.

 

[mac4drew]

What's so funny?

Well thats a funny joke.

What's so funny? Mac Laptops are smaller than any full-featured PC Laptop. Sure you can get some crappy VIAO from Sony that's completely stripped down (missing a CD drive, a good sized screen, a full sized keyboard, an acceptable sound card, an acceptable video card, and tons of other features that come standard in every Mac Laptop). But you can't edit video or play any form of computer games (except maybe Solitare) on the kind of sans-feature "sleek" laptops anyone on the PC side is putting out today.

As for faster, you may be right. I'm sure there is a computer that some company (Alienware, I bet) has bravely decided to market as a laptop, that weighs 50 pounds and burns your legs off if you ever get up the courage to set it on your lap. Apple has decided to go the route of practical computing by today's technological standards, and it shows in the quality of their computers.

As for a Mac laptop being "better," as far as software we'd have to start rehashing the whole Mac vs. Windows debate and that could get ugly, so let's chalk that up to my personal bias towards Mac OS X and its superior ease of use and security. As far as hardware, I would say that Apple spends more time designing its hardware than certain other companies (Dell) who are more than happy to shove a bunch of crappy stock parts inside a boxy laptop case and hope it works. That's why they are better.

If you have any kind of rebuttal to that, throw it at me, I'm ready for ya.

 

[malfaiteur]

if I had a DP G5 1.8 I'd have a high power mac to game on...

Am I missing something or...? Why would it not be wise to just add a G5 DP 1.8 to go with my current laptop??

[1 penny opinion]

I was under the impression that you wanted the PC to game on. A dual G5 would be a good system to game on, if Macs did in fact have a great selection of the newest games. That is not the case. So, if you feel you will want to game a lot in college (as I did) then you'll need a decent PC to do so. If you think that Dell laptop will work for the games you want to play, then just stick with that and buy nothing. If it isn't going to cut the mustard for the games you like, get a desktop PC that will.

As far as the laptop is concerned, that's going to have to be your call. However small it may be, it's still one more thing to lug to class. I'm too lazy to haul much but a (paper)notebook to class for the few notes I end up taking. However, there are people who aren't as lazy as me who like having their lappies in class for...well, notes or something.

SO, short version - If you want the newest games, get a good PC and a "Mac Lappy" that you can afford. If the latest in gaming diversion doesn't put a sparkle in your eyes, then get the better Mac - again, get a laptop if you think you'll use it, otherwise just a G5 PM.

[/1 penny opinion]

 

[garybUK]

What's so funny? Mac Laptops are smaller than any full-featured PC Laptop. Sure you can get some crappy VIAO from Sony that's completely stripped down (missing a CD drive, a good sized screen, a full sized keyboard, an acceptable sound card, an acceptable video card, and tons of other features that come standard in every Mac Laptop). But you can't edit video or play any form of computer games (except maybe Solitare) on the kind of sans-feature "sleek" laptops anyone on the PC side is putting out today.

As for faster, you may be right. I'm sure there is a computer that some company (Alienware, I bet) has bravely decided to market as a laptop, that weighs 50 pounds and burns your legs off if you ever get up the courage to set it on your lap. Apple has decided to go the route of practical computing by today's technological standards, and it shows in the quality of their computers.

As for a Mac laptop being "better," as far as software we'd have to start rehashing the whole Mac vs. Windows debate and that could get ugly, so let's chalk that up to my personal bias towards Mac OS X and its superior ease of use and security. As far as hardware, I would say that Apple spends more time designing its hardware than certain other companies (Dell) who are more than happy to shove a bunch of crappy stock parts inside a boxy laptop case and hope it works. That's why they are better.

If you have any kind of rebuttal to that, throw it at me, I'm ready for ya.

