You are viewing our Forum Archives. To view or take place in current topics click here.
New Laptop? | Opinions
Posted:

New Laptop? | OpinionsPosted:

KyIie
  • Ladder Climber
Status: Offline
Joined: Jul 11, 20176Year Member
Posts: 344
Reputation Power: 54
Status: Offline
Joined: Jul 11, 20176Year Member
Posts: 344
Reputation Power: 54
Hey guys, so I'm searching for a new laptop for school. I don't need the laptop for games or anything, only professional use. I'm going to use the laptop for research, typing, editing, and collaboration. So what are your guys' opinions on these 3 laptops which I'm considering purchasing


Macbook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro
#2. Posted:
Visxal
  • Summer 2023
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 07, 20158Year Member
Posts: 2,261
Reputation Power: 332
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 07, 20158Year Member
Posts: 2,261
Reputation Power: 332
Not a fan of Macbooks.
#3. Posted:
HybridMods
  • Christmas!
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 06, 20149Year Member
Posts: 1,269
Reputation Power: 66
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 06, 20149Year Member
Posts: 1,269
Reputation Power: 66
why not save yourself a thousand dollars and buy another brand? HP or Dell has some AMAZING school laptops that will do the job. If you are only writing papers and doing homework on them for classes, i would buy a chromebook. Most schools use google drive and such for work now so it would be perfect. If you are doing graphic design work, like i said any cheaper laptop can run photoshop on it.

It's not up to me but with Apple you are literally paying thousands for a brand.

Good luck!
#4. Posted:
juno
  • Comment King
Status: Offline
Joined: Mar 10, 201311Year Member
Posts: 3,360
Reputation Power: 10221
Motto: https://kick.com/cycl3z
Motto: https://kick.com/cycl3z
Status: Offline
Joined: Mar 10, 201311Year Member
Posts: 3,360
Reputation Power: 10221
Motto: https://kick.com/cycl3z
The MacBook is the one you're gonna be able to do all of that just fine!
#5. Posted:
Hangar
  • Summer 2023
Status: Offline
Joined: Apr 28, 20158Year Member
Posts: 1,588
Reputation Power: 1644
Motto: ???????????????????????????
Motto: ???????????????????????????
Status: Offline
Joined: Apr 28, 20158Year Member
Posts: 1,588
Reputation Power: 1644
Motto: ???????????????????????????
macbook air
#6. Posted:
TaigaAisaka
  • E3 2016
Status: Offline
Joined: Aug 22, 201211Year Member
Posts: 7,383
Reputation Power: 509
Status: Offline
Joined: Aug 22, 201211Year Member
Posts: 7,383
Reputation Power: 509
Okay, so before you get flooded with more "buy this Mac" if you want to save money, as HybridMods already said, get an HP or Dell laptop. Hell, even an ASUS laptop. If you're just using it for research, typing, editing and collaboration, then there's very little reason to spend a thousand or more on a laptop because it has Apple's logo slapped on it, unless you're hellbent on the macOS and "need" it or unless you're doing web development since Mac is on Unix and even then, I would tell someone to go to Linux if they knew what they were doing like the back of their hand. Research and typing can be done on any sort of laptop, not anything that Mac is needed for. Editing and collaboration are where it falls into place. What exactly are you editing? Music, videos, photos, putting together a power point for what you researched? Collaboration, such as working together on a project through Skype, TeamViewer, ect? All of these you can do with a Windows PC too. Yes Mac gets the photo and video editing software installed with it, but if that's not what you need, then it doesn't justify it's price point.

Let me just give you an example at how stupidly overpriced Mac laptops are, using another stupidly overpriced company -- Alienware. I hate Alienware but let's take a look.

The most expensive Macbook Pro is $2,800. [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Specs as follow:

2.9GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor

Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz

16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory

512GB SSD storage

Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory

Four Thunderbolt 3 ports

Touch Bar and Touch ID


So looking pretty good you would assume?

Well Alienware for around $300 cheaper, you get a laptop that destroys the Mac and would compete against desktops in terms of gaming and editing from the specs alone. I know you mentioned you're not gaming, but this is just to show.

Click "components" [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Specs as follow:

i7-7820HK @ 2.90 GHz, OC to 4.4 GHz

32 GB DDR4 @ 2400 MHz

1070 GPU

512 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD

RGB Keyboard

4 Thunderbolt 3.0 Port


So the only thing the Mac has the upper-hand at, is Touch ID and Touch Bar, but Alienware offers Eye Tracking which can be used to unlock your PC. Why someone would want that, who knows. What I'm saying, is two overpriced brands going at each other, one comes out with better specs. Better CPU and OC range, much better RAM, GPU blows away Mac's, much higher storage in an SSD and HDD combo.

The bottom line, is you don't need to spend this much money on a laptop. Apple products are overpriced for their computers and that's simply because the Apple logo is slapped on. If Alienware of all shitty companies is able to offer a laptop - that you can customise and change what you want in there - at a price point of Mac and completely destroy Mac spec wise, there's an issue going on. Unless you're web developing, you simply NEED Apple's software or just hellbent on the macOS, there's no reason to pay so much for them. You can get an HP, Dell, ASUS, ect, get the performance you need for the tasks you're doing without breaking your bank.

