noiseordinance Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 I am not the type to buy extended warranties, but I would highly recommend applecare. I've seen it pay for itself more than enough times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted July 28, 2011 Administrator Share Posted July 28, 2011 I've used every consumer or "workstation" version of Windows except 2.0 (Yes, that's right... including Windows 1.0...), six separate Unix OSes, more versions of Linux than I can count, and a bunch of mostly-forgotten oddballs like OS/2... and I STILL found myself going back to Mac when it came time to buy my very first personally-owned laptop. I've struggled with Windows' crashes, driver incompatibilities, earned my MCSE, and the like. Heck, I can still tell you three things that use IRQ 5. Buy a Mac. The price difference is worth the difference in stability and ease of use. If your program forces you to buy a PC, buy Parallels and an educational copy of Windows 7--about $150 for the pair. If they're not telling you to buy a specific vendor and model number, then they don't care about your hardware. Parallels and Windows 7 make my MacBook Pro a better Windows machine than most of Dell's current offerings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted July 28, 2011 Administrator Share Posted July 28, 2011 I've used every consumer or "workstation" version of Windows except 2.0 (Yes, that's right... including Windows 1.0...), six separate Unix OSes, more versions of Linux than I can count, and a bunch of mostly-forgotten oddballs like OS/2... and I STILL found myself going back to Mac when it came time to buy my very first personally-owned laptop. I've struggled with Windows' crashes, driver incompatibilities, earned my MCSE, and the like. Heck, I can still tell you three things that use IRQ 5. Buy a Mac. The price difference is worth the difference in stability and ease of use. If your program forces you to buy a PC, buy Parallels and an educational copy of Windows 7--about $150 for the pair. If they're not telling you to buy a specific vendor and model number, then they don't care about your hardware. Parallels and Windows 7 make my MacBook Pro a better Windows machine than most of Dell's current offerings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseordinance Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 A "better Windows machine" is LOLable. :) Parallels has it's it's own problems for sure, and there's no way that an operating system emulating another operating system in a virtual environment runs faster / better than it does running natively on similar hardware. Not only is the emulation slower once inside of Windows, it's also time consuming to boot OSX only to boot Windows 7 on top of it. I use Parallels all the time and love it, but get real! If your program REQUIRES Windows and you have the money to spend on a Macbook, Parallels and Windows 7, go for it. It won't do Windows as well as a PC does Windows, but you'll get one hell of a laptop (and you also get a neat sticker to put on your car to show the world the type of computer you use!). If you are looking to save money, and want a computer that will still do everything you need, go PC (I like Dell, Asus and HP). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseordinance Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 A "better Windows machine" is LOLable. :) Parallels has it's it's own problems for sure, and there's no way that an operating system emulating another operating system in a virtual environment runs faster / better than it does running natively on similar hardware. Not only is the emulation slower once inside of Windows, it's also time consuming to boot OSX only to boot Windows 7 on top of it. I use Parallels all the time and love it, but get real! If your program REQUIRES Windows and you have the money to spend on a Macbook, Parallels and Windows 7, go for it. It won't do Windows as well as a PC does Windows, but you'll get one hell of a laptop (and you also get a neat sticker to put on your car to show the world the type of computer you use!). If you are looking to save money, and want a computer that will still do everything you need, go PC (I like Dell, Asus and HP). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Apple has excellent quality control and the MacBooks are great laptops. About 1/3 of my classmates have Macs and I've only heard of compatibility issues only rarely (our program uses mostly MS Office and some online class websites). In my opinion, however, the Macbook's cost is not competitive with other laptops. A mac would've cost twice as much as my most recent PC laptop with similar specs AND I can play computer games on it (most games won't play on the mac). My PC has been reliable (do your research and buy a reliable brand such as Asus or IBM/Lenovo, not Dell and certainly not HP) and I've never gotten virus, malware or spyware using free antivirus you can download online. One more tip when PA laptop shopping is to get a smaller/lighter laptop, I'd suggest a 13.3". You want something light and