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Keep iPad Air or build computer

R

renosausage

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 22, 2012
158
0
Just bought a 128gb iPad Air.

I returned a MacBook Pro Retina and bought the iPad Air instead.

I love having it because of its portability, but there are a few things I am missing.

Number 1, I want to continue playing Battlefield 4.

Number 2, I type a lot of documents for school.

Number 3, I want to have a movie collection from torrents.

So here is the issue I have and some questions.

Is the iPad Air a good laptop replacement for school? Multitasking, research, typing papers etc...

The computer I want to build is a hackintosh, are these difficult machines to build and are they aggravating to deal with?

Finally, I can only choose between this ipad and building a custom computer. What would you do and why if you were me?
 
renosausage said:
Just bought a 128gb iPad Air.

I returned a MacBook Pro Retina and bought the iPad Air instead.

I love having it because of its portability, but there are a few things I am missing.

Number 1, I want to continue playing Battlefield 4.

Number 2, I type a lot of documents for school.

Number 3, I want to have a movie collection from torrents.

So here is the issue I have and some questions.

Is the iPad Air a good laptop replacement for school? Multitasking, research, typing papers etc...

The computer I want to build is a hackintosh, are these difficult machines to build and are they aggravating to deal with?

Finally, I can only choose between this ipad and building a custom computer. What would you do and why if you were me?
Click to expand...

None of this makes any sense. You had an awesome laptop that did everything you want, you swapped it for an ipad and now you want a hsckintosh so you can do what your original laptop could do?

This is some crazy shiet my friend. What were you smoking on NYE?
 
Keep iPad Air or build computer

renosausage said:
Just bought a 128gb iPad Air.



I returned a MacBook Pro Retina and bought the iPad Air instead.



I love having it because of its portability, but there are a few things I am missing.



Number 1, I want to continue playing Battlefield 4.



Number 2, I type a lot of documents for school.



Number 3, I want to have a movie collection from torrents.



So here is the issue I have and some questions.



Is the iPad Air a good laptop replacement for school? Multitasking, research, typing papers etc...



The computer I want to build is a hackintosh, are these difficult machines to build and are they aggravating to deal with?



Finally, I can only choose between this ipad and building a custom computer. What would you do and why if you were me?
Click to expand...


The iPad air is great for typing essays on pages. I recommend getting a Bluetooth keyboard with a nice stand to go with it. Can't play battlefield 4 on an iPad. I don't know about movie torrent collections. If battlefield is a must I recommend the custom computer but that is not portable.
For school related activities it make a great laptop replacement IMHO.
 
Donoban said:
None of this makes any sense. You had an awesome laptop that did everything you want, you swapped it for an ipad and now you want a hsckintosh so you can do what your original laptop could do?

This is some crazy shiet my friend. What were you smoking on NYE?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry I should have explained. The MacBook was 2500 dollars. I liked it, but I could not justify spending that much money for what I needed. It was just too much to invest. That's why I returned it.

Sorry I didn't explain that earlier. Forgive me.
 
renosausage said:
I'm sorry I should have explained. The MacBook was 2500 dollars. I liked it, but I could not justify spending that much money for what I needed. It was just too much to invest. That's why I returned it.



Sorry I didn't explain that earlier. Forgive me.
Click to expand...


That's funny. If 2500 was too much for me, which it is, I would not have bought a computer that expensive. Seems you buy things on the spur.
 
iPads are great but they are no replacements for desktop/laptops for many tasks.

You have a list of things you want, and the iPad does not really handle those too well if at all. Given that you have two choices, buy a computer (either windows or a mac) or build a computer (either windows or hackintosh)

I'd say go with the option that makes the most sense for you
 
renosausage said:
Is the iPad Air a good laptop replacement for school? Multitasking, research, typing papers etc...
Click to expand...
For some tasks yes the iPad can easily replace a laptop though I really would not want to write a term paper on an iPad. Some tasks are just better suited for a laptop.

The computer I want to build is a hackintosh, are these difficult machines to build and are they aggravating to deal with?
Click to expand...
There's another thread about how hard/easy it is. You can see it here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1690435/

There are sites like insanelymac that deal specifically with hackintoshes so I'd recommend visiting those for more information.

Finally, I can only choose between this ipad and building a custom computer. What would you do and why if you were me?
Click to expand...
I would choose selling the iPad and finding an inexpensive used Mac laptop, I know that's not an option, but I don't like the options set before me.

Finally,
I'm putting on my Moderator hat and moving this thread to the Buying Tips and Advice forum as this thread is better suited there.
 
renosausage said:
Finally, I can only choose between this ipad and building a custom computer. What would you do and why if you were me?
Click to expand...
Neither.

