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My father want´s a laptop (PC), pls help me

yoak

yoak

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Oct 4, 2004
1,690
213
Oslo, Norway
My father is about to retire, and need a laptop at home.
He has an iPhone 3GS that he loves, but he says a Macbook Pro is too expensive.
The only heavy app he wants to run us a RC flight simulator, RealFlight.
I told him he could boot into Windows on a MBP.

Still says it is expensive.

I found him a 15", 2.8 C2D refurb for only $400 more than a Toshiba Qosimo.
I don´know PCs, but that Toshiba seems to be able to handle gaming.

How can I talk him into the Mac?

I live next door, so I´m afraid he will come to me with the PC for help. I wouldn´t mind if it was a Mac, but to try to solve PC problems seems like such a PITA to me
 
yoak said:
My father is about to retire, and need a laptop at home.
He has an iPhone 3GS that he loves, but he says a Macbook Pro is too expensive.
The only heavy app he wants to run us a RC flight simulator, RealFlight.
I told him he could boot into Windows on a MBP.

Still says it is expensive.

I found him a 15", 2.8 C2D refurb for only $400 more than a Toshiba Qosimo.
I don´know PCs, but that Toshiba seems to be able to handle gaming.

How can I talk him into the Mac?

I live next door, so I´m afraid he will come to me with the PC for help. I wouldn´t mind if it was a Mac, but to try to solve PC problems seems like such a PITA to me
Click to expand...

If he's looking for a gaming rig, $400 is not going to take you very far, unless he's running very old school games.

If he's going to be gaming, why not consider an M11x from Alienware?

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m11x/pd?refid=alienware-m11x&cs=19&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Yes it is small, but he cannot game, have a bigger screen, etc, for pennies on the dollar.

Also the cost ratio to buy a MBP to game with, will be at least 2 to 3 times more expensive then a cheaper PC equivalent.
 
I built my parents a Windows PC barebone and after installing everything there have only been 3 problems. A printer driver for an older Laser printer my dad brought home from work. Terrible driver support HP has. Wouldn't have been any easier with OSX.
They needed Citric access. I basically had to write down the steps to open everything. Would have been probably more difficult to explain that in OSX.
And I had to set up a Virtual Machine with WinXP because of some really old crap software that wouldn't work any other way.

Ergo. OSX saves you absolutely no trouble if you set up the PC properly and the people sitting in front of it don't do stupid **** like installing uncountable crappy software.
I wouldn't give my parents a OSX computer. They would only be annoyed by how different everything is and ask me all the time about everything.

Also Flightsims used to be pretty resource hungry and I would look at how else your dad uses his computer if a MBP is really a good idea. It might work great for you but for him there might be no real benefit only the annoyance of having to figure out many things he you do easily with a Windows PC and paying quite a bit more for a less powerful notebook.
 
Maybe I was a bit unclear, The difference between the MBP and the Toshiba was $400.

He will only play this one game though, the RC flight sim

I´ll have a look at the PC you mentioned
 
pctomac2011 said:
If he's looking for a gaming rig, $400 is not going to take you very far, unless he's running very old school games.

If he's going to be gaming, why not consider an M11x from Alienware?

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m11x/pd?refid=alienware-m11x&cs=19&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Yes it is small, but he cannot game, have a bigger screen, etc, for pennies on the dollar.

Also the cost ratio to buy a MBP to game with, will be at least 2 to 3 times more expensive then a cheaper PC equivalent.
Click to expand...


Let's be honest here, he said he was just playing RealFlight, which isn't going to demand much out of any machine.

http://www.realflight.com/system-reqs.html

I honestly don't have the proper advice to give on the topic at hand however. While I agree that Mac has less issues, I don't feel that my Windows 7 desktop has ever really had any issues either, so I can't give honest feedback here.
 
dusk007 said:
I built my parents a Windows PC barebone and after installing everything there have only been 3 problems. A printer driver for an older Laser printer my dad brought home from work. Terrible driver support HP has. Wouldn't have been any easier with OSX.
They needed Citric access. I basically had to write down the steps to open everything. Would have been probably more difficult to explain that in OSX.
And I had to set up a Virtual Machine with WinXP because of some really old crap software that wouldn't work any other way.

