I wouldn't choose a Mac if you exclusively will run it in Windows - it's ok using bootcamp, but the drivers are nowhere near perfect. Look at Lenovo Thinkpads (T520 in particular). In general, you should expect to spend about as much on the Windows machine as on a comparable MBP.
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mbp or desktop
- Thread starter Hachirou
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I wouldn't choose a Mac if you exclusively will run it in Windows - it's ok using bootcamp, but the drivers are nowhere near perfect. Look at Lenovo Thinkpads (T520 in particular). In general, you should expect to spend about as much on the Windows machine as on a comparable MBP.
hmmmm head hurts with all this research haha. im told a friend uses mbp purely for windows and has no issues working with it, others have eventually changed programs and switched to osx completely.
unfortunately switching is not a complete option for me yet.
family swear down i will be fine with win, others suggest maybe i should look at win laptops.
the lenovo looks quite nice, though i have never heard of them before until recently. (im UK based if that makes a difference of them being new over here) dell i hear bad stuff about. sony, last time i had one, was expensive and not really worth it!
unfortunately switching is not a complete option for me yet.
family swear down i will be fine with win, others suggest maybe i should look at win laptops.
the lenovo looks quite nice, though i have never heard of them before until recently. (im UK based if that makes a difference of them being new over here) dell i hear bad stuff about. sony, last time i had one, was expensive and not really worth it!
IBM sold it's consumer notebook line (Thinkpad) to Lenovo a few years ago. As far as I can see, the Thinkpad series kept the high build quality that it was known for in the past. This is not necessarily true for other Lenovo branded laptops. Before buying the Thinkpad brand and product line, they were very little known outside of China I think.
Funny coincidence:
I'm sitting in a cafe and working right now. There are 6 Macs and 2 Thinkpads in the room, nothing else
I set up a friend's medical practice on a Mac Mini Core2Duo with 8GB RAM running Windows 7 via VMWare Fusion. She is using a lot of demanding medical software including Dragon Dictate 10 on the Windows side, plus an all-in-one printer/scanner/fax machine. In 1.25 years she has had zero problems and her system is plenty fast. An i5 or i7 CPU is going to be even faster.
For around $100 you can run Windows 7 in a Bootcamp partition or spend another $50 or so for Fusion or Parallels. You won't need to upgrade any Windows software until you are ready to do so.
I use a 2.3GHz 13" MBP with an NEC 24" display. Works great for me; I'm in the market for another MBP and additional display. I'm waiting to see what the rumored MBP refresh has to offer.
For around $100 you can run Windows 7 in a Bootcamp partition or spend another $50 or so for Fusion or Parallels. You won't need to upgrade any Windows software until you are ready to do so.
I use a 2.3GHz 13" MBP with an NEC 24" display. Works great for me; I'm in the market for another MBP and additional display. I'm waiting to see what the rumored MBP refresh has to offer.
seems if i try to branch out to other laptops, mbp always comes back. lots are compared to the mbp for its design and hardware, the only difference is price but with my discount the prices are actually a lot closer than in reviews i read.
couple more days to research just to make sure but i think mbp may win overall.
couple more days to research just to make sure but i think mbp may win overall.
ok so i am back again
if i were to use this build, i need some help connecting everything.
mbp 15" 2.4ghz quad, 8gb/16gbram, 128ssd
i will then need say 1tb external hdd
i have a rat7 wired mouse (i like wired mice) and a wired keyboard
32" monitor/tv with hdmi or vga
so i need to have my mouse n keyboard plugged in, thats both usb slots =\ and i need an external drive that i can work from without problems and to link my monitor.
best way to do this?
if i were to use this build, i need some help connecting everything.
mbp 15" 2.4ghz quad, 8gb/16gbram, 128ssd
i will then need say 1tb external hdd
i have a rat7 wired mouse (i like wired mice) and a wired keyboard
32" monitor/tv with hdmi or vga
so i need to have my mouse n keyboard plugged in, thats both usb slots =\ and i need an external drive that i can work from without problems and to link my monitor.
best way to do this?
You could try a USB Hub that has its own power supply. I got a 7-port one for $20 or so. Connect your mouse and keyboard to the hub, and plug your external HD into one of the MBP's USB ports for stability - just in case.
