My New Laptop

[Repaid1]

My Laptop is working on 4 years old and has served me well. With not much to brag on it has a single core 1.6Ghz pros. 3 Gig ram, a 160 Gig HD, no real bells or whistles, no cam, only 2 USB slots, no card reader ect. It's on it's second CD/DVD drive and other than a slight streak of fogging (only can see when it is off) The display is still Crystal clear and bright and hasn't lost a pixel. The touch pad and some of the major keys are a bit shinier, but all in all for a $300 dollar laptop I think I got my monies worth. It's still got the original battery charger and the battery still holds about 2 hours charge.

I had someone the other day offer me $300 for it the way it sits. If I had a way to clone the drive I might have thought twice. But as it is, It has my Karaoke software on it and as well as some Major other stuff. I have tweaked and tuned it, upping the nasty Vista, to Win 7 Ultimate black ver. Along with many personal touches I have picked up over the years to get the most out of what little I have under the hood.

So Anyway... I am "expecting" to come into some money, and as it is the only real thing that brings me any joy for spare time is this computer and my RC heli. As my Heli is doing fine, but is getting a full 3D (Collective pitch 8CH) brother when the money arrives. I have begun picking out my new computer. I have to have a laptop and while I wouldn't mind a 17 or 18 inch, a 15.6 or 16 is doing fine and is easier to carry. So here is what I have spec'd

Brand: Alienware

Processor Type: Intel Core i7 Type: Laptop/Notebook Processor Speed: 3.33 GHz

Processor Configuration: Quad Core

Screen Size: 15.4 inches - NVIDIA^® GeForce^® GTX 260M graphics 1600 X 900

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium

Memory (RAM): 6 GB

Optical drive Drive: Blu-ray/DVD/CD Burner

Hard Drive Capacity: 256 GB SSD Primary

Hard Drive Capacity 750 GB Sata 7200 Secondary

2 Meg WebCam

Backlit Keyboard.

and other fun stuff that those with familiar with Alienwares lappys know.. really like the Facial recognition.. so cool.. as for the price..ehhh let's just say $2K and leave it at that.

So techies.. will I be thrilled with this thing or what?

[BabyGizmo]

the specs are amazing, ill give it that. alienware however... i worked at bestbuy geeksquad for about 6 months, and the only thing i hated more than a mac was one of these. dell owns them, so alot of their drivers are dell specific, and they dont like you opening the shell.

the effects are super awsome though. nothing but power from that beast. hope you do alot of multi tasking. that baby deserves to be ran as hard as she can.

[Repaid1]

Well all I know now is when I video process it pegs my Processor at about 95% and then it overheats in about 45 minutes, and throttles back. What my friends can do in 18 minutes takes me about 2 hours. So I am atleast hoping that the i7 will speed past their dual cores or quad core. As I understand it the i7 behaves like 8 processors and has a Boost feature that kicks up the clock rate..coupled with the memory doing a hyperthreading I should get some good speed in the process. Not only that I can play games now too! And my AutoCad, should be really cool as well. I would love to be able two encode 2 or 3 movies at the same time and not let the computer on over night while I sleep with a cool pad and a big box fan blowing on it! Doing anything while encoding on my old one was like going back to dial up!

[babymikeblue]

it is a good laptop and it would do go for gaming.

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

The answer to your question depends on a couple of things, specifically:

1. Alienware's current quality control standards.

2. Whether or not the computer meets your specific needs.

The first thing that I mentioned is the most important. Alienware's quality control has been known to fluctuate. When PCWorld did their 2010 "reliability and service" survey last November, the top three desktop brands--in order--were Apple, Asus, and then Alienware. Apple flat-out smoked every other brand on that list though, putting even Asus to shame. The aforementioned list and accompanying article can be found here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/211081/2010_reliability_and_service_survey_desktops.html

It's also worth noting that what's true for desktops isn't always true for laptops. In the same survey, the top three laptop brands were Apple, Asus, and Toshiba--not Alienware. Although Apple's laptop ratings were slightly lower then their desktop ratings, (exactly one mark below a "perfect" rating,) they were still greater then Asus' ratings, and far greater then Toshiba's ratings. Alienware ranked #10 on a list consisting of 15 brands total, where they simply ranked as "average" for reliability measures, and weren't ranked for service measures. The link to the laptop survey can be found here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/211402/reliability_and_service_laptops.html

Before you purchase an Alienware computer, talk to other people who have purchased one recently, make sure they specify whether its a desktop or a laptop. Find out if they had to have it serviced, if it was serviced in a timely fashion, and if they dealt with any headaches during the service process. I had a particularly terrible experience with Alienware roughly a decade ago. I had a perpetually defective desktop that I purchased from them, and they spent two years trying to fix it, but only making things worse in the process. I finally got fed up, and voided the extended warranty by having a competent third party service center fix the machine. (It was owned by a friend, and he confirmed what I suspected: the CPU was defective, which was something Alienware vehemently denied.) In contrast, a relative of mine purchased an Alienware desktop a few years before I did, and his machine ran flawlessly.

