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Macbook Pro vs. Dell XPS 15
- Thread starter dannyr
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gotta agree. Apple side is slicker and easier.
That being said I just returned my 2010 MBP 15" refurb (still have my iMac)
and bought a
HP Pavilion Quad-core i7 Sandy Bridge cpu, ATi 6750 gpu with 1gb video ram, 750gb hard drive, 6gb ram, 15" screen, ... for $850.
MBP was very nice, but was nearly $500 more than this HP and that was least year's model. To get this gpu in a new Mac laptop you need to spend $2200.
Now to see if I can put with the hassles of this machine. Going to miss the trackpad and nice screen of the 15" MBP that's for sure. Still fo rthe saving I can buy an Ipad or a trackpad and SSD and time capsule etc.
That's kind of how I'm looking at it. I'd prefer the MBP 15" for sure, but really can I justify it? If I want OSX that bad I guess I can just do a Hackintosh. I could use the $1000+ cash to pay for a week in Sanibel, oceanfront.
It really depends on what Dell you get. Dell Inspiron's are probably what large companies are buying and, yes, their build quality isn't great but it's also very cheap. Dell XPS is what most users buy for personal use and their build quality is pretty good. The new 15" XPS was just released so we no one knows how the build quality is yet. The new MBP have their own build quality issues according to IFixIt's breakdown of it.
That's kind of how I'm looking at it. I'd prefer the MBP 15" for sure, but really can I justify it? If I want OSX that bad I guess I can just do a Hackintosh. I could use the $1000+ cash to pay for a week in Sanibel, oceanfront.
This is exactly what I did
I have an Acer Aspire One and turned it into a Hackintosh. All I had to do was replace the wireless card but that was only $15 on ebay.My guess is that you will be using this computer everyday for 3-4 years.
If that's the case, look at the per day cost of use of the Apple vs Dell over the next 3 years and ask yourself if you wouldn't pay an extra 30-40 cents per day to be completely worry free regarding viruses, customer service, usability, reliability, trackpad, software, Mac OSX, and resale value.
To me, it's an easy decision, but only you can make the decision for yourself.
If that's the case, look at the per day cost of use of the Apple vs Dell over the next 3 years and ask yourself if you wouldn't pay an extra 30-40 cents per day to be completely worry free regarding viruses, customer service, usability, reliability, trackpad, software, Mac OSX, and resale value.
To me, it's an easy decision, but only you can make the decision for yourself.
This is exactly what I did
OS X isn't really that special anyone to be honest, Windows 7 is a huge step up from Vista and most "anti Windows" people haven't used it yet so their opinion is basically worthless.
1. He will have accidental damage protection, that right there is a huge deal breaker considering repair costs for macs
2. Windows 7 barely has any Virus problems these days and if he's really worried he can spend the extra $30 and get virus protection which isn't a big deal.
3. Customer service varies from person to person there have been plenty of people complaining about Apple customer service
4. Trackpad is the only thing mac laptops have over others
5. Not everyone is going to sell their laptop, so resale value doesn't always matter
6. OS X isn't that much better than Windows 7 and in some cases it's worse
gotta agree. Apple side is slicker and easier.
That being said I just returned my 2010 MBP 15" refurb (still have my iMac)
and bought a
HP Pavilion Quad-core i7 Sandy Bridge cpu, ATi 6750 gpu with 1gb video ram, 750gb hard drive, 6gb ram, 15" screen, ... for $850.
MBP was very nice, but was nearly $500 more than this HP and that was least year's model. To get this gpu in a new Mac laptop you need to spend $2200.
i'll probably do the same thing except wait for the cheap i5's to come out. MBP looks nice and i think worth the cost, but between my wife and i we use mobile devices a lot more. the laptops stay closed most of the time. i just need it to hold itunes and photos.
for 2011 it will probably be a cheapo laptop and an iPad 2. and if my wife wants a new iphone to replace her 4 i'll have to play games with the family account and her parents' dumb phones
So now we are trying to rationalize $800 more by talking about the daily costs? Seriously? Why not buy 20 MBP and put them in every room of the house and give them to every family member? It's only 30-40 cents a day if you spread it over a few years....
