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Dell Studio 15 (arrandale) Vs 15" Macbook pro (C2D)

D

db9

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 23, 2010
9
0
Hey guys,

after the disappointment of many months of waiting for a new macbook pro with arrandale processor, i have decided im going to buy a laptop within a week. I would wait but i really need one for uni...

anyway, what do you guys think?? are dell laptops okay - especially since it has arrandale. :S I've always wanted to make the switch to mac but the current mbp seems like a bit of a rip job.

i dont know, what should i get guys??? Dell Studio 15 for about $1700 with 'the works' or BASE 15" Macbook pro?

thanks heaps in advance :)
 
How can we give you proper advice, if you don't tell us what you need it for?

Going to university can mean many things as many subjects can be studied for which a variety of specs are necessary.

Someone studying philosophy might need other equipment than someone studying particle physics.
 
Dells are definitely good laptops, at least the Latitude series. You're unlikely to be disappointed by it.
 
sorry, i am a noob to foruming.

I am studying Veterinary Science - so probs wont need a hard core computer for that. but i am hoping that the laptop will last for almost the entire course - so like 5 years-ish.

I dont know if it is 'overkill' but the Dell seems to get a big bang for my buck (or however the saying goes), I guess what I'm really saying is: Will I waste my money buying a macbook pro which may have somewhat outdated technology? Or do you think the macbook pro is still worth the extra money?

:apple:
 
db9 said:
Will I waste my money buying a macbook pro which may have somewhat outdated technology?
Click to expand...

No, you'll get a perfectly good computer for your money. Just not "as good" as the alternatives, at least spec-wise.

db9 said:
Or do you think the macbook pro is still worth the extra money?
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Well I don't, at least not for the price of a new one. If you can find a refurbished or a used one at a better price, then maybe.
 
hmmm... tough decision - i think i might check out the dell store to see the laptops in real life. it's good to know someone has had a good experience with them :) I also didn't think about the latitude ill check that one out too!
 
The current MBP is definitely not worth the price charged. Dell is a decent computer but I'd also consider the Sony Vaio's. Some of them have excellent specs at a great price. No computer outside of Apple will look as nice as a MBP though.
 
db9 said:
Will I waste my money buying a macbook pro which may have somewhat outdated technology? Or do you think the macbook pro is still worth the extra money?
Click to expand...

First can the mac run the software you need for school, are there any specialized applications or do you need the run of the mill office/internet stuff.

Secondly with apple [possibly] on the verge of upgrading their laptop line, I'd recommend waiting if at all possible.
 
Secondly with apple [possibly] on the verge of upgrading their laptop line, I'd recommend waiting if at all possible.
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Yeah, I have been waiting since December. The absolute latest i can wait is for about 2 more weeks - but i got a letter from uni saying i must have a laptop, so yar... if the update comes mid or late march it's too late for me.

Dell does seem enticing but i really like the apple OS and the killer looks and feel... superficial, much? hehe
 
db9 said:
Hey guys,

after the disappointment of many months of waiting for a new macbook pro with arrandale processor, i have decided im going to buy a laptop within a week. I would wait but i really need one for uni...

anyway, what do you guys think?? are dell laptops okay - especially since it has arrandale. :S I've always wanted to make the switch to mac but the current mbp seems like a bit of a rip job.

i dont know, what should i get guys??? Dell Studio 15 for about $1700 with 'the works' or BASE 15" Macbook pro?

thanks heaps in advance :)
Click to expand...


So you classes start in the fall of 2010? and you need a notebook now?

WAIT!

You might be happy with a latitude but the Studio XPS are only a step up from the current inspirons, cheap....
 
I start uni 1st march, and can get a laptop end of week two at the latest - but the school did ask me to get one for the 1st of march :O
 
If you can wait till the end of week two, then definately wait till March 9th or March 2nd atleast.

Don't rush to a purchase when it's so close to an update.

As for Dells, yes I've had good luck with the XPS line and the Dell Adamo is great too. I loved my XPS.

Similarly Sony Vaio's are awesome as are used Macbook Pros. Even the HP Envy is a very solid and sexy laptop.

Regardless of which you go with, I would never buy a laptop without first checking the hot deals forum over at slickdeals.net. They always post the most awesome deals on laptops on that forum. I would go there first before making any big purchase to be honest.
 
I seriously doubt you'll get 5 years out of any dell. I've never had one last more than 2 before it all went haywire.

if you're considering a PC laptop, I'd be more inclined to recommend the vaio z, maybe the HP Envy (I'm not as big a fan of these but a lot of people are). Lenovo has a new arrandale thinkpad I think? All I know is that after 4 machines (2 desktops and 2 laptops) I'm never buying another dell, ever.
 
Anyone buying a C2D MBP at full retail price is not a very smart person. Anyone who has ever bought one at full retail price isn't smart either. There are deals to be had with up to $200 - $300 off pricing. Plus you can get AppleCare off the bay for less than half the cost.