My current setup is as follows:
- 13" MBP (see signature)
- 23" 1080p Dell Monitor connected via MDP-to-HDMI adapter and HDMI cable
- Logitech Speakers connected to monitor (uses HDMI audio, so no need to connect another cable to MBP)
- Powered USB Hub in one of MBP's USB ports (with Razer Orochi and Logitech G110 Keyboard in USB hub)
- 1 TB WD Elements external HD in the other MBP USB port
- TwelveSouth BookArc Stand
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Get something with the same specs as a top-end mbp ?
Like what ? I've yet to see another brand laptop to match the power of an MBP. Hell most desktops can't compete - and the ones that can cost more.
OP I'm in similar situation as you in that I want a 15" MBP for doing statistics work. I will also have to dual boot it as my uni's software licenses are windows only.
But I currently run a 13" 2009 MBP -core 2 duo with 4Gb ram and an aftermarket SSD. I run STATA in windows NT through parallels and it FLIES. Never slows down or hickups since I put the SSD into it. I could keep going on it really - but will be using bayesian modelling techniques where it takes several days to build a model so want thats why I want to power up to a new one (also the 13" screen has become very frustrating).
I plan to get the fastest chipset model with cheapest RAM and HDD. I'll get aftermarket 16GB ram when suits and probably harvest my existing SSD from the 13". Anyhow the point is given my experience on the dual booted 13" I'm not worried about dual booting a 15" core i7. Most of the time I will run it under parallels, but when it comes to building the bayesian models I plan to just boot up into win7 to get max performance (though one thing I'm not clear on is if win7 under bootcamp can use all the 16GB ram - anyone know ?).
Anyhow - I wouldn't touch a windows laptop given past experiences and given the crappy spec's they have relative to MBP
yeah i cant seem to find a win laptop to go with so mbp it is.
i asked the guys on live chat if i were to display it on my bigger monitor would the res only be the same as the mbp's screen or can the gpu output a higher res for my monitor (1920x1080?)
they said it would stay only the same res as the screen on the mbp n that i should upgrade to the hi res screen. i also asked about dual screening with the mbp's screen and my monitor, just wanted to check they didnt confuse me with wanting a different res on one monitor to the other but infact just a higher res when only using my monitor and then the mbp's res when using both monitors.
i hope that makes sense
i asked the guys on live chat if i were to display it on my bigger monitor would the res only be the same as the mbp's screen or can the gpu output a higher res for my monitor (1920x1080?)
they said it would stay only the same res as the screen on the mbp n that i should upgrade to the hi res screen. i also asked about dual screening with the mbp's screen and my monitor, just wanted to check they didnt confuse me with wanting a different res on one monitor to the other but infact just a higher res when only using my monitor and then the mbp's res when using both monitors.
i hope that makes sense
yeah i cant seem to find a win laptop to go with so mbp it is.
i asked the guys on live chat if i were to display it on my bigger monitor would the res only be the same as the mbp's screen or can the gpu output a higher res for my monitor (1920x1080?)
they said it would stay only the same res as the screen on the mbp n that i should upgrade to the hi res screen. i also asked about dual screening with the mbp's screen and my monitor, just wanted to check they didnt confuse me with wanting a different res on one monitor to the other but infact just a higher res when only using my monitor and then the mbp's res when using both monitors.
i hope that makes sense
No its a bit confusing!
But i can tell you my 13" happily runs an external monitor at same time as the normal one. I have a 24" LG monitor. My MBP is 1200 x 800 (ish) and the monitor is 1900x 1080(ish) and its never given me any bother. That said I don't do graphic intensive stuff like you do and I normally run it with the MBP closed and just use the big screen, but I have at times used both and once and it doesn't seem to have a problem with the different resolutions.
yeah i cant seem to find a win laptop to go with so mbp it is.
i asked the guys on live chat if i were to display it on my bigger monitor would the res only be the same as the mbp's screen or can the gpu output a higher res for my monitor (1920x1080?)
they said it would stay only the same res as the screen on the mbp n that i should upgrade to the hi res screen. i also asked about dual screening with the mbp's screen and my monitor, just wanted to check they didnt confuse me with wanting a different res on one monitor to the other but infact just a higher res when only using my monitor and then the mbp's res when using both monitors.
i hope that makes sense
if you have mirror display set it, the monitor will use the lower resolution(ie the MBP)
Um, what live chat was this? That doesn't seem correct at all. Were they talking about mirrored screens? I have a 13" 2010 MBP and it runs 1920x1080 no problem. It's possible to also run both screens - external 23" and the 13" MBP screen - at different resolutions.yeah i cant seem to find a win laptop to go with so mbp it is.
i asked the guys on live chat if i were to display it on my bigger monitor would the res only be the same as the mbp's screen or can the gpu output a higher res for my monitor (1920x1080?)
they said it would stay only the same res as the screen on the mbp n that i should upgrade to the hi res screen. i also asked about dual screening with the mbp's screen and my monitor, just wanted to check they didnt confuse me with wanting a different res on one monitor to the other but infact just a higher res when only using my monitor and then the mbp's res when using both monitors.
i hope that makes sense
I'm pretty sure that the 15" that you plan on getting would be able to do the same.