Who told you Macs dont get viruses? You realize that Mac OS X is more vunerable than Windows 7 right? Do a google search on it. Apple is even looking for security professionals to make their next release more secure.
http://blogs.computerworld.com/17895/new_trojan_targets_the_mac_while_apple_finally_reaches_out_to_security_pros
I've been using Windows 7 since it's been released and it's only crashed once (not a blue screen). Windows 7 is very very stable.
I do prefer to use Mac OSX for day to day stuff. My ideal situation would be to get a MBP and run Bootcamp.
if you're a mobile pro like a photographer you don't have time to spend 4 hours on hold with dell and another 2 hours running diagnostics. you just go to the apple store, show them your laptop and they check it out on the spot
until sandy bridge MBP's were the cheapest laptop in the high battery life category
and if you accidently drop your laptop or spill water on it then your screwed as an Apple user. No, MBP have always had a huge premium compared to other computers. They have had the best battery life but you can easily extend battery life by having an extra battery ($100 or less). One of the reasons Apple's battery life has been so good is because it doesn't have the higher performance hardware in it. With the release of Optimus-enabled computers now you can get 6+ hours easy with non-Apple PCs.
Alienware's 17" gaming notebook gets 5.5 hours battery life and it has crazy hardware in it. (just comparing the battery life....don't go crazy about how much it weighs or how ugly it is please.)
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I'm sure you can prove this is how long it actually takes
I mean you wouldn't just make up ridiculous numbers for no reason to try and sway people's opinons
right
I do lots of media downloading, and can honestly say I have never encountered a virus. Ive been using an HP the last 3 years without any real issues other than noticing that it has slowed down a bit, and the occasional ctrl+alt+delete when my browser freezes.
I'm just having a real hard time justifying the amount of extra money, am I literally paying for the half-eaten apple on the laptop, or am I paying for superior quality in terms of performance. Mind you like I stated before I don't play games, and would mainly use my new laptop for downloading, surfing, watching media, and autocad. I dont necessarly see myself doing video/audio editing which I know macs are good for.
I have heard really great things about windows 7, in regards to that its platform is phenomenal compared to the XP which I have been using the last 3 years with a centrino processor. Everyone says if I'm going to buy a new laptop to get a mac, but there is no definitive reasoning behind it besides "they don't get viruses".
i've been on the phone with dell and HP. i remember years ago when working for a major dell customer i would call the regular 800 number because the express code shortcut i would wait a lot longer. with HP and server support i usually just do the chat since it's a lot faster for things like bad hard drives.
the last time i had a hp laptop from work i spent hours on hold just waiting. and when i sent my laptop in they said it was my fault the screen broke. the 3 year included warranty was worthless and they wouldn't even send the laptop back unless i paid $90. and this was a $1500 corporate model laptop.
where i work we used to buy dell and hp and now buy lenovo's. i asked and was told the dell/hp are crap and lenovos a much better value for the same price. that will explain the sudden loss of spare parts at our help desk
that's why from now on its no more than $700 for a wintel laptop. that's the price where i can buy a new one every year instead of a MBP + applecare. the toshiba for $299 i bought as a gift last year was actually a lot better than any dell or HP i've seen. decent build and the only crap ware was norton security trial which is legit.
i don't even have a MBP, just a G4 mac mini i don't use anymore and 3 iphones. but for the price apple charges i'd pay it instead of a $1500 dell if i wanted an expensive laptop
the last time i had a hp laptop from work i spent hours on hold just waiting. and when i sent my laptop in they said it was my fault the screen broke. the 3 year included warranty was worthless and they wouldn't even send the laptop back unless i paid $90. and this was a $1500 corporate model laptop.
where i work we used to buy dell and hp and now buy lenovo's. i asked and was told the dell/hp are crap and lenovos a much better value for the same price. that will explain the sudden loss of spare parts at our help desk
that's why from now on its no more than $700 for a wintel laptop. that's the price where i can buy a new one every year instead of a MBP + applecare. the toshiba for $299 i bought as a gift last year was actually a lot better than any dell or HP i've seen. decent build and the only crap ware was norton security trial which is legit.
i don't even have a MBP, just a G4 mac mini i don't use anymore and 3 iphones. but for the price apple charges i'd pay it instead of a $1500 dell if i wanted an expensive laptop
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You would get the same message from Apple, no warranty covers accidental damage unless it explicitly says so
also, 90 for a screen repair is very cheap
Apple is the only hardware manufacturer where you can take your computer to a store, speak to a human, and have it evaluated for repair all without spending a dime. And the turn around time for most repairs is within a week, with simple repairs taking only 2 days.
