Not to derail this thread, but Mac OS X can't get viruses, as they don't exist yet. What you mean are other kinds of malware, read the following, if you want to know more: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9400648/
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MBP or Alienware m15x
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Not to derail this thread, but Mac OS X can't get viruses, as they don't exist yet. What you mean are other kinds of malware, read the following, if you want to know more: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9400648/
I feel the opposite has happened actually. Alienware laptops were just Sager computers with a modified casing before Dell took over. From my experience, and with people on the Notebook Review Forum, the build quality isn't bad. I've had great luck with multiple Dell and Alienware machines. When you manufacture hundreds of thousands of computers there are always going to be a small percentage which are lemons. Apple suffers from this too. In most cases people are always more vocal about problems rather than praise.
Dell's customer service on the other hand...
Hey if you're going to spend that kind of money on a PC keep a few things in mind:
Most people don't want to pay jack for a used PC. They look at some Sunday ad and see an i7 HP for $900.
I've bought two nice windows laptops since I went mac, and both I gave to my parents. I rely on Microsoft in my career and I still can't stand a dedicated PC. It's the hardware. It's just so cheap feeling.
- Most PC laptops are a big cheap hunk of plastic. For that kind of money I'd rather buy a high end Sony I guess. A friend of mine went with the alienware, and it was a piece of junk. He returned it for a Dell.
- PC's have lower resale value. I've never had a problem selling a mac at a decent price. It's hard to sell pricey PC's.
Most people don't want to pay jack for a used PC. They look at some Sunday ad and see an i7 HP for $900.
I've bought two nice windows laptops since I went mac, and both I gave to my parents. I rely on Microsoft in my career and I still can't stand a dedicated PC. It's the hardware. It's just so cheap feeling.
To bust the resale agrument it also depends on how long you keep and use your computer.
I tend to push 4-5+ years off my computers and after 5 years mac or PC they are not worth much at all. resale really only matters then first 2-3 years or so. After that I think they are not worth much.
There are 4 relevant Trojans for Leopard and Snow Leopard. Some are distributed via pirated software, such as iWork and Adobe Creative Suite.
If you are going to pirate software, you will not be any safer on a Windows PC with antivirus software as no antivirus software has 100% detection rates.
Keep this in mind if you are thinking about switching due to malware on your Mac.
Malware in relation to gaming is much more a problem for Windows than Mac OS X.
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I would personally go with the MBP because I'm very finnicky about build quaility and touchpads lol. Based on your needs the MBP would work fine for you but I think you're looking to change things up so I think you may be very happy with the m15x. Also look into a few asus machines. My friend bought a 15inch asus from xoticpc and that thing is an absolute beast. Yeah it's thick and not as sexy as the mbp but it's charming in it's own way. very solid build and the touchpad was pretty nice too.
hmm I think it's called the k42x or something like that.
hmm I think it's called the k42x or something like that.
Hi,
After reading this thread, I though I should share my experience. I've been a PC guy all my life and I wanted an Alienware for many years, so 2 months ago, when my trusty Dell laptop started to show signs of age, I decided to threat my self with a brand new Alienware m15x with all the bells and whistles that comes with it. The minute I opened the box, I knew I made a mistake. It's not that it isnt a great laptop, imho, this is the best gaming machine money can buy these days, but it was A LOT bigger and heavier than I expected. I had read hundreds of threads and reviews so I knew it would be like that, but having it in your hands is another story.
Anyway, I started using it and while I was very pleased with the great performance of the beast, I just couldn't fall in love with it. A few years ago when I was still at school gaming all the time and going to lan parties, I would really have enjoyed an Alienware, but I'm now more a casual gamer (in fact, all my gaming is on PS3 now, except for Starcraft II and some other stuff occasionnally).
I also own an iPhone 4 and since I work as a developper, I'v been lurking the iOS development for a while now so my interest for mac has been growing in the past year.
So after one month of using my Alienware, I decided to sell it. It broke my heart to sell the beast that I dreamed about for so long, but it just didn't fit my needs nowadays. I dont carry my laptop around so often, but the m15x is not really portable and I dont play enough on my computer to justify it.
I quickly sold it without loosing too much money and started shopping for a MBP 13", but I quickly realized that it is not really a good time to buy it, because right now, the 13" has some really outdated hardware (c2d, low res screen....) so I'm now back on my good old Dell m1330 laptop, but I will be buying a MBP 13" whenever the new generation comes out. (probably around spring from what I understand).