All in all, I'd say go for the MBP. It's sexy.
Um, what live chat was this? That doesn't seem correct at all. Were they talking about mirrored screens? I have a 13" 2010 MBP and it runs 1920x1080 no problem. It's possible to also run both screens - external 23" and the 13" MBP screen - at different resolutions.
I'm pretty sure that the 15" that you plan on getting would be able to do the same.
All in all, I'd say go for the MBP. It's sexy.
ya agreed like my post suggests they must of been talking Mirrored screens
Are you kidding? MBP uses the same intel processors as any PC. If you buy any PC with the same i7 processor, ram, and HD, performance would be identical in windows.
Except no other laptops use the same stuff as MBP's do. For a start most use core i5 at best. Ram is similar yes, but typically cache etc is not as good (speed is not just processor!). The only spec I've seen thats comparable to MBP's of the Lenovo T520 and it only has 4mb cache and no discrete GPU and entry level one is similir price to 15" MBP which does have this stuff
With desktops with most manufacturer's still pushing i3's and i5's for their entry level machines, by the time you get an equivalent setup to the MBP it actually costs MORE than an MBP. So why bother with a desktop (unless you want a gaming machine to stuff in a beastly GPU).
So no I'm not kidding.
I mean maybe I'm wrong - but by all means point out examples that prove me wrong as I'm in the market for a new computer and would like to check out things I've missed.
I'd say go for it, but (!) check that your necessary software is available. 3ds max (if I'm not mistaken) Is not native on Mac OS X, but needs windows (which you can run either in Bootcamp or virtualized).
RGDS,
Pekka
wow...you really haven't done much research
www.alienware.com
www.dell.com
www.hp.com
for example: look at the hp dv6 quad core edition over at the hp web site. Uses better graphics (7690M 2GB), same processor, and can be customized in-store for up to 16 GB of the same kind of ram as a macbook pro 15". It can also be configured with a 1080p (1920x1080) screen.
I looked at dell and hp but not alienware.
First off Dell - have had Dell laptops before - NEVER again. Sucky reliability.
Alienware is just Dell by another name - but out of curiosity I just did a build on the website to match the min specs I would want and its coming in at over 1700EUR. (I can get core i7 MBP for 1800 - actually less with student discount or refurb store - currently core i7 15" MBP in refurb store for as little as 1300EUR)
HP -firstly the aspect ratio of that dv6 screen(and that of many windows laptops) is terrible - much much less functional than the MBP screen - so I don't consider that equivalent to a MBP. Those machines have less cache than MBP and are AMD chips which as far as I know don't match the corei7's performance. For some reason I actually can't find a price for the quadcore model in my country - may not be available here. Hp don't sell off there website here so you can't get prices. Anyhow I have looked at HP's in store and not liked the build quality or as I said screen. They may be cheaper, but I don't consider them on equal footing with MBP.
So I appreciate your info but MBP remains the only option as far as I'm concerned - feel free to fire some more ideas
First off Dell - have had Dell laptops before - NEVER again. Sucky reliability.
Alienware is just Dell by another name - but out of curiosity I just did a build on the website to match the min specs I would want and its coming in at over 1700EUR. (I can get core i7 MBP for 1800 - actually less with student discount or refurb store - currently core i7 15" MBP in refurb store for as little as 1300EUR)
HP -firstly the aspect ratio of that dv6 screen(and that of many windows laptops) is terrible - much much less functional than the MBP screen - so I don't consider that equivalent to a MBP. Those machines have less cache than MBP and are AMD chips which as far as I know don't match the corei7's performance. For some reason I actually can't find a price for the quadcore model in my country - may not be available here. Hp don't sell off there website here so you can't get prices. Anyhow I have looked at HP's in store and not liked the build quality or as I said screen. They may be cheaper, but I don't consider them on equal footing with MBP.
So I appreciate your info but MBP remains the only option as far as I'm concerned - feel free to fire some more ideas