Not sure. Mac or PC?

XingBa

XingBa

CAGiversary!
Now this may sound crazy but I work for Apple and I think we make some amazing devices but lately I've been searching around for a new machine and I do like PC's but my funds are a little limited. So to keep it short I want a gaming laptop. I've seen some decent deals but they always have one drawback.

Here's the Toshiba laptop that really appeals to me because of the i5 processor, the price and the HDMI port:
http://www.ilgs.co.uk/pp/Computers/notebooks/laptops/Satellite_Pro_S500-15C.html

On the Mac side of things I could get a top end 13" Macbook Pro (http://store.apple.com/uk/configure/MC375B/A?mco=MTc0Njg2NDk)and also run Windows 7 on that by using boot camp (I'll increase the hard drive size to 500GB by doing it myself since it's cheaper.)

But I'm really not sure. There are so many rumours going around that the 13" Macbook Pro's are getting updates with i3' processors and the whole Macbook Pro line are getting HDMI ports but I don't even know if that's true or not. I do remember just before December last year that a new line of Macbook Pro's were released and their wasn't even an announcement about it so who knows.

So any help please guys? Should I wait until December? Should I go with a PC? Or should I just get a Macbook Pro right now?

Cheers,
Xing
http://store.apple.com/uk/configure/MC375B/A?mco=MTc0Njg2NDk
 
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But if I get a Mac then I could partition the hard drive and run both operating systems.

Thanks for your feedback by the way. Oh yeah I forgot to point out that my spending limit is £1000 ($1,605.44)
 
[quote name='XingBa']But if I get a Mac then I could partition the hard drive and run both operating systems.

Thanks for your feedback by the way. Oh yeah I forgot to point out that my spending limit is £1000 ($1,605.44)[/QUOTE]

You can also partition the hard drive with a PC, and get the same performance for less money. Or better performance for the same money.
 
[quote name='lionheart4life']You can also partition the hard drive with a PC, and get the same performance for less money. Or better performance for the same money.[/QUOTE]

Sorry, what I meant by doing that was the fact that I could run Mac OSX and Windows 7 on the same machine. If I could do that on the PC then that would be amazing, but I haven't found anything similar to Boot Camp that runs on a PC.
 
[quote name='XingBa']So to keep it short I want a gaming laptop. I've seen some decent deals but they always have one drawback. [/QUOTE]

That would be the big mistake IMO. Gaming laptops are always a horrible decision since you are paying a premium for a machine that can't be updated and will barely hold a battery charge/be obsolete/run hot in a few years.

Are you only looking to game? What is the goal of this machine?
 
Well I do use Photoshop a lot, and would love to use film making and music production programs like Final Cut and Logic but I know there are PC versions of them but it would be mainly used for gaming.

The goal? Hmm, to be honest that's a good question but it's mainly to play games and the machine I'm on struggles with the latest games.
 
I'd say get a Mac but I'm biased. Just ordered a new 27" i7 iMac this week. It's replacing my 4 year old Intel iMac. In that 4 years, my iMac has been rock solid and never gave me issues aside from a Superdrive that needed replacing (stopped burning dual layer dvd's which wasn't a big deal). I had Apple Care though and it was replaced for free at the local Apple Store (would have cost $400 otherwise, ouch!!)

Benchmarks on my iMac were just as high as a PC with the same specs, so it's very capable for gaming. I had a bootcamp partition running XP and did lots of gaming on it. Was no different than using a PC, performance wise. 2.16GHz Core Duo just doesn't cut it anymore though, so that's why I needed to upgrade. Resale value is amazing too. Already have a buyer lined up for this old iMac for $500.

Yeah, they cost a lot more than PC's but I'd rather pay more money and get something that is going to last a while and give me few headaches. If you can afford it, get a Mac.
 
If you're on a budget there's no reason to get a Mac unless you absolutely need things you can't run in Windows. A PC with the same specs ALWAYS costs less than a Mac. Always.
 
Let me as you this, OP: do you want to pay vastly more for a lower spec machine, with an OS that a lot fewer games will run on?

If you can come up with a good answer to this question, then I guess buy the Macbook.
 
[quote name='norkusa']I'd say get a Mac but I'm biased. Just ordered a new 27" i7 iMac this week. It's replacing my 4 year old Intel iMac. In that 4 years, my iMac has been rock solid and never gave me issues aside from a Superdrive that needed replacing (stopped burning dual layer dvd's which wasn't a big deal). I had Apple Care though and it was replaced for free at the local Apple Store (would have cost $400 otherwise, ouch!!)