In the mean time, I still wanted to start gaining some experience with OSX and iPhone development, so I managed to transform my m1330 into a so called hackintosh and I must say I'm really surprised by how well it runs. I'm enjoying OSX and all the mac environment and I already started developing my iPhone app.
So this is my story... hope it helps!
After reading this thread, I though I should share my experience. I've been a PC guy all my life and I wanted an Alienware for many years, so 2 months ago, when my trusty Dell laptop started to show signs of age, I decided to threat my self with a brand new Alienware m15x with all the bells and whistles that comes with it. The minute I opened the box, I knew I made a mistake. It's not that it isnt a great laptop, imho, this is the best gaming machine money can buy these days, but it was A LOT bigger and heavier than I expected. I had read hundreds of threads and reviews so I knew it would be like that, but having it in your hands is another story.
Anyway, I started using it and while I was very pleased with the great performance of the beast, I just couldn't fall in love with it. A few years ago when I was still at school gaming all the time and going to lan parties, I would really have enjoyed an Alienware, but I'm now more a casual gamer (in fact, all my gaming is on PS3 now, except for Starcraft II and some other stuff occasionnally).
I also own an iPhone 4 and since I work as a developper, I'v been lurking the iOS development for a while now so my interest for mac has been growing in the past year.
So after one month of using my Alienware, I decided to sell it. It broke my heart to sell the beast that I dreamed about for so long, but it just didn't fit my needs nowadays. I dont carry my laptop around so often, but the m15x is not really portable and I dont play enough on my computer to justify it.
I quickly sold it without loosing too much money and started shopping for a MBP 13", but I quickly realized that it is not really a good time to buy it, because right now, the 13" has some really outdated hardware (c2d, low res screen....) so I'm now back on my good old Dell m1330 laptop, but I will be buying a MBP 13" whenever the new generation comes out. (probably around spring from what I understand).
In the mean time, I still wanted to start gaining some experience with OSX and iPhone development, so I managed to transform my m1330 into a so called hackintosh and I must say I'm really surprised by how well it runs. I'm enjoying OSX and all the mac environment and I already started developing my iPhone app.
So this is my story... hope it helps!
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/lap...enchmarks&cids=878,1875,2134,pa#axzz18cEGe1BH
Yeah I am wrong, the Alienware loses in almost every category to an i7 MBP 15"
Going further, the MBP actually blows away the competition in many categories and my comparison is the Alienware M15x, HP Envy 15, and Sony Vaio Z (their flagship).
The i7 MBP as configured was $2,100
Sony Z-$2,100
Alienware-$2,200
So the more expensive MBP isn't really more expensive.
Throw in 8GB RAM, a SSD, and a few odds and ends and you will have one beastly machine without having the literal beastly aspect of the Alienware.
Yeah I am wrong, the Alienware loses in almost every category to an i7 MBP 15"
Going further, the MBP actually blows away the competition in many categories and my comparison is the Alienware M15x, HP Envy 15, and Sony Vaio Z (their flagship).
The i7 MBP as configured was $2,100
Sony Z-$2,100
Alienware-$2,200
So the more expensive MBP isn't really more expensive.
Throw in 8GB RAM, a SSD, and a few odds and ends and you will have one beastly machine without having the literal beastly aspect of the Alienware.
Honestly, from those stats you have two really great machines that will be more than enough for a long time.
All I can say is enjoy whichever one you get.
My needs are more basic than yours but I love my Mac mini with Core 2 Duo (2 Ghz) running OS X and my Gateway laptop with Core i3 (2.4 Ghz) running Windows 7.
When I got the laptop as a second computer, I was a little ambivalent since I heard so many bad things about Windows Vista and I didn't know if Windows 7 Home Premium would be a good experience and circumvent Vista issues. As it turned out Windows was OK.
I think if you can learn to like Windows 7, then you are fine, but if you hate it as much as some people hated Vista, then go for the MBP.
All I can say is enjoy whichever one you get.
My needs are more basic than yours but I love my Mac mini with Core 2 Duo (2 Ghz) running OS X and my Gateway laptop with Core i3 (2.4 Ghz) running Windows 7.
When I got the laptop as a second computer, I was a little ambivalent since I heard so many bad things about Windows Vista and I didn't know if Windows 7 Home Premium would be a good experience and circumvent Vista issues. As it turned out Windows was OK.