Likewise, whether or not the laptop meets your specific needs will play a significant role in whether or not you're happy with it. If you plan to play a lot of games, you'll probably be very happy with the Alienware laptop if their quality control is good. If you plan on working with video/graphic design programs, you'll probably be happier on a Mac. If you have a few windows-specific programs, such as your Karaoke software, you can always dual-boot Windows and Mac OS X, I would probably go with the 15" MacBook Pro if you look at their systems. (Wait for Apple to update them though--they'll probably refresh the product line after Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is released.)

If you do decide to look at other brands, I highly recommend looking at Apple first, and even trying their machines in your local Apple Store or Best Buy if possible. If you can't afford the Mac and Windows software for the dual-booting, consider Toshiba. Note that while Asus ranks higher then Toshiba in the aforementioned survey, both traditional laptops/notebooks and "netbooks" are counted as laptops. Asus makes excellent Netbooks, but owners of their regular laptops tend to report that they're of lower quality then the Netbook offerings.

So to sum things up, if Alienware's quality control is good, and if you need Windows, you'll be happy with your Alienware laptop. If Alienware's quality control is bad, and you need Windows, you'll probably be a bit disappointed and should probably look elsewhere. If you can live without Windows, consider a Mac or dual-booting Windows on a Mac alongside Mac OS X. I hope that you find this information helpful.

[babyvr6]

My laptop is a 6 year old compaq, and it was free. It tunes and data logs honda's pretty well. None of my vw's have a computer, so I haven's gotten to try it on my cars. Just on customers cars.

I don't think i would need anything that fancy to do what i need a laptop to do.

[hidden]

I have a $400 Toshiba laptop from Walmart. Had it for almost 3 years and no problems besides the power cords keep dying (2 year extended warranty paid for itself!)

Celeron 1.86GHz, 2.00GB RAM, 110GB HD, VISTA!!!

[~Skitty~]

i have the asus g72gx notebook. big enough to watch videos on in comfort, full size keyboard, and even though its no alienware; its still a freaking beast. :]

[belinda_sue_fox]

I hate laptops.

Your crazy $2000 on a laptop!!!

You would be happier buying another willywonker $500 laptop and a decent desktop. Do the grunt stuff on a real PC and just use laptop for the mobile stuff.

As for netbooks AKA picture frame with a keyboard

[BabyGizmo]

i have a desktop i built myself. cot about 1600, but was well worth it, and it runs ubuntu. the best part of your computer i believe would be the SSD. even a windows OS can start in 60 seconds on that. try ubuntu though, mine can boot in under 20 seconds. to fully functional. yours could do it in 10. lol.

also, ill say this. the ONLY reason macs have such high reliability is because two types of people use it. People who dont know any better, or professionals who need specific soft. there is no reason on the face of the planet to buy a mac. if you like the layout, use ubuntu. if you like the "reliability" you shouldn't own a computer. macs have just as many issues as PC, but because only 3-5% of the world actually uses them, its not as well known. and im not gonna pay $3000 for hardware when i can get better for $600. working at bestbuy, i can honestly say that macs are the number 1 thing returned out of the entire store, and for geeksquad service, macs have the simplest issues that their users cant seem to figure out. (is it pluged in? last i checked, even Apple and their super computers still need power) now, im not Saying they are useless. but to anyone who isnt a professional in the media industry, they are. and over priced. most people use bootcamp anyway, so why buy something that most good soft dosnt work on anyway?

[wetman]

i have a desktop i built myself. cot about 1600, but was well worth it, and it runs ubuntu. the best part of your computer i believe would be the SSD. even a windows OS can start in 60 seconds on that. try ubuntu though, mine can boot in under 20 seconds. to fully functional. yours could do it in 10. lol.

also, ill say this. the ONLY reason macs have such high reliability is because two types of people use it. People who dont know any better, or professionals who need specific soft. there is no reason on the face of the planet to buy a mac. if you like the layout, use ubuntu. if you like the "reliability" you shouldn't own a computer. macs have just as many issues as PC, but because only 3-5% of the world actually uses them, its not as well known. and im not gonna pay $3000 for hardware when i can get better for $600. working at bestbuy, i can honestly say that macs are the number 1 thing returned out of the entire store, and for geeksquad service, macs have the simplest issues that their users cant seem to figure out. (is it pluged in? last i checked, even Apple and their super computers still need power) now, im not Saying they are useless. but to anyone who isnt a professional in the media industry, they are. and over priced. most people use bootcamp anyway, so why buy something that most good soft dosnt work on anyway?

I'll more or less second that, together with the other advice from belinda to get a desktop to do the numbercrunching.

I've got a cheap Toshiba lappy here, I3@ 2.53GHz for £329. I put in 8 GB RAM, a Seagate hybrid 500GB harddrive and replaced the Windows7 it had with Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick. Runs like a treat for £450-ish.