I have been spying a 2.8 MBP 15 on eBay for $2,049 plus AC at $144.00. At that price, it will still smoke most machines out today. But I am still going to give Apple until 3/9 to get their updated line out.
 
bsizz234 said:
I seriously doubt you'll get 5 years out of any dell. I've never had one last more than 2 before it all went haywire.
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My 2003 Dell Latitude D600 is still in use today and it works fine. It's not cutting edge technology anymore, but for light browsing etc. it's still good.

But I have to say, my high opinion is only valid for Dell's Latitude series. I also have/had several Inspiron Laptops, that didn't last 18 month without changing some vital parts. Since the Studio laptops are consumer oriented like the Inspirons, I would only buy Dell Latitude series today.
 
I'll chime in here since I was recently in the same position. I'm a web and graphic designer with a PC background, but I've been using a 24" C2D iMac for the past 2 years at work. It's a great computer, so I was really considering getting a revised Macbook Pro to replace my 5 year old XPS desktop at home. I had a budget of $2k from a recent freelance project, and I also have a friend that works at Apple that could get me a 15% discount.

I basically looked at everything from Apple, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Asus and Sony. The majority of the laptops just look like flimsy chunks of plastic... pretty disappointing. I almost bit on the Sony VAIO i7 F Series, but changed my mind after seeing one in the store. I also considered the Dell XPS 16, but after seeing that in the store I changed my mind as well... the black shiny palm rest is a huge fingerprint magnet and just looks bad. I also like the upcoming VAIO Z, but it's actually just as expensive as a Macbook Pro, if not more, for what I would want.

I finally decided on a Dell Studio 15 because it was the best combination of quality/asthetics, performance and value for my budget. It has an i7-720QM, 7200rpm 320GB HDD, 1080 LED display, 4GB RAM, 512MB ATI 4570 video, 9 cell battery, backlit keyboard and 3 year warranty all for under $1300. I was also able to get a bluetooth mouse and stereo headphones, a timbuk2 bag and a new printer, and I still had $500 left to put towards my CS4 suite. I haven't received it yet (it's still in production), but I was able to get my hands on another one and the design is pretty solid. Definitely not as nice as a aluminum unibody, but still slick and much better than most Windows laptops out there.

If I would have decided to wait and go with a Macbook Pro, I would have only been able to get the computer and applecare within my budget, even with my friend's discount. As much as I like Apple's quality and design, I think I made the better choice with the Studio 15.
 
r3p00c said:
CS4
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if at all possible, I'd wait on that too. CS5 is speculated to be announced in the coming months (I've heard April-ish) and one would hope that they'll get with things and it'll be 64 bit, which could be a huge advantage over 32-bit CS4.
 
bsizz234 said:
if at all possible, I'd wait on that too. CS5 is speculated to be announced in the coming months (I've heard April-ish) and one would hope that they'll get with things and it'll be 64 bit, which could be a huge advantage over 32-bit CS4.
Click to expand...

Good point, I am actually still on the fence with that... I'd love to hold out for CS5 64-bit, but I don't know if I can wait until it is actually released. I've heard of an October release and that might be a bit too long with the amount of work I have coming up, but we'll see.
 
r3p00c said:
Good point, I am actually still on the fence with that... I'd love to hold out for CS5 64-bit, but I don't know if I can wait until it is actually released. I've heard of an October release and that might be a bit too long with the amount of work I have coming up, but we'll see.
Click to expand...

If you can wait through April without missing out on too much work, I'd do that. October would really be pretty late for them- I think that's almost 2 years to their usual 18 months, and definitely a long time from now if you need it for work. As usual, I'd just go with the wait-until-you-can-wait-no-more guideline. (Adobe also has a window where if they release CS5 withing a set number of days of your purchase (30?) they'll let you bump up free or for a small charge)
 
My friend has a studio 15 and loves it. Another friend has an Inspiron 1505 and she likes hers, but complains that it's getting slow. It is from 2006 though...
 
Sounds like you will be using pretty standard computer progs, so, I think you should get a refurb on the apple store, merely because you won't notice a lot of difference in performance with arrandale and if you want a 5 year old laptop, mac is the way to go, definitively get apple care with your student discount.

If however you game on you laptop or you think a 2 year time span before replacing your laptop is more likely, get the dell.
 
The biggest problem with Dell that I hear, is it runs this operating system called Windows.

I haven't had much experience with it though, it crashed because of some bugs, and realized I didn't like it.
 
I have a 2006-era Inspiron E1505. It's been a very good computer and the only problem I've ever had with it was a faulty DVD drive which Dell quickly replaced for me.

Overall, I think Dell makes good computers. Sure, some are faulty, but there are faulty Macs too (although some don't want to admit it). Having said that, Macs are designed better, but Dells still make for good quality computers.

Having had my Inspiron for 3-1/2 years, I can vouch for them. I wouldn't buy an Inspiron again, however, because Dell seems to have relegated the "Inspiron" line to the low-end consumers, while the "Studio" line is now their higher-end consumer laptop. So now I would go for the Dell Studio or Dell Studio XPS line.

Although I'm in the market for a new laptop, I'm in no rush. My Inspiron still works great, it's just showing some signs of age. So I'm waiting to see what Apple puts out, and then I'll make an informed decision once Apple has their new laptop line out.
 
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