MacBook pro or ASUS N53Jq?

[kawasakirider]

Hey everyone, I have just bought an ASUS N53Jq to replace my ASUS UL80V which I'm selling. So let the story begin.....

I have the laptop and for some reason, I decided to sell it was because I wanted a macbook pro. The uni I have started to attend does EVERYTHING on mac, so it makes sense.

Anyway, I sold the ASUS for $1,250 but the buyer dissappeared. Before he took off, though, I commited to buying a macbook pro (used) for $1300.

After the buyer of my computer took off, I emailed the seller and he understands my situation. I told him that I can reimburse him the money it cost to list his mac on ebay, but he said I should relist the ASUS and then still buy the mac.

I'm happy to do this, but I want to know a couple of things....

Which is the better computer? Here are the ASUS specs...


Asus N53JQ-SX 15.6" i7 Notebook


The Asus N53JQ features a powerful Core i7-740QM 1.73Ghz processor (2.93Ghz turbo), 1GB of Nvidia dedicated graphics and USB 3.0, which is up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0. It has a 2MP built-in web cam (heaps better than most notebook cams that are about 0.3MP) and it’s been co-engineered with Bang & Olufsen to deliver stunning surround sound. This is a machine designed to not only breeze through your work, study and internet browsing, but also to power through demanding games and media applications. Great saving for a machine that is around $1600 in stores.

Tech Specs Asus N53JQ

* Pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
* Intel i7-740QM 1.73G (Turbo 2.93G)/6M processor
* 4GB DDR3 RAM 1333
* Frameless 15.6" LED backlit high definition display, 1366 x 768 resolution
* Chipset: Intel HM55
* 640GB SATA HDD 5400rpm
* 8 x DVD-Super drive reader/burner
* Bluetooth V2.1
* 6 Cell/4400mAh battery
* Nvidia GT425M 1GB DEDICATED Graphics, supports DX11 and HDMI 1.4
* 2.0MP built in webcam
* BANG and OLUFSON Ice Power surround sound
* Ultrafast WIFI-N and Bluetooth
* 802.11 b/g/n wireless 10/100/1000
* Additional Numeric Keypad built in
* Power adaptor: 90W
* Weight: 2.90kg
* Dimensions: 39.1(W) x 26.6(D) x 3.05 ~ 4.05 (H) cm
* 5-in-1 card reader supports SDXC, MMC, MS, MS Duo, MS Pro
* 2x USB 2.0
* 1x USB 2.0/ E-SATA Combo
* 1x USB 3.0 (10 times faster than USB 2.0)
* 1x Microphone-in jack
* 1x Headphone-out jack (S/PDIF)
* 1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
* 1x VGA Port (D-Sub)
* 1x HDMI
* 1x WLAN/Bluetooth On/Off switch
* 2 year Asus global warranty

PRE LOADED SOFTWARE: Cyberlink Blu-Ray disc suite including Power 2 Go, Media Show Expresso, Cyberlink Power Director & Power DVD 9, Trend Micro 60 day Internet Security, Microsoft Office 2010 Trial Version plus more.

Here are the mac specs

Comes with original box, booklets and discs. Also have original receipt of purchase from Apple.
Computer in perfect condition, no scratches or anything.

Specs.
2.53 GHz
4 GB RAM
250 GB Hard Disk
Nvidia 9400M 256mb
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Freshly installed copy of Snow Leopard OS X 10.6
SD card slot

Computer is in great condition and extremely fast, will not disappoint.

What I want the computer for is mainly university. But I will also be browsing the net a lot. Which computer will give the greatest longevity? If it's REALLY worth it, I can buy the macbook now and hope the ASUS sells later.

If I load windows onto the macbook with parallels can I play computer games?

Which computer is faster

If the mac can play games with parallels, which computer would be better at gaming?

Which computer would have a better longevity? I know windows constantly needs updates and what not, my GF's macbook pro is from late 2008 and runs like a scalded cat, so obviously they are good computers.

Last question....

Which would you use? HONESTLY.

I KNOW this is a mac forum, and I'm likely to get bias answers, but if someone could chime in giving me the pro's and con's of each (I don't understand computer specs very well), I'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

[snaky69]

Hey everyone, I have just bought an ASUS N53Jq to replace my ASUS UL80V which I'm selling. So let the story begin.....

I have the laptop and for some reason, I decided to sell it was because I wanted a macbook pro. The uni I have started to attend does EVERYTHING on mac, so it makes sense.

Anyway, I sold the ASUS for $1,250 but the buyer dissappeared. Before he took off, though, I commited to buying a macbook pro (used) for $1300.

