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Purchase Advice: Mac or PC?
- Thread starter terin5124
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Gateway is also an option.
HP's aren't bad at all.
They're not too expensive and they last.
I know it's just you input, but Dells aren't the way to go.
I've heard bad stories and they have really bad customer service.
HP's aren't bad at all.
They're not too expensive and they last.
I know it's just you input, but Dells aren't the way to go.
I've heard bad stories and they have really bad customer service.
Peals of laughter issues from the direction of Sesshi...
I think the main problem in this case might be that the OP's friend is putting his eggs in an otherwise empty basket - that the guy he's roped in to recommend has equally little clue what to get. Perhaps the OP is better off professing his ignorance - as hard as it is for many dedicated Apple users to do that - and directing him to seek some professional help.
I really think it would be pointless to tell them to get a Macbook. If they are not tech-savvy, then they most likely don't want to mess with dual-booting. Also, everything they already have learned has been with PC's, so why make it even more complicated by showing them something else... when the software they will be using is in Windows.
I love my Macs and I would never buy another PC, but for some people it just doesn't make sense.
I love my Macs and I would never buy another PC, but for some people it just doesn't make sense.
Not every company has 100% success rate in terms of quality customer service. The few times I have used Dell's CS, they have actually been pretty pronto. They were friendly, understood my issue and dealt with it accordingly. Then again, there are people who have had issues with them.
I am saying Dell because of their good pricing and quality service.
You don't have to worry about viruses and adware in Mac OS X, yes... but if they are going to be using Windows on the Macbook, then it will be like any other PC.
I have been considering a similar dilemma. I am an accountant, so I ran the numbers:
1220 (low end Macbook with corporate discount)
70 (tax)
220 (full copy of vista)
That brought the total to 1510 for a basic Macbook setup. I have to have Vista for Rhapsody, a few games, and some work related apps.
I decided to go with a Dell Studio 15. For 920 (with corporate discount, 999 retail), I was able to get the following:
2.2 GHZ Centrino 2
4 GB RAM
15.4 WLED Panel
320 GB SATA 5400 HD
256 MB ATI Video
Integrated Audigy Sound
Dell beats the Mac in processing and hard drive. Dell has more RAM, but Mac has better RAM. Bigger panel is better for me as mobility is not a factor. Mac has better video, and Dell should have better sound but it is almost negligible. Dell also comes with 2 year in home service and phone support beating the Mac hands down. Mac beats the Dell in style and design, but these factors are less important to me. I wanted substance over style, and I also wanted to have an extra 500 bucks in my pocket. At the end of the day I got a laptop, digital camera, some extra software, and had a nice dinner for the price I would have paid for the Mac.
I also considered that I would spend a half day formatting and reinstalling Vista to get rid of all the bloatware, and configuring the system for optimal performance. I am an advanced user so this was a minor issue. Additionally, now I have the ability to dual boot the Dell with Ubuntu and run it natively. With the Mac I would have needed to triple-boot, which is not an easy task, or run Ubuntu virtually which was not really something I wanted to do. My advice is, do a thorough assessment of your needs and the costs associated. In my case the Mac costs 50% more and I don't have the need for a great deal of mobility. Don't just buy the Mac because it is a nice looking machine and "everyone else is doing it".
1220 (low end Macbook with corporate discount)
70 (tax)
220 (full copy of vista)
That brought the total to 1510 for a basic Macbook setup. I have to have Vista for Rhapsody, a few games, and some work related apps.
I decided to go with a Dell Studio 15. For 920 (with corporate discount, 999 retail), I was able to get the following:
2.2 GHZ Centrino 2
4 GB RAM
15.4 WLED Panel
320 GB SATA 5400 HD
256 MB ATI Video
Integrated Audigy Sound
Dell beats the Mac in processing and hard drive. Dell has more RAM, but Mac has better RAM. Bigger panel is better for me as mobility is not a factor. Mac has better video, and Dell should have better sound but it is almost negligible. Dell also comes with 2 year in home service and phone support beating the Mac hands down. Mac beats the Dell in style and design, but these factors are less important to me. I wanted substance over style, and I also wanted to have an extra 500 bucks in my pocket. At the end of the day I got a laptop, digital camera, some extra software, and had a nice dinner for the price I would have paid for the Mac.