The only thing I would say Apple does better than most of these companies when it comes to the laptop, is they're actually repairable by your own means if something ends up breaking or if you have to send it in, they will have the part to fix for you, instead of "we're out of the part" and hold your laptop hostage for a few weeks or longer. Also no, this reply isn't coming from an Apple hater, I stuck with Apple phones all the way until late 2016 and even used to have MacBook Pro in 2012 and once again in 2014. Just paying this much for a brand name, when you can get better specs or specs close enough for cheaper is ridiculous.
#7. Posted:
OP
  • Mind Charity
Status: Offline
Joined: Aug 06, 201211Year Member
Posts: 4,024
Reputation Power: 7011
Motto: Inconsistently Active oops
Motto: Inconsistently Active oops
Status: Offline
Joined: Aug 06, 201211Year Member
Posts: 4,024
Reputation Power: 7011
Motto: Inconsistently Active oops
I would go with one of the old pros without the touchbar because those are stupidly priced for no reason.
#8. Posted:
Palika1
  • Resident Elite
Status: Offline
Joined: Aug 29, 201013Year Member
Posts: 269
Reputation Power: 11
Status: Offline
Joined: Aug 29, 201013Year Member
Posts: 269
Reputation Power: 11
i would just go for a Windows PC which has the specifications for the required programs you would use. Between macs and PC i have both a Asus i7 8gb RAM and Macbook pro 2016 i5 16GB RAM. Personal preference is the Macbook as it does look more professional when out of comfort zone hours. between the 2 Windows and Apple my personal opinion Macbooks are highly priced which drives stupidity of people to buy instead of budgeting.

But between choosing those 3 id recommend a early 2015/2016 macbook pro
#9. Posted:
mhm
  • V5 Launch
Status: Offline
Joined: Dec 28, 201310Year Member
Posts: 2,359
Reputation Power: 213
Status: Offline
Joined: Dec 28, 201310Year Member
Posts: 2,359
Reputation Power: 213
Palika1 wrote i would just go for a Windows PC which has the specifications for the required programs you would use. Between macs and PC i have both a Asus i7 8gb RAM and Macbook pro 2016 i5 16GB RAM. Personal preference is the Macbook as it does look more professional when out of comfort zone hours. between the 2 Windows and Apple my personal opinion Macbooks are highly priced which drives stupidity of people to buy instead of budgeting.

But between choosing those 3 id recommend a early 2015/2016 macbook pro

He's looking for a laptop for school work.

I would suggest asus, they are reliable and have good specifications for the price and their design on most laptops are beautiful.
#10. Posted:
HybridMods
  • Christmas!
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 06, 20149Year Member
Posts: 1,269
Reputation Power: 66
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 06, 20149Year Member
Posts: 1,269
Reputation Power: 66
TaigaAisaka wrote Okay, so before you get flooded with more "buy this Mac" if you want to save money, as HybridMods already said, get an HP or Dell laptop. Hell, even an ASUS laptop. If you're just using it for research, typing, editing and collaboration, then there's very little reason to spend a thousand or more on a laptop because it has Apple's logo slapped on it, unless you're hellbent on the macOS and "need" it or unless you're doing web development since Mac is on Unix and even then, I would tell someone to go to Linux if they knew what they were doing like the back of their hand. Research and typing can be done on any sort of laptop, not anything that Mac is needed for. Editing and collaboration are where it falls into place. What exactly are you editing? Music, videos, photos, putting together a power point for what you researched? Collaboration, such as working together on a project through Skype, TeamViewer, ect? All of these you can do with a Windows PC too. Yes Mac gets the photo and video editing software installed with it, but if that's not what you need, then it doesn't justify it's price point.

Let me just give you an example at how stupidly overpriced Mac laptops are, using another stupidly overpriced company -- Alienware. I hate Alienware but let's take a look.

The most expensive Macbook Pro is $2,800. [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Specs as follow:

2.9GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor

Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz

16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory

512GB SSD storage

Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory

Four Thunderbolt 3 ports

Touch Bar and Touch ID


So looking pretty good you would assume?

Well Alienware for around $300 cheaper, you get a laptop that destroys the Mac and would compete against desktops in terms of gaming and editing from the specs alone. I know you mentioned you're not gaming, but this is just to show.

Click "components" [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Specs as follow:

i7-7820HK @ 2.90 GHz, OC to 4.4 GHz

32 GB DDR4 @ 2400 MHz

1070 GPU

512 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD

RGB Keyboard

4 Thunderbolt 3.0 Port


So the only thing the Mac has the upper-hand at, is Touch ID and Touch Bar, but Alienware offers Eye Tracking which can be used to unlock your PC. Why someone would want that, who knows. What I'm saying, is two overpriced brands going at each other, one comes out with better specs. Better CPU and OC range, much better RAM, GPU blows away Mac's, much higher storage in an SSD and HDD combo.

The bottom line, is you don't need to spend this much money on a laptop. Apple products are overpriced for their computers and that's simply because the Apple logo is slapped on. If Alienware of all shitty companies is able to offer a laptop - that you can customise and change what you want in there - at a price point of Mac and completely destroy Mac spec wise, there's an issue going on. Unless you're web developing, you simply NEED Apple's software or just hellbent on the macOS, there's no reason to pay so much for them. You can get an HP, Dell, ASUS, ect, get the performance you need for the tasks you're doing without breaking your bank.

The only thing I would say Apple does better than most of these companies when it comes to the laptop, is they're actually repairable by your own means if something ends up breaking or if you have to send it in, they will have the part to fix for you, instead of "we're out of the part" and hold your laptop hostage for a few weeks or longer. Also no, this reply isn't coming from an Apple hater, I stuck with Apple phones all the way until late 2016 and even used to have MacBook Pro in 2012 and once again in 2014. Just paying this much for a brand name, when you can get better specs or specs close enough for cheaper is ridiculous.
Also to add to my statement of why not choose a cheaper laptop, Windows IS VERY VERSATILE when using different programs as well. Apple OS locks a lot of programs from being able to work.
Jump to:
You are viewing our Forum Archives. To view or take place in current topics click here.