HP from Costco vs 13" MacBook Pro

[Commy1]

Refurb Macbook Air or 13" Retina are the way I would go.
When it comes to computers I don't think I'll ever really go back, unless it's for a Steam Machine or something.
HP, Compaq, Gateway, Toshiba, Samsung, Dell, Alienware... virtually every brand of computer out there I've owned one and the point is I'm not using any of them now. Even thinking about them now I can't really recall any specific redeeming features.

 

[Saint.Icon]

Aside from the fact that the HP in question is a beast in terms of weight and size, let's not forget that Costco is a bulk retailer. In most cases, the computers they sell are last year's models being sold at this year's prices.

Get a refurb Mac if money is tight. Set up bootcamp with a Windows partition if your wife needs Windows.

Easy, fast, and a quality machine with an actual warranty.


Oh, and one that won't lead to her turning into a bodybuilder just from carrying it around. Don't want your girl's biceps being bigger than yours.

 

[snaky69]

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?

Apple refurbished laptops are essentially new. Apple replaces the top case and battery, redo a full battery of QC checks, and package it as new.

It comes with the same warranty a new Mac would, is eligible for Apple Care, all for hundreds less than a new model.

So you basically get a computer for 100 to 300 (or more) bucks off, that's been through quality checking twice, and has an all new case and battery. What is there to lose?

 

[Saint.Icon]

Apple refurbished laptops are essentially new. Apple replaces the top case and battery, redo a full battery of QC checks, and package it as new.

It comes with the same warranty a new Mac would, is eligible for Apple Care, all for hundreds less than a new model.

So you basically get a computer for 100 to 300 (or more) bucks off, that's been through quality checking twice, and has an all new case and battery. What is there to lose?

If you're looking at higher spec'd models and/or year old models, you can save even more. The last iMac I bought was something like $700 off. They can be amazing deals.

 

[mhdena]

Everyone here is going to say get this mac or that mac.

If she is not a mac person get the one at Costco, see how she likes it, very generous return policy so nothing to lose.

She likes it or some other one you save money, everybody is happy, except for those here who think everyone should have an apple.

 

[randomdude84]

Apple refurbished laptops are essentially new. Apple replaces the top case and battery, redo a full battery of QC checks, and package it as new.

It comes with the same warranty a new Mac would, is eligible for Apple Care, all for hundreds less than a new model.

So you basically get a computer for 100 to 300 (or more) bucks off, that's been through quality checking twice, and has an all new case and battery. What is there to lose?

If there ends up being an issue and apple keeps fixing it do they end up offering a new refurb or a new model equivalent to what you paid for the refurb? Her main concern was there being an issue that they constantly fix but don't fully resolve?

 

[Saint.Icon]

If there ends up being an issue and apple keeps fixing it do they end up offering a new refurb or a new model equivalent to what you paid for the refurb? Her main concern was there being an issue that they constantly fix but don't fully resolve?

I've had somewhere around two dozen refurb products from Apple, and not one has had an issue.

That being said, if you do have an issue, they handle it just as they would an issue with any other non-refurb Apple product. You send it in, they send you a replacement. Or they send you a replacement and you send it in.

But really, they're new machines.

 

[CarsonJones]

I would def either look at the MBA or Pro, keep in mind that she can also get a student discount at the apple store or places such as BestBuy that offer a $150 off including open boxes I believe.

 

[takeshi74]

I compared the two processors on cpu boss and the amd came out on top.

Would she benefit from the difference? Or are other differences more relevant to her usage? You have to be very careful with relying on spec sheet racing alone. It's not just a matter of comparing the specs but finding what suits the individual best and that includes other factors and concerns beyond just specs. Sort out your (plural "your") priorities and then find the best fit versus comparing the specs and selecting the best based on just numbers.

what about the 802.11 ac? what does that mean?

Not much if you don't have an AC access point/router.

how can you justify 128gb vs 1tb?