I also considered that I would spend a half day formatting and reinstalling Vista to get rid of all the bloatware, and configuring the system for optimal performance. I am an advanced user so this was a minor issue. Additionally, now I have the ability to dual boot the Dell with Ubuntu and run it natively. With the Mac I would have needed to triple-boot, which is not an easy task, or run Ubuntu virtually which was not really something I wanted to do. My advice is, do a thorough assessment of your needs and the costs associated. In my case the Mac costs 50% more and I don't have the need for a great deal of mobility. Don't just buy the Mac because it is a nice looking machine and "everyone else is doing it".
you post this in a mac forum and expect an unbiased response?
your problem doesn't seem like a problem at all, get them a PC
the premium on mac hardware is not worth it in your particular case
paying the premium for mac hardware just to run windows is ridiculous imo
if I could run osx legally on hardware that I put together myself I would do it, however, I am stuck paying apple's premium on hardware (unless they change their licensing) so that's what I do and I don't have a problem doing it
I still have plenty of PCs in use though
I use just about every OS under the sun
everything has its pros and cons
your problem doesn't seem like a problem at all, get them a PC
the premium on mac hardware is not worth it in your particular case
paying the premium for mac hardware just to run windows is ridiculous imo
if I could run osx legally on hardware that I put together myself I would do it, however, I am stuck paying apple's premium on hardware (unless they change their licensing) so that's what I do and I don't have a problem doing it
I still have plenty of PCs in use though
I use just about every OS under the sun
everything has its pros and cons
No, you just run vmware fusion and run as many OSs as you like. Some people use parallels but I prefer vmware.
I don't get it.... Why do people insist on calling it Mac vs. PC? isn't an apple laptop/computer a personal computer(PC)??? Or is there something magical inside apples computers that suddenly make them turn into macs and not a pc.
Dude there is no difference if your friends buy an apple laptop or another brand... Take any laptop in the WhiteBook price range and compair it to other laptops with the same price..
They all basically do the same, they can type, surf, watch video and run WINDOWS ME, XP, VISTA, Many Linux distros or just Leopard on an apple laptop if you want that.
Just tell them to buy the WhiteBook as it's really cheap now and coveres their needs plus you can Run bootcamp on it and install Windows XP/Vista.. won't take more than an hour to install and load all the drivers onto it..
Hell I dont even have leopard on my blackbook just windows XP and it runs perfectly.. Just like on any other PC
Bootcamp is SOOO Easy.. just install windows XP/Vista. and they will be happy.
Or better.. Just get them an Asus Wind with XP..
Dude there is no difference if your friends buy an apple laptop or another brand... Take any laptop in the WhiteBook price range and compair it to other laptops with the same price..
They all basically do the same, they can type, surf, watch video and run WINDOWS ME, XP, VISTA, Many Linux distros or just Leopard on an apple laptop if you want that.
Just tell them to buy the WhiteBook as it's really cheap now and coveres their needs plus you can Run bootcamp on it and install Windows XP/Vista.. won't take more than an hour to install and load all the drivers onto it..
Hell I dont even have leopard on my blackbook just windows XP and it runs perfectly.. Just like on any other PC
Bootcamp is SOOO Easy.. just install windows XP/Vista. and they will be happy.
Or better.. Just get them an Asus Wind with XP..
Why would you guess that?
You post in a mac forum, expect the majority of the answers to say mac, you post in a pc forum, expect the majority of the answers to say pc.
oops sorry about that, I saw "needed" in your post and just wanted to make sure he was aware that you don't NEED to triple boot to run more than one OS on a Mac
Yeah good luck with that.
If you're buying a Dell buy a Dell business machine.
Dell Inspiron - Wouldn't piss on if on fire
Dell Latitude, Vostro etc - Nice machines
I would say just get them a cheap PC and help them save money. They sound like they don't need more than that. If they buy a macbook, even entry level, they will spend much more than they have to. Buying the vista separately can surely add to the cost. If they are not going to use OSX and if they are not tech savvy or they don't care much about specs and value of computer, just get them a cheap toshiba or dell laptop.
I buy and support lots of Dell machines and I can tell you that the support side of things has Apple beat hands down (especially Gold support).
Let me know when you can call Apple and they will show up at your place of business the very next day and replace hardware on the spot.
this thread is pretty funny. The guy will never be using OSX, but everyone's recommending a Mac as if there's no such thing as a good Windows PC.
To the OP: just get a T400 Thinkpad with the XP downgrade. Case closed.
well it is macrumors forum. It seems that some people in this forum are traumatized with PC's that they will never consider using nor recommending it to anyone.
Well, most of us use Macs for a reason. I for one use Macs because they are superior in every way in which I use a computer. And if I need Windows, well I can dual-boot. Now why would I recommend a PC?
Well perhaps to someone on a budget, I'd recommend a PC, as Macs are generally more expensive. But that is most likely the only scenario to warrant my recommendation of a PC. I'm not "traumatized" by PC's; I merely am overwhelmed by the benefits of a Mac.