I am currently in the market for a laptop and being the owner of 3 mac's (tiBook 667mhz, Dual 1.8 G5, Powermac 7300), i have been severly let down by the build quality of the powerbooks, the batteries are dead, paintwork is a nightmare on this laptop but they are beautiful machines and the OS is well i think unbeatable. But i have decided on a PC Laptop.. for around the same price as a 12" Powerbook Combo drive, i can get a HiGrade 1.7ghz 2mb Cache Pentium-M, 512mb DDR Ram, 60gb Hard Disk, DVD+-RW Drive, ATI 64mb Radeon 9600 15" TFT, Wifi, Modem, Firewire. I have to admit they are not a patch on the style of the mac's but i do beleive that the arguments on build quality dont stand.

Its very embarrasing to show people your MAC with so many defects... Ipod, Battery Powerbook, Whitespots & paintwork & Wifi performance

Please dont get me wrong, i am not mac bashing, infact i am a huge fan of apple's products but the current range of Pentium's do outperform the Portable Mac's and the price we pay we should be expecting hardware with not so many defects.

 

[gekko513]

The community has given advice, but not much on the question asked. I assume most of your gaming will be done on the desktop.

Crappy PC lappy + G5 desktop:
+ iLife is better on a G5 with a larger screen
+ DVD-burning of your iLife products
+ just one purchase
- fewer games available

Crappy Mac lappy + PC desktop
+ more games available for the desktop
+ Your Mac lappy can network with PCs and other Macs using just a regular ethernet cable
- iLife is not as fun on a small screen and with no DVD-burning

If you have many friends or connections with PCs, then it may be a plus to have a portable PC so you can play with PC stuff on the go. On the other hand this goes for Macs too if you meet Mac people, and also if you have a portable Mac lappy, then maybe your PC friends will convert

I'd go for a G5 desktop ... then you can get a G5 Mac lappy when the Dell Latitude is ready for retirement.

 

[crowdaddy]

I thank you all for your advice.

Yea, probably all gaming will be done on the desktop. I always have the need to be on the bleeding edge for piece of mind when purchasing this stuff, so that is why I am almost 100% sure I am going to wait till WWDC to get the DP (insert ghz here)G5 to go with my lappy. A question though: is 1GB ram as well as the Ati 9800 Pro vid card overkill in terms of performance required for UT2k4 and battlefield 1942?

Thanks again

 

[dopefiend]

A question though: is 1GB ram as well as the Ati 9800 Pro vid card overkill in terms of performance required for UT2k4 and battlefield 1942?

Thanks again

Nope, that will be fine.

 

[Mantat]

I thank you all for your advice.

Yea, probably all gaming will be done on the desktop. I always have the need to be on the bleeding edge for piece of mind when purchasing this stuff, so that is why I am almost 100% sure I am going to wait till WWDC to get the DP (insert ghz here)G5 to go with my lappy.

Good idea

A question though: is 1GB ram as well as the Ati 9800 Pro vid card overkill in terms of performance required for UT2k4 and battlefield 1942?
Thanks again

just a little overkill but the card is a good choice...

But wait till the conf to get the new mac with the new ATI cards which are much better.

 

[crowdaddy]

Why is that 9800 Card so bloody expensive!!? Wow, it costs a lot to upgrade from the standard 9600 at apple.ca.

 

[kelvinz]

I would suggest you buy a nice PC laptop and a cheaper Apple Laptop.

Becuase PC desktops are very verstile and do everything as well as a Apple

+more if you like to play video games engage in legal "fileshaing" the PC is much better suited to that.

 

[nina]

Count me in the Mac laptop/PC desktop camp.

I would say get a midrange Apple laptop and go nuts with the desktop PC. I realize the fact that you have a PC laptop already - maybe you could sell it, or pass it along to someone else?

If you're extremely serious about gaming, there's no question - you need a PC. While a DP G5 will give insane performance right now, I'd be worried about upgrading components like the video card down the road. Mac parts always carry a premium price, and if you're into tweaking and upgrading your gaming rig, a Windows box will just give you more flexibility. Windows PCs are the standard for gaming - Macs are fine, but it seems like gamers are a niche group on this platform.

