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May need to get a PC...

hathornb

hathornb

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 1, 2010
44
0
Quick question folks... I do a lot of statistical analysis and simulation and may need to buy a PC laptop for some thesis work b/c some of the software is windows only and it might be cost prohibitive to buy a MBP...

So the question is, if I do need to buy a PC laptop, what is a good one to get... I think I heard the ENVY from HP is worth the non-Mac-ness of it. Any thoughts?
 
hathornb said:
Quick question folks... I do a lot of statistical analysis and simulation and may need to buy a PC laptop for some thesis work b/c some of the software is windows only and it might be cost prohibitive to buy a MBP...

So the question is, if I do need to buy a PC laptop, what is a good one to get... I think I heard the ENVY from HP is worth the non-Mac-ness of it. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

This might be literally the worst forum to ask this question on.


That said, http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=category_browse&selected_cat=11.

But you'll be hardpressed to find a well-designed laptop running with 2720QM, an upper-mid graphics card with optional 90$ SSD upgrade and blah blah, buy the ****ing 15" and use bootcamp.
 
Last edited:
or just install Windows on to your mac through bootcamp.
Way cheaper and more worth it than buying a Windows PC.

btw this is Mac forum.
 
I know this is the mac forum, which is precisely what I wanted in terms of responses. MBP owners that say "windows sucks but if I had to get one..." responses are precisely what I'm looking for.
 
Windows sucks but if I had to get one I'd get the cheapest one I could afford. They have plenty of power for basic work. The best suggestion I can make is to reformat the hard drive and do a clean install of Windows as soon as you get it.

There are loads of decent units from $300-$500 that will perform most work just fine. If you need something specific for your applications let us know what that would be and we'll help you get the right specs.
 
I have been experiencing this same problem, except I already own a mac and ditched my pc. I also use a lot of statistical software (mostly SPSS) and some of the extensions are windows only (AMOS for structural equation modeling to be exact). What do you guys think about running XP in parallels versus bootcamp? Is one more preferable than the other?
 
Maxpilot said:
Just put VMWare Fusion or Parallels on your Mac. A Mac will run Windows better anyway.
Click to expand...

This isnt true, especially not that statisitcal/scientific analysis he's planning on using. If you want peak performance running windows on a MBP you have to use Bootcamp, not a virtualization.

Bootcamp is great but there's nothing truly mac about it besides the hardware, which he can conceivably get about 800$ cheaper in a Dell XPS or something.
 
kwerner2 said:
I have been experiencing this same problem, except I already own a mac and ditched my pc. I also use a lot of statistical software (mostly SPSS) and some of the extensions are windows only (AMOS for structural equation modeling to be exact). What do you guys think about running XP in parallels versus bootcamp? Is one more preferable than the other?
Click to expand...

Bootcamp will give you better performance. I'd try Parallels and if its too slow for your tastes just reboot into Bootcamp.

Once you have bootcamp installed on your system you can boot directly into it. Or, you can use Parallels to boot the Bootcamp partition as a VM. Its the best of both worlds because you can pick what you need at a moments notice with no penalties.
 
Jsilbs said:
This might be literally the worst forum to ask this question on.


That said, http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=category_browse&selected_cat=11.

But you'll be hardpressed to find a well-designed laptop running with 2720QM, an upper-mid graphics card with optional 90$ SSD upgrade and blah blah, buy the ****ing 15" and use bootcamp.
Click to expand...


I highly do not recommend that brand. A friend has sent his in 5 times over the past 2 years for problems and he hates it now. Not very reliable.

OP: Mac's can run windows under Virtual PC, or BootCamp. Seriously look into it for what you need.
 
I think the best Windows laptops are Lenovo ThinkPads. They have an extremely tough, albeit utilitarian, look and feel (search YouTube for thinkpad drop/crash/spill tests) and have battery life and keyboards to rival those found on the MBP.

They come with quite a lot of crapware or the 'Windows enhanced experience' as they like to call it, some of which is actually pretty useful such as tools that greatly improve on the windows network and power management utilities, and sub-40-second boot times on a HDD.

If you are looking to get one don't buy it direct, as resellers tend to have much better pricing. Also look out for the rebates they regularly offer - a couple of months ago you could save $500 on a $1800 sandy bridge T series. ThinkPads command a bit of a price premium over other windows laptops but, since you were looking at getting a MBP, you are clearly prepared to pay for a premium product.
 
I am currently in the process of ditching my Lenovo ThinkPad X201 tablet in favor of a Macbook Pro. The MBP is going to be significantly more powerful, and I will be having it installed with Bootcamp/Parallels, although I will probably get MatLab on the Mac side.

I had all of the standard Windows problems with Win7, and ended up losing enough work (papers and grant proposals) that I finally decided to defenestrate my computing lifestyle.
 
Have you thought of virtualizing Windows on your Mac? You may want to give it a try; Buy Parallels Desktop and a copy of Windows 7 and set it up that way.
 
gorskiegangsta said:
Have you thought of virtualizing Windows on your Mac? You may want to give it a try; Buy Parallels Desktop and a copy of Windows 7 and set it up that way.
Click to expand...

I did, and think that I might go that way, but was just exploring to see if there may have been a viable PC option. Doesn't appear that is the case however. Besides, Lion is looking so awesome, I don't think I could ever tolerate a Windows environment.
 
hathornb said:
Quick question folks... I do a lot of statistical analysis and simulation and may need to buy a PC laptop for some thesis work b/c some of the software is windows only and it might be cost prohibitive to buy a MBP...

So the question is, if I do need to buy a PC laptop, what is a good one to get... I think I heard the ENVY from HP is worth the non-Mac-ness of it. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Which software do you use?

Im doing maths at uni next year and will be using MATLAB and R as far as i'm aware
 
The best quality Windows Notebooks are
HP Elitebook, Dell Latitude, Lenovo Thinkpads. I would put them in this order.
When you want even more power (i guess statistical stuff could benefit from OpenCL) get the Workstation line. Dell calls them Precision the others usually asign it a W in the codename. For a price most of these notebooks can be ordered with decent screens too. For insane prices some even with IPS panels.

HP Envy 17 the new one isn't too bad either but it is not the same quality.

There are some cheaper more mobile notebooks that might also give you enough speed.
 
Before you buy, ask this question in another place.

Every site has its own biases and you need a clear answer.
 
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