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Really want to buy a MBP but cant push myself to do it. Help

B

Bluegiz90

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 29, 2009
49
0
So Im currently on my first year of University about to finish my first semester. I'm doing a Computer Games Design course so I use programs like Corel Painter, Photoshop, Maya and the Unreal Engine.

I would love a Macbook Pro to help with my studies and work but I just cant bring myself to buying one. I just want someone to justify the price tag for me.

I was comparing the 17inch model to a Alienware M17x, and the specs of an Alienware are by miles, better. The only thing I see the Alienware is missing out on is the Glass Trackpad and a weaker battery. Ofcourse in terms of design the MBP is much nicer, but is it worth paying that bit extra for a nice looking laptop.

Would just like someone to justify the price for me, the alienware has a GTX260m aswell, which to my knowledge is miles better than the 9600m. (Not forgetting the Blu-ray Drive also).

So yeah, some advice would be great please!

Thanks in Advance!
 
Justify it to yourself, we cant justify it for you. If you can't justify a purchase, maybe you shouldn't buy.

However I will tell you that a refurbished 17" is $2000 and worth every penny. I absolutely love my 17" MBP, the quality of it is by far better than any notebook I have owned. And since specs aren't everything with me, I got an Apple because it was powerful enough for my tasks, as well as thin and sturdy.
 
uberamd said:
Justify it to yourself, we cant justify it for you.

However I will tell you that a refurbished 17" is $2000 and worth every penny. I absolutely love my 17" MBP, the quality of it is by far better than any notebook I have owned. And since specs are everything with me, I got an Apple because it was powerful enough for my tasks, as well as thin and sturdy.
Click to expand...

Im not neccesarilly asking that sorry,I just wanted peoples opinions who have experience with a MBP to say why its worth it. I do want one, just seem to get more value for money with an Alienware.
 
If u really want performance and dont care about looking then MBP is not a good choice.
I care about looking very much so i only consider sony or apple usually. Then i try to find the one with best performance....however that usually means much more expensive than the one with good performance but not nice design.
 
Tell you what, go to the Applestore and look at one. If that doesn't convince you, get something else - you don't want it bad enough :)
 
Bluegiz90 said:
Im not neccesarilly asking that sorry,I just wanted peoples opinions who have experience with a MBP to say why its worth it. I do want one, just seem to get more value for money with an Alienware.
Click to expand...

Well I said why (as a 17" owner): Quality, appearance, durability, weight, functionality.
 
tofagerl said:
Tell you what, go to the Applestore and look at one. If that doesn't convince you, get something else - you don't want it bad enough :)
Click to expand...

This.

If you can play with the MBP display models in the store, and still can't push yourself to make the purchase, it's not the machine for you. If the switch is right for you, playing with the machine in-store even for a few minutes or so will absolutely be the push you need.
 
Bluegiz90 said:
I use programs like Corel Painter, Photoshop, Maya and the Unreal Engine.
Click to expand...
There is no way I'd even consider a MBP for apps like these *if* that's what you're mainly going to use.

Apple's notebooks are not the first choice for mainstream CPU/GPU power. That's obvious when reading the specs. You need to decide between aesthetics and raw "punch".
 
obviously not worth it at all, especially for your needs.

macbooks are basically meant for general use for everyday people who just browse the internet, chat, email, watch youtube videos of cats, etc etc.

for real work (esp with the programs you listed), stick with a pc. macs used to be the defacto choice for graphics work, but that is no more.

i mainly use my macbook for general surfing purposes. my pc is my workhorse.
 
Bluegiz90 said:
So Im currently on my first year of University about to finish my first semester. I'm doing a Computer Games Design course so I use programs like Corel Painter, Photoshop, Maya and the Unreal Engine.

I would love a Macbook Pro to help with my studies and work but I just cant bring myself to buying one. I just want someone to justify the price tag for me.

I was comparing the 17inch model to a Alienware M17x, and the specs of an Alienware are by miles, better. The only thing I see the Alienware is missing out on is the Glass Trackpad and a weaker battery. Ofcourse in terms of design the MBP is much nicer, but is it worth paying that bit extra for a nice looking laptop.

