- 7,551
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- MattyTheDog
Soloracer3
Thanks. The thing i like most about it is the keyboard, having tried it in an apple store. Realistically i wont be getting one for a while, but enjoy yours
Buying a 2011 MBP 13", (bought, although not impressed with customer service @ apple)
- Thread starter Solo
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Thanks. The thing i like most about it is the keyboard, having tried it in an apple store. Realistically i wont be getting one for a while, but enjoy yours
Robin
Premium
- 16,799
- United Kingdom
Macbook now bought, the Apple customer service wasn't great at the Apple store, I got told the wrong info when I rang before and they didn't have my upgradeso I've got the bog standard MBP and if I change it myself I void the warranty, even though Apple advertise how to do it yourself and don't mention that it voids your warranty. So a little frustrated but very pleased overall with my new purchase
Could you not have just waited till they had the right one and not bought the normal one?
- 5,213
- Essex, UK
Robin.
No as to buy the right one I had to buy it online which meant I couldn't get the discount I was entitled to. Also I have decided just to get an external drive when I have the money as then I will have the 320gb and the 500gb external. Apple annoyed me a bit today as I mentioned before by telling me different things on the phone and in store.
- 6,131
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- SomaEightyFour
- MrVerloc
Apple class RAM and HDDs as a user serviceable parts and so replacing/upgrading it does not void warranty. It's only if you 🤬 it up by damaging it during installation that makes the warranty void. RAM and hard drives are super easy to install so relax.
For most people, it doesn't make sense. Unless you need a regular HDD, 8GB RAM or use a disc drive a lot and can't live with an external one.
I bought a MBP 13" '11 in April and sold it in July and bought a MBA 13" '11 instead. I was extremely happy with my MBP, which was my first Mac, but I am even happier with my MBA.
You can order it by phone and get the "big" student rebate. You should be able to customize it over phone, as well.
Ah right okays
I didn't see any when I opened up a MPB 13" '11 to change the HDD.
- 5,213
- Essex, UK
I have used the disc drive quite a few times already in the week that I have had it which has made the MBP over the MBA worthwhile already. I don't think I will sell this just upgrade in the future when I have the money. Ah okays I didn't know that
They told me in store that customisation was only online. Okays well that's useful to know when I get round to doing that đź‘Ť 
bevo
Premium
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- GTP_bevofrancis
- bevo francis
Thanks. The thing i like most about it is the keyboard, having tried it in an apple store. Realistically i wont be getting one for a while, but enjoy yours
Don't worry about not having yours yet. I have 2 macs, and they will be the last 2 macs I ever own. Don't worry about saving up money and getting one. Instead just buy a new decent windows laptop every year. You will be up to date with the tech, and you still would have spent more on the 4 year old, outdated macbook that you would still be using. I really enjoyed them at first, but I have had alot of trouble with the optical drive on the macbook. It broke in the first month, so we sent it off to get fixed, and now it's broke again. It's very slow compared to my 250$ compaq, and it cost over 1000$ more. We have had trouble with our imac also. It was really nice at first too, but it just kept getting slower and slower, until it finally went crazy, and now it doesn't know that it has airpoirt extreme, or a keyboard.
I've been on both sides. I was anti mac, then I got one and was a mac fanboy. After using both for years at a time, I just really can't see the point in the macs.
One thing to get for sure though for the mac, is the book, The Missing Manual for whichever os mac is using now. Anything I ever wanted to know was in there. It was also very well written and easy to understand. It's also nice because help for macs is harder to find then someone to help you with windows.
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- 7,551
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- MattyTheDog
bevo
Thanks for the advice đź‘Ť
- 1,002
- Northern VA
You're a man of extremes, bevo.
If you've had two lemon Macs I can get why you're soured, but I think that's more bad luck than general trend. Macs are generally rated well regarding reliability. Granted, this the personal computer industry, so "reliable" computers still seem to have pretty high incident rates. The slot loading drives do seem finicky though. I've had to deal with a lot of failing Sony Optiarcs, specifically, for clients. My personal bias is to spend good money on a well-made, compact, and fairly light laptop, whether it runs Mac OS or Windows. I really dislike the cheap laptops, often due to compromises in build, screen quality and resolution, weight, crapware, etc. I like Mac OS, and I really like the the way the current MacBooks are built, so I'm a fan of them.