Benchmarks on my iMac were just as high as a PC with the same specs, so it's very capable for gaming. I had a bootcamp partition running XP and did lots of gaming on it. Was no different than using a PC, performance wise. 2.16GHz Core Duo just doesn't cut it anymore though, so that's why I needed to upgrade. Resale value is amazing too. Already have a buyer lined up for this old iMac for $500.

Yeah, they cost a lot more than PC's but I'd rather pay more money and get something that is going to last a while and give me few headaches. If you can afford it, get a Mac.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the advice as Macs can be great investments but I may wait until December as I heard there may be an i3 processor coming out for the 13" Macbook Pro.

[quote name='Unicorntard']Im going to recommend the netbook I saw on Maximum PC.

http://www.amazon.com/Seashell-1215...5XFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288764335&sr=8-1

Its not the greatest for gaming... but it can handle some recent games like Starcraft.

It has a dual core processor, dedicated graphics, good battery life and its less than $500.

...and Macs are waaay overpriced for the performance they provide.[/QUOTE]

I get you called PC cheap ass for a reason :p But thats a decent price but I kind of need it for gaming, but thanks for the suggestion.

[quote name='forteblast']If you're on a budget there's no reason to get a Mac unless you absolutely need things you can't run in Windows. A PC with the same specs ALWAYS costs less than a Mac. Always.[/QUOTE]

True, but I work for Apple so it would make life a lot more easier. I have an old G5 powerbook (which is still working) which I never use any more so the machines are reliable. But like you said the cost is a major factor especially in this situation so I need a good gaming PC rig.

[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Let me as you this, OP: do you want to pay vastly more for a lower spec machine, with an OS that a lot fewer games will run on?

If you can come up with a good answer to this question, then I guess buy the Macbook.[/QUOTE]

Boot camp? But I like the fact that Windows based laptops mostly have a HDMI port on them. I think I've made a decision but I can't afford the likes of an Alienware machine so any other suggestions? By the way thanks for the input guys. Much obliged.
 
Computers are never good investments. It's like a car, it's necessary and you like performance, but you lose most of the value immediately and all of the value over a number of years.

Technically you can install a Mac operating system on a PC. Especially easier now that Mac's use the same processors etc. But.... it's technically illegal since Mac has a closed operating system and they won't support it on a PC. But it has been done before.

Don't you get a better deal for working with Apple? There are only two reasons to get an apple.

1. Reliability. The fact that they use a closed system and most hackers ignore the Mac helps them out here. I don't think the power decrease that you have to give up or the $ premium to get the same power as a PC is worth it.

2. Video editing. Some people swear by Final Cut Pro. It's been since college since I've used Final Cut Pro, but Premiere Pro CS5 is a great replacement. CS5 is much cheaper (as usual for PC), you can get it in a great bundle with Photoshop, etc, its reliability is top notch (finally Adobe) and there are several reviews out there saying that Premiere has surpassed Final Cut Pro as the defacto video editing software (opinions will of course vary).

Everything else goes to PC. Easier to upgrade, cheaper, better compatibility, etc.

I also wouldn't recommend getting a gaming laptop. You are going to pay a lot of premium and the performance is only going to be about half that of the most powerful desktop. My thought is getting an average laptop (with the miminal amount of power necessary) and spend less than $600 on a laptop. Then spend $1,000 on a desktop and get an awesome machine. Really any laptop (unless your budget is > $2,000) is going to have a hard time doing video editing and playing games at max setting. Then in 2 years forgetabout it. A $600 laptop would get you the ability to play games although they won't have all the eye candy. Then you switch to the desktop when you really want to be blown away or to fly through video editing.
 
If you want something now, get a PC. New mobile processors just came out and you can get one reasonably cheap from HP or Dell. Macbooks have antiquated CPUs/GPUs in them (especially that unit you're looking at. Core 2 Duos are over a year old! You shouldn't be paying $1k+ for one). Hopefully they'll be updated sometime soon, but, right now, you get even less bang for your buck than normal. I've been shopping for a new laptop recently as well, and settled on an HP, though I'm waiting for their usual slate of Christmas-time deals.
 
[quote name='smallsharkbigbite'] I also wouldn't recommend getting a gaming laptop. You are going to pay a lot of premium and the performance is only going to be about half that of the most powerful desktop. My thought is getting an average laptop (with the miminal amount of power necessary) and spend less than $600 on a laptop. Then spend $1,000 on a desktop and get an awesome machine. Really any laptop (unless your budget is > $2,000) is going to have a hard time doing video editing and playing games at max setting. Then in 2 years forgetabout it. A $600 laptop would get you the ability to play games although they won't have all the eye candy. Then you switch to the desktop when you really want to be blown away or to fly through video editing.[/QUOTE]This. You'll probably be able to find a pretty good laptop for about $400 on black friday. Then you can spend about 800 or 900 on an nice gaming desktop.
 
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