portable because you'll be lugging it in and out of class everyday and some programs don't give you much deskspace. Long battery life is nice if you like to study at places that don't have an outlet nearby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Apple has excellent quality control and the MacBooks are great laptops. About 1/3 of my classmates have Macs and I've only heard of compatibility issues only rarely (our program uses mostly MS Office and some online class websites). In my opinion, however, the Macbook's cost is not competitive with other laptops. A mac would've cost twice as much as my most recent PC laptop with similar specs AND I can play computer games on it (most games won't play on the mac). My PC has been reliable (do your research and buy a reliable brand such as Asus or IBM/Lenovo, not Dell and certainly not HP) and I've never gotten virus, malware or spyware using free antivirus you can download online. One more tip when PA laptop shopping is to get a smaller/lighter laptop, I'd suggest a 13.3". You want something light and portable because you'll be lugging it in and out of class everyday and some programs don't give you much deskspace. Long battery life is nice if you like to study at places that don't have an outlet nearby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted July 28, 2011 Administrator Share Posted July 28, 2011 A "better Windows machine" is LOLable. :) Parallels has it's it's own problems for sure, and there's no way that an operating system emulating another operating system in a virtual environment runs faster / better than it does running natively on similar hardware. Not only is the emulation slower once inside of Windows, it's also time consuming to boot OSX only to boot Windows 7 on top of it. I use Parallels all the time and love it, but get real! I've not had many problems with Parallels: upgrades have been seamless, performance is fine. Of course, I bought an i7 MacBook Pro, with 8GB of Flash, so "booting" OS X is a matter of opening the screen (~1 sec), beyond that, Parallels takes ~5 seconds to load, and the Windows 7 VM takes 15 seconds to resume. I think you underestimate how well the native VM functions in the higher-end Core processors have reduced the overhead. Of course, I can boot Linux in Parallels, too, if I wanted, but the BSD underneath OS X is close enough. I once multi-booted one system to OS/2 Warp, Slackware, Windows 3.11, Windows NT Server 3.51, and NeXTStep 3.3. THAT was a pain in the rear, and it really spent most of its time in NeXTStep. That is to say, I have scars from getting machines to Multi-boot, and it's in that context that I say that running Windows 7 under OS X is fabulously easier than past ways to get Mac and Windows to work together. If price is your object, don't buy a Mac. If value is, buy a Mac. Look at it this way: You're going to be on this computer every day for the first HALF of the time while you're spending $70-110K+ (or whatever) plus opportunity costs to attend PA school. Buying a $3k laptop instead of a $799 Best Buy closeout is not really that much of an investment, considering it will pay for itself incrementally every day in ease of use and stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted July 28, 2011 Administrator Share Posted July 28, 2011 A "better Windows machine" is LOLable. :) Parallels has it's it's own problems for sure, and there's no way that an operating system emulating another operating system in a virtual environment runs faster / better than it does running natively on similar hardware. Not only is the emulation slower once inside of Windows, it's also time consuming to boot OSX only to boot Windows 7 on top of it. I use Parallels all the time and love it, but get real! I've not had many problems with Parallels: upgrades have been seamless, performance is fine. Of course, I bought an i7 MacBook Pro, with 8GB of Flash, so "booting" OS X is a matter of opening the screen (~1 sec), beyond that, Parallels takes ~5 seconds to load, and the Windows 7 VM takes 15 seconds to resume. I think you underestimate how well the native VM functions in the higher-end Core processors have reduced the overhead. Of course, I can boot Linux in Parallels, too, if I wanted, but the BSD underneath OS X is close enough. I once multi-booted one system to OS/2 Warp, Slackware, Windows 3.11, Windows NT Server 3.51, and NeXTStep 3.3. THAT was a pain in the rear, and it really spent most of its time in NeXTStep. That is to say, I have scars from getting machines to Multi-boot, and it's in that context that I say that running Windows 7 under OS X is fabulously easier than past ways to get Mac and Windows to work together. If price is your object, don't buy a Mac. If value is, buy a Mac. Look at it this way: You're going to be on this computer every day for the first HALF of the time while you're spending $70-110K+ (or whatever) plus opportunity costs to attend PA school. Buying a $3k laptop instead of a $799 Best Buy closeout is not really that much of an investment, considering it will pay for itself incrementally every day in ease of