When it comes to my desktops, the real strength of Windows PCs is that I can put together high performance, high value mid-range desktops myself. Apple doesn't even sell a tower design using "conventional" Core i5 or i7 processors. The Mac Pro is actually a decent value if you truly need an honest-to-goodness high end workstation, but I just can't justify one for my needs. The iMacs are really nice, but I don't like the idea of buying a high-end 27" display attached to a computer without a lot of easy upgrade options. My clients who have them love the 27" iMacs, but the only thing they ever upgrade is RAM. My Mac desktop is a mini, which is actually a great little machine. It's quiet, it's pleasant to use, it supports dual monitors, and it draws very little power. It's not good for gaming, But that's what my PC and consoles are for.
bevo
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- bevo francis
You're a man of extremes, bevo.
My personal bias is to spend good money on a well-made, compact, and fairly light laptop, whether it runs Mac OS or Windows. I really dislike the cheap laptops, often due to compromises in build, screen quality and resolution, weight, crapware, etc. I like Mac OS, and I really like the the way the current MacBooks are built, so I'm a fan of them.
When it comes to my desktops, the real strength of Windows PCs is that I can put together high performance, high value mid-range desktops myself. Apple doesn't even sell a tower design using "conventional" Core i5 or i7 processors. The Mac Pro is actually a decent value if you truly need an honest-to-goodness high end workstation, but I just can't justify one for my needs. The iMacs are really nice, but I don't like the idea of buying a high-end 27" display attached to a computer without a lot of easy upgrade options. My clients who have them love the 27" iMacs, but the only thing they ever upgrade is RAM. My Mac desktop is a mini, which is actually a great little machine. It's quiet, it's pleasant to use, it supports dual monitors, and it draws very little power. It's not good for gaming, But that's what my PC and consoles are for.
I really like macs os too. I just can't justify another 1200-2000 mac laptop or desktop for what you get. For much less $ you can get a windows based laptop, and just buy an entire new one each year and still have less money in a 4 year plan then by buying 1 macbook. And more then likely by the second year, your second 400$ windows laptop will be much better then the macbook that you bought a year ago for around 1200-2000$.
Unless you really do need the mac os for something, I really see no point at all in buying a mac. I just built a 1800$ pc, and I bet that mac doesn't offer anything at any price level that would even come close to it. I would go as far to say that you could build a 1000$ windows pc that any mac couldn't touch.
Like I said, I got really caught up in the mac hype until I owned a few for a couple years. The one place where I can see getting someone a mac, would be if they are very, very bad with computers. Macs are very user friendly, and easy to learn how to use. If I had a grandparent that wanted to get their first computer, I would probably try to get them to get a mac. But if a friend asked me what to get I woudl try my best to steer them away from one, exspecially if they had any interest at all in playing games.
Here is an example of the price difference.
Here are some of my pc specs I just built
i7-950 liquid cooled
120 gig ssd
12 gig 1600 ram
1tb hdd
gtx 570
rampage III motherboard
1000 watt power supply
1 dvd drive
I came in at right around 1800$
I use my plasma for the monitor, but after looking that macs don't come with one either,a nd if you buy a 27 inch one from them it's 1000$ for it.
Here is how much it would cost to build a mac similar to my pc. And the mac would not have an SSD because all they give the option for is a 512gig one for 1250$
The total would be 3624 $ and would have an inferior graphics card, no SSD, and slower ram. Here is where I configured it.
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC560LL/A?select=select&product=MC560LL/A&mco=MTg2OTUwMjQ
I really don't understand why anyone would want a mac, other then the reason I got one. I just wanted to give them a try. It literally costs twice as much as a windows pc and still lag behind in performance and options.
I'll be quit now and stay out of the thread. I just really want people to think about what their buying when they choose a mac. I wish I would have because I missed out on alot of computer fun when all I had for almost 2 years were macs.
