Why do people ask what computer to buy if they can afford any of them?

[harcosparky]

From a real standpoint there is an advantage to buying a little more power than one thinks they might need. Sure you can define what you are going to do today, but what about tomorrow.

Just ask the people who bought 16GB iPads because they were $499, and the 64GB was $699, who now wish in retrospect they would have spent that extra $100 or $200. A friend of mine bought one for his wife, all she wanted to do was email, web browsing, and an occasional book. We he bought her a 16GB unit for Christmas, and within a week of giving it to her it was 'too small'.

When it comes to computing power, I live with one rule....

It is better to have too much and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

 

[AlanFord]

harcosparky

If your monthly salary is 600$ and you really wont the new iPad, would the 100$ difference in that case be irelevent too?

 

[s.hasan546]

Yeah this is the kind of logic that got us into the housing crisis. I don't need a 4000 square foot home, but my bank is going to loan it to me so why not! .

Truth. You know why the rich stay rich? B.c their not freaking stupid with their money.

I can afford the most expensive mac pro you can build out. Does that mean i should buy one? ofcourse not. This thread was IMHO pointless.

 

[s.hasan546]

Why did you bother writing about what i have already said about the 13vs15. its exactly ONE POUND! unless you're a woman walking 10 miles a day with a bag, the difference is negligible. and is two inches in width really that big of a difference? NO.

the MBA is only 1.5-2 lbs lighter than the MBP 13". Are you sayings its not a NOTICEABLE difference. Maybe you don't realize that 1 lb is a substantial difference in laptops and technology. The ipad 2 is ONLY .2 lbs lighter than the ipad 1.

the 17" mbp is only 1 lb heavier than the 15". Why didn't you get the 17"?

 

[harcosparky]

harcosparky

If your monthly salary is 600$ and you really wont the new iPad, would the 100$ difference in that case be irelevent too?

If your monthly salary is only $600 should you be buying it to begin with? Perhaps waiting another month or two would allow an individual the time to acquire more money and make a wiser purchase.

 

[s.hasan546]

It is better to have too much and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

OR you figure out your needs and buy what you need. Why waste $$ thats not necessary. Now with $100 difference in ipad storage difference is one thing. Going from a 13" to a 15" or 17" is totally different. thats anywhere between $600-$1000 different at the minimum.

So should i buy a fully loaded 17" for $3000 when i could purchase a $1000 MBP that will do the SAME EXACT thing for me?

 

[harcosparky]

I can afford the most expensive mac pro you can build out. Does that mean i should buy one? ofcourse not.

No you should buy the one that fits your needs of today, and any possible growth in future needs as much as you can define them.



As to the OP ........

No matter what the hobby, threads from people asking others to help them spend their money pop up. People throw out dollar amounts like there is no tomorrow claiming ....

" I have $3,000 to spend, help me pick out a new .....

MOTORCYCLE helmet
CAMERA lens
LIFT KIT for my Jeep


Whatever happened to planning out a purchase, and buying the item that fits the plan.

WHAT am I going to be doing with my ....
Motorcycle
Camera
Jeep
Computer

 

[Lone Deranger]

because if you can figure what out what i read then it doesn't matter. Who checks spelling and grammar? pft.

Good luck with that attitude. I'm sure you'll do great in life.

 

[Dalton63841]

I will side with the OP for one reason. The reason I THINK he was trying to make. I will buy the best Macbook Pro I can afford, for future-proofing purposes. Think about this, the simple notepad program on windows XP consumes more resources than any game ever created for MS-DOS.

I do agree that its less important than it used to be with the mobile platform taking off, but regular computers aren't going anywhere.

 

[Yaboze]

In 2004, I bought a Dell XPS laptop 15" because I had the notion that I'd game on it. I owned a desktop already and my G3 White iBook was getting long in the tooth. The laptop was thick and heavy and had horrible battery life. I could game on it, but I didn't enjoy gaming on it. At the end of 2007, I just wanted a small form factor laptop and went with a Santa Rosa MB in white, because I loved my G3 so much.

I love the 13" form factor for MB's, Air's and MBP's. I was so happy when the Pro's eventually came in 13" because I really wanted a 13" unibody aloo-min-nium laptop someday.

I'm just waiting for my C2D MB to become so unbearable that I NEED to upgrade.

I'd rather get a jacked 13" MBP than a 15", but that's just me, I like the smaller form factor. I know I'll miss the better GPU of the 15" and 17", but I have an up to date Windows 7 x64 PC for games.

The Mac is for everything else.



PS. If I had no other computers at all, I probably would go for a 15" with a 30" ACD, because I'd want something a little more powerful with no desktop to fall back on.

 

[mikeytwice]

Why did you bother writing about what i have already said about the 13vs15. its exactly ONE POUND! unless you're a woman walking 10 miles a day with a bag, the difference is negligible. and is two inches in width really that big of a difference? NO.

Two inches is a big difference if you're in, say, a classroom or an airplane. In the former you often don't have much desk real estate at your disposal, and in an airplane you're usually pretty cramped for vertical space.

Also, people just like the form factor of the 13. Sorry if they don't subscribe to your logic.

Lastly, I could care less about .2ghz and better graphics as I don't game. Why throw away $400 if you don't need it? I really doubt I'll ever think "if I only had an extra 200mhz..."