Justification is a subjective matter. You and your wife need to justify it -- not any of us. 128GB isn't enough for me but that's what I have a 512GB SSD. My budget isn't the same as your budget so it really doesn't matter that I can justify a 512GB SSD. From what you've said I don't see her benefitting much from 1TB. An SSD, on the other hand, provides significant performance benefits over spinning platters.

same goes with the ram, 12gb vs 4gb?

Same answer applies. Does her usage require 12GB? I'd say it doesn't sound like it but you and your wife need to verify. Same example, really: I easily justified 16GB but I run VM's and my budget probably differs.

Her main concern was there being an issue that they constantly fix but don't fully resolve?

She really can't assume that her refurb phone (Who provided the refurbs? As always, consider the source) experience is relevant to Apple. It's apples and oranges. An Apple refurb is as good as, if not better than, new.

 

[brdeveloper]

The sad truth is, even offering laptops with soldered RAM and retina screens that are far from being evenly tinted, Macbooks are probably the best options in terms of laptops. I would think on buying a high-end Lenovo Thinkpad W-Series if there was a lighter model though.

 

[princealyy]

I will not speak to the specs of the units only to say that we had very little good luck with HP laptops.

I would recommend another brand of PC units or a refurb Mac.

Good luck.

 

[Meister]

It is beyond me how anyone would even consider a windows machine after switching to mac.
Heavy, with a slow spinning harddrive and of course a disfunctional OS.
For 780,- you can already get a mba.

 

[snaky69]

If there ends up being an issue and apple keeps fixing it do they end up offering a new refurb or a new model equivalent to what you paid for the refurb? Her main concern was there being an issue that they constantly fix but don't fully resolve?

You're going to end up with a new machine. But refurbs don't have any higher of a failure rate than new machine.

 

[mtneer]

That AMD is probably going to run a lot hotter than Intel cores; which in turn will kill your battery life. If you willing to pay $780 for the HP; you should really consider stretching another Benjamin to get a MacBook Air or at least a refurb air for a comparable price.

 

[TechZeke]

It is beyond me how anyone would even consider a windows machine after switching to mac.
Heavy, with a slow spinning harddrive and of course a disfunctional OS.
For 780,- you can already get a mba.

Meister hits the nail on the head again. Also HP laptops are crap. As much as I tell people to not buy HP(When THEY ask for MY recommendation), people still continue to buy HP anyway because they get drawn by the great specs for a low price.

I keep using this example, but people don't listen. My aunt's $1000 HP laptop may have 8gb of RAM and a high end haswell core i7, but the keyboard literally flexes up and done by at least a few millimeters when hitting the center keys. The trackpad is so useless and terrible that it's easier to use the crappy touch screen.

HP continues to draw people in with their aesthetically pleasing but crappy computers with high end specs with a low price.

If you're going to buy a $700 windows PC, at least get a decent one like a Sony VAIO. Whenever people actually listen to me and get a Sony VAIO, they always have the least issues and computer lasts a long time.

 

[paolo-]

Being in her shoes, I'd go with the MBA. In performance comparison, I'd actually expect the MBA to be snappier. The CPU are comparable in terms of performance. 12 GB ram is overkill for this machine, 4 GB is a bit on the low side but should be ok (100$ upgrade to 8 GB). Lastly, the SSD in the MBA will be the deciding factor I'd expect it to be way more responsive and there's a good chance she won't fill the 128 GB drive. If she's mainly using the computer for school works that's not in a technical domain (engineering, computer science, digital media and some computationally heavy branches of science or business) the MBA should have plenty of punch.

If you need help justifying the price, look at the resale value of Apple laptops As someone who just graduated college, weight and battery life are really important things and the MBA is way on top on both counts.

