With $1700+ to spend, really struggling with mac vs everyone else syndrome!

[vegas-steven]

if someone can help here.
My wife and i are taking a trip overseas and we need to get a new notebook before we go.

I love my iphones, ipod touch and imac and love mac but i have the struggle with specs that im sure others have had.

every time i go to apple's website and see something with a core2 duo vs these new sony and asus machines with new i7 (quad core) cpu's i start to rethink it all!

can someone tell me whether or not i am making a mountain out of a molehill? specifically the i7 i am looking at are these intel i7 729qm clocked at 1.6ghz but it seems that these processors have less of a clockspeed race than a features race...

i dont even know if that cpu has the visualization features built in. Intel has some crazy marketing and product lines.

specifically i am looking for as much speed as i can get without sacrificing much.
i also understand that in 2-4 years (the amount of time which i expect to use the computer for) that os x will likely seem faster than windows 7 will... i fix computers and have seen old "lamp style" imacs that seem faster than 2 year old pc's and i think that the OS has a lot to do with it.

I guess also that os x is written around the CPU and the i7 will have to run whatever, but windows will never be written just for that cpu. that may play a part in it.

but that aside i also want to put windows 7 or xp on it and play games with it attached to my HDTV.... and i also need it to work as a media center so i can get HD tv shows and output them to the same tv... the files are in MKV format usually and so ill be outputting them to that tv via dvi or HDMI (depending on the computer as apple doesnt have HDMI) and using VLC to play them.

so whats the path here?
thanks for any sort of help...

 

[Badger^2]

Wait until a couple of days before you leave?

mini display port to HDMI, $8: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=2

mini display port with HDMi and USB for audio, $37
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5969&seq=1&format=2

 

[Hellhammer]

Do you need power? Yes, those quads are faster but not many apps can take advantage of them. If you are a power user and do heavy stuff, then it's worth to get a PC but if MBP is fast enough, then it's up to you

 

[JNickyJJ]

As hellhammer said above, it will surprise you how few programs actually use the extra cores, and depending on what your doing obviously, will be the choice as to what to get. I suggest a MBP, external monitor and a mini displaypport adapter!

 

[chopper dave]

Are you going to a country near the equator for more than a few days? It would be a shame to ruin a new computer in the humidity- mold can grow inside it within a week if it isn't kept in climate control.

 

[techound1]

Another option for you to consider:

Get a 13" MBP in the refurb store for $1K. Try it out, see if you like the speed, screen size, etc. If it's for you, keep it. If you decide that you just gotta have the i5/i7 when they come out, use the MBP in the interim and sell it when the i's come out. You'll lose little - if any - money, you'll have a bridge machine, and a nice Mac experience.

 

[Tomorrow]

specifically i am looking for as much speed as i can get without sacrificing much.

You've answered your own question here.

If horsepower is the single most important consideration, buy an i7.

If you would rather have OS X and its associated software over pure hardware horsepower, buy a Mac.