Computer advice...

[Andrew]

My mother is giving me 1,000 bucks towards a really good laptop for my college graduation. Obviously I will add on to it, but I know very little about Macs. Can anyone help me? I wanted a Macbook since everyone I know that has one has less issues than the people I know with PC laptops.

I would need it to have a decent download and upload speed, able to watch and probably edit videos on it, anything and everything involving journalism.

Can any of you give me suggestions?

 

[neyvit]

My mother is giving me 1,000 bucks towards a really good laptop for my college graduation. Obviously I will add on to it, but I know very little about Macs. Can anyone help me? I wanted a Macbook since everyone I know that has one has less issues than the people I know with PC laptops.

I would need it to have a decent download and upload speed, able to watch and probably edit videos on it, anything and everything involving journalism.

Can any of you give me suggestions?

With $1000 you can get an amazing PC laptop that will last you years.

With $1000 you can get a below average Mac.

If you are looking for most performance for your buck, stay away from Macs. If your goal is to be one of the cool hip kids in college that buys everything Apple, then get a Mac.

Edit: Internet speed is completely separate from the type of laptop you get. That depends solely on the internet provider.

 

[Maximus]

Can any of you give me suggestions?

Keep using the computer you got and use the $1000 to buy drinks, take out chicks and get some action. Far more important for your transition to adulthood than a new computer.

 

[JayP146]

Don't buy into the Mac hype. As stated above, you can't get a very good Mac system for $1k.

Windows 7 on at least a dual core with at least 2GB of RAM should be more than enough for what you need ... be sure it has a nice keyboard and all the extras you'd need. Save some money buying the laptop itself and invest in a retail version of Office 2010. Always prioritize.

Personal experience - there's nothing better than a Lenovo (or IBM) ThinkPad. You'll pay a premium for their quality of design and lesser hardware specs, but they're business machines built to withstand significant day to day punishment. T series ThinkPads have the best keyboards in the business - practically zero "flex", very responsive.

ASUS has a line of laptops featuring Intel's new ULV CPUs, which are both dual core and VERY power efficient. Battery life is 7+ hours.

 

[Typhoon]

Yep, listen to Jay. And Gouri when he posts here (he probably will).

If you want something apple related THAT BADLY, then take Jay's suggestion and buy the Snow Leopard OS and install it. There you go, not only is your hardware better but your running the same mac OS that all the cool kids think they can only get if they buy a macbook.

 

[Mac]

The laptop I got? Acer. Have owned it for almost three years. No issues.

Emachines PC, about 7 years. No issues.

Total investment? About $500.

Unless you have specific needs for an out of the world computer (job, gamer, etc) I will never understand why avg pc users spend more than $500 for a PC or a grand or more for a mac.

Most people have no uses for those machines.

Since 1995 i've used a pc and have never gotten any virus. If you don't download stupid files or visi porn all day, you shouldn't have to worry.

 

[Damage]

Macs are awesome, but for 1000, go get yourself an Acer.

 

[Quitness]

As an owner of a Macbook Pro and a HP laptop, I agree with the other people telling you to go PC. Low-end Macs are not worth the price at all. I have a higher end Macbook and it I love it but it wouldn't be in your price range. I'd recommend buying a nice Toshiba. They have a nice look and are great computers from my experience.

Don't listen to majority of the Apple/Mac fanboys because a lot of them have no idea what they are talking about. I'd only suggest you buy a Macbook for college if you are going to be doing anything pertaining to graphics, animation, or video. Just remember that computers get outdated quickly depending on their specs. Your best bet is to go with a PC and ride it out through college.

 

[kevinoc0]

Since 1995 i've used a pc and have never gotten any virus. If you don't download stupid files or visi porn all day, you shouldn't have to worry.

What else do average pc users do? :chuckles:

 

[Andrew]

Oh I am graduating college not high school and the 1,000 is just the start, I plan to add more to it. I just want a good laptop that can let me do my work and still let me have fun on it. What are the best brands out there?

 

[cschneider27]

Ok I didn't buy a Mac to be one of the 'cool' kids...I bought a mac for the following reasons:

My $1300 computer wont be a hunk of shit in two years
No need to worry about the viruses and spyware that you can acquire on more than just porn sites...hell weather.com is full of them
I have never...ever...not one time had a hardware issue with it...no hard drive issues, no RAM issues, no keyboard or screen issues..when I had my HP laptop the keyboard kept losing keys and I had RAM die in it more than once
And my third reason is because I am a web designer/developer and needed something that could keep up with me

However...I agree that if you don't have to do a bunch of graphics work that a Mac is not a requirement but I wouldn't call it a waste of money. Even the 'bottom shelf' macs still kick the shit out of a PC, but if you enjoy the never-ending headache of dealing with antivirus software, getting viruses or spyware, or crappy hardware than go right ahead and get a PC.

And for those that don't think I know what i'm talking about I was a PC tech at CCITY for 4 years and I work with computers every day. I serviced PC's day in and day out and I can honestly say that 65% of the issues were virus related. My point is, if you have the extra cash and want a good computer you can get a good PC, with Windows 7 (inspired by MAC OSX by the way) and it will probably do just fine for a few months, or a year, but I have had my Macbook (1 up from the bottom shelf for processor speed reasons) for 4 years and like I have said before.....not one issue out of it. I probably wont check back to this thread anymore because I am waiting for those PC guys that are yet to experience the simplicity of a MAC to jump all over me and call me a liar and not to listen to me.

 

[Andrew]

a question I always wondered about, why don't Macs get viruses, etc?

 

[boxxer]

I got my macbook pro 15in about 2 1/2 years ago, new on ebay for about 1600. It retailed for 2k.
It was my first mac and has been an absolutely joy as opposed to my previous pc's(which were a nightmare, one dell and one sony)

I upgraded from 2 to 4gigs of ram via newegg, which is really easy to do without any real computer knowledge....i have almost none.

I have come to the realization that my macbook pro has much more power then I need and in a couple years when I decide to get a new one, it will probably just be a macbook.

Don't listen to these guys, get a mac. The pro's have come down a little so you should be able to find some good deals for about 1500 or a pretty decent macbook that should meet all your needs for 1200. Also check for some refurbished ones on apples site. Some good deals from time to time.

It takes about 2 weeks to really get used to them, so don't get frustrated.

 

[bomber]

Blow that all on coke and strippers.

But seriously. I wouldn't blow that entire G on a laptop.

Shop around on the internet for good deals. slick deals, dealnews, etc..

Don't listen to gourk...:chuckles: when it comes to hardware, he thinks an intel e7600 is where it's at.

Grab a computer with a new Intel I3 or I5 CPU. You'll thank me. Speed and HD

like others have said, dual core, at min 2 gb ram, 4 wouldn't hurt. Definitely need 4 if you're going Windows 7 - 64 Bit.

Hard drive 250gb will be fine.

chose a screen size, 15 or 17"

 

[Mac]

I'm not a fanboy of either product, I have an iPhone and iPods. I like the apple brand. But it's like ever since those I Am a Mac commercials came out, unless you have a mac your computer is worthless and will be riddened with viruses within 6 months.

That simly is not true.

I never use virus protection and since 1995 when I first started using pcs, I have never gotten a virus.

As I understand, macs don't get as much attention to virus makers because they are such a small segment of computer users. But I am sure they have extra hardware to help combat it I'm sure.

Bottom line is, unless you're listening to a mac fan boy, unless you have a need for a out of this world computer, it is foolish to spend over a grand on a PC or a Mac. IMO.