Ergo. OSX saves you absolutely no trouble if you set up the PC properly and the people sitting in front of it don't do stupid **** like installing uncountable crappy software.
I wouldn't give my parents a OSX computer. They would only be annoyed by how different everything is and ask me all the time about everything.

Also Flightsims used to be pretty resource hungry and I would look at how else your dad uses his computer if a MBP is really a good idea. It might work great for you but for him there might be no real benefit only the annoyance of having to figure out many things he you do easily with a Windows PC and paying quite a bit more for a less powerful notebook.
Click to expand...

You might be right.
I´m just afraid it will get bugged down with viruses etc. Maybe it´s not a big problem.
I literally haven´t used a PC more than a few times, 5 minutes at a time over the last 10 years.

He wants a laptop as he wants to bring it to the cabin in the summer time
 
All it takes is one episode of removing malware or scareware from a Windows computer to take all the fun out of the initial cost savings. Offer to pay the price difference out of your own pocket if he will get a MacBook. You will thank yourself in the long run.

Also, look into a MacBook White, especially a refurbished one, if price is important.
 
yoak said:
Maybe I was a bit unclear, The difference between the MBP and the Toshiba was $400.

He will only play this one game though, the RC flight sim

I´ll have a look at the PC you mentioned
Click to expand...

Sorry I must have been half-asleep when i read your initial post. If he is only running that one game, then as another poster said it's not really a concern (I was more thinking he would want to run other games in the future, which may or may not be an issue).

Why not a MBP 13"? You get the best of both worlds, it's a Mac, it's affordable, and it will def run the game you mentioned. The base model is $1249 new, and if you buy a refurb, I'm sure you can get it for cheaper (or look for ebay models of the 2010 generation).

The M11x is a nice machine as well, and quite a bit cheaper albeit with a smaller screen size, so it may not be ideal. In any case he can always buy a cheap external display, as LCD's are pennies now.
 
Thanks for all replies.
Andy, I was thinking of doing just that.

pctomac, do you think the 13" will run the game ok?

I´m pretty sure it will only be this game for the forseeable future.

I looked at the M11x, but I think 11! will be to small a screen for his aging eyes
 
If he doesn't need a Mac, just get a cheap pc contrary to popular belief they don't just crash on their own. As long as he isn't downloading crap it should do just fine and he'll have more then enough power to do what he needs to do. You don't need to spend extra cash if it isn't necessary.
 
Pballer110 said:
If he doesn't need a Mac, just get a cheap pc contrary to popular belief they don't just crash on their own. As long as he isn't downloading crap it should do just fine and he'll have more then enough power to do what he needs to do. You don't need to spend extra cash if it isn't necessary.
Click to expand...

Second this. I bought a Mac because as a student I use it for hours each day. However, not everyone needs a mac- it isn't a religion that must be spread to all. Seems that a PC with a average spec will be fine, I googled RealFlight system specs and they don't seem that high.
 
Get him what he wants - a cheap PC. Who cares? If all he is using it for is flight simulator, then it will be fine for that job, and he'll save a ton too. Macs are nice, but certainly not everybody needs them.

As far as malware and viruses, install Microsoft Security Essentials - it's free and does a good job. Provided he stays on reputable sites and does not use P2P, he'll be absolutely fine.
 
Pballer110 said:
If he doesn't need a Mac, just get a cheap pc contrary to popular belief they don't just crash on their own. As long as he isn't downloading crap it should do just fine and he'll have more then enough power to do what he needs to do. You don't need to spend extra cash if it isn't necessary.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I used to work in Tech Support.. People are people, and will continue to download useless crap, and make their PC crawl. As the OP indicated in his initial post he was looking for a solution with Apple first, due to the usability of OS X, not that I can blame him.

OP, 13" MBP will run that game easily. It would likely be your best option.
 
iStudentUK said:
Second this. I bought a Mac because as a student I use it for hours each day. However, not everyone needs a mac- it isn't a religion that must be spread to all. Seems that a PC with a average spec will be fine, I googled RealFlight system specs and they don't seem that high.
Click to expand...

I also second this.

