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HP from Costco vs 13" MacBook Pro

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randomdude84

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2013
21
0
Hey guys, my wifes hp laptop crashed and she starts back with her summer semester in 2 weeks so we need to get her another laptop. Im a mac guy and I just bought an iMac last year and love it, very expensive but love it.

Basically, she was at Costco and saw this computer

http://www.costco.com/HP-ENVY-15-j1...80p-|-Backlit-Keyboard.product.100114964.html

How can you compare that to even the cheapest 13" retina macbook?

http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro

to me the hp would be the way to go. as far as comparing the specs, the hp seems to beat it everywhere and for about half the price. I'm all about mac because i have always had problems with pcs but we can't be spending the money and there seems to be no justifying spending that on a mac when you compare the specs?

Is there something Im missing while looking at the specs between the two? Seems like an easy choice to me but I just wanted to see what you guys say.
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,481
43,406
IF she's used to windows then get the HP.

Apple was never about competing by price.
 
G

gtanner00

macrumors member
Apr 21, 2014
73
0
That particular HP has a slow spinning hard drive and weighs 5.6 lbs. Quite heavy. However if she doesn't need it to be portable then it would be fine.

Costco usually has the HP spectre ultrabook 13 which is much more comparable to a macbook pro.
 
C

cruzmisl

macrumors regular
Nov 10, 2012
229
24
Costco is a good place to buy stuff from in general but those machines are not comparable at all. The HP is essentially a desktop replacement at nearly 6lbs.
 
C. Robert

C. Robert

macrumors 65816
Oct 1, 2013
1,338
889
Baltimore
I think that its a very typical decision that is made everyday by people and its significant. My wife was introduced to macs at her school. She brought it home and I wanted nothing to do with it. She also struggled embracing the operating system. I was talked into it by a friend and returned my first one after a week, then I went back because I missed the simplicity. My wife just loves not being burdened with the nonsense associated with a windows PC. It might take your wife some time to get use to it but its worth the jump in my eyes. You can easily get a new macbook pro or air for about $800 if you look around or are ok with a refurb.


And it doesn't even remotely compare to the cheapest macbook pro retina. It doesn't even compare to the old macbook pro.
 
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1

12dylan34

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2009
884
15
Big reasons for the price difference are:
  • the slow spinning HDD
  • The non-high-res screen
  • the AMD processor
  • the size
  • the (rather large) weight
  • the lack of ac wireless
  • The lack of bluetooth
  • the battery life
  • the build quality/materials of the HP.

So it's not really directly comparable by most accounts, but if she's used to Windows and price is a major consideration, get this instead of the Mac.
 
Z

Zmyslony

macrumors newbie
May 15, 2014
7
0
I had a few HP notebooks, then Asus laptops and Every single of them had some issues. The HP was heating a lot and 3 times I had my gpu burned! No more of that when you choose the mbp, and Windows vs. Osx in daily tasks is no competition. OSX Just kills it with everything.
 
Rob.G

Rob.G

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2010
528
85
Arizona
I got my (now ex) wife a 13" MBP about two years ago after she accidentally fried her Dell laptop. It took her maybe an hour before she said, "This thing is awesome!" And she hasn't looked back.

I'm to the point now that I REFUSE to use a Windows machine, even at work. It's Mac or find a new employee. :)

Rob
 
F

Freyqq

macrumors 601
Dec 13, 2004
4,038
181
randomdude84 said:
Hey guys, my wifes hp laptop crashed and she starts back with her summer semester in 2 weeks so we need to get her another laptop. Im a mac guy and I just bought an iMac last year and love it, very expensive but love it.

Basically, she was at Costco and saw this computer

http://www.costco.com/HP-ENVY-15-j1...80p-|-Backlit-Keyboard.product.100114964.html

How can you compare that to even the cheapest 13" retina macbook?

http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro

to me the hp would be the way to go. as far as comparing the specs, the hp seems to beat it everywhere and for about half the price. I'm all about mac because i have always had problems with pcs but we can't be spending the money and there seems to be no justifying spending that on a mac when you compare the specs?

