Need suggestions with next computer purchase

[bs-2010]

Hello everyone.
I am currently looking to get a new laptop in the near future (sometime later this year) and am not quite sure what to get. At the moment I have a 2009 13" MBP.

I will be a 4th year university student next school year and I do a lot of work with Adobe CS as well as Autodesk software like Maya. For my own personal enjoyment I dabble in music and currently use Logic and Reason.

I am most likely going to get another MBP except this time around I want to purchase a 15". I am definitely going to wait to see was Apple does with their refresh of MBPs coming up before I make any decision. My main dilemma is whether or not I should get a PC laptop instead of a Macbook.

The primary reason I am debating this is because I can purchase a $2,000 PC laptop that has a significant spec advantage over what a $2,000 Macbook would get me. Although I do admit that this may change in the refresh of the Macbook lineup

I know the PC laptop I'm using is a "gaming" laptop and heavier but it shows how much more power I can buy for cheaper, and that is being compared to a MBP lineup that hasn't been refreshed for 300+days.


15" Macbook Pro- $2,499.00
-2.7 ghz i7
-Nvidia GeForce 650M 1gb
-8gb RAM
-750gb HD 7200 RPM

15" Origin- $2319.00
-2.7 ghz i7
-Nvidia GeForce GTX 680MX 4gb
-16gb RAM
-750gb HD 7200 RPM

 

[justperry]

My main dilemma is whether or not I should get a PC laptop instead of a Macbook.

The primary reason I am debating this is because I can purchase a $2,000 PC laptop that has a significant spec advantage over what a $2,000 Macbook would get me. Although I do admit that this may change in the refresh of the Macbook lineup

Plenty of reasons not to go for the $2000 PC

1. No OS X
2. No/Little integration with services/Devices
3. Resale value
4. Superior trackpad
5. Most likely heavier
5. Battery Life
6. Quality of build is most likely less
7. You think it is comparable yet I think you're wrong
8. Backlight keyboard
9. Superior keyboard maybe
10. Apple's service is the best
11. No virus software needed
12. No maintenance needed
13. Running multiple OS's
14, Backup strategy, like TimeMachine
15. If there are problems easier to resolve

I could go on and on but I think this is enough for now.

 

[bs-2010]

Plenty of reasons not to go for the $2000 PC

1. No OS X
2. No/Little integration with services/Devices
3. Resale value
4. Superior trackpad
5. Most likely heavier
5. Battery Life
6. Quality of build is most likely less
7. You think it is comparable yet I think you're wrong
8. Backlight keyboard
9. Superior keyboard maybe
10. Apple's service is the best
11. No virus software needed
12. No maintenance needed
13. Running multiple OS's
14, Backup strategy, like TimeMachine
15. If there are problems easier to resolve

I could go on and on but I think this is enough for now.

1. No OS X - True, less integration with Apple ecosystem but I'm not that invested into their ecosystem (no iPhone, Apple TV, etc.)
2. No/Little integration with services/Devices - See 1
3. Resale value - Is resale value that big of a factor?
4. Superior trackpad - True
5. Most likely heavier - True
5. Battery Life - MBP battery doesn't last long when using Maya and other similar apps
6. Quality of build is most likely less - Debatable, my track pad cracked for no reason 2 months into owning my Macbook and my hinge is cracking
7. You think it is comparable yet I think you're wrong - Not a good point
8. Backlight keyboard - PC has backlit keyboard, as do many laptops these days
9. Superior keyboard maybe - Maybe, chiclet keyboards are quite common now
10. Apple's service is the best - They do have good customer service but it being the best is subjective, these custom built PC companies have very good service from what I've read.
11. No virus software needed - Not true
12. No maintenance needed - Definitely not true
13. Running multiple OS's - Plus but Retina's have small SSDs and I would not require two OS's
14, Backup strategy, like TimeMachine - Time Machine is nice
15. If there are problems easier to resolve - Not necessarily true

 

[justperry]

3. Resale value - Is resale value that big of a factor?
5. Battery Life - MBP battery doesn't last long when using Maya and other similar apps
7. You think it is comparable yet I think you're wrong - Not a good point
11. No virus software needed - Not true
12. No maintenance needed - Definitely not true
15. If there are problems easier to resolve - Not necessarily true

3. Yes it is, you will get more for a second hand Mac

5. But still longer than a comparable PC with comparable Software

7. Yeah, maybe that one wasn't a good point

11. Yes it is Mac Virus/Malware FAQ - Mac Guides
I never ever had anything on my Mac for 13 years, there are NO known viruses for OS X

12. Also not true, Five Mac maintenance myths

15. I have been using OS X since its inception, it is a lot easier to resolve problems on a Mac, fact, not fiction.

 

[GGJstudios]

11. No virus software needed - Not true

Yes, it is true. Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 10 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). 3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing, as described in the following link.

Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.

12. No maintenance needed - Definitely not true

This is also true. You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process. These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. In fact, deleting some caches can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt. Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance. OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.

Five Mac maintenance myths​