[Repaid1]

Thanks for the input gang. So I will put a few comments out there as well on the advice. First to tell the truth I never even considered a Mac. One the cost just seemed ridiculous, then the color white isn't very appealing to me. The tales I have heard from friends of friends about repairs are, well, just plain scary. Finally why buy something I am not going to use. What I mean there is, I don't have or am familiar with any Apple software. So I run Windows on it instead? Seems to me I would want a computer designed for what I use rather than one that can emulate the environment so my stuff can run. To me it's kind of like buying the Lamborghini, but with a Chevy small block I did consider a Asus and still am. Just some of the tweaker & Geekier features I give the nod to Alienware. I know looks aren't all that, but let's face it Alienware Laptops are just freak'n cool. I mean why not have something with some bling. Most of the people I run around don't have a clue about computers and think the one I have now is like a Cray Super III. I also like to dicker (tweak) with software. So once again that kinda throws out the Apple. First and foremost the one feature I need is a Back-lit Keyboard. All of the top ones have that feature, none as cool as Alienwares though

So I forgot to mention that both my 4 year old and my wife's 2 year old are Acer's Which like I said not a single problem from day one. My partner in Karaoke Crime bought a Toshiba Laptop and out of the box had a blue screen on boot, back to the store we went. Replaced and came home had a dead pixel and then glitched on boot as well a day or two later. Back to the store...No more Toshiba's went with a HP. Their rank sucks as well. Hasn't had a problem for about a year now. So I don't take well to surveys. I deal in real life and know what I fix on a day to day basis. I understand that you are basically paying for the name, as most the "guts" are somebody else s and are usually the same across the board as far as computers go.

Power and storage are really my goal with my Laptop this time. I don't need a home unit as 90% I am using a computer I am not home. I will however upgrade my now home unit as well. A Dinosaur of over 10 years with a P4 1.8Ghz Processor. and twin 40 gig drives . I am still toying with the 17" version as my eyes are getting up there in age, although I am running 1280 X 800 on my current display. I should mention the system I was going to get was a demo model about 3 months old and hasn't had a problem yet. which to me spells burnt in and works great, and figuring that my current is on and has been on about 10 hours about each and everyday, I think she has had enough of me and time to pass her on to a deserving soul who needs a entry level Lappy! I figure if I got 4 years out of this then getting a souped up monster like this will make me happy for 10+ years! And for the Money crowd.. I went to Alienwares site and configured a Laptop all out...every thing top of the line at current technology Over $12,000, now that's just silly, but i bet they sell a couple a month!

[DailyDi]

HP's or Alienware for me. Have an HP laptop right now, but only because Alienware's prices were out of range when I needed to upgrade. My desktop is also HP as I have a long positive history with them.

Tried the "get a mac" thing and it's just too much of a pain in the arse if you are used to PC's.

[Repaid1]

One last thing... Seems I am thinking getting Raid 0 twin 750 Gig HD's @ 7200 vice the 250 Gig SSD. What am I losing or gaining in this config. is the SSD really gonna give me that much more speed to replace the drive space I would get running the "conventional" drives in a Raid 0 format. the whole drive thing is relatively new on both formats is it not? I have learned that Alienware doesn't set the drives up for Raid 0, but the I found a system where it has been set up with proper drivers and is $600 off new on a month old system. What are the thoughts on that. And can someone help me with the i7 processor and the speed boast technology. Seems the root speed bounces around on the i7 depending on which you get as well as the "turbo" mode. Should I opt for the fastest root speed or faster turbo mode? that is to say I'm sure that the fastest is fastest on both but could I save money getting say a low speed i7 at 3.9 on boost, or go for the one with 3.4 or whatever at normal?

And just to through this out there. Why is it that used computers that have core duo quad setups cost more than a new i7 that is similarly configured. Should I head that direction? is the i7 not all that? BTW thanks for the help guys.

[betahawk]

Suggest looking at asus also. Unlike dell, hp, alienware and a few other major name brands. asus actually makes there own laptops

[bbgirlmichelle]

One last thing... Seems I am thinking getting Raid 0 twin 750 Gig HD's @ 7200 vice the 250 Gig SSD. What am I losing or gaining in this config. is the SSD really gonna give me that much more speed to replace the drive space I would get running the "conventional" drives in a Raid 0 format. the whole drive thing is relatively new on both formats is it not? I have learned that Alienware doesn't set the drives up for Raid 0, but the I found a system where it has been set up with proper drivers and is $600 off new on a month old system. What are the thoughts on that. And can someone help me with the i7 processor and the speed boast technology. Seems the root speed bounces around on the i7 depending on which you get as well as the "turbo" mode.

After installing my first SSD over a year ago, I won't run a system without an SSD. The hard drive is the biggest bottleneck in computers nowadays, I don't think that there's a spindle based drive that can match up to the speed of an SSD. When buying a new computer I would compare the price of having the factory installed SSD or just taking their included spindle drive and installing the SSD aftermarket.

I bought a MacBook pro in November and had a 120GB SSD deliverred from another company and saved a couple of hundred dollars, I booted the system once with the included hard drive to make sure it worked then immediately replaced it with the SSD. Now on my Mac when I need to reboot to windows it's done in less than 30 seconds, I never wait for a program to open, everything is pretty much instant.

