I Just Can't Make the Switch From Apple MacBook Pros to Windows Laptops

[gregpod9]

Recently I've been considering to go back to Windows based PCs because I wanted to replace my early 2011 13" MBP. A few months ago till yesterday I tried out several Windows based laptops from HP, Lenovo, Dell, Alienware, and Sager. All of these laptop brands had issues.

The Dell Inspiron 15r SE and Alienware m14x R2 were the worst ones. Both of them had awful screens, caused BSOD with my SSD, fans were too noisy, the wifi cards were loosing connection, and bad build quality. The HP DV6 with the AMD A10 APU was ok, but the Wireless N Wifi had poor speed, and the HP dv6 AMD chipset did not make my SSD at optimal performance. The Lenovo Y580 got very hot quickly, froze on me, and the wifi card disconnected often. The Sager NP9150 was really good, but it had a slightly dimmed screen and I don't pc game that often.

Last week, I bought the base model 15" RMBP last week and I returned it because it had a LG screen that cause IR appeared with 10 minutes of usage, and I miss the user upgradeability and optical disc drive. This RMBP was a late December 2012 production. I really did not want to take another chance with RMBP. So yesterday morning I ordered the base model 15" MBP with 16 GB Crucial memory, and Parallels 8 all from amazon.com.

I have to admit this: My early 2011 13" MBP still runs great, fast with my 256 GB Samsung SSD 830 Series, and I have not encountered any problem with it from the day that I bought it, except for the bad coding for Java that cause incorrect text size when printing documents from websites that require Java and getting annoying popup messages. The only solution for the Java issue is that I have to use bootcamp and use Windows version of Java.

I'm looking forward to use my base model 15" MBP, upgrading it 16 GB memory, putting my 256 GB Samsung SSD 830 Series, and installing Parallels 8 when all of them arrive tomorrow. I really want buy the RMBP again, but I will till the late second generation RMBP or third generation RMBP.

 

[Barna Biro]

I really want buy the RMBP again, but I will till the late second generation RMBP or third generation RMBP.

Hmm... Well, have fun waiting and hoping that the issues get fixed

 

[Rhyalus]

Well, not sure what you are looking for.

I have the same 2011 MBP that you do. It is what I consider what a netbook should have been. It has great mobility and stability. I run MS Office on it and use it for video, etc., but can't throw a lot of demanding tasks at it.

However, my Clevo P170EM runs rings around it (as it should). I have no issues with stability, etc., though it is definitely not as portable.

Maybe it is a Windows 8 thing... I love Windows 7 and have no intention of moving to 8.

If you are looking for a great Ultrabook there have been a lot of great reviews that I have seen online in the past few months.

R

 

[makaveli559m]

How come you don't run Windows on it? You could run Windows 7 on Bootcamp and than use Parallels to boot the partition from Bootcamp through Mac OS when you don't need to actually run Bootcamp.

 

[nando4]

If it helps, I have a 2012 12.5" HP Elitebook 2570P and a 13" cMBP as can be seen in my sig. These have the same HDD+optical drive config and little separates them in weight. A 12.5" Lenovo X230 would be another good one to compare. It betters the 2570P by offering a IPS LCD with great viewing angles, is lighter but misses out on an optical drive and upgradable CPU. A X230 has (imho) the most dated appearance.

Below is my comparison of the 2570P vs a cMBP as Windows notebooks. You can see that the 2570P has more advantages to me than the cMBP. I do prefer using it as a Windows notebook.

13" Macbook Pro

+ better viewing angles on the LCD
+ thinner profile
+ Thunderbolt port
+ quieter fan
- Almost double the price of the 2570P as a s/h unit
- glossy LCD. Could be a good thing if like looking at a reflection of yourself.
- worse battery life due to the internal USB keyboard/mouse
- keyboard/mouse useable but missing buttons and keys
- tight port placement on the left (TB, USB, USB)
- soldered CPU means no CPU upgrade possibilities
- slow 5400rpm HDD
- no Win7/8 COA delivered with unit. Need to buy a license.
- no BIOS setup. Everything configured by Apple firmware.

