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For the sake of Comparison, New MBP v. Windows Competitors

W

William7

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 16, 2012
36
1
Everyone is complaining about the new mbp price point so i did what i always do, i compared it to the competitors and this is what i found

New MBP
15.4' Retina Display
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb RAM
256gb SSD
1gb Nvidia gpu
Superdrive (i added it because most competitors have it)
$2278

The closest competitor out there is the sony vaio Z
13.1' 1080p display
intel i7 2.1ghz
8gb RAM
256gb SSD
1gb AMD GPU (note: the gpu for this computer is located in a docking station that must be plugged in along with the cd/dvd drive)
Cd/dvd drive
$2249

The next two computers are not direct to competitors to the new mbp but they are the closest thing their respective companies make:

Dell Alienware M14x
14' 768p (same resolution as old 13' mbp)
intel i7 2.3ghz
1gb Nvidia GPU
8gb RAM
256gb SSD
DVD/CD drive
$1749

Hp ENVY 15
15.6' 1080P display
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb RAM
1gb AMD GPU
256gb SSD
$1799

The thing that i would like to point out here is that the last two on the list, the dell and hp computers are much bigger than the new mbp. im curious to see what everyone thinks of my findings.

Edit: because lots of people here are looking at old mbp and new mbp i am adding the old mbp to the comparison

2012 update to 2008 design MBP:
1050p anti-glare display (i chose to upgrade to make it as close to retina as possible)
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb ram
nvidia 1gb GPU
256gb SSD
optical drive
$2499

i would like to note that if i added the ethernet and firewire dongles to a new mbp it would still be cheaper (i already added superdrive)
 
Last edited:
That's an interesting find. I'm actually surprised the prices are so close to each other, actually. PC-users often point out and uses the argument that you can buy an equal, or better spec laptop than Apple computers. This is very true, you can't deny that, especially for custom built PC's. But what they don't account for is everything else, like usability, functionality, and experience. Specs are one thing, but if the experience with a God-tier computer is garbage, it's not worth it.
 
Well the fact that the MBP uses all custom made components and has a retina display, the price increase seems justified.
 
Thanks! I was going to do this tonight.. let's add on to this thread if anyone finds anymore similar specs.
 
Yes please feel free to add to this thread. i specifically left off just about every other pc manufacturer but that is because i would never buy a computer from them. aka samsung, asus, acer etc. however if you feel the need to compare them add them and i will add to the original post for all to see.
 
Please don't take away the biggest nugget of hate the anti-apple people have. Anti-apple fanboy wars are what keep internet comment threads interesting. Seeing the "but...derp they're expensive" comment pop up every single day is like waking up on christmas morning to see presents under the tree. Take away this argument and what do we have? "Apple is bad because...Steve Jobs was douchey! And slave labor!" And when you explain away Steve's doucheyness with "doucheyness for a purpose" and the slave labor as "well, other companies use the same factory and apple's done more than everybody to improve conditions without getting a single bit of credit for it", there's only..."it has an apple on it. I like oranges"
 
I think this post should be revised:

New MBP
15.4' Retina Display
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb RAM
256gb SSD
1gb Nvidia gpu
Superdrive (i added it because most competitors have it)
$2278
Cost of servicing when memory stick goes bad after 1 year
$1500
Cost of replacing onboard storage
$500
Total cost of ownership
$4278

The closest competitor out there is the sony vaio Z
13.1' 1080p display
intel i7 2.1ghz
8gb RAM
256gb SSD
1gb AMD GPU (note: the gpu for this computer is located in a docking station that must be plugged in along with the cd/dvd drive)
Cd/dvd drive
$2249
Cost of servicing when memory stick goes bad after 1 year
$100
Cost of replacing storage
$200 (max)
Total cost of ownership
$2549


The next two computers are not direct to competitors to the new mbp but they are the closest thing their respective companies make:

Dell Alienware M14x
14' 768p (same resolution as old 13' mbp)
intel i7 2.3ghz
1gb Nvidia GPU
8gb RAM
256gb SSD
DVD/CD drive
$1749
Cost of servicing when memory stick goes bad after 1 year
$100
Cost of replacing storage
$200 (max)
Total cost of ownership
$2049

