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Looking for alternatives to Mac since Arrandale won't come out thread

HP EliteBook 8440w

The best features I have found so far. $1635 with MATTE display, fast frontside bus, i7, DISCRETE GRAPHICS. Lacks keyboard illumination, but has "nightlight". STRONG body. Looks like this will give Apple a run for its money...

Have yet to see one in person.
 
I desperately need a new laptop, but I'm waiting for the MBP, here are my reasons.

1. While I guess Windows 7 is better, I still dont love it. To me, the new taskbar in the biggest (and only) improvement

2. I have gotten use to not slowing down my laptop with Anti-Virus software. Just the idea of dealing with that again is very unappealing

3. I like using the native OSX mail and calendar apps to sync with my companies Exchange 2007 infrastructure. On Windows, I would be using Outlook 2007 which in my opinion is a bloated mess.

4. If I want to, I can always run Windows on my MacBook.
 
JoeG4 said:
Tell that to the people that made 5 500-ish page threads and can't just buy a computer and move on with their lives lol.

Edit: And I was just checking - the F series is fatter than a MacBook Pro, sure but it is a 16" laptop - it weighs 0.3lbs more than a 17" MacBook Pro, yet still has the same amount of power as an i7 iMac (and the battery life isn't really all that far off base from a 17" MBP anyway).

So what were you saying again? I think you're jealous.
Click to expand...

It's deceptive.
i7 M series benchmarks 30-50% LESS than their desktop counter part.
the i7 820QM in the Sony F benchmarks: 3592
In comparison, an i7 860 benchmarks: 5500+
i7 X 980 benchmarks: 8800+

So no, it does NOT have the same amount of power as an i7 iMac, no where close.
 
What benchmark is that?

http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/226443
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/226250

http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/199982
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/223648

Apples to Apples. Sorta :)

You're right though, the i7 860 in the iMac is a lot faster than the i7 720QM in the Sony. Oops lol :D

Anyway, more of em, here's geekbench for the $2200-ish MacBook pro:

http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/202955

And the common $1999 model people pick up:
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/218363
 
Just imagine the massive regret that would come when Apple releases their new stuff.

"Now I'm stuck with this no-name cheap looking laptop with absolutely no resale value".
 
JoeG4 said:
What benchmark is that?

http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/226443
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/226250

http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/199982
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/223648

Apples to Apples. Sorta :)

You're right though, the i7 860 in the iMac is a lot faster than the i7 720QM in the Sony. Oops lol :D

Anyway, more of em, here's geekbench for the $2200-ish MacBook pro:

http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/202955

And the common $1999 model people pick up:
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/218363
Click to expand...


Oh. No. I'm not doubting that current MBP are absurdly overpriced. I wholeheartedly agree. That's why I camp in the "waiting for arrandale" thread. :D
 
vant said:
Just imagine the massive regret that would come when Apple releases their new stuff.

"Now I'm stuck with this no-name cheap looking laptop with absolutely no resale value".
Click to expand...

lol and that's why I said not to buy the Sager.
 
I like to have both a macbook and a windows notebook. Lately a certain PC notebook has my eye. I'll also get a macbook pro whenever they get refreshed.

Anyrate- this looks fantastic to me!

Equipped with Intel Core i7 & 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M
lenovo IdeaPad Y550P(324156U) Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M NoteBook

* Part#: 324156U
* Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Optical Drive Type: DVD±R/RW
* Chipset: Intel PM55
* Resolution: 1366 x 768
* LCD Features: VibrantView (glossy), LED backlight
* Memory Speed: DDR3 1066
* WLAN: Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/b/g/n wireless
* Model #: 324156U
* Item #: N82E16834146613

$999.99 from newegg.

I think this is a very good alternative to a macbook.
 
it depends on what you want to replace --the 15 or 17 inch.

The HP Envy line, or their elitebook like do pretty well in replacing the 15 inch.

17 inch tho? not a lot of alternatives unless you wanna go pretty bulky.

The dell xps has decent specs except for the BLOODY graphics card. Plus if you are using it for gaming they use 1920x 1080 instead of 1920 x1200 which the mbp has.

17 inches is far harder to replace...sony F series is cheap w/ a crappy screen. There is no upscale sony option.

if I HAD to pick something it would probably be a 15 inch envy.
the Dell xps has that super crappy graphics card..no excuse not to have a 5830 at least in there.
 
gadgetfreaky said:
it depends on what you want to replace --the 15 or 17 inch.

The HP Envy line, or their elitebook like do pretty well in replacing the 15 inch.

17 inch tho? not a lot of alternatives unless you wanna go pretty bulky.

The dell xps has decent specs except for the BLOODY graphics card. Plus if you are using it for gaming they use 1920x 1080 instead of 1920 x1200 which the mbp has.

17 inches is far harder to replace...sony F series is cheap w/ a crappy screen. There is no upscale sony option.

if I HAD to pick something it would probably be a 15 inch envy.
the Dell xps has that super crappy graphics card..no excuse not to have a 5830 at least in there.
Click to expand...

Yeah but there are 15" with better resolution than the 17" MPB
 
highscheme said:
Yeah but there are 15" with better resolution than the 17" MPB
Click to expand...

I would guess not many if any have a vertical resolution higher than 1200, and maybe a handful (again, if any) have a higher horizontal resolution than 1920. And of these ultra high resolution notebooks, I doubt any are 15" notebooks.

Please post your evidence.
 
Call me whatever you want, but I switched to Mac 4 years ago and I would never go back (so I am not just using that as some kind of expression.. I really would never go back to Windows. I'm done with that). There's simply no alternative for me. If Arrandale MBPs don't come out at all, I'll have to go for a C2D MacBook Pro or a Mac Pro.. one thing is for sure: I am sticking with OSX. Sure, it sucks that Arrandale MBPs aren't out yet (and I'd love to see some other hardware changes such as screen res. etc. as well), but the operating system is way more important to me than a speed increase towards the high-end processors. I do graphic design / photography / film / animation, I just feel 'at home' in the OSX environment and productivity is way up.
 