Would just like someone to justify the price for me, the alienware has a GTX260m aswell, which to my knowledge is miles better than the 9600m. (Not forgetting the Blu-ray Drive also).

So yeah, some advice would be great please!

Thanks in Advance!
Click to expand...

because macs pay for themselves over time. they are more energy efficient, need less maintenance and will last much longer than a normal pc. and the battery will last 3-4 times longer

besides all of this they are infinitely superior in design, functionality, and the OS destroys windows.
 
Collider said:
This.

If you can play with the MBP display models in the store, and still can't push yourself to make the purchase, it's not the machine for you. If the switch is right for you, playing with the machine in-store even for a few minutes or so will absolutely be the push you need.
Click to expand...

After my experiences with my Powerbook G4, revision "D"--a machine with many known problems--I was just about ready to swear off Apple.

I looked at all different types of laptops, some over a thousand cheaper than my MBP with comparable specs. But every single one I used in store left me uncomfortable with the thought of buying one of those machines, and forever being disappointed.


Bluegiz90 said:
Im not neccesarilly asking that sorry,I just wanted peoples opinions who have experience with a MBP to say why its worth it. I do want one, just seem to get more value for money with an Alienware.
Click to expand...

If you can't figure out why it's worth it, then maybe it's not the machine for you. If you've tried out both the Windows OS and machines side-by-side with the MBP, and still can't tell a difference, save yourself a lot of money and get the Alienware!

Fact is, some people are just gonna be happier with a PC. But for some of us, there's no comparing a Macbook Pro to any other laptop.
 
Bluegiz90 said:
So Im currently on my first year of University about to finish my first semester. I'm doing a Computer Games Design course so I use programs like Corel Painter, Photoshop, Maya and the Unreal Engine.

I would love a Macbook Pro to help with my studies and work but I just cant bring myself to buying one. I just want someone to justify the price tag for me.

I was comparing the 17inch model to a Alienware M17x, and the specs of an Alienware are by miles, better. The only thing I see the Alienware is missing out on is the Glass Trackpad and a weaker battery. Ofcourse in terms of design the MBP is much nicer, but is it worth paying that bit extra for a nice looking laptop.

Would just like someone to justify the price for me, the alienware has a GTX260m aswell, which to my knowledge is miles better than the 9600m. (Not forgetting the Blu-ray Drive also).

So yeah, some advice would be great please!

Thanks in Advance!
Click to expand...

Well, MBP can:

run OSX and Windows XP/Vista/7
OSX doesn't get viruses
 
My best advice is to see if you can find an Unreal Engine 3 forum and see if the users have Mac computers. If some do, and they say they can run it fine, then go with that.

Personally, I love Mac OS X and would not trade it for the world.
 
The uMBP is the best laptop hardware out there and worth every penny. But if I were doing game design I'd buy a PC not a Mac.
 
melman101 said:
Personally, I love Mac OS X and would not trade it for the world.
Click to expand...
That's the way I feel about it. Every time I have to use Windows again and every time I have to fix the problems on my Dad's Windows machine I'm glad I'm using Macs.

In the digital age I think people are too caught up in comparing specs and basing their decisions on marketing specs alone rather than how something can improve their lives in daily usage. For example a Ferrari has better performance than most cars but can most people live with the low mileage, high maintenance cost, lack of cargo space, etc, etc. The Mac OS has saved me a lot of headaches that comes from the Windows side.

I do wish Macs would come down in price even more though but I don't really want to go back to Windows.
 
Collider said:
This.

If you can play with the MBP display models in the store, and still can't push yourself to make the purchase, it's not the machine for you. If the switch is right for you, playing with the machine in-store even for a few minutes or so will absolutely be the push you need.
Click to expand...


That's what pushed me over the edge to getting one. All my previous experience with macs had been on a 9.x OS, and my only experience with OSX had been on older machines at my university, you could color me unimpressed.

Now, I need a laptop for my work, powerful enough to handle field media production, and was torn between a macbook pro and an alienware. After weighing all the pros and cons of both, ten minutes on a MBP at the store convinced me that it was the computer I needed--mine is on order now and should be here next week...so soon I'll have empirical evidence as to whether it was the correct choice or not. ;)
 
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