Is there something Im missing while looking at the specs between the two? Seems like an easy choice to me but I just wanted to see what you guys say.
Click to expand...

The HP is a fine computer, but you are getting some benefits from getting the mac.

-lighter, thinner, etc
-intel processors tend to be better than AMD for similar class of chips
-retina display
-pcie SSD vs HD in the HP
-802.11ac
 
C. Robert

C. Robert

macrumors 65816
Oct 1, 2013
1,338
889
Baltimore
12dylan34 said:
Big reasons for the price difference are:
  • the slow spinning HDD
  • The non-high-res screen
  • the AMD processor
  • the size
  • the (rather large) weight
  • the lack of ac wireless
  • The lack of bluetooth
  • the battery life
  • the build quality/materials of the HP.

So it's not really directly comparable by most accounts, but if she's used to Windows and price is a major consideration, get this instead of the Mac.
Click to expand...

I think it said that its a HD screen.
 
R

randomdude84

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2013
21
0
12dylan34 said:
Big reasons for the price difference are:
  • the slow spinning HDD
  • The non-high-res screen
  • the AMD processor
  • the size
  • the (rather large) weight
  • the lack of ac wireless
  • The lack of bluetooth
  • the battery life
  • the build quality/materials of the HP.

So it's not really directly comparable by most accounts, but if she's used to Windows and price is a major consideration, get this instead of the Mac.
Click to expand...

what is the difference between 802.11 ac wireless and 802.11 b/g/n alan? i have no clue lol

I compared the two processors on cpu boss and the amd came out on top. Not sure how accurate the site is though.

The two things that really get me are the RAM and the HD. 128gb flash is great but compared to 1TB and then 4gb ram compared to 12 is insane too. Now, is there a difference between the ddr3 and ddr3L onboard?

I definitely don't want her to get the hp but for what she needs it for it will be perfect. I'm the only one working (not making much either) and when she's done with school in a year i think we could get a macbook pro but for now i think it will suit her fine.

I can't stand windows and she can't either but its all about the benjamins right now and as far as a refurb goes, i would never feel comfortable with that.
 
1

12dylan34

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2009
884
15
Raffi said:
I think it said that its a HD screen.
Click to expand...

HD is considerably lower than the resolution on the rMBP.

----------
randomdude84 said:
what is the difference between 802.11 ac wireless and 802.11 b/g/n alan? i have no clue lol

I compared the two processors on cpu boss and the amd came out on top. Not sure how accurate the site is though.

The two things that really get me are the RAM and the HD. 128gb flash is great but compared to 1TB and then 4gb ram compared to 12 is insane too. Now, is there a difference between the ddr3 and ddr3L onboard?

I definitely don't want her to get the hp but for what she needs it for it will be perfect. I'm the only one working (not making much either) and when she's done with school in a year i think we could get a macbook pro but for now i think it will suit her fine.

I can't stand windows and she can't either but its all about the benjamins right now and as far as a refurb goes, i would never feel comfortable with that.
Click to expand...

Honestly, if price is the main concern, the HP is the better option. Like the first guy in this thread said, Macs shouldn't be bought on a budget, because it's a premium brand.

If you're saying that you wouldn't be comfortable with a Mac refurb, there's not much to worry about that, I don't believe. Refurbs are factory-new machines that have some sort of defect off of the line, a technician repairs them, then they're sold at discounts. They also come with the same warranty and are eligible for AppleCare. It'll still be more expensive than the HP, though.
 
R

randomdude84

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2013
21
0
12dylan34 said:
HD is considerably lower than the resolution on the rMBP.

----------



Honestly, if price is the main concern, the HP is the better option. Like the first guy in this thread said, Macs shouldn't be bought on a budget, because it's a premium brand.