OP seems to live in Norway. Why do not try to get an Asus? They build quality laptops, and have very good sales and support in Europe.
If all your father needs is for this game, an entry to medium level Asus PC will fit him alright. If you are concern about viruses and that, get him Avast or AVG antivirus, and as laser71 said, if he do not P2P and do not go to bad web sites, he should be fine.
If your father is OK with PCs, keep it that way for him. OSX will be more of a pain for him that for you to help him with his PC in case he needs your help. A proper Windows 7 machine could be very stable and reliable.

Cheers !
 
yoak said:
My father is about to retire, and need a laptop at home.
He has an iPhone 3GS that he loves, but he says a Macbook Pro is too expensive.
The only heavy app he wants to run us a RC flight simulator, RealFlight.
I told him he could boot into Windows on a MBP.

Still says it is expensive.

I found him a 15", 2.8 C2D refurb for only $400 more than a Toshiba Qosimo.
I don´know PCs, but that Toshiba seems to be able to handle gaming.
Click to expand...

I like the idea of a refurb/used Mac. You didn't say what the budget is but have a look here:

http://www.finn.no/finn/torget/tilsalgs/resultat?sort=5&keyword=macbook

Most Mac users tend to care for their equipment. If all he needs is a computer that can run RealFlight then a used, wellkept Mac is the best option.

How can I talk him into the Mac?

I live next door, so I´m afraid he will come to me with the PC for help. I wouldn´t mind if it was a Mac, but to try to solve PC problems seems like such a PITA to me
Click to expand...

Well one argument would be that you - not currently PC savvy - would not be able to help him much. Another is that Macs are a pleasure to use :) plus offer him the ability to run RealFlight. I bought a virtually unused Macbook late 2008 unibody which runs like clockwork and has 2 years of AppleCare. If you find a used Mac with AppleCare then that's yet another argument.

Hope it helps
/p
 
give him what he wants or if its only 400 dollars more then just give him $400 of your hard earned money.
 
Let me paraphrase this thread.

* Your father wants a PC to run a PC only game. The game in question requires a 32mb 3d video card, but optimally a 512mb 3d card.

* You want him to pay "only $400" more for a mac, so he can install Windows (gotta buy a license, so add another $100-150 or so) to play his game.

* Somehow, owning a Mac is going to make tech support easier, even though he'll be running Windows to play his game. (see the problem with this logic?)

* He shouldn't get a Windows computer because he'll probably get malware. Somehow, by running Windows on a Mac, this won't happen. (see the problem with this logic?)

Easy answer. Buy a PC laptop with a lower end video card. Should be easy to find in the $300-400 used range, or under $700 new. My 3 yr old Dell Vostro will easily play that game. For a price comparison, I'm trying to get $350 out of it, selling locally on Craigslist.
 
I have a 17 inch 2011 mbp and the graphics will handle realflight no problem but I have yet to install it
 
My parents recently broke their PC laptop after getting their email hacked w/ a keylogger (and possibly a bunch of other stuff). They finally installed the free Norton that came w/ the system and now that Norton locked down the system, it won't do anything.

I'm about to give them my old 2008 MBP which after two years is still running like a champ. Since they live a few states away, I was thinking if they need help, maybe we can do iChats and share screens and get it done that way but honestly, I just hope they don't find a way to slow this machine to a crawl.

My parents may be my MBP's biggest challenge yet. =)
 
Get him a PC, and tell him he's on his own. Really...

If not, get him a MB Refurb...$849 on Apple's Refurb site.
 
hmm...since you would have to install windows xp or 7 on the macbook then you could still be at risk of malware/spyware and viruses.

just get him a cheap pc notebook, and get yourself a shiny new macbook. :)
 
yoak said:
I live next door, so I´m afraid he will come to me with the PC for help. I wouldn´t mind if it was a Mac, but to try to solve PC problems seems like such a PITA to me
Click to expand...


Tell him it's going to cost him $50 every time he calls for your help with the PC.

When he says something like "...but I'm your dad..."

Tell him the regular price is $250.

Then tell him if he gets a mac you'll help for free.

His choice.
 
Blu101 said:
Tell him it's going to cost him $50 every time he calls for your help with the PC.

When he says something like "...but I'm your dad..."

Tell him the regular price is $250.

Then tell him if he gets a mac you'll help for free.

His choice.
Click to expand...

Because running Windows on a Mac makes troubleshooting easier?
 
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