The iBook G4 is PERFECT for a student. The 12" model gives an amazing value for the price. Unless you're planning on going NUTS with iLife, (eg. huge projects in iMove/iDVD) the iBook G4 will be more than enough to suit your needs. Install the screen-spanning hack and hook it up to your PC monitor if you want more space. And you'll get to take a Mac to classes and show the world that you're a Mac user - you'll REALLY stand out from the crowd!

I was two seconds away from buying a 12" iBook to complement my aging P4 1.3 GHz desktop. Since I don't game much anymore, the Windows box has become my download box. I decided to take a financial hit and spring for the 12" Powerbook instead, mainly so I could hook it up to my 20" Apple Cinema Display (connected to my PC right now) and run Final Cut Pro - something that will come in handy during the next few classes in film production

 

[crowdaddy]

Still though, I want my most powerful machine to be a mac. I am not VERY serious about gaming, it is just fun to do once and a while. Oh man, i don't think I will ever get through this dilemma.

I think what I am going to do is against some of your peoples' advice. I am going to utilize my current laptop (dell 1.2ghz lattitude) for school for the portability stuff, and have a G5 DP 2.0 Ghz for my room. I want to have the full apple experience with all doors open for me. I do not believe an ibook would cut it and that route would be more expensive anyway as I would have to purchase or build a PC desktop of considerable stature.

 

[crowdaddy]

Well, wait.

What about a maxed out Dual G4? If I did that I could possibly afford a ibook as well as the Desktop to go with it. What do you think of that idea?

 

[Ph4lynx]

i think its a great idea
i have a friend with a maxed out dual g4
2gb ram, radeon 9800 pro, dual 1.25ghz

that machine games very nicely!
and its very snappy and responsive

you also wouldnt have to wait till WWDC
(cause they arnt going to update the G4s any time soon )

 

[gekko513]

(cause they arnt going to update the G4s any time soon )

They may drop in price though. Waiting for the WWDC seems like a good idea no matter what solution you choose.

 

[Abstract]

Wait, so you're gonna buy a DP 1.8 GHz G5 as a gaming machine, and keep the PC laptop because you can bring it to school? You should always do it the other way around, which is why I'll say get the iBook and a good PC laptop for gaming.

What's so funny? Mac Laptops are smaller than any full-featured PC Laptop. Sure you can get some crappy VIAO from Sony that's completely stripped down (missing a CD drive, a good sized screen, a full sized keyboard, an acceptable sound card, an acceptable video card, and tons of other features that come standard in every Mac Laptop).....

....As for faster, you may be right. I'm sure there is a computer that some company (Alienware, I bet) has bravely decided to market as a laptop, that weighs 50 pounds and burns your legs off if you ever get up the courage to set it on your lap. Apple has decided to go the route of practical computing by today's technological standards, and it shows in the quality of their computers.

Gateway 200X, IBM T40, and others are good laptops with better battery life, and a 15" screen. I haven't checked recent specs of either machine, but it would be hard for Gateway and IBM to fudge up either computer's design. They don't look as good as the 15" PB, though.

 

[crowdaddy]

Well, you see, I already have a PC laptop capable of doing the academia work that is required, and that is precisely why I am not in the market for a laptop, I already have one! So, it is between an dual g4 and a dual 1.8 G5 at the moment. If I go the dual G4 route, I could really max out that beast as it is not as expensive. The only weird thing however, it doesn't have airport extreme for it though?

 

[crowdaddy]

Also, what is the dual-boot thing about? Is that something I would want?

 

[Ph4lynx]

The dual G4 doesnt support Airport Extreme (at least i dont think so)
but it does support third party cards (linksys, cisco, d-link, netgear)
in the pci slot

but i would go wired if you can because you will get much faster file transfer times