The only thing that I would be concerned about in that alienware laptop is the 3 generation old video card, even the Dell 3d 17" laptop (which is about the same price) comes with a 550. I've been watching the gaming laptop industry for a while for Daddy.

Hope that helps, *huggles*

Michelle

[Repaid1]

seriously... how much is too much... http://cgi.ebay.com/ALIENWARE-M18x-i7-2920XM-OC-4GHz-SLI-580M-16GB-1866MHZ-/120744323295?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item1c1cec28df

[wetman]

One last thing... Seems I am thinking getting Raid 0 twin 750 Gig HD's @ 7200 vice the 250 Gig SSD. What am I losing or gaining in this config. is the SSD really gonna give me that much more speed to replace the drive space I would get running the "conventional" drives in a Raid 0 format. the whole drive thing is relatively new on both formats is it not? I have learned that Alienware doesn't set the drives up for Raid 0, but the I found a system where it has been set up with proper drivers and is $600 off new on a month old system. What are the thoughts on that. And can someone help me with the i7 processor and the speed boast technology. Seems the root speed bounces around on the i7 depending on which you get as well as the "turbo" mode. Should I opt for the fastest root speed or faster turbo mode? that is to say I'm sure that the fastest is fastest on both but could I save money getting say a low speed i7 at 3.9 on boost, or go for the one with 3.4 or whatever at normal?

And just to through this out there. Why is it that used computers that have core duo quad setups cost more than a new i7 that is similarly configured. Should I head that direction? is the i7 not all that? BTW thanks for the help guys.

Seriously: I advise (if I may) strongly against RAID 0, especially on a portable machine. If performance is your goal, go for a good SSD and a larger conventional for the data. In my opinion the safer and most likely faster, snappier way.

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

Well all I know now is when I video process it pegs my Processor at about 95% and then it overheats in about 45 minutes, and throttles back. What my friends can do in 18 minutes takes me about 2 hours. So I am atleast hoping that the i7 will speed past their dual cores or quad core. As I understand it the i7 behaves like 8 processors and has a Boost feature that kicks up the clock rate..coupled with the memory doing a hyperthreading I should get some good speed in the process. Not only that I can play games now too! And my AutoCad, should be really cool as well. I would love to be able two encode 2 or 3 movies at the same time and not let the computer on over night while I sleep with a cool pad and a big box fan blowing on it! Doing anything while encoding on my old one was like going back to dial up!

Definitely go with the Mac if you're working with video--I speak from experience when I say their are across the board improvements. As far as Intel's i7 processors go, they're also dual/quad-core chips. The major differences between the "Core" series and the "iX" series is the reintroduction of hyperthreading, first introduced in the Pentium 4, and the loss of the front-side bus, which was a significant bottleneck. The number of cores is usually irrelevant. Most software is still only optimized for one processor with one core, and as such, it will only utilize one processor and one core. This isn't to say that cores won't become important over time, but right now there are more important aspects of the machine to focus on. What makes the i7 scream isn't its multiple cores, it's the "quickpath" technology that replaced the front-side bus. The quantity and type of RAM, (DDR3 is what you want,) as well as 64-bit software for a 64-bit processor are both more important then the the number of cores that your i7 has. As for encoding 2 or 3 movies at the same time, you'll still have problems because of the bottleneck that hard drives create. Using an SSD is an option, but SSDs are significantly more expensive for significantly less storage space, and their limited number of write cycles tends to leave them with a relatively short lifespan. (Of course, your mileage may vary.) This is why I love the concept of Hybrid Hard Drives, or HHDs. HHDs are traditional hard drives, but they have a flash-based cache on them that gives you the speed of an SSD with the price and space of a HDD.

also, ill say this. the ONLY reason macs have such high reliability is because two types of people use it. People who dont know any better, or professionals who need specific soft. there is no reason on the face of the planet to buy a mac. if you like the layout, use ubuntu. if you like the "reliability" you shouldn't own a computer. macs have just as many issues as PC, but because only 3-5% of the world actually uses them, its not as well known. and im not gonna pay $3000 for hardware when i can get better for $600. working at bestbuy, i can honestly say that macs are the number 1 thing returned out of the entire store, and for geeksquad service, macs have the simplest issues that their users cant seem to figure out. (is it pluged in? last i checked, even Apple and their super computers still need power) now, im not Saying they are useless. but to anyone who isnt a professional in the media industry, they are. and over priced. most people use bootcamp anyway, so why buy something that most good soft dosnt work on anyway?