Hp ENVY 15
15.6' 1080P display
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb RAM
1gb AMD GPU
256gb SSD
$1799
Cost of servicing when memory stick goes bad after 1 year
$100
Cost of replacing storage
$200 (max)
Total cost of ownership
$2099
 
iMusings said:
I think this post should be revised:

New MBP
15.4' Retina Display
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb RAM
256gb SSD
1gb Nvidia gpu
Superdrive (i added it because most competitors have it)
$2278
Cost of servicing when memory stick goes bad after 1 year
$1500
Cost of replacing onboard storage
$500
Total cost of ownership
$4278
Click to expand...

If it "goes bad", that would be covered under applecare, which is only $300
 
I think the retina MBP is amazing value compared to anything else out there.
It's the normal MbP line that is severely lacking in price/performance.
 
The ability to self-upgrade parts is worth something, but I don't think it's fair to include the ludicrously high servicing cost. I would tend to compare with three-year warranties on both.

FWIW, the system I compared with was the ASUS G55. Higher resolution than any non-Retina MBP, solidly better stats, quite a bit cheaper (about $1500 in a base configuration). More room for upgrades (you can go to 24/32GB of memory, for instance), but on the other hand, a LOT heavier.
 
therealseebs said:
The ability to self-upgrade parts is worth something, but I don't think it's fair to include the ludicrously high servicing cost. I would tend to compare with three-year warranties on both.

FWIW, the system I compared with was the ASUS G55. Higher resolution than any non-Retina MBP, solidly better stats, quite a bit cheaper (about $1500 in a base configuration). More room for upgrades (you can go to 24/32GB of memory, for instance), but on the other hand, a LOT heavier.
Click to expand...

i think you make a good point here, yes you can buy a simalar specked system for less money if its windows however like you said you are bound to find a catch somewhere, whether it be weight or size or most likely in a pc, battery life.
 
William7 said:
Everyone is complaining about the new mbp price point so i did what i always do, i compared it to the competitors and this is what i found

New MBP
15.4' Retina Display
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb RAM
256gb SSD
1gb Nvidia gpu
Superdrive (i added it because most competitors have it)
$2278


The next two computers are not direct to competitors to the new mbp but they are the closest thing their respective companies make:

Hp ENVY 15
15.6' 1080P display
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb RAM
1gb AMD GPU
256gb SSD
$1799

The thing that i would like to point out here is that the last two on the list, the dell and hp computers are much bigger than the new mbp. im curious to see what everyone thinks of my findings.

Edit: because lots of people here are looking at old mbp and new mbp i am adding the old mbp to the comparison

2012 update to 2008 design MBP:
1050p anti-glare display (i chose to upgrade to make it as close to retina as possible)
intel i7 2.3ghz
8gb ram
nvidia 1gb GPU
256gb SSD
optical drive
$2499

i would like to note that if i added the ethernet and firewire dongles to a new mbp it would still be cheaper (i already added superdrive)
Click to expand...

Really bad comparison.

HP ALWAYS has COUPONS. USE THEM!


Your shopping cart
HP ENVY 15 customizable Notebook PC
A6U26AV

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3610QM Processor (2.3 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)
1GB Radeon(TM) HD 7750M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
8GB 1600DDR3MHz System Memory (2 Dimm)
750GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
Microsoft(R) Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word/Excel(R) only, No PowerPoint(R)/Outlook(R)
FREE 2-year Norton Internet Security subscription (a $99 value). Pre-installed.
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery - Up to 10.25 hours of battery life +++
15.6-inch diagonal Radiance Full HD Infinity LED-backlit Display (1920 x 1080)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
720p HD video streaming webcam supports Skype
Intel 2x2 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN + Bluetooth(R)
Full-size Radiance backlit keyboard
Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 10 & Adobe Premiere(R) Elements 10
2 year limited warranty included
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Estimated ship date: June 22, 2012
Free standard shipping on this item
The HP Home & Home Office Store will accept returns or exchanges for this product up to 21 days after delivery
« Save for re-order Remove »
Qty. Update »
Price: $1,659.99
Coupon: –$547.80
Price after savings: $1,112.19

33% off coupon code NBG5247 takes 10 seconds to look up.

add a 256 GB SSD from newegg for $230 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148530)

Total is $1342.19.