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- 1,002
- Northern VA
I get the upside. If you just need a basic laptop, you can buy a cheap one, abuse it for a year, migrate to another cheap one after a year, lather, rinse repeat.
Still, a $400 laptop is not the same as a $1200 laptop - of any brand. It's not like the only difference is that the $1200 model is more expensive. I don't go bargain basement on laptops. I've got an early 2008 MacBook Pro through work (before the unibody design) and I don't see anything in the $400-$600 that would be a compelling replacement. Other than going from a Core 2 Duo to a Core i3 I'd be downgrading in a lot of ways. Migrating computers every year would also get pretty old.
Anyway, I'm not trying to suggest either shopping strategy is the only way to go. I'm just saying the cheap option is not without its own issues.
bevo
Premium
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- bevo francis
So spec wise how do these 2 computers compare
The first is the basic macbook pro for 1200$
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC700LL/A?select=select&product=MC700LL/A&mco=MjEyOTY3NTg
The second is a 400$ laptop on newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220763
It really doesn't seem 800$ better, or really any better at all. Maybe I'm wrong, and just don't know enough about computers, but it seems pretty close to me. I'm guessing that maybe the macbook has a little better intergrated graphics, but I'm not sure.
I really just can't think of any reason at all to go mac, unless it's jsut curiosity, or the absolute need for macs os. And really i can't think of any reason to need macs os. If you have money to burn and just want the name mac I understand. But other then that I just can't see it. If there are good reasons or cases where a mac would be worth spending the money on I would love to hear them. I actually liked the macs, I just couldn't see spending that much money for what I got, when I could spend that much on a traditional pc and get so much more.
Maybe I just don't know what I have with the macs, and have missed out on some of the plus side of the mac. I'll tell you one thing though, we have photoshop elements 8 on our macbook and my wifes cousin has it on the cheapest laptop walmart sells, and it runs better on the cheap walmart model. Maybe I just don't know what I'm doing, but all of my pc vs mac experience points to the pc in almsot everyway.
Now I'm really done, and rambling. I try not to get caught up in any pc vs mac, ps3 vs xbox debates, but everyonce in awhile I do. I just seen a guy mentioning he was thinking about getting a macbook, and I thought I would comment on it. I wish I would have listened to my friend a few years ago who declared macs stupid, and just stayed away from them.
The first is the basic macbook pro for 1200$
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC700LL/A?select=select&product=MC700LL/A&mco=MjEyOTY3NTg
The second is a 400$ laptop on newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220763
It really doesn't seem 800$ better, or really any better at all. Maybe I'm wrong, and just don't know enough about computers, but it seems pretty close to me. I'm guessing that maybe the macbook has a little better intergrated graphics, but I'm not sure.
I really just can't think of any reason at all to go mac, unless it's jsut curiosity, or the absolute need for macs os. And really i can't think of any reason to need macs os. If you have money to burn and just want the name mac I understand. But other then that I just can't see it. If there are good reasons or cases where a mac would be worth spending the money on I would love to hear them. I actually liked the macs, I just couldn't see spending that much money for what I got, when I could spend that much on a traditional pc and get so much more.
Maybe I just don't know what I have with the macs, and have missed out on some of the plus side of the mac. I'll tell you one thing though, we have photoshop elements 8 on our macbook and my wifes cousin has it on the cheapest laptop walmart sells, and it runs better on the cheap walmart model. Maybe I just don't know what I'm doing, but all of my pc vs mac experience points to the pc in almsot everyway.
Now I'm really done, and rambling. I try not to get caught up in any pc vs mac, ps3 vs xbox debates, but everyonce in awhile I do. I just seen a guy mentioning he was thinking about getting a macbook, and I thought I would comment on it. I wish I would have listened to my friend a few years ago who declared macs stupid, and just stayed away from them.
