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Dell vs. Apple

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The_Future
Posts: 1418 - Karma: 607

Alright so I used the searchbar and couldn't find anything.  Basically I am going into college next year and I can get a discount on Dell and Apple through my school. I don't know much about laptops, so I'm looking for some opinions from the world of NS. 

I am probably going to be majoring in biology or something in the sciences and I am going to be trying to get into med school.  I also am into photography and plan to take a few photography classes for some elective credits.  So, I don't necessarily NEED a computer with a ton of great media options, but it would be nice.  Price is pretty important to me, so I am looking for the most bang for my buck. But, don't worry too much about my price range in your response, as I haven't quite figured out what I am willing to spend.  I've never owned a MAC, so I don't know if it would be difficult to transition from a PC to a Mac.

So my questions are: What Dell or Apple laptops do you guys use? What is the specs on your computer? What are the pros and cons? What would you recommend for me?

Thank you sooo much for any help.  +Karma for good responses!

Apr 26 2009 11:53AM
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The_Future
Posts: 1418 - Karma: 607

Okay, so far here is the three computers I have come up with that I think I like... (found out sony has a student program too.)

For $1571.42:

Studio XPS 16:

SYSTEM COLOR Obsidian Black with Leather Accent edit PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8700 (3MB cache/2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB) edit OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit edit PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 - Word, Excel + PowerPoint edit WARRANTY AND SERVICE 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit HD DISPLAY Edge-to-Edge FullHD Widescreen 16.0 inch RGBLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP edit MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) edit HARD DRIVE 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive edit INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE BluRay Disc Combo (DVD/CD read/write + BD read) Slot Load Drive edit VIDEO CARD ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 3670 - 512MB edit WIRELESS CARDS Intel® 5100 WLAN Wireless-N (1x2) Half Mini Card edit BATTERY OPTIONS 6-cell Battery edit SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0 edit BLUETOOTH Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR) edit Click for larger imageMy Service ACCIDENT AND THEFT PROTECTION 1Yr LoJack for Laptops Theft Protection edit REMOTE ACCESS Dell Remote Access, free basic service edit DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year edit Click for larger imageMy Software & Accessories ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE McAfee SecurityCenter 15-months edit Click for larger imageMy Software DESIGNED FOR DELL MICE Logitech V450 Nano Laser Cordless Mouse - Midnight Blue edit Click for larger imageALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9, Multiple Languages LCD and Camera Edge-to-Edge FullHD Widescreen 16.0 inch RGBLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP Labels Windows Vista™ Premium Processor Branding Intel® Centrino™ 2 Miscellaneous $100 Dell Promo Gift Card - Arrives in 6-8 wks, 90 day Exp.

For $1429.74: Sony Vaio FW390

  • Video Standard
  • LCD 16.4" (XBRITE-FullHD™)
  • QuickBooks Simple Start
  • 320GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
  • Windows Live™ OneCare 90-Day Trial
  • Photo Plus
  • No Engraving
  • Standard Battery
  • ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3650 with 512MB vRAM
  • Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz)
  • WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
  • Blu-ray Disc™ Read Only Drive
  • Microsoft® Office 2007 Home/Student
  • White
  • Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit
  • 4GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GBx2)

    • For $2299.00

    Apple MacBook Pro 15.4 in. 2.53GHz/4GB RAM/320GB/SuperDrive with AppleCare and it comes with a FREE HP Deskjet F4280 All-In-One printer/copier/scanner

    Sorry for the goofy formating... I was just copying and pasting.  Which of these three would you guys want? Any suggestions on things I should change/ upgrade?

    Apr 26 2009 3:56PM
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    blackoutbill
    Posts: 2918 - Karma: 282
    Hahaha so true
    Apr 26 2009 4:02PM
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    mmmmm...Pie
    Posts: 673 - Karma: 15
    Uhh, Unix is widely used for servers and mainframes. It's not exactly a OS that is traditionally used in the desktop market. Beyond Apple products, Solaris, and certain forms of BSD it's rare to see Unix on a desktop/workstation these days.

    Having said that, unix-like systems (designed similar to unix, but not directly based off unix itself) like Linux and some forms of BSD are rapidly increasing their share of the desktop market. They also up a large share of sever and workstation OS's.

    So really, while most people outside of Mac owners probably don't use ever Unix directly, they interact with a unix or unix-like system on a daily basis because of the internet.


    But yeah, as far as Dell vs. Mac goes, I'd say get a Mac unless you know your way around Windows really well and have experience fixing PC's. Otherwise it'll just be a pain to try and fix any problems you encounter.
    Apr 26 2009 4:03PM
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    The_Future
    Posts: 1418 - Karma: 607
    Why do you say that? I'm just asking because I don't know anything about these computers... and is this what you are using? Would you recommend changing any of the upgrades?
    Apr 26 2009 4:08PM
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    Big_Spence
    Posts: 16177 - Karma: 4,352
    Don't ask what Allen is using.
    You can't afford it, trust me.
    Apr 26 2009 4:10PM
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    TechnoPotamus
    Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
    you're a fucking dick. ease up with the ultra judgmental opinions in every dam thread i see you post in. You can be helpful without being so rude all the time man.
    Apr 26 2009 4:12PM
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    8ONE657
    Posts: 3045 - Karma: 209
    which pro do you have? shit i have the new one and its amazing.
    i boot windows from my mac too. runs a little slower but not bad at all.
    i agree with you there tho. if i were to buy a PC i'd go with Sony not Dell.
    Apr 26 2009 4:18PM
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    hartig
    Posts: 8192 - Karma: 10
    dell blows
    if you get a windows laptop, go for sony
    hp sucks too actually

    the whole mac vs windows thing now is pretty much based on operating systems. i love my macbook pro because of OSX. you can run OSX on non-apple computers, but its a hassle and doesn't run as good.