With HP SSD it costs $1373.49. (2049.99-676.50)

HP has a two year warrenty.

EDIT: Dell just had a 25% off coupon that just expired. There will be another in the future sometime.
 
Last edited:
Exio said:
Lol...

Lenovo has this for $1200. Wow

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...r.workflow:Enter?mtm-item=:000001C9:0000393A:
Click to expand...

Be prepared for people to explain to you how a having an Aluminum chassis is an unquantifiable advantage that they can't do without.

I buy Macbooks because they are pretty. But I will never pay too much money for beauty over function. If I needed the specs of the next generation Macbook Pro, then I would buy a PC, I simply realize there are much cheaper alternatives.

However, with my 13" Macbook Pro, perhaps the cheapest alternative would be 800 bucks ... Might as well shell out the extra 200.
 
Adamantoise said:
Be prepared for people to explain to you how a having an Aluminum chassis is an unquantifiable advantage that they can't do without.

I buy Macbooks because they are pretty. But I will never pay too much money for beauty over function. If I needed the specs of the next generation Macbook Pro, then I would buy a PC, I simply realize there are much cheaper alternatives.

However, with my 13" Macbook Pro, perhaps the cheapest alternative would be 800 bucks ... Might as well shell out the extra 200.
Click to expand...

I realize that, but since this thread is comparing windows to mac, and no windows machine has the build of a mac it comes down to spec and price. One could buy 2 of those lenovo's for the price of one mac. I understand apple is a premium company, but I fail to see how an aluminum body justifies apple to charge an extra $1000.
 
The Sony Vaio Z is the same size and lighter than the 13" air, so it is not a fair comparison aginst the new mbp.

Beside you don't have to get the external GPU. It also start with 4Gb RAM and 128GB ssd. With that setup the price is the same as baseline 13" air wih the advantage of 2.1GHz quad core CPU that is only slighlt slow than the 2.3 GHz in the new mbp.
 
All comparison here doesn't make sense, MBP has Mac OS while others have Win 7 (incoming Win 8), Windows suck that's why we are here.
 
limys88 said:
Windows suck that's why we are here.
Click to expand...

Speak for yourself, I prefer OSX but don't mind use Windows if the hardware package suit my needs better.

I've order both a 13" quad core 1080p Sony Vaio Z and baseline new mbp, still not sure with one I'll keep. It all depend on real life battery usage time and how the retina screen look with 1900X1200 resolution.
 
I think the best comparison with the 15" is the HP Envy. I speced out one exactly like the top-end MBP (minus retina display, which doesn't exist, of course) and it came out to almost exactly $1000 cheaper. I don't know, that's actually a lot closer than I thought it would be. You could argue OSX+Retina+MBP build quality/design is worth another $1K. Now someone above mentioned the use of a coupon...I did not apply any coupon, so take that into consideration. That was just HP Envy w/ the 2.6 i7, high end display + amazon prices for a 512 SSD (Crucial m4) and 16GB RAM (added another $500 in total).
 
If someone wants an HP or Sony or whatever, I say more power to them. You don't have to justify a purchase to anyone but yourself.

I've had both HPs and Sonys (for personal use) and Dells (for work use) and I say never again. You can compare specs all day long if you like but I personally think Apple quality seems better than any of those.
 
88 King said:
Speak for yourself, I prefer OSX but don't mind use Windows if the hardware package suit my needs better.

I've order both a 13" quad core 1080p Sony Vaio Z and baseline new mbp, still not sure with one I'll keep. It all depend on real life battery usage time and how the retina screen look with 1900X1200 resolution.
Click to expand...

Go and make love to your crappy Sony. :mad:

Cancel your order and give a true Apple fan :apple: the Retina Macbook Pro.
 
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