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- 1,002
- Northern VA
You're comparing two very different laptops. One is an entry level refurb, and the other is a premium smallish mid-range laptop. Specs and build quality are quite different. ASUS themselves make several other 13" range laptops with similar, in some cases better specs than that MacBook Pro you linked to. They go for around $900-$100. Perhaps you don't feel those higher end ASUS laptops are worth $500 more than the $400 refurb. That's fine. But there are differences. Is the Thunderbolt port, tight hardware/software integration and unibody aluminum design of the MacBook Pro worth a $200 premium over the $900 ASUS? Maybe not for you, but others might value those differences.
Hey, you don't have to like Macs. You tried them, you didn't like them or understand the appeal. Ain't nothing wrong with that.
bevo
Premium
- 2,483
- GTP_bevofrancis
- bevo francis
Thanks for not going all internet crazy on me. It was nice to have a discussion where someone didn't call the other one some kind of name. I guess it's not that I don't like them, I just didn't get what I was expecting out of mine in the long run. My wife still uses her macbook, and she likes it, but unless she figures out how to get a little more out of it, her next one will be a cheaper windows based pc.
Did you include the price of the plasma in that price? Don't forget that the quality of the monitor you get with an iMac is extremely high and alone would cost $800 - $1000. I also don't understand how anyone could use a plasma as a computer monitor, but each to his own, I guess.
I have a feeling that you only care about specifications and if that's the case, owning a Mac is definitely wrong. A Mac is much more than that. It's the entire experience and ease of use.
I switched to Mac this year after being interested in one for years and it is by far the best computer I have ever owned. There are definitely sacrifices (for example, terrible GPUs, so no gaming) to made if you decide to buy a Mac, but for me, it was worth it.
- 5,213
- Essex, UK
So far from what I've found my new OS X Lion MBP is much more intuitive and quicker loading times than other windows based laptops I use and have used in the past, things like gestures on the trackpad and the use of the Mac app store along with the excellent screen and keyboard (the backlighting is useful in low or little light situations). I do use my macbook for photo editing using GIMP which doesn't support some of the mac short cuts such as the use of cmd but it vastly quicker and runs smoother than on the families Windows 7 desktop pc. The productivity programmes such as keynote and pages that I have been using for school projects have some very clever and useful features and I am finding easier to manipulate than the MS Office equivalents and a large amount cheaper.
Sure I have a few niggles with it at the moment such as the Air port extreme seems to not like staying connected to the WiFi all the time even when there is internet connection and it gets massively hot when using it on my lap but I knew that would happen. I've found using it on a table or other hard surface gets around this issue of it getting so hot.
And I do agree the price tag is rather high mine was ÂŁ920, which many of my friends and family have questioned due to what I could get from a Windows PC but I do not regret going for the MBP one bit but I would advise people to really think about if they can justify the price, I could and I don't regret it. Mac's aren't for everyone though.
I partly agree with this, from what I have tried gaming is fine on my mac, sure I don't game intensively just playing Sims 3 on a mid to high graphics level and it runs smoothly. But I agree they are totally worth the price for the user experience.Centura
bevo
Premium
- 2,483
- GTP_bevofrancis
- bevo francis
I should have noted that the mac build was for a mac pro. None of the imacs really seemed fair to compare.
As I stated earlier, I didn't count the price of the monitor in either build. Add about 500-700, for my 50 inch 1080p panny plasma, and add 1000$ for a 27 inch led apple display.
Why would you not want to use a large plasma screen over a small 1000$ LED display? Pictures and games look fantastic on my plasma. I have it calibrated so the colors are very true and accurate. I have yet to see a computer monitor that compares to it. I really don't understand why anyone would pay as much as they do for a computer monitor when huge tv's are the price they are. I just added a pc to my media and gaming room.
I guess maybe I'm just a bang for the buck type of guy. I buy big if it's the same price, I'll buy refurbished everytime I can, and if it costs a ton of money I want to know why it's so much better, and how it's going to give me a better experience. I've never been a name brand type of person. Clothes, cars, computers, boats,etc. I don't care what it's called, as long as it's reliable and works as well or better then whatever the flavor of the month is.
- 1,002
- Northern VA
In a home theater setting, I agree, but anything bigger than about 32" would be waaaay too big for actual computing at a desk. I have a 23" NEC H-IPS panel that I like a lot. Calibrates nicely, had multiple inputs, and very little input lag. There's also the issue of power consumption. This NEC doesn't draw a lot of power.