12.5" HP Elitebook 2570P

+ about 60% of the cost of the cMBP as a s/h unit. Significantly cheaper.
+ better 3yr onsite warranty
+ keyboard/mouse right for Windows notebook inc two mouse buttons
+ touchstyk mouse means hands never have to leave keyboard area
+ expresscard slot for significantly cheaper eGPU implementation
+ socketted/upgradable CPU. Can be user upgraded to a i7-quad to get twice faster processing speed.
+ has internal 3G/WWAN card. I just insert a SIM and can internet anywhere without need a USB dongle
+ matte LCD
+ 100Wh 9-cell battery option if want very long battery life
+ faster 7200rpm HDD
+ Win7/8 COA. License provided free by HP.
+ easier to self service (RAM, CPU, HDD, ODD, kb). Bottom cover removed by pressing two latch buttons.
+ docking station option to replicate/extend ports
+ has BIOS setup, so can change boot parameters
+ has additional eSATA and VGA port
- LCD has poor viewing angles
- no backlit keyboard and nightlight is pretty poor
- thicker profile
- noisier fan
- no OSX unless look at hacks. Whoops, I shouldn't be talking about that.

Can see more pics/details of the 2570P at 12.5" HP Elitebook 2570P Owner's Lounge.

 

[ls1dreams]

I'm on a 2011 MBP 13" right now, and am trying to make the same decision.

For me, the biggest gripes with affordable pc laptops are:

1. Crappy trackpads - by far. I can't find anything nearly as good as Apple's. Anyone know of one?

2. No MagSafe - The DC jack on my last laptop broke 2x, it's nice to not worry about it.

3. Most pc laptops have crappy 1366x768 screens or worse. For the love of all that is holy, why can't a PC manufacturer put in a decent screen ?!??! UGH. Even some of the recent "ultrabooks" still have the problem.

My biggest gripes with macbooks:

1. Newer models don't have easy SSD or RAM expansion
2. 5400rpm drives in the base models
3. Fan/heat issues - WTF apple. Why does my fan spin up to 6000rpm and my cpu hit 90C watching a basic youtube clip?
4. Screen size. I'd really like something closer to the 14" range, but we somehow got sucked into this 13.3" standard that I can't stand. The 15" models are just too expensive.

 

[Rodster]

Well, not sure what you are looking for.

I have the same 2011 MBP that you do. It is what I consider what a netbook should have been. It has great mobility and stability. I run MS Office on it and use it for video, etc., but can't throw a lot of demanding tasks at it.

However, my Clevo P170EM runs rings around it (as it should). I have no issues with stability, etc., though it is definitely not as portable.

Maybe it is a Windows 8 thing... I love Windows 7 and have no intention of moving to 8.

If you are looking for a great Ultrabook there have been a lot of great reviews that I have seen online in the past few months.

R

Windows 8 is fine, i've been running it from day 1. It's been rock solid on every machine i've used it on. Yeah the START page sucks but since using StartIsBack it's like running Windows 7 without Aero.

 

[AFDoc]

I LoL at all those whining about win 8. I updated my computers for cheap, I think it was like $45 at that time online for win 8 upgrade. I was at first with the start screen but I now find it very easy to move about. want the "start" screen? Move to R side of screen and boom..... not that hard.

As far as windows machines I only recently bought my first mac, rMBP which is great. I put the apple "premium" at right around $450 but I'm fine with that because of the freaking trackpad..... love that damn thing. IF windows could come up with such a smooth interface I would of bought the XPS 13 with 1080p screen in a heartbeat. I think that's a sweet looking piece of kit.

Of course OP you picked probably some of the worst machines to compare.... Alienware is built for gaming and have never put that much into the screen and inspiron isn't there top end machines. You can't compare a companies lower end systems with Apple products. Put their XPS 13 even without hd screen up against it, now that would be a better match. Good luck with your search for your perfect computer.