10 Reasons I Spent $3,000 on a MacBook Pro

[the inquisitor]

hmmm... my post is somewhat out of order.... oh well. sorry but the main points are windows desktops cost less for the same thing, mac uses slave labor, the parts for a mac are of no higher quality than a pc's, there's a windows pc with good aesthetics for anyone, and I don't think the writer of this article researched prices on newegg or looked into mac's manufacturing history

 

[BillLake]

I am maybe at my desk 5 hours a week, the rest of the time I am either in the field or working on my lab, I do plug in throughout the day otherwise even my quoted "consistently able to use this laptop for five hours on a charge thanks to the design." would not last me through my 10-12 hour days.

The ASUS laptop is a Huge at 11+ lbs, so be my guest and tote that bad boy around.


[citation][nom]tipmen[/nom]ASUS W90Vp-X1 better laptop eh? Yes, i agree it isn't exactly portable but for lan gaming or desktop replacement it does very well. The price isn't bad and i could care less about the little features i care how it preforms. LED keyboard now your just spoiled sounding like the year old not getting his way!http/www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6834220503$2,199.9912 cell battery (kinda needed)T9600 cpu 2.8 ghz18.4" inch screen plus for meATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2 (speaks for itself)6 gbs ddr2 800320 gb 7200 rpm HD2.0 megapixel webcam with autofocus!Altec Lansing Surround Sound Speakers with SubwooferMore detailshttp/www.notebookreview.com/defa [...] +w90+w90vpI've realized here at toms apple is hated deeply by a lot of the users and you decided to go against the grain lol good job. I have no doubt the mac (pc) isn't a nice laptop! Better be damn well be for that price. For me i care about the hardware/price and this laptop is one beast for the money only thing your laptop beats this in is the memory (DDR3) and i really doubt it makes any difference. Bag on me for not having the shiny case or a battery life of 8 hours but i bet you leave yous plugged in at your desk 90% of the time. Sure don't forget the nifty features but who gets 30+ fps in crysis on max in 1920 1080? I'd use a mouse and a different keyboard so laptop keyboard and touch pad would be wasted.Took my time to show you this lovely laptop as you shown us yours.Ps this might of been on here before i don't remember.[/citation]

 

[BillLake]

I wish more of everything were built here.

[citation][nom]vito0001[/nom]Macs= more or less a better looking computing device made with more or less the same ODM stuff from Taiwan and assembled in cheap labor Chinese factory's just like the less cool Acers and XXX brands, but for what they charge it should be made here in the U S of you know where....I guess Apple can get away with it because Apple is so cool.[/citation]

 

[cadder]

OK I think your referencing the Dell E6500, that looks like a pretty nice unit. It is closer in comparison to the MacBook Pro 15" and even there it is slightly less expensive. It is limited to a 256MB video card, 250GB HDD, and lacks the backlit keyboard.

The E6500 is available with backlit keyboard, and I ordered mine with it. I ordered the LED screen as well, and later on we figured out that it is the same 15" screen that Apple uses. The E6500 is a workstation quality machine, but it is intended for users that don't need a higher powered GPU. Their very similar M4400 gives you the choice of more powerful GPU's. I was advised to look at "W" series units from Lenovo, and some HP workstations as well, but I liked the Dell better and it cost less when configured. I got the P9500 processor, equal to the T9600 but it uses less power. Comparing the E6500 to the 17" Macbook there aren't a lot of differences but there are some- mainly the faster GPU and better battery, AND the 17" screen. A quality machine with 17" display will just cost more, no way around that. The price comparison I posted earlier was with the Dell 17" (M6400 I think). Except for battery technology, it is pretty comparable to the Mac, but costs about the same too. It has the metal case, 17" LED screen, faster processor and GPU.

For comparison, I priced a Dell Studio 17. This would be a budget model compared to the Mac, but still has pretty good specs. I think it is just over 8 pounds, with 2.4GHz processor, 320GB hard drive, 1920x1200 LED display, 9 cell battery, it comes out about $1550.

 

[vito0001]

[citation][nom]billlake[/nom]I wish more of everything were built here.[/citation]
Hear hear.

 

[BillLake]

Sorry, I never wanted to sound like anything makes you better. I was just playing off his comment. I kind of got carried away with the reply thing. Sorry, I really just think that sometimes pick something because it fits your needs. In this case, I think I might have tried something else but the Apple is well designed and I wish more vendors would stop making checklist designs and make better laptops.

[citation][nom]tipmen[/nom]Your too cocky reason why i wouldn't buy a mac once you do your somehow better...? the people who own macs (pcs) do because they have this need to be better then the avg joe.[/citation]

 

[BillLake]

Great work, Dell has some pretty compelling products. I wish they made it easier to find what you want. They used to show all the products on one page, but now you kind of have to hunt around. So lets say you pick home on the first screen then you never see many models that might fit your needs or wants.