Sorry, but you're wrong on this one BabyGizmo. Yes, media professionals make up a large portion of Mac users, and yes, there are Mac users that probably shouldn't be allowed to own a programmable VCR, much less a computer, but those are not the entire population of Mac users. Although I fall into the "media professional" category, I know several others who do not. My cousin is an astro-physicist/professor--he uses Macs and OS X, and is not a media professional or technologically incompetent. (His lab runs a Dell server with OpenSuSE, but that's because the server is being used to run scientific calculations and doesn't need anything more then a command-line interface.) I also know another Mac user who works in library sciences, and again, she doesn't fall into any of the former categories. A large portion of her job consists of designing, maintaining, and testing websites. She uses a Mac because she realized that frying three $500 dollar laptops over the course of five years, (a Toshiba, another Toshiba, and an HP,) was more expensive then one $1000 dollar MacBook over the same period of time. (I warned her about this when she purchased the first $500 dollar laptop, it was only after she spent $1500 that she realized that I was right, and begrudgingly admitted it.) Similarly my sibling graduated with a degree in programming, and said sibling is a Mac user. As for boot camp, it's a crutch--most people who I know that install it either don't use it at all, rarely use it, or use it for one or two niche programs that don't have a Mac equivalent. The best way to cut costs on a new Mac is to buy it with the bare minimum amount of RAM installed, and to buy third party memory and install it yourself. Apple gouges the price of their RAM and they know it, which is likely one of the reasons that they don't want their users poking around inside of their computers--it hurts their bottom line. Still, the determined can save a few hundred dollars by heading to Powermax.com or otherworldcomputing.com and buying RAM from them, rather then from Apple. (Just save the RAM that came with your machine, you may need it to have your system serviced under Applecare.)

Thanks for the input gang. So I will put a few comments out there as well on the advice. First to tell the truth I never even considered a Mac. One the cost just seemed ridiculous, then the color white isn't very appealing to me. The tales I have heard from friends of friends about repairs are, well, just plain scary. Finally why buy something I am not going to use. What I mean there is, I don't have or am familiar with any Apple software. So I run Windows on it instead? Seems to me I would want a computer designed for what I use rather than one that can emulate the environment so my stuff can run. To me it's kind of like buying the Lamborghini, but with a Chevy small block

I should probably clear up a couple of additional things here, Repaid1. First, $2,148 for the 15" MacBook Pro (stock configuration) plus 3 years of Applecare & tax/shipping is a pretty good deal. ($2,248 if you bump the hard drive, $2,448 if you bump the RAM as well--see above comment on RAM.) You also get two graphics cards on the 15" and 17" models, one Intel Integraded card for better battery performance, and one AMD Radeon for better performance. Likewise, you'll also have a Thunderbolt connector with a 10GBps transfer speed--you should start to see more devices that take advantage of this hit shelves in 2012--right now the most common non-Apple device to use this technology is Promise's RAID towers. (Remember, the current MacBook Pros were released in February, so they're probably due for an update soon.) Second, only the polycarbonate MacBook is white--the MacBook Pro, like Apple's other products are durable, lightweight, and constructed from brushed aluminum.

Third, your friends' friends likely didn't purchase Applecare. Always, always, always purchase Applecare. If you have any problem, other then water damage, Applecare covers it, and you pay nothing. If you don't purchase Applecare, repairs can be expensive. Fry the main logic board (motherboard) with Applecare and it's a free repair, fry it without Applecare and you'll be paying $500 to have your machine fixed. (Applecare costs $350.) Never have a Mac that's under warranty serviced by anyone other then Apple, or an Apple Authorized service center if your local Apple store has a reputation for shoddy service. If your Mac isn't under warranty, use Myservice.com or Powermax.com for your repairs--both do excellent work. I run my machines into the ground, and I've fried main logic boards and optical drives simply from excessive use in the past, so I speak from experience when I say that Myservice.com and Powermax.com do excellent work on machines that are out of warranty. Just to be clear, I also have Macs that have never needed service, but the ones that have needed it because I put them through the ringer, not because they were poorly built. My Windows machines that were put through similar (ab)use lasted two or three years tops, and needed repair after one. My Macs on the other hand have lasted me over five years.

Fourth, let me clear up a common misconception, you're not emulating Windows when you use Boot Camp. Although you can virtualize Windows with third party tools such as Parallels and VMWare Fusion, this is not what Boot Camp does. Boot Camp lets you install Windows on your Mac just as if you were installing it on a new non-Apple PC. When you boot into Windows, it's real Windows, not a virtualized or emulated environment, but real Windows, just as it would be if you were running a Dell, HP, Alienware, or other laptop that shipped with Windows. The only difference is the Apple logo on the side of the machine, and the ability to legally run OS X. Note that I mentioned you're going to need new software anyway if you want to take advantage of your i7's additional cores. I had to buy new software when I switched to a Mac as well, it took time to fully transition away from Windows, but it was worth it. In the meantime, Boot Camp is useful to continue using your Windows software while you transition. It usually takes about a month or two for someone whose used to Windows to get used to OS X, but once a person gets accustomed to it, they generally find it to be more natural to use then Windows. A person who has never used Windows, or who has used Windows and OS X equally, generally tends to find OS X easier to work with as well. (There are some exceptions, but they're few and far between.)