Now in a living room I agree. We use a projector and 100" screen there. Speaking of calibration, I shared some thoughts in another thread: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=5630429#post5630429
I'm sorry. I didn't click the link and just assumed you were talking about the iMac. It's not fair compare it to the Mac Pro either because it's a workstation, but whatever.
Why would I not want to use a 50" 1080p plasma? That's easy. Because the resolution is only 1920 x 1080. I also doubt the image quality is as good as a 27 - 30" IPS from Apple, Dell, Eizo, HP and NEC. They are designed for professional work that require accurate colours and a plasma TV is not.
bevo
Premium
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- bevo francis
The imac resolution is 1080p also, unless you get the bigger screen. Plus why would I need a higher resolution with a 50 inch plasma. I'm not sitting 2 feet away from it like with a pc monitor. I think resolution is overated anyway after 720p. I have a 1080p panny viera, and I bought my sister a 720p model of the same tv the day I bought mine. We did side by side tests with the exact same settings and content running on both screens and I along with everyone else there could not tell a difference. Now when you get into 100 inch screens and the such or when you are sitting very close, that's a different story. Why sit close though, when you can go bigger, cheaper, and sit in a nice chair.
As far as an accurate picture goes, I really don't think you can still get better then a panasonic plasma. I've used high res pc monitors and high end tv's. Have you ever seen a pc running a plasma while either playing games or watching videos? For me there's really no comparison, the plasma kills it. LED is still trying to match plasma black levels and can't. Unless I want to sit at a desk and use a pc I'm not buying a monitor, it just doesn't make sense, and it really to me (unless your at work) doesn't make sense to ever place your pc at a desk. The day and age of being put in one spot with your computer is over.
It wouldn't be much fun sitting at a desk watching a movie, or playing games for hours on end. I would much rather sit back in a big comfortable chair, with my mouse and keyboard on my lap desk and play games or mess with videos and pictures, then I would sit at a computer desk and do the same thing.
If I can't compare my pc to a mac pro, let's see you compare it to an imac.
My pc isn't that great, but i know what's in it and how it performs.
windows 7 64 bit home premium
i7-950 liquid cooled
120 gig ssd
12 gig 1600 ram
1tb hdd
gtx 570
rampage III motherboard
1000 watt power supply
1 dvd drive
I came in at right around 1800$
Which imac would you buy would give you anywhere near the performance of my pc? If you want you can throw in another 700$ on mine, because that's what my tv costs now. Or you could throw in around 400 for a pc monitor.
So I would be at the most 2500$.
1920 x 1080 is fine for 21.5", though.
Overrated? Wow. I don't even know what to say.
There's no reason to discuss this, though. It's personal preference and I respect that.
They definitely have great black levels, but that's about it compared to a high-end monitor. They are nowhere near when it comes to colour accuracy.
"The day and age of being put in one spot with your computer is over."
You realise that you are doing that, right?
Which is why I bought a MacBook Air 13" and a 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display. If I want to sit somewhere else, I can easily do that by disconnecting two cables.
I have no idea, and frankly, I don't care. It's pretty obvious you will get more bang for your buck, performance-wise, if you build your own PC.
Why do you think I got a Mac instead? I don't care about that anymore. I'm tired of it and if I want to play games, which is the big "sacrifice" with Macs, I have a PS3 hooked up to our TV.
bevo
Premium
- 2,483
- GTP_bevofrancis
- bevo francis
Here's the one thing I don't understand about the color accuracy thing. If we went and got 20 peoples pc monitors and put them all side by side, they would all look different. Everyone on earth would have to have the exact same monitors, with the exact same settings, being used in rooms with the same lighting for the screens to looks the same. There are to many variables that effect color accuracy to really worry about how perfect the colors are.
Say we all had our monitors set exactly the same, and the colors all looked identical, then if we were editing and printing pictures, we would all need the same printers, with the same brands of ink in them to all get the pictures to look just like the one you have edited and printed.