After the buyer of my computer took off, I emailed the seller and he understands my situation. I told him that I can reimburse him the money it cost to list his mac on ebay, but he said I should relist the ASUS and then still buy the mac.

I'm happy to do this, but I want to know a couple of things....

Which is the better computer? Here are the ASUS specs...


Asus N53JQ-SX 15.6" i7 Notebook


The Asus N53JQ features a powerful Core i7-740QM 1.73Ghz processor (2.93Ghz turbo), 1GB of Nvidia dedicated graphics and USB 3.0, which is up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0. It has a 2MP built-in web cam (heaps better than most notebook cams that are about 0.3MP) and it’s been co-engineered with Bang & Olufsen to deliver stunning surround sound. This is a machine designed to not only breeze through your work, study and internet browsing, but also to power through demanding games and media applications. Great saving for a machine that is around $1600 in stores.

Tech Specs Asus N53JQ

* Pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
* Intel i7-740QM 1.73G (Turbo 2.93G)/6M processor
* 4GB DDR3 RAM 1333
* Frameless 15.6" LED backlit high definition display, 1366 x 768 resolution
* Chipset: Intel HM55
* 640GB SATA HDD 5400rpm
* 8 x DVD-Super drive reader/burner
* Bluetooth V2.1
* 6 Cell/4400mAh battery
* Nvidia GT425M 1GB DEDICATED Graphics, supports DX11 and HDMI 1.4
* 2.0MP built in webcam
* BANG and OLUFSON Ice Power surround sound
* Ultrafast WIFI-N and Bluetooth
* 802.11 b/g/n wireless 10/100/1000
* Additional Numeric Keypad built in
* Power adaptor: 90W
* Weight: 2.90kg
* Dimensions: 39.1(W) x 26.6(D) x 3.05 ~ 4.05 (H) cm
* 5-in-1 card reader supports SDXC, MMC, MS, MS Duo, MS Pro
* 2x USB 2.0
* 1x USB 2.0/ E-SATA Combo
* 1x USB 3.0 (10 times faster than USB 2.0)
* 1x Microphone-in jack
* 1x Headphone-out jack (S/PDIF)
* 1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
* 1x VGA Port (D-Sub)
* 1x HDMI
* 1x WLAN/Bluetooth On/Off switch
* 2 year Asus global warranty

PRE LOADED SOFTWARE: Cyberlink Blu-Ray disc suite including Power 2 Go, Media Show Expresso, Cyberlink Power Director & Power DVD 9, Trend Micro 60 day Internet Security, Microsoft Office 2010 Trial Version plus more.

Here are the mac specs

Comes with original box, booklets and discs. Also have original receipt of purchase from Apple.
Computer in perfect condition, no scratches or anything.

Specs.
2.53 GHz
4 GB RAM
250 GB Hard Disk
Nvidia 9400M 256mb
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Freshly installed copy of Snow Leopard OS X 10.6
SD card slot

Computer is in great condition and extremely fast, will not disappoint.

What I want the computer for is mainly university. But I will also be browsing the net a lot. Which computer will give the greatest longevity? If it's REALLY worth it, I can buy the macbook now and hope the ASUS sells later.

If I load windows onto the macbook with parallels can I play computer games?

Which computer is faster

If the mac can play games with parallels, which computer would be better at gaming?

Which computer would have a better longevity? I know windows constantly needs updates and what not, my GF's macbook pro is from late 2008 and runs like a scalded cat, so obviously they are good computers.

Last question....

Which would you use? HONESTLY.

I KNOW this is a mac forum, and I'm likely to get bias answers, but if someone could chime in giving me the pro's and con's of each (I don't understand computer specs very well), I'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

The asus is definitely much more powerful than the macbook pro all around, you're looking at an older machine there.

I'll label your questions in order:
1) You want it for university, that's good, but what for? CAD? Mathematics? Biology, university is quite broad. Different courses have different needs. Also, things like office, Adobe's creative suite, most scientific software that I know of(maple, matlab, mathematica) are all available on both platforms and are cross-compatible, so unless your university is using anything mac specific, I don't see you having an issue.

2) Yes, you could, but parallels is virtualization software so the performance would be shoddy at best, remember, virtualization means 1 computer needs to run 2 operating systems at once, and that uses ressources, ressources it can't use to give you a good gaming experience. If you want to play windows games on a Mac, bootcamp is the only way to go, period. Also, the graphics card in the asus is lightyears ahead of the 9400M which is a glorified integrated graphics solution.

3)As far as longevity goes, MBP have a knack for lasting a long time, but properly maintained PC notebooks do too. I honestly think that point is moot unless the Asus you have there is a lemon.