ZSamuels28 said:
Anyone take a look? Let me know
Click to expand...

Why not buy either a premium consumer laptop: macbook pro, hp envy, dell studio xps, etc.. or a small business laptop: lenovo thinkpad, hp elitebook, dell latitude or precision?

These gamer notebooks like the Sager, the Asus, and the Sony are cheap, look poorly designed, and use junk for displays.

And if you demand a Quad Core, there are options such as the Lenovo W510 and W700, the Dell Studio XPS, the HP elitebook and envy as well as Dell Precisions.

If you think they are overpriced or are charging too much, that just proves you really do not need a quad core.

You can even get an IPS display in the W510 and HP Elitebook 17", and the Dell Studio XPS and the Lenovo W700 both use excellent displays, the RGB LED in the case of the Dell.

I personally would not get the Envy, but it would be a better built computer from the plastic crap you want opinions about.

And seriously go to the notebookreview.com. You obviously do not want a MacBook.
 
kny3twalker said:
Why not buy either a premium consumer laptop: macbook pro, hp envy, dell studio xps, etc.. or a small business laptop: lenovo thinkpad, hp elitebook, dell latitude or precision?

These gamer notebooks like the Sager, the Asus, and the Sony are cheap, look poorly designed, and use junk for displays.

And if you demand a Quad Core, there are options such as the Lenovo W510 and W700, the Dell Studio XPS, the HP elitebook and envy as well as Dell Precisions.

If you think they are overpriced or are charging too much, that just proves you really do not need a quad core.

You can even get an IPS display in the W510 and HP Elitebook 17", and the Dell Studio XPS and the Lenovo W700 both use excellent displays, the RGB LED in the case of the Dell.

I personally would not get the Envy, but it would be a better built computer from the plastic crap you want opinions about.

And seriously go to the notebookreview.com. You obviously do not want a MacBook.
Click to expand...


"Why not buy either a premium consumer laptop: macbook pro, hp envy, dell studio xps, etc.. or a small business laptop: lenovo thinkpad, hp elitebook, dell latitude or precision?"

Premium consumer laptop? First off... I work as an IT and I've seen way more problems with dells and hps than asus.... hps are horrid... and lenovo...?

All of those laptops are plastic.... and a bad display... what are you talking about?
 
2contagious said:
the operating system is way more important to me than a speed increase towards the high-end processors.
Click to expand...

Quoted for truth.

The whole mac experience is leaps and bounds over PC. It's very important for me to have a mac, but, unfortunately, I need a PC for a tiny part of my work (Quickbooks Pro, and some charts I need on investors business daily that will not work in OSX).

I realize there is boot camp, but I just do not like the idea of having windows in my mac. I feel like that taints my mac. So, I keep a mid-range PC around. It's also good for looking at web pages (that I design) for cross platform compatibility.

For what it's worth, I'm on a 2007 Santa Rosa chipset macbook (2.2 GHz, 2GB RAM) and it's simply fantastic. I wish I could stick with the 13", I love the size, but I'll have to move to 15" for the higher screen rez (video work).

I'd love to see them make a very high spec 13" model for professional developers. The size is just ergonomically right. Would be easy enough to use an big external monitor as needed.

Long story short, I think the MAC OS is superior to all others. Now if only nintendo would create their own os and hardware, things might get competitive..I really like the experience with any nintendo device..

ps: coders out there, if you haven't used TextMate (mac only), you need too
 
ZSamuels28 said:
"Why not buy either a premium consumer laptop: macbook pro, hp envy, dell studio xps, etc.. or a small business laptop: lenovo thinkpad, hp elitebook, dell latitude or precision?"

Premium consumer laptop? First off... I work as an IT and I've seen way more problems with dells and hps than asus.... hps are horrid... and lenovo...?

All of those laptops are plastic.... and a bad display... what are you talking about?
Click to expand...

Whether they have some plastic or are all plastic is my point.
All of those notebooks I referred to use either partial aluminum construction and/or magnesium chassis's. Most also incorporate aluminum or carbon fiber in the outer shells.

The Sagers and Asus are plastic crap; you can deny it, but its the truth. And if you want a high quality display, I listed off several models which would be without a doubt the best you will find in any notebook.
And whether you have seen tons of cheap HPs and Dells with problems is largely irrelevant, since I in fact suggested you look at a premium notebooks.

And while you might have a hard time believing Lenovo are quality notebooks, you do realize that they are IBM's desktop and notebook company now? And Thinkpads are still some of the best notebooks you can buy.

And seriously GTFO of here with this. This is an apple message board.
 
kny3twalker said:
Whether they have some plastic or are all plastic is my point.
All of those notebooks I referred to use either partial aluminum construction and/or magnesium chassis's. Most also incorporate magnesium, aluminum or carbon fiber in the outer shells.

The Sagers and Asus are plastic crap; you can deny it, but its the truth. And if you want a high quality display, I listed off several models which would be without a doubt the best you will find in any notebook.
And whether you have seen tons of cheap HPs and Dells with problems is largely irrelevant, since I in fact suggested you look at a premium notebooks.

And while you might have a hard time believing Lenovo are quality notebooks, you do realize that they are IBM's desktop and notebook company now? And Thinkpads are still some of the best notebooks you can buy.

And seriously GTFO of here with this. This is an apple message board.
Click to expand...
You should let him buy the POS Sagger brand LOL. Seriously, I don't even know how he ended up with a Mac in the first place if he cared about specs so much.
 
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