This recent thread pretty much covers the reasons why Hackintoshes are poor candidates as a primary computer: there's a lot of downtime and a sizable system administration load. Hackintoshes are not reliable systems to get things done.

Hackintoshes aren't portable anyhow, so you are asking to choose between a tablet and a desktop PC, two totally different things. Since you leave a desktop PC as viable option, clearly mobility is not a must-have.

Reviewing your purchases, it could be said that you chose poorly. You should have bought a refurb Mac mini, plus maybe a refurb iPad 2.

The fact that it looks like you may need to return both of your purchases to get what works best for your needs clearly shows you did not think this through adequately.

Anyhow, good luck. You definitely need it.
 
mpantone said:
Neither.

This recent thread pretty much covers the reasons why Hackintoshes are poor candidates as a primary computer: there's a lot of downtime and a sizable system administration load. Hackintoshes are not reliable systems to get things done.

Hackintoshes aren't portable anyhow, so you are asking to choose between a tablet and a desktop PC, two totally different things. Since you leave a desktop PC as viable option, clearly mobility is not a must-have.

Reviewing your purchases, it could be said that you chose poorly. You should have bought a refurb Mac mini, plus maybe a refurb iPad 2.

The fact that it looks like you may need to return both of your purchases to get what works best for your needs clearly shows you did not think this through adequately.

Anyhow, good luck. You definitely need it.
Click to expand...

Meow.
 
renosausage said:
I'm sorry I should have explained. The MacBook was 2500 dollars. I liked it, but I could not justify spending that much money for what I needed. It was just too much to invest. That's why I returned it.

Sorry I didn't explain that earlier. Forgive me.
Click to expand...
How could you spend that much on a Retina? OP can even get brand new laptop Mac for far less than that:
Either used.
Or refurb (if that impractical US-keyboard is not a problem for you)
Or lower in range.
Heck, gimme $2k and I sell you my MBP!

master-ceo said:
Build a nice 6TB Win 7-8 PC for under a Gee.
Click to expand...
I see a student with many downloads and the need for a reliable machine. The OP needs a sturdy OS. Therefore, Windows should only be used as a last resort.
 
Pretty much with enough know how and effort the ipad can do everything the macbook can do. But not as good. And the effort is not worth it. I also have a ipad air. And I also returned my macbook pro. But I bought a imac instead. I am going to Remote Desktop to my ipad for max portability. I found that the macbook is portable. But not portable enough. Having to unplug all the USB's each time I didn't like. If you really need a computer with you all the time for work or school then yes the macbook is worth it. But if it's only for convenience then more likely a ipad would do.
 
Update!

I returned my iPad and decided to build a Hackintosh

Specs:

Intel Core i5-4670K
GA-Z87N-WIFI Mother Board
16gbs Corsair Vengeance Ram
2TB Barracuda HDD from Seagate
DVD Drive
Water Cooled CPU
Nvidia GTX 760 GPU

GeekBench on 32-Bit
Single-Core Score 3537
Mulit-Core Score 11429
 
Good for you. But don't complain when an OS X updates breaks your carefully crafted machine. Or when a peripheral starts acting wild and you can't pinpoint the issue.

And that's not portable, so you won't have anything to work outside your home. Doesn't appear well-suited to the student life.
 
Cubytus said:
Good for you. But don't complain when an OS X updates breaks your carefully crafted machine. Or when a peripheral starts acting wild and you can't pinpoint the issue.

And that's not portable, so you won't have anything to work outside your home. Doesn't appear well-suited to the student life.
Click to expand...

"Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good word makes it glad."
Proverbs 12:25

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up"
1 Thess 5:11
 
Cubytus said:
Good for you. But don't complain when an OS X updates breaks your carefully crafted machine. Or when a peripheral starts acting wild and you can't pinpoint the issue.

And that's not portable, so you won't have anything to work outside your home. Doesn't appear well-suited to the student life.
Click to expand...

He clearly doesn't need his desktop to be portable. It's pretty obvious a mackintosh is not portable dude.
 
I would have kept the iPad and got a Chromebook for typing. Total investment would have been under $900, and would have been a great blend.
 
mattbaar26 said:
He clearly doesn't need his desktop to be portable. It's pretty obvious a mackintosh is not portable dude.
Click to expand...
Thanks for stating the obvious, however you missed the last line: students have usually high portability requirements. It's not realistic to be overscheduled but still find the time to go back home each time works needs to be done.
 
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