4) Which would I use? I don't game much anymore and my windows use is rather limited, so I would likely use the MBP, I much prefer it and it's user experience and battery life over any windows laptop I've ever used, apart maybe from Lenovo Thinkpads which have extremely nice build quality.

We're not here to tell you what to do, but if you want my 2¢, if the Asus you have meets your needs without any issue, I'd keep it.

 

[kawasakirider]

The asus is definitely much more powerful than the macbook pro all around, you're looking at an older machine there.

I'll label your questions in order:
1) You want it for university, that's good, but what for? CAD? Mathematics? Biology, university is quite broad. Different courses have different needs. Also, things like office, Adobe's creative suite, most scientific software that I know of(maple, matlab, mathematica) are all available on both platforms and are cross-compatible, so unless your university is using anything mac specific, I don't see you having an issue.

2) Yes, you could, but parallels is virtualization software so the performance would be shoddy at best, remember, virtualization means 1 computer needs to run 2 operating systems at once, and that uses ressources, ressources it can't use to give you a good gaming experience. If you want to play windows games on a Mac, bootcamp is the only way to go, period. Also, the graphics card in the asus is lightyears ahead of the 9400M which is a glorified integrated graphics solution.

3)As far as longevity goes, MBP have a knack for lasting a long time, but properly maintained PC notebooks do too. I honestly think that point is moot unless the Asus you have there is a lemon.

4) Which would I use? I don't game much anymore and my windows use is rather limited, so I would likely use the MBP, I much prefer it and it's user experience and battery life over any windows laptop I've ever used, apart maybe from Lenovo Thinkpads which have extremely nice build quality.

We're not here to tell you what to do, but if you want my 2¢, if the Asus you have meets your needs without any issue, I'd keep it.

Thanks so much for giving me an unbiased reply. I am majoring in veterinary technology (hoping to get my GPA up to enroll in vet science next year). Biology, Chemistry, Animal Structure and Function and other associated courses are what I'll be doing.

The only reason I've been telling myself about the uni using macs, is because I am trying to justify the purchase for myself, haha.

The battery life on this thing is absolutely shocking... If it's unplugged I get just over an hour or so. This is a problem for uni, as the lecture theatres don't have powerpoints in the seats, and there's 360 seats in the whole theatre. The power points are few and far between around the outside of the seating area.

What I meant about the longevity, is that every computer I have dealt with has eventually slowed down to the point it is painful to use. I have personally only owned two computers, and the oldest one being from december last year, so mine are still running quick, but my mothers windows PC's slow down within 12 months.

I understand this is probably user error, but what can I do to stop this from happening?

Is there anything I can do to improve battery life? How good is this computer for gaming? Apparently it is well suited to it, but as I said I don't understand the specs of computers.

Thanks again for the reply, I appreciate it.

 

[stockscalper]

Get the Mac. If you need to run anything under Windows install Parallels. I run Parallels on a MacBook Air, which is nowhere as powerful as the computer you're considering, and it runs just as fast as on any Windows notebook I've seen. You're going to have a much more powerful chip in the Mac than in the 1.7 GHZ Asus you're describing and I'm willing to bet Windows will run even faster on the Mac.

 

[kawasakirider]

Thanks for the reply, but what does this mean? Apparently with turbo boost, the computers CPU is over 3ghz. I have no idea what this means, though. I don't even know what the CPU does....

Also, It's not essential, but if I kept the ASUS I think it would be great for gaming, would it not?

 

[Looon]

The Mac will be awful for gaming. The Asus has better specs and Asus is a good brand, so you should stick with that unless you need to run some program that only exists for Macs which I highly doubt.

As far as the battery goes try turning down the screen brightness when you are using battery power and don't run any intense programs like games while unplugged that kills the battery very fast.

 

[kawasakirider]

The Mac will be awful for gaming. The Asus has better specs and Asus is a good brand, so you should stick with that unless you need to run some program that only exists for Macs which I highly doubt.

As far as the battery goes try turning down the screen brightness when you are using battery power and don't run any intense programs like games while unplugged that kills the battery very fast.

Thanks for your reply, I'll try turning the screen brightness down. If I was gaming, it would only be while I was home, so keeping it plugged in isn't an issue...

Apple sell a backpack that can hold a laptop. It's like $100. This computer is a fair bit bigger than my girlfriends macbook pro 15", does anyone know if my computer will fit? I'd like to have a bag that can hold my computer, iphone, a book or two and some lunch. If it could go on my back like the apple one, it would be great.

Cheers everyone!