[citation][nom]cadder[/nom]The E6500 is available with backlit keyboard, and I ordered mine with it. I ordered the LED screen as well, and later on we figured out that it is the same 15" screen that Apple uses. The E6500 is a workstation quality machine, but it is intended for users that don't need a higher powered GPU. Their very similar M4400 gives you the choice of more powerful GPU's. I was advised to look at "W" series units from Lenovo, and some HP workstations as well, but I liked the Dell better and it cost less when configured. I got the P9500 processor, equal to the T9600 but it uses less power. Comparing the E6500 to the 17" Macbook there aren't a lot of differences but there are some- mainly the faster GPU and better battery, AND the 17" screen. A quality machine with 17" display will just cost more, no way around that. The price comparison I posted earlier was with the Dell 17" (M6400 I think). Except for battery technology, it is pretty comparable to the Mac, but costs about the same too. It has the metal case, 17" LED screen, faster processor and GPU.For comparison, I priced a Dell Studio 17. This would be a budget model compared to the Mac, but still has pretty good specs. I think it is just over 8 pounds, with 2.4GHz processor, 320GB hard drive, 1920x1200 LED display, 9 cell battery, it comes out about $1550.[/citation]

 

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]croc[/nom]You and Rachel are spending too much time trying to justify an article that Dr. Pabst would have never allowed to be posted... No comparisons, no benchmarks, this is really just an opinion piece trying to stir up clicks methinks. Black keyboard? Really hard to see with any glare on it, back-lit or not. Battery run time? No tests run, so I guess we'll just have to take your word for it, eh? Thanks, but I'd prefer some idle / load tests run. Backlit screen? Not enough nits for you without? Again, only opinion, no measurements. Enough of this. For your next effort, please include some metrics to justify your article / blog. From this post, I see no reason to get this craptop over any other. And could you please tell me what the maximum throughput of OC192 is? Or what an ATM 'ring' is?[/citation]
Croc--

Let me guess--you're a long-time Tom's Hardware reader. Welcome. You must have by now realized that Tom's Guide is not all about benchmarking--so it may not be your kind of thing. That said, I'm happy you took the time to read this opinion piece (which is not a review). Thanks for participating in the discussion.

Rachel

 

[judeh101]

why waste that money when you can get a way much more powerful gaming laptop?

 

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]judeh101[/nom]why waste that money when you can get a way much more powerful gaming laptop?[/citation]
I thought everyone at Tom's Hardware thinks that "gaming laptop" is an oxymoron. Laptops are for carrying around....the lighter the better!

 

[judeh101]

[citation][nom]TomsGuideRachel[/nom]I thought everyone at Tom's Hardware thinks that "gaming laptop" is an oxymoron. Laptops are for carrying around....the lighter the better![/citation]
true, true, but still, I would much rather get a better laptop at that price.

 

[vito0001]

[citation][nom]judeh101[/nom]true, true, but still, I would much rather get a better laptop at that price.[/citation]
or two.

 

[ohim]

Now the trick question is why the hell do you invest 3k $ in a laptop ? You usualy do only your office work on it, you can buy yourself a 1k $ laptop that will do the office work just fine , and with the 2k ammoun invest into a gaming Destkop that will smash that Mac in 3D performance you get 2 in the price of one in the end 😉

 

[BillLake]

I thought about the Alienware and even trying the new MSI unit but in the end, the light weight portability of the Apple won over pure gaming power. You want a DTR then they are great but once you get over 8 lbs then you really restrict the portability. I have to be mobile but I do game on it. I play COD4 which runs nice on this, I also got Bioshock going on it and it looks great.



[citation][nom]judeh101[/nom]why waste that money when you can get a way much more powerful gaming laptop?[/citation]

 

[BillLake]

I like you guys chatting in but give me a comparable laptop at 1/2 the price? Come on, I just searched NewEgg and found 5 laptops with 1920x1200.

the cheapest was the MSI at $1600. Now you might consider that one but many, even the people who rated it well said it has a bad keyboard. Since I use the internal keyboard all the time, no chance I am using that.

Next a gateway, I saw one like it at best buy, lots of keyboard flex and weighs in 8.4 lbs, next

Asus with great specs, but I tried the ASUS keyboards they are soft and I double tapped to many keys, they did not have this exact model but it also weighs 2 lbs more and cost 2199

Asus M70 looks like some major competition, it has all the checklist items you could want but it cost almost the same at $2400 and no backlit keyboard, although I did consider it, my experience again with Asus keyboards was less than I expected and I can't be checking every router configuration I do multiple times because I am unsure of my keystrokes, and it also weighs over 8lbs

I was really torn to spend this much on a laptop but I will keep this for 2 1/2 to 3 years as my main laptop. I will use it daily so that makes the cost about $3 a day. Less than many pay for a fancy cup of coffee.

 

[flip_x]

you wanna know why they have good customer service???

because not many people have it to complain!!

 

[BillLake]

Well I actually think Apple reliability is about the same as any good brand, but the almost always win customer service awards because they work at being good at it. So some of the extra money you spend goes to training people at the stores to be good at their jobs. Plus you can make appointments to be helped on the spot. Very nice

[citation][nom]flip_x[/nom]you wanna know why they have good customer service???because not many people have it to complain!![/citation]

 

[truehighroller]

Personally I think he spent to much money for a laptop. I have that much money , maybe a little more in my desktop PC at home. I will also add that it is his money and hey, spend it how you want to. I must also say that I think that Rachel should marry me LMAO. I love a woman with fiRE! :^P

 

[Shadow703793]

I admit OSX is a great OS but the Mac hardware is ALWAYS over priced. I could build a smiler system for a little less using one of the OCZ kits or spend a bit more and get a Falcon NW (over kill, I know but customer service is #1) or one from ibuypower,etc.

 

[marraco]

[citation][nom]TomsGuideRachel[/nom]Would be great to know your opinions about which features are especially overpriced here. Or, for you to show me another laptop with same features (or at least close) for a lot less money. That would really contribute a lot to this discussion and be much appreciated.[/citation]
¿No good quality SSD?