If you really plan on doing a lot with video, the Mac is definitely your best bet. Yes, you'll need new software for it, but you'll find that it's money well spent. Remember, that unlike standard Windows PCs, Macs hold their value. If you buy a new Mac today, you can trade it in for cash at Powermax.com down the road. Even if it's a low-end system, they're interested in it, simply because there's a market for low-end Macs, including those that are well past their prime. Last year I bought a 10 year old (now 11 year old) "Clamshell" iBook G3 on eBay for $200--it went for $1000 when it was new. (I needed a cheap laptop that could get online, and wouldn't be a significant loss if it were stolen, and the "Clamshell" fit the bill perfectly.) Likewise, my 8 year old PowerBook G4 is still incredibly functional, and carries a retail value of approx. $400-500. Similarly, my 5 year old Mac Mini is worth roughly $550, even though I paid about $700 for it when it was new. (Note that I upgraded it though, and had I not, it would only be worth roughly $450.)

While you'll need new software, and OS X takes a month or two to get used to, it's usually worth it in the long run. Is everything Apple does perfect? Absolutely not. Some people would benefit from the option of Blu-Ray support, which Apple doesn't offer. (You can buy a third-party Blu-Ray drive, but you'll also need third-party software to use it.) Likewise, Apple could certainly improve the user-serviceability of their equipment, but if you don't service your own machines, this really isn't a problem. (I upgraded my Mac Mini, I knew what to expect, but that doesn't mean it was a user-friendly experience. This machine wasn't meant to be upgraded by the end-user, and that fact is glaringly apparent when you realize that you have to take the entire thing apart just to upgrade the RAM. The most recent models have made memory user-serviceable, but that doesn't excuse the machines manufactured prior to 2010 that made RAM upgrades ridiculously difficult.)

[Repaid1]

Thanks again DDMPL. I do know however my two most used programs are set up for multiple cores and it's use. My friends dual core quad set up is the one who can do the encoding in 18 minutes. My other buddies i5 can do it in about the same if not quicker. That's with a dual pass, mine is single pass and like I said generally 1.5 to 2 hours. I am opting for the ddr3 1333 stuff which should more than suffice. I have multiple programs which are rated number one in the field at which they are used, fro Audio processing my Video encoders, and all my troubleshooting and fixing software is a MS based. While I know Macs are the best in what they do on the video side, that isn't enough to lean me to one with everything else I do.

[Diapered Jason]

I should probably clear up a couple of additional things here, Repaid1. First, $2,148 for the 15" MacBook Pro (stock configuration) plus 3 years of Applecare & tax/shipping is a pretty good deal. ($2,248 if you bump the hard drive, $2,448 if you bump the RAM as well--see above comment on RAM.) You also get two graphics cards on the 15" and 17" models, one Intel Integraded card for better battery performance, and one AMD Radeon for better performance. Likewise, you'll also have a Thunderbolt connector with a 10GBps transfer speed--you should start to see more devices that take advantage of this hit shelves in 2012--right now the most common non-Apple device to use this technology is Promise's RAID towers. (Remember, the current MacBook Pros were released in February, so they're probably due for an update soon.) Second, only the polycarbonate MacBook is white--the MacBook Pro, like Apple's other products are durable, lightweight, and constructed from brushed aluminum.

I disagree with that as the AutoCad software is worth more than that overly expensive laptop you are mentioning. Since he is already using AutoCad on Windows, I would imagine he might have to spend about $3k to get new software. Besides, if you are into gaming, you better go with Windows 7. I also do not like AMD processors.

I have had great luck with my dv7t HP laptop. Purchased 3 years ago at about half the cost of the 15" MacBook Pro, it still runs almost like it was brand new. As far as the specs are concerned, it is about half as good as the Alienware laptop mentioned at the beginning of this thread, but is larger with a 17.3" screen. It is not bad, and can certainly run SolidWorks no problem, which is the CAD program I have used, but I have no idea the magnitude of the CAD file size you are working with. It can handle most games, with the exception of the newest very graphic intensive games (It starts to really slow down then). Since buying this laptop, I have never needed a PC tower. The only issue I have had is with the optical drive. It can't read CDs, but can still read DVDs and Blu-Ray (Weird huh?). Overheating has never been an issue as long as I have netbook cooler attached and keep the fans clean. One time I let that go, so I had to completely disassemble the laptop to remove a large dust clump covering the heatsink for the processor. Aside from the fan, removing and/or replacing most components in the laptop is easy. I will also have to replace the battery soon, but that is it.

Both the Mac and PC are fine machines. I just have huge software compatibility issues with the Mac OS, and I do not like partitioning my hard drive in half for two OS's. I also think Apple is asking for too much money for what they give you.

[belinda_sue_fox]

Wait, what??

Applecare costs $350, are you shitting me?

People are either:

An idiot for paying $350 for a device they always saying never has problems or..

You know your gonna have problems so need to pay the $350.