I think if you can learn to like Windows 7, then you are fine, but if you hate it as much as some people hated Vista, then go for the MBP.
I was making this decision about 4 months ago. At first i was all crazy about alienware, with all the fancy lights and coo jet design.
Then i realized, for a few hundred more, i can get a 15" MBP, something i wanted for a long time.
I thought about the sleek design, and especially the battery life. I then thought about school and how a sleek 8hr laptop would do better than a big thick 2hr laptop.
In the end I saved up for the MBP which I love, only problem is, my iPad isnt getting used...I feel sry for it...
Then i realized, for a few hundred more, i can get a 15" MBP, something i wanted for a long time.
I thought about the sleek design, and especially the battery life. I then thought about school and how a sleek 8hr laptop would do better than a big thick 2hr laptop.
In the end I saved up for the MBP which I love, only problem is, my iPad isnt getting used...I feel sry for it...
one of my friends got an m15x, and neither of us would reccomend it if you EVER go without a mouse. the trackpad on it is unusable, not even for basic use. you watch the cursor skip across the screen it's that bad.
so i'd have to say MBP
so i'd have to say MBP
A couple things to think of:
1. That m15x is one beast of a computer, just ugly compared to the MBP which is a true portable computer.
2. You can only have Windows on the m15x. On MBP you can have both Win and OS X if you like.
I would never go for that m15x, it's just a huge machine. You could just get a desktop. MBP then, it's beautiful, powerful, versatile AND portable.
Also, if you plan on not running many op systems simultaneously, I would rather go for an SSD than 8 gigs of ram.
1. That m15x is one beast of a computer, just ugly compared to the MBP which is a true portable computer.
2. You can only have Windows on the m15x. On MBP you can have both Win and OS X if you like.
I would never go for that m15x, it's just a huge machine. You could just get a desktop. MBP then, it's beautiful, powerful, versatile AND portable.
Also, if you plan on not running many op systems simultaneously, I would rather go for an SSD than 8 gigs of ram.
If that's the case with the M15x, and together with the stats of that laptop, it appears that it wasn't designed to be away from a charger for that long. It really sounds more like a desktop which happens to look like a laptop.
I think if one wants gaming capability but also battery time, then the MBP with the very gaming capable Core i7 should be fine. Until the next generation of processors with a smaller die, I wouldn't go for any bleeding edge versions of the mobile version i7 because there is just too much battery time being compromised. The more modest versions of the i7 should be more than enough for any non-hardcore gamer.
I thought the same thing, too.
Let's say OS X has security issues and needs to get formatted, then where the heck does that leave Windows? LMAO.
I make $40 per hour dealing with Windows and that's what I would get with OS X repair/consulting. But in ten years, for OS X issues, I have made ZERO. That's how stable OS X is. I hope the OP doesn't go to Windows 7 thinking it will be more secure than any version of OS X.
The only security issues that I know of with OS X was with the first release of Leopard and how vulnerable it was in a Windows network. But that vulnerability could be shared with Windows Server. Apple pretty much got on the same page with Microsoft as far as talking to the LANs and WANs, and keeping hackers out. The krux of the security had to do with a hole Time Machine left in OS X. You want to make it easy to see back into time with Time Machine, but in order to do that, you also have to loosen the kernel, and that's not worth it IMHO. That's why I have Tiger. I will soon jump over Leopard and not take the chance and go over to Snow Leopard. However, Apple saw Leopard's issue with Time Machine and repaired it pretty well. For the average user, they simply don't care and all they really have to know is that OS X is and has been more stable than Windows.
Hackers hit Leopard again, more recently, but now it's not an issue as Apple has moved on and locked that vulnerability. MS went to the umpteenth fix on Server 2008 and we all know how safe that is.
I get to take a class next semester in finding vulnerabilities in OS X and Windows and I will get a better perspective by comparing the two. Last semester, we just kicked the SH** out of Windows and laughed at MS's official answers to those holes in their OS.
If I wanted to be even more secure, I would go with Ubuntu or similar, but next semester's class will work on trying to break that, too. My teacher is a certified ethical hacker so we will see, but with what little knowledge I have, there's no way to say 7 is as stable or safe as Snow Leopard.