If you're saying that you wouldn't be comfortable with a Mac refurb, there's not much to worry about that, I don't believe. Refurbs are factory-new machines that have some sort of defect off of the line, a technician repairs them, then they're sold at discounts. They also come with the same warranty and are eligible for AppleCare. It'll still be more expensive than the HP, though.
Click to expand...

what about the 802.11 ac? what does that mean?
 
1

12dylan34

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2009
884
15
randomdude84 said:
what about the 802.11 ac? what does that mean?
Click to expand...

It's the newest generation of wifi that's just getting its start. For the time being, it won't be an issue to be stuck on n, the older version, but it might over time.

Basically, it's a few times faster, has a larger range, and it uses this thing called "beam forming" that directs the signal, rather than just throwing it out in all directions.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/802-11ac-vs-802-11n-what-s-the-difference
 
R

randomdude84

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2013
21
0
12dylan34 said:
It's the newest generation of wifi that's just getting its start. For the time being, it won't be an issue to be stuck on n, the older version, but it might over time.

Basically, it's a few times faster, has a larger range, and it uses this thing called "beam forming" that directs the signal, rather than just throwing it out in all directions.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/802-11ac-vs-802-11n-what-s-the-difference
Click to expand...

hmmm, interesting. What are your thoughts on the ram and hd comparisons? i know the flash is the new thing but as far as storage goes, how can you justify 128gb vs 1tb? same goes with the ram, 12gb vs 4gb?

I'm actually looking at this refurb and liking it, i wonder if they give student pricing with the refurbs too?

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...-24ghz-dual-core-intel-i5-with-retina-display
 
Last edited:
1

12dylan34

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2009
884
15
randomdude84 said:
hmmm, interesting. What are your thoughts on the ram and hd comparisons? i know the flash is the new thing but as far as storage goes, how can you justify 128gb vs 1tb? same goes with the ram, 12gb vs 4gb?

I'm actually looking at this refurb and liking it, i wonder if they give student pricing with the refurbs too?

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...-24ghz-dual-core-intel-i5-with-retina-display
Click to expand...

If I had to choose between the two, I couldn't make do with 128, but that's just my needs, and I do more demanding stuff on my computer than the average user. On the other side, having an SSD is the one thing that you can do overall to make a computer seem faster, and it makes a HUGE difference. I would look at her current computer and see how much storage she is using currently to decide.

As far as the RAM, more is better, and it'll make the machine be able to run newer software for longer.

As for the education discounts on refurbished, they don't offer those to my knowledge. You might also look into getting one of the non-retina MBPs from the refurbished store if you really want a Mac.
 
E

eneisch

macrumors 6502a
Jul 11, 2008
784
268
I have seen that model at Costco. It is nice for a reasonably priced Windows 8 touchscreen laptop, however the build quality is nowhere near as good as the MacBook Pro. The whole keyboard flexes when typing and while the top part is clad in aluminum the bottom of the laptop is plastic. The MacBook Pro feels substantially more solid in my opinion. I also shy away from AMD processors personally, but that is just a preference as I have no real experience wiith them to make a solid determination.

In the end you should get what makes her happy as it will be her laptop. :D
 
R

randomdude84

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2013
21
0
i was considering the refurbished stuff but my wife said she had horrible experiences with refurbished phones and vowed to never get anything refurbished again lol. it looks like apples refurbished line is pretty good but i have nothing to base it off of, I've never had one and don't anybody who has.

We are gonna go to the apple store over the weekend so she had physically mess with what they have. We are both in agreement that we don't like windows and have had nothing but problems with it. Really its just the money but in the long run i think the 13"mbp will be worth it compared to that hp from costco.

all she needs the computer for is for school related things. online research, papers, etc. she doesn't do any downloading and she has an iPad for movies and things. she doesn't run anything out of what comes with the computer so i almost wanna say that the macbook air would suit her needs just fine too?
 
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