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

Thanks again DDMPL. I do know however my two most used programs are set up for multiple cores and it's use. My friends dual core quad set up is the one who can do the encoding in 18 minutes. My other buddies i5 can do it in about the same if not quicker. That's with a dual pass, mine is single pass and like I said generally 1.5 to 2 hours. I am opting for the ddr3 1333 stuff which should more than suffice. I have multiple programs which are rated number one in the field at which they are used, fro Audio processing my Video encoders, and all my troubleshooting and fixing software is a MS based. While I know Macs are the best in what they do on the video side, that isn't enough to lean me to one with everything else I do.

The i7 should be quicker then the i5, although if the i5 is newer then the i7, that could cause a slight speed difference. (The i5/i7 line from 2009 isn't the same as the one from 2010, or the most recent line of i7's.) I'm a bit confused by your use of the term "dual core quad." You've already seen what properly optimized software does with multiple cores, so I don't need to tell you why they're worth having. Likewise, you made the right choice with DDR3 1333 RAM, which is pretty much standard now. As far as RAID 0 goes, my advice would be to avoid it if at all possible. RAID 0 (striping) is fast, but it's also a great way to lose your data. RAID 1 (mirroring) on the other hand is a bit more useful, because if one of your drives fails, you still have the other drive and all of your data intact. I would normally recommend RAID 0+1 in your situation, but you'd need an external device to hold four hard drives. RAID 0+1 combines RAID 0 (striping) with RAID 1 (mirroring) so that if one drive fails, your entire array doesn't collapse with it.

If you really need a RAID array, my advice would be to wait for a machine that's equipped with Thunderbolt and to purchase a small T-Bolt equipped RAID tower and configure it for RAID 0+1. I'm both tempted and hesitant to suggest waiting for the next generation of i7 processors, as I'll explain now. Intel's current i7's are based on their "Sandy Bridge" architecture, which is certainly nothing to sneer at by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, Intel plans to introduce their new "Ivy Bridge" processors next year, and those are supposed to be significantly more advanced then the "Sandy Bridge" line. (You may have heard about Intel's "3D" processors--those are "Ivy Bridge.") The reason I'm reluctant to tell you to wait is that while the benchmarks suggest that "Ivy Bridge" will smoke "Sandy Bridge," benchmarks don't always translate into real-world results. My workstation is built on Intel's "Harpertown/Penryn" series of processors from 2008, which were the last of the "Core" line. The "Harpertown/Penryn" processors were replaced with Intel's "Nehalem" processors, which became the first i3/i5/i7 processors. In theory, and in benchmarks, the "Nehalem" processors should have run 50% faster then my "Penryn/Harpertown" processors, but that's not what actually happened. In 2009, I tested a comparable "Nehalem" based workstation, and much to my surprise, it actually ran slower then my older machine, despite having better specs. The "Westmere" based processors that replaced the "Nehalem" line last year showed a slight improvement when I performed a similar test, but nothing to make me want a new workstation. Comparable "Sandy Bridge" based workstations aren't available yet, but I'll probably run the same test once they are. My point is that while "Ivy Bridge" is tempting to wait for, it's possible that the benchmarks and real-world scenarios won't match up, and you may find that you were better off going with "Sandy Bridge" in the first place.

After installing my first SSD over a year ago, I won't run a system without an SSD. The hard drive is the biggest bottleneck in computers nowadays, I don't think that there's a spindle based drive that can match up to the speed of an SSD. When buying a new computer I would compare the price of having the factory installed SSD or just taking their included spindle drive and installing the SSD aftermarket.

Michelle, you've raise some excellent points. A serial-attached SCSI (SAS) drive spinning at 15,000 RPMs might give an SSD a run for its money, but SAS drives are similar to SSDs in that they're both small and cost-prohibitive. SSDs have a limited number of write cycles, and after about two years they actually start to become slower then traditional hard drives. My general advice is that if space is more important, avoid SSDs, and if speed is more important, avoid HDDs--just be prepared to buy a new SSD in two or three years. I personally need a lot of drive space, so I continue to use HDDs. For archival purposes, HDDs make more sense since space is always more important then speed. I would actually recommend this over an SSD. It's $156 dollars for 500GB, and comparable to SSDs in terms of speed. If I could find similar drives for my workstation, I'd be using them instead of traditional hard drives.

I disagree with that as the AutoCad software is worth more than that overly expensive laptop you are mentioning. Since he is already using AutoCad on Windows, I would imagine he might have to spend about $3k to get new software. Besides, if you are into gaming, you better go with Windows 7. I also do not like AMD processors.

I also think Apple is asking for too much money for what they give you.