 

[harcosparky]

PS. If I had no other computers at all, I probably would go for a 15" with a 30" ACD, because I'd want something a little more powerful with no desktop to fall back on.

Excellent combination!

I've been leaning towards the top end 15" because of the work that I do, but I also want to replace a 4 yr old 24" iMac so by getting the 15" MBP and a 30" display I can satisfy two wants/needs.

The current 15" MBP puts my 24" iMac to shame! LOL

 

[AppleFan360]

First, just because you have money doesn't mean you should buy something. This is basic common sense (I thought ).

As mentioned earlier, this is pretty much how the rich stay rich and the rest of us depend on them for jobs.

 

[s.hasan546]

The reason I THINK he was trying to make. I will buy the best Macbook Pro I can afford, for future-proofing purposes.

Maybe if you can only afford a certain price range that makes sense to you guys but i can afford a fully loaded 17" mbp. That will cost 3000+. Why the hell would i buy a $3000 laptop when a $1000 laptop would do all the same work for me + be more portable. For the price difference i could buy a new laptop every year.

 

[benhollberg]

I could buy the most expensive greater than $16,000 Mac Pro right now but I don't need it. So I won't buy it.

 

[harcosparky]

Why the hell would i buy a $3000 laptop when a $1000 laptop would do all the same work for me.

Because they will not do the same work for you, efficiently.

Maybe all you are doing is email and a little web browsing, I don't know.

 

[c7aea]

While the OP didn't do a very good job of explaining it, it is kind of annoying seeing all these should I buy now/what should I buy threads. Before I buy something I do my own research. I have no problem if there is a specific question. But most answers can be found with a quick search.
Also, I do have to agree with get the best you can afford to an extent. I can afford a $12,000 Mac pro but im not buying one. The point I am trying to make is only you can know how much you can reasonably spend on something, House, car, computer, whatever. If you can afford that option for a faster CPU then why not get it, it wont hurt and you might end up keeping that computer a little longer saving money in the long run. Same like buying a car, when you look at the options do you really need leather or that cool GPS?

 

[Bloodstar]

Gotta agree with the people who disagree here, to an extent.

I'd get a 13 inch MBP because space is at an absolute premium for me, and I have actually used desks that my netbook barely fit on at my college, before. (Forget sitting a book on them!)

However, I'd want to do a little bit of future-proofing and get something more than what I'd need, albeit slightly. I could get by with a white MacBook, but I'd rather have a little bit of extra RAM and processor power to push me forward in the future, when I need it more. (I could get by with a G4 portable, actually, save the fact that I actually require Intel for my upcoming iOS dev class... but I'd go Intel anyway, even without the class, so I'd be able to do more for longer even then.)

Unfortunately, as it is, I'm pretty strapped for cash, so I'd end up scoping out a used white MacBook/early MacBook Pro. And even then, I'm awaiting a few chunks of money from birthdays/book reselling/leftover grant money... unless I miraculously land a summer job.

 

[Miss Terri]

if you can afford the high end 15 then buy it!!! threes no reason to buy anything else!

If I can afford a Ferrari, does that mean it's the best car for me?

What if I'm a contractor and need to haul 4 x 8 sheets of plywood?

Etc.

I agree, the threads are repetitive, and in the end no-one can decide but the buyer. But sometimes if one is not sure, it is helpful to hear others' points of view, in order to figure out what would be the best fit.

Of course the more information the OP gives the board in those queries, the better the advice can be.

Miss Terri

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

Maybe if you can only afford a certain price range that makes sense to you guys but i can afford a fully loaded 17" mbp. That will cost 3000+. Why the hell would i buy a $3000 laptop when a $1000 laptop would do all the same work for me + be more portable. For the price difference i could buy a new laptop every year.

Not only that. The 2nd &/or 3rd $1,000 notebook that you buy later on (next year & the year after next) will likely be more powerful than the $3,000 fully loaded 17" MBP that you buy today.

 

[DePaulBlueDemon]

How old are you? I am just curios..

Less than 12 since he (or she) thinks money grows on trees.

 

[DePaulBlueDemon]

because if you can figure what out what i read then it doesn't matter. Who checks spelling and grammar? pft.

 

[ctbear]

Why did you bother writing about what i have already said about the 13vs15. its exactly ONE POUND! unless you're a woman walking 10 miles a day with a bag, the difference is negligible. and is two inches in width really that big of a difference? NO.

Actually it is a big difference.
I have a 2009 13" and a 2010 15". I walk ~30 minutes to class everyday.
When commuting I can definitely tell the difference between the two.

 

[iMackPro]

Good luck with that attitude. I'm sure you'll do great in life.

clinical research at intregris cancer institute, if you'd really like to know. But that was an uncalled for post. I seriously don't care what my grammar is on a tech forum. You people mean nothing to me, the ones that post like this anyways.

 

[iMackPro]

I think its really funny how blown out of proportion this has become. All im saying is if you can afford a higher end 15 you should buy it instead of worrying about fitting your needs on a 13 or base 15 inch machine that may or may not WORK for you the 28,000$ fully maxed out mac pro is obviously out of the question. I was talking in a general sense. Anyone who is stupid enough to blow it out of proportion shouldnt be posting in here.