use and stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseordinance Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Or you can just do like me and install OSX on a Dell. In seriousness, spending $70-100k on tuition definitely makes spending a $1-2k extra on a laptop seem trivial, but I can see many better ways to spend it. How about eating better food, changing that timing belt on your car (or other transportation maintenance), adding additional professional clothes to the wardrobe, or simply having $1-2k in emergency funds set aside for whatever twists life sends your way. Macs are a luxury. It's like debating between an Acura and a Honda. The Acura looks nicer, and some may say that the looks and bells and whistles are worth the money. But in terms of getting where you need to go, there's no way an Acura has better value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseordinance Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Or you can just do like me and install OSX on a Dell. In seriousness, spending $70-100k on tuition definitely makes spending a $1-2k extra on a laptop seem trivial, but I can see many better ways to spend it. How about eating better food, changing that timing belt on your car (or other transportation maintenance), adding additional professional clothes to the wardrobe, or simply having $1-2k in emergency funds set aside for whatever twists life sends your way. Macs are a luxury. It's like debating between an Acura and a Honda. The Acura looks nicer, and some may say that the looks and bells and whistles are worth the money. But in terms of getting where you need to go, there's no way an Acura has better value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran0480 Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 I appreciate all the responses I've gotten. You've all been very thorough and given me lots of good advice, as well as things to think about. Because money is only somewhat of an issue, I'll probably end up buying a refurbished Mac (I'm Mac/PC ambidextrous). That way, if a program requires I get a PC in the future, I won't have blown all my money. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran0480 Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 I appreciate all the responses I've gotten. You've all been very thorough and given me lots of good advice, as well as things to think about. Because money is only somewhat of an issue, I'll probably end up buying a refurbished Mac (I'm Mac/PC ambidextrous). That way, if a program requires I get a PC in the future, I won't have blown all my money. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanna.nola Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I love my $250 netbook from Eee...Got me through the entire didactic 15 months...I also could lug it around easily cause I liked to walk/bike to school...It really is your own preference...Just make sure you have powerpoint...I tried to get by on an opensource version of powerpoint, and eventually just broke down and bought it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanna.nola Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I love my $250 netbook from Eee...Got me through the entire didactic 15 months...I also could lug it around easily cause I liked to walk/bike to school...It really is your own preference...Just make sure you have powerpoint...I tried to get by on an opensource version of powerpoint, and eventually just broke down and bought it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MalibuCA Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I would get a Mac or Sony... just don't get an HP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MalibuCA Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I would get a Mac or Sony... just don't get an HP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCHMITTIE120 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I am using the original 15in MacBook Pro that I got a few months before my undergrad. Going on 5.5 years strong and I have not had a single problem with it (almost done with didactic). I do use it for more than word processing though so it was a good buy for me. I don't anticipate having to buy another laptop for myself for another year or two. I would always recommend a Mac if you can afford one but a lot of my class have the cheap netbooks and seem to not have any problems with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCHMITTIE120 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I am using the original 15in MacBook Pro that I got a few months before my undergrad. Going on 5.5 years strong and I have not had a single problem with it (almost done with didactic). I do use it for more than word processing though so it was a good buy for me. I don't anticipate having to buy another laptop for myself for another year or two. I would always recommend a Mac if you can afford one but a lot of my class have the cheap netbooks and seem to not have any problems with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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