That's value you can't see in "specifications".
That's value you can't see in "specifications".
$90 was to send it back broken. screen was $400. and it was some LCD crystals broken inside, no physical damage. and a year after they fixed it the screen started breaking and then the hinges broke. piece of junk HP for $1500.
it's a laptop, i carry it in my bag everyday. and i noticed that everyone's build quality changed in the last year or so where the hinges are different and the covering around the LCD is much better. my boss's laptop started having the same issues as well. i bet a lot of other people did as well but HP refused warranty service unless you had bought the extra warranty on top of the 3 year included warranty
compare that with apple. my ipod or iphone broke and i had it replaced on the spot. with my ipod i even bought but never activated applecare. brought in the receipts and they still replaced it after the original warranty expired. there are like 10 apple stores in and around NYC i can go to and speak to real people in clear english
This debate will rage on forever.
Apple computers cost more than Dell computers for the same specs. The premium you pay is for build quality, operating system, and the coolness factor. If you don't care about any of those things (or believe there is no difference between Apple vs. Dell and OSX vs. W7), then get the Dell.
Both sides can cite all the anecdotal evidence they want about warranties or customer experience but what it comes down to is Apple = BMW, Dell = Toyota.
Apple computers cost more than Dell computers for the same specs. The premium you pay is for build quality, operating system, and the coolness factor. If you don't care about any of those things (or believe there is no difference between Apple vs. Dell and OSX vs. W7), then get the Dell.
Both sides can cite all the anecdotal evidence they want about warranties or customer experience but what it comes down to is Apple = BMW, Dell = Toyota.
One experience out of a billion, there's even a thread right now on the front page here of someone complaining about Apple's customer service
he sounds like one of the whiny people i see here all the time where they whine about every little tiny detail and imperfection that 99.00% of normal people will ignore. and he's getting a replacement, just not an updated model which is what he really wants
i remember when the MBP killer Envy came out. tons of complaints about heat and other issues and where HP refused warranty support for some big one. and that machine was also expensive
i remember when the MBP killer Envy came out. tons of complaints about heat and other issues and where HP refused warranty support for some big one. and that machine was also expensive
you do realize that toyota and honda will kill BMW in quality. acura/lexus are just honda's and toyotas with higher price tags. made in the exact same factories and almost the exact same parts
I agree W7 isn't that bad, but I believe you're wrong about "anti" Windows people not using it. At the end of the day though, it's still knee-deep in system registry BS which sucks imo.
At any rate this is a dead horse. Either you like OSX or you don't. If you do, then Apple's attention to detail, plus service/support put them over the top for me.
You already have three major manufactures of hard disk that have announced products for TB. Promise, Lacie, and Western Digital. I believe it is going to catch on faster then everyone realizes. I for one welcome it.
i've been buying and building computers since the 1990's. i remember when USB first came out it was a premium for the special card. Same with SATA. dell and others were shipping old motherboards with extra cost SATA cards.
Apple is like Honda. you get a few trim levels and a bunch of features in each level. no single options like toyota. some options are only in the highest trim. i have a 2010 CRV EX-L 4wd, but to get bluetooth i'd have to have bought it with the navigation package. apple has a profit target per computer they sell and it's always the same price with a bunch of features that the barebones dell/hp configurations don't come with. even dell has started to copy apple somewhat. the new inspirons only have a choice of a cheap cheap GPU or integrated Intel. if you want a good GPU you have to buy XPS and pay for other features on there
Apple is like Honda. you get a few trim levels and a bunch of features in each level. no single options like toyota. some options are only in the highest trim. i have a 2010 CRV EX-L 4wd, but to get bluetooth i'd have to have bought it with the navigation package. apple has a profit target per computer they sell and it's always the same price with a bunch of features that the barebones dell/hp configurations don't come with. even dell has started to copy apple somewhat. the new inspirons only have a choice of a cheap cheap GPU or integrated Intel. if you want a good GPU you have to buy XPS and pay for other features on there