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MBP worth $2000? vs high end pc for $1000 less?

A

AluminumMB

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 11, 2009
170
5
Desktops are so much more powerful than notebooks. I don't really see the need of being portable. Done school, mostly use a Macbook every now and then for general use, iTunes, IRC (Linkinus), general browsing and dreamweaver. I enjoy some pc games plus I know I'd save money by not getting the MacBook Pro ($2000 +). Which will last me longer?

I also plan to move within 2 years.

Side note I do enjoy OSX thoroughly, it's slick, fast and pretty does what I want it to do. Plus, with the new MacBook Pro I can game with it on its 9600gt. However, do you guys think its worth it?? Can't deny the greatness of OSX but Windows 7 looks promising....hmmm
 
On the Cheap?

Don't go cheap... so much of what makes apple great is the whole package...

Spring for it! You won't be sorry.

I have an imac, and it's great... but there is something to be said for throwing the laptop on the bed, the couch, the breakfast nook, the front porch... we use the macbook for that stuff...

The other great thing about apple is if you ever run into any problems, they'll resolve the issue for you. Buy a hackintosh and you are left to the whims of the hardware it runs on. you may end up just having to buy another system... then you could have just bought a real deal macbook pro.

They are sleek, clean, hella fast, and best of all... problem free! Well worth the premium pricing in my opinion. It's not just because they are prettier, it's because they run better.
 
MugBear said:
Don't go cheap... so much of what makes apple great is the whole package...

Spring for it! You won't be sorry.

I have an imac, and it's great... but there is something to be said for throwing the laptop on the bed, the couch, the breakfast nook, the front porch... we use the macbook for that stuff...

The other great thing about apple is if you ever run into any problems, they'll resolve the issue for you. Buy a hackintosh and you are left to the whims of the hardware it runs on. you may end up just having to buy another system... then you could have just bought a real deal macbook pro.

They are sleek, clean, hella fast, and best of all... problem free! Well worth the premium pricing in my opinion. It's not just because they are prettier, it's because they run better.
Click to expand...


You can easily replace PC parts quickly and its cheap. You don't have to pay a lot of money to replace a logic board. OS X on a PC will probably run as fast and clean and problem free as a Mac. The only problem is if you know how to put OS X on there.
 
The Apple vs. PC discussion is something I'm not even going to get into. But if you're not planning on moving around a lot do not get a notebook, personally I bought a MBP and I dont bring it to school much for fear that it'll get stolen so it basically sits on my desk like a desktop would. Kind of sad I paid a premium for a notebook, its less powerful and just sits around.. :(:(
 
For what you want to do, it sounds like a new white book would fill your needs-for half the price.

And as for hackintoshes, I've had 10.5.6 running on a lenovo s10 for months now without a single problem, provided you follow a couple of simple rules. Once it's properly installed, it's remarkably stable.
 
A white MacBook will do all you want, so it'd be silly to even get the MBP.

And if you don't need portability, why are you even considering the MBP? Just get an iMac. You get much more speed for much less.

I got a MBP thinking I'd need portability (I'm in law school), but turns out it sits in my apartment 99% of the time, I only use it for exams, and my 7-year-old Compaq laptop does exams just fine. So after my neck/back starts to hurt if I use the MBP too long, I decided to sell it and get an iMac.

Wise decision all-around!
 
MugBear said:
Don't go cheap... so much of what makes apple great is the whole package...
Click to expand...

In other words, "The outer case is prettier."


Look, I think an iMac would be a good purchase for you. ;) I don't like the, "Think about the whole package" argument against hackintoshes unless you are financially OK with paying a considerable amount more for the physical appearance. I also don't think that a hackintosh is always the best option either. However, if you're keen on getting a system that's good for all the little tasks you want to do, and gaming, then building a compatible system wouldn't be difficult. It won't be much trouble, either. Just replace a part if you need to.

That, or get a Psystar. They will definitely provide you with support. They probably know the hardware better than the Apple Geniuses, considering how they have to do everything needed to be a Genius, and in addition, they also need to know a lot about hardware compatibility, which Apple store employees don't have to worry about.


No matter what you do, don't get a laptop. If you don't carry it around, they're poor value.
 
Hackintoshes do have their value and even if something were to go wrong like you messed up OS X, it can usually be fixed and you can still put any other x86 OS on it. SO its not like if OS X is broken in an update that it has to go in the garbage. I've been surprised how compatible the osx86 project has gotten. Theres really no way for apple to completely kill non mac functionality now that they use the same exact components that the likes of dell and other PC makers use. I'd go for a desktop and just look at guides on OSX86 sites to build it with known working osx parts. It can't be hard since i have got several year old systems that run it real nice without having to buy any new hardware.
 
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