 

[randomdude84]

man, you guys have really helped me a lot. I'm glad i posted this topic. so, my wife is gonna go with a mba, the 256gb one. her gf has one and she was playing with it last night and loved it.

you guys hit it on the head too, if your already spending that much on a laptop then why not spend a few hundred more for a much better machine and os. she loves apple but was just concerned with the price.

we are gonna go to the apple sore today or tomorrow. i think I'm gonna upgrade to the 8gb of ram though, 4gb just bothers me lol.

you guys rock, thanks so much for all the advice. you guys made the decision a lot easier for me and her as well.

 

[MartinAppleGuy]

man, you guys have really helped me a lot. I'm glad i posted this topic. so, my wife is gonna go with a mba, the 256gb one. her gf has one and she was playing with it last night and loved it.

you guys hit it on the head too, if your already spending that much on a laptop then why not spend a few hundred more for a much better machine and os. she loves apple but was just concerned with the price.

we are gonna go to the apple sore today or tomorrow. i think I'm gonna upgrade to the 8gb of ram though, 4gb just bothers me lol.

you guys rock, thanks so much for all the advice. you guys made the decision a lot easier for me and her as well.

Hope you both enjoy your new purchase then

 

[snaky69]

man, you guys have really helped me a lot. I'm glad i posted this topic. so, my wife is gonna go with a mba, the 256gb one. her gf has one and she was playing with it last night and loved it.

you guys hit it on the head too, if your already spending that much on a laptop then why not spend a few hundred more for a much better machine and os. she loves apple but was just concerned with the price.

we are gonna go to the apple sore today or tomorrow. i think I'm gonna upgrade to the 8gb of ram though, 4gb just bothers me lol.

you guys rock, thanks so much for all the advice. you guys made the decision a lot easier for me and her as well.

You might need to order online, usually the Apple store stocks the bottom of the barrel and the very top-of-the-line, with nothing in between.

 

[randomdude84]

well, we went to the apple store and ended up going with the 13" retina mbp with 8gb of ram and the 256flash drive for 1399. we figured that we would of paid the extra 100 to upgrade the 13" air to 8gb of ram so with a student discount it would of been 1239. the difference is 160 bucks. for 160 we got a faster processor and retina display, other than that its basically the same but we both thought the 160 was worth the upgrade.

what do you guys think?

 

[Meister]

well, we went to the apple store and ended up going with the 13" retina mbp with 8gb of ram and the 256flash drive for 1399. we figured that we would of paid the extra 100 to upgrade the 13" air to 8gb of ram so with a student discount it would of been 1239. the difference is 160 bucks. for 160 we got a faster processor and retina display, other than that its basically the same but we both thought the 160 was worth the upgrade.
what do you guys think?

I have the same machine. Excellent choice!

 

[MartinAppleGuy]

well, we went to the apple store and ended up going with the 13" retina mbp with 8gb of ram and the 256flash drive for 1399. we figured that we would of paid the extra 100 to upgrade the 13" air to 8gb of ram so with a student discount it would of been 1239. the difference is 160 bucks. for 160 we got a faster processor and retina display, other than that its basically the same but we both thought the 160 was worth the upgrade.

what do you guys think?

I feel that the 2.4/8/256 is the best config out of all of the 13" Macbook's (Air's and Pro's). The only thing better than that config in terms of value for money is the base Macbook Air 13" with 128Gb of storage and 4Gb of RAM. This is a great laptop if you can't justify the $1400 for the Pro.

 

[stevo88]

well, we went to the apple store and ended up going with the 13" retina mbp with 8gb of ram and the 256flash drive for 1399. we figured that we would of paid the extra 100 to upgrade the 13" air to 8gb of ram so with a student discount it would of been 1239. the difference is 160 bucks. for 160 we got a faster processor and retina display, other than that its basically the same but we both thought the 160 was worth the upgrade.

what do you guys think?

I debated the MBA and rMBP for a long time and ended up going with the rMBP i5/8gb ram/256gb ssd confirguration as well. After having having it for a few months now, I couldn't be happier with the decision.

I agree with MartinAppleGuy that the best value 13" models right now are the base model MBA and the mid model rMBP.