I wanted to touch on a few specific points that you made, Diapered Jason. You're right, the AutoCad software is worth $3k new, and depending on the version Repaid1 was running, he may have needed new software anyway in order to take advantage of multiple cores. Remember, I didn't know he had multi-core equipped AutoCAD when I wrote my previous post. Also, Apple doesn't use AMD processors--they use AMD graphics cards with Intel processors. (This is actually a result of a licensing discrepancy between Intel and nVidia.) Windows still has the upper-hand for gaming, but that's slowly changing. Valve and Blizzard both write native Mac versions of their games, and Steam now has a native Mac version. Likewise, 2K Games releases native ports of many of their titles via Aspyr, including the Civilization series and Duke Nukem Forver. (Oh and don't worry, I don't like AMD processors either.) As I mentioned before, it's possible to beat the "Apple tax," by purchasing/installing your own RAM. It's usually possible to go with the least expensive hard drive, and then purchase/install a third-party HDD/SSD/HHD for significantly less then what Apple charges. The current iMac is the exception to the rule: The current iMacs use a proprietary 7-pin SATA cable, which allows the iMac to monitor the temperature of the drive, and to adjust the fan speed accordingly. If a standard 5-Pin SATA drive is connected, the fans spin at full speed and the machine refuses to boot. (Technically, Apple doesn't consider the part "user-serviceable," but this hasn't stopped people from upgrading the iMac's hard drive anyway, which is why this is noteworthy.)

Wait, what??

Applecare costs $350, are you shitting me?

People are either:

An idiot for paying $350 for a device they always saying never has problems or..

You know your gonna have problems so need to pay the $350.

Gah--it varies from device to device. Applecare is $149 for the Mac Mini, $169 for the iMac, $249 for the MacBook, MacBook Air, and 13" MacBook Pro, $349 for the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro, and $249 for the Mac Pro. (In contrast, it's only $60 for the iPod Classic.) Applecare is essentially insurance--you may not need it, but if you do need it, you'll be glad that you paid the $349, or $249 or whatever the cost was for the specific device. If I pay more then $500 for something, I always buy an extended warranty for it, if I pay less then $200 for something, I don't buy the warranty, and if I pay between $200-500, I purchase extended warranties based on their price. I've had Macs that have needed Applecare service, and I've had Macs that I purchased Applecare for and never actually used. No one said that Macs never break, just that they break less frequently then traditional PCs. Also, Mac laptops in particular are generally worth repairing while traditional Windows-based laptops generally aren't worth repairing. (There are some exceptions, but they're few and far between.)

[Repaid1]

Okay to clear up the Dual Core Quad, it probably has another name, but what I meant was Two Dual Core processors on the motherboard working in tandem. I unfortunately sold one last year to a friend that needed a computer not knowing what I had. It is Paralyzingly fast. I am running AutoCad 2012 BTW. I have a deal with them through a Company I do side work for, so I can upgrade if need be, but I prefer to use a bit older version of AutoCad, don't ask me why. I get tired of relearning where something is again. Getting up there in age don't ya know. I guess I'll scrub the idea on the raid for now and actually the ssd isn't sounding to good either but I guess I could go down a bit on the size and just keep the main system and just major programs on it. I am constantly writing and erasing my drives. I do have a 500Gig Seagate Barracuda USB that I keep my backups on for important stuff. So my backups are pretty much covered.

The Alienware I am thinking of getting has the full 3 year warranty on it already and is transferable. So I'll have over 2 years of full Warranty. If it don't break in that time it probably isn't going to with me. I treat my computers very well and keep them cool and drink free! I know what you say about PC laptops but the funny thing is like I said, mines going on four years and still is perfect from when I got it. I did replace the DVD burner, but that was because i had burnt well beyond 1000 dvd/cds in it and I had broke one of the centering prongs on the disc holder and could only burn a dvd at 2 speed.

A funny thing I noticed over the years. my "Crappy" laptop has features I haven't found on others. I have a access door to replace and upgrade memory, another that let's me switch my processor or clean the fan as need be. Of course a quick change battery. Another access to swap out the hard drive. And a single screw to swap out the DVD drive and slide in a new one.

I recently looked up replacing the keyboard or the onboard wireless, both can be bought for less than $20 each and replaced in about 1/2 hour. The only other option would be to kick this one up to 4 gig from 3 but I understand that 3 is the max for win 7 32bit anyway. the only major improvement I could make is to install the only upgrade processor my system could handle which is a 5050e AMD 2.6 dual core. Unfortunately these things are like pulling teeth to find today, I have found them used on ebay though. I would love to give this thing some kick. Replace the keyboard and screen for aesthetics. Upgrade the processor and even perhaps through in the SSD drive. But I do fear as you said that she isn't long for this world and not worth the effort or cost.

I do know the Alienware laptop is built to last is upgradeable/repairable down to the motherboard and all components and while not as good as Macs, it does tend to hold it's value pretty well. . the i7 in mine is the latest gen. The funny part is about my old system is like I said, I have had it about 4 years and they still sell used for the original selling price I have noticed one going for $400, doubt he will get it but you never know! Oh well time will tell and I'll let you all know what i decide when the check hits the bank. Thanks again all. feel free to keep the comments coming!

[Guest gnappies]

Acer lappy's are gaining a good reputation over here in the UK. We have several in the office, all see fairly well specked, runs AutoCad 2012 no problem.

Not forgetting there are 3-4 mega factories in China, your next laptop will becoming from one of them. Just hope the chap/chapess hasn't had a few too many the night before he builds your shiny new toy.