You honestly can't believe that because you spent 1000$ on a mac display that, the video, or picture you edited, is going to look the same on everyones monitors that look at it, as it does yours.
As far as super high res being overrated. It is until you get into projection sized screens. Like I said before. I compared the same tv's, one the 1080p version and the other the 720p version, bought on the same day, side by side, with the same content, and no one at my house could tell witch, tv had the higher res. If the 7 or 8 people I had here couldn't tell the difference on a 50 inch tv, then it's hard for me to beleive than anyone could tell the difference on a 27 inch monitor.
Anyway, I just couldn't justify telling someone to buy a 1000$ 27 inch monitor, because of color accuracy. It's really not as important as you are making it out to be. To many people, have to many different types of monitors, tvs settings, printers, lighting conditions, etc. Yours might look great on your monitor, then you edit some video, or pictures, and everyone else that sees it thinks it looks washed out, becasue you are doing it in a dark room, while they are setting outside looking at it.
As long as the colors look good, and are not off, then it has just as good of a chance looking perfect on this printer or monitor, as it does that one.
When it comes down to it, it's obviously personal preference. But to claim that the color accuracy is what makes someone spend 1000$ on a 27 inch monitor doesn't make sense to me, because of all the variables of everyone else viewing the material that you have edited. If monitors were so much better, why wouldn't they make tvs like that? Don't say price, because when plasmas came out they were 10,000$ for a cheap one, and people bought them.
How about this? Send me a picture of something simple that everyone has in their home. I will edit the color to match it as closely as I can to the real thing, you do the same. We will post the pictures and ask which ones color looks the closest to the real thing? It could be a can of coke. Everyone in the world has coke products where they live. Either you or I can take the picture, or you could even pull it off the web. Send me the pic, we will make a poll thread asking and see which one has the most accurate color. I'm pretty sure that because you have a 1000$ 27 inch apple display, and I'm using a tv it won't make a difference.
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It's all about distance. If you have your two TVs side-by-side, you will eventually see a difference as you walk closer to it.
More importantly, higher resolution isn't that it can look better, but that you have more "space" on the screen.
And I haven't told you to. I wouldn't, either. There are a lot of reasons why I bought this monitor, but I am not going in to that.
Actually, it depends. I wouldn't buy a $1000 monitor for colour accuracy, but I don't work professionally in the design/printing business.
Anyway, we are extremely off-topic now. Agree to disagree, shall we? To whatever it was now.
- 12,913
- Cambridge
- Moglet85
- Moglet
I'll likely be moving away from Apple systems in the future myself. I started with an iBook G4 and now have an iMac but I've had nothing but problems with both of them. Being forced to use iTunes is also an absolute pain in the backside. Not to mention the price difference and poor Apple customer service I've received in the past.
Apple have now become such a trendy brand that they seem to be forgetting about good quality products. The Magic Mouse, for example, is terrible. And don't get me started on the Mighty Mouse I had before that.
Apple have now become such a trendy brand that they seem to be forgetting about good quality products. The Magic Mouse, for example, is terrible. And don't get me started on the Mighty Mouse I had before that.
- 5,213
- Essex, UK
I'll likely be moving away from Apple systems in the future myself. I started with an iBook G4 and now have an iMac but I've had nothing but problems with both of them. Being forced to use iTunes is also an absolute pain in the backside. Not to mention the price difference and poor Apple customer service I've received in the past.
Apple have now become such a trendy brand that they seem to be forgetting about good quality products. The Magic Mouse, for example, is terrible. And don't get me started on the Mighty Mouse I had before that.
I've already run into a problem with my air port extreme that I saw you also have, and its only just coming up for two weeks old! I have two of the iPod nano's and my dad has an iPad and they are bullet proof and so is my girlfriends old white MB so I really hope mine lasts and I don't get any trouble. The price difference is a little crazy I agree and the customer service when I went in to buy it was not good at all. Not looking forward to my trip to the genius bar on saturday to try and get the Air port fixed. I don't find iTunes that much of a problem really so I can live with that and any problems with that are far outweighed (IMO) by software such as Garageband.
I'm going to avoid any of the plug in peripheries they sell hearing this