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thanks ohh and another thing...
thanks to everyone for posting,
i think ive pretty much settled on a MBP the only thing im unsure about now is protection for it. What do u guys think is the best protection for macs for malware etc. I have had security issues with my MBP so NEED some protection. I have seen that AVG makes mac protection now. Anyways let me know what u all think.
another thing i was thinking about was apple usually release a new line approx every 10 months or so yes i have read other threads regarding that. Do you think it would be beneficial to wait until next year to buy another mac or do you all think they wont be that big of an upgrade from the current model? just pondering all this stuff myself? i am in need of a new computer but my current MBP still works and run wow etc ok... doesnt run perfectly but could cope if needs be. plus OS lion coming out next year, i guess thats another point... let me know what you think
thanks to everyone for posting,
i think ive pretty much settled on a MBP the only thing im unsure about now is protection for it. What do u guys think is the best protection for macs for malware etc. I have had security issues with my MBP so NEED some protection. I have seen that AVG makes mac protection now. Anyways let me know what u all think.
another thing i was thinking about was apple usually release a new line approx every 10 months or so yes i have read other threads regarding that. Do you think it would be beneficial to wait until next year to buy another mac or do you all think they wont be that big of an upgrade from the current model? just pondering all this stuff myself? i am in need of a new computer but my current MBP still works and run wow etc ok... doesnt run perfectly but could cope if needs be. plus OS lion coming out next year, i guess thats another point... let me know what you think
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I have had a MBP 13" since August 2009 and never had any program on it to detect malware. Seriously do not worry about malware on OS X. Just be careful when the OS prompts you for your password. Don't ever just type it in unless you know why it is popping up.
You can either wait if you can live without one until the new ones are announced, or just buy one now! That is a big decision, but don't let the thought of malware worry you at all. It is so weird not having to worry too much about malware/viruses on a Mac. I used windows for like 10 or more years before switching to OS X last year and it has been the most glorious transition ever
You can either wait if you can live without one until the new ones are announced, or just buy one now! That is a big decision, but don't let the thought of malware worry you at all. It is so weird not having to worry too much about malware/viruses on a Mac. I used windows for like 10 or more years before switching to OS X last year and it has been the most glorious transition ever
If you can wait, then wait. If you can not wait, then purchase right after the hardware spec update this spring. Mac OS X Lion shouldn't cost more than $129 and hopefully retains Snow Leopards price tag of $29.
There are 4 relevant Trojans for Leopard and Snow Leopard. Some are distributed via pirated software, such as iWork and Adobe Creative Suite. ClamXav detects those trojans from pirated software. So does Xprotect built into Snow Leopard.
I use the Sentry feature in ClamXav to scan ~/Library/Application Support/"folder for game" to scan content downloaded by online games. Also set it to watch ~/Mail, ~/Mail Downloads, and ~/Downloads. ClamXav contains definitions for all relevant trojans that effect Mac OS X and is updated quickly when new malware for OS X appears.
What exactly was the security issue that you experienced?
security issue
To answer munkery's question im not sure what caused the security breach i was running iantivirus at the time of occurance which didnt pick up anything at all and i realised i had a problem when i lost access to 2 different email accounts and stuff on my computer wasnt working properly i dont know what it was or how i got it... to try and resolve my issue i reformatted it. all i want to do is prevent something like that from happening again because its a pain in the rear end!
thanks for all suggestions on protection for macs
Merry xmas
To answer munkery's question im not sure what caused the security breach i was running iantivirus at the time of occurance which didnt pick up anything at all and i realised i had a problem when i lost access to 2 different email accounts and stuff on my computer wasnt working properly i dont know what it was or how i got it... to try and resolve my issue i reformatted it. all i want to do is prevent something like that from happening again because its a pain in the rear end!
thanks for all suggestions on protection for macs
Merry xmas
I think it was coincidence that made you think your system was compromised by malware. Losing access to email accounts can occur by various ways other than malware. But, losing access to those email accounts combined with software issues on your system led you to conclude it was malware. Doing a clean install is a good thing aside from the hassle so really no harm done.
Now that you decided on the MBP, here are some other factors to think about. 1) For manufactuers, the difference in cost between these Intel i7 chips is not very big ($32). This relates to the battery performance vs processing performance cost benefit analysis of each system. The chips are roughly equivalent when all factors are taken into account. 2) Snow Leopard is equivalent to Windows 7 Ultimate. 3) The MBP has a triaxial accelerometer to protect the hard drive. This is important given that you are going for a HDD and not a SSD.
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