    also if you get a mac, then you can run osx AND windows.. without any problems. if you get a pc and run windows and osx, you're going to have more of a problem setting everything up

    sparknotes: 1) dell sucks, get a sony. 2)pick your preference of running osx (easily without dealing with kexts) or windows.
    Apr 26 2009 4:20PM
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    8ONE657
    Posts: 3045 - Karma: 209
    eeesh. i had the black macbook originally and i would get so frustrated when i was playing like WoW or something cause it was so dull and shitty. but i just got a new unibody and its insane. the screen is so bright and the colors are just like phenom. and plus its glass now instead of that other crap.
    Apr 26 2009 4:24PM
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    An10a_Eng
    Posts: 2505 - Karma: 28
    i gotta Dell XPS M1530 that i upgraded pretty much everything on...came out to be like $3300 but my dads work got us a huge discount on so we only payed $1700. the only problem i had was when my mom dropped my book back with it in there and i had to get some stuff replaced but i have a full warantee. Im an electrical and computer engineering major, not a gamer, and i couldnt think of a better computer to use. I dual boot a unix OS and Vista (which i actually like). i understand why a dumb kid who just wants to be cool or someone who is an art or graphic design major would want a macbook but for anyone else, especially someone who knows anything about computers PC is definately the obvious choice.

    the programs i regularly run are:
    National Instruments Multisim 10/Utiliboard
    MATLAB/Simulink
    Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
    SSH Secure Shell Client (for when i dont just use unix)
    AutoCad 2009/AutoDesk design review
    Wolfram Mathematica

    and often run more than 3 of these at the same time and never have any problems. The people i know who have macs either installed windows on their mac or go to the lab to use a lot of these programs (MATLAB and AutoCad are the only ones they use on the macbook)
    Apr 26 2009 5:19PM
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    An10a_Eng
    Posts: 2505 - Karma: 28
    i was helping my friend with his calc 3 lab and he was trying to solve a pretty gnarley integral in mathematica on his brand new macbook pro that he spend like 2500 on. his computer took a shit on him like 4 times so we did it on mine and my computer solved it in like 4 seconds
    Apr 26 2009 5:24PM
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    MACAQUE
    Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
    I think you get what you pay for with a Dell, and you get more that what you pay for with a . I use a MacBook and I have never had a problem with it. One of my buddies has a Dell note book, and lets just say it has been nothing but problems. It takes about 2 minutes to boot up, and has tons of viruses. (He doesn't even look at porn on it). If you buy a $500 Dell, just don't expect it to last as long of perform as well as a $1000 , even if the Dell has the same or better specs. Just my $.02.
    Apr 26 2009 6:10PM
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    207
    Posts: 8969 - Karma: 3,846
    I have a Dell PC. But Apple laptops are the way to go. I love my iBook.
    Apr 26 2009 6:12PM
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    MACAQUE
    Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
    With a fucking 5400rpm hard drive? It will take a fucking year to retrieve data on that thing. I say MacBook Pro.
    Apr 26 2009 6:22PM
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    Dustin.
    Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
    Well Dell is fairly terrible.  You get what you pay for - my family has 4 in the house right now because my dad is cheap.

    As for PC vs. Mac , both will be good choices for you because all computers can handle stuff for photography well.
    Apr 26 2009 6:47PM
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    TechnoPotamus
    Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
    get over yourself.
    Apr 26 2009 6:59PM
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    AR6-UK
    Posts: 100 - Karma: 11
    Click for larger image
    Apr 26 2009 7:02PM
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    dbstar
    Posts: 2038 - Karma: 20
    ya i know that but i am pretty sure the mac is better than that piece of shit
    Apr 26 2009 7:06PM
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    chapz
    Posts: 10182 - Karma: 66
    uhhhh i used to have limewire for windows and my computer didnt fuck up.. the only way limewire fucks up is if you download shit youre not supposed to.

    it might be too late, but if you go with dell, get a xps or even a studio, but not an inspiron, or any of their cheap laptops.
    Apr 26 2009 7:55PM
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    k-rob
    Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,891
    i used to think the same way.

    until i realized he was right most, if not all, of the time. and the easiest way to get a message across is to be blunt about it.
    Apr 26 2009 7:58PM
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    fsscott
    Posts: 4684 - Karma: 114
    You fail at searchbarring, this is actually sad
    Apr 26 2009 8:00PM
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    hartig
    Posts: 8192 - Karma: 10
    relevant a couple years ago...
    COMPLETELY irrelevant now, sorry.
    Apr 26 2009 8:49PM
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    Big_Spence
    Posts: 16177 - Karma: 4,352
    Two fingers on the pad+click.

    God I love that feature. :-)
    Apr 26 2009 8:53PM
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    Loges
    Posts: 1928 - Karma: 21
    grapple onto the apple
    Apr 26 2009 8:56PM
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    Big_Spence
    Posts: 16177 - Karma: 4,352
    That is something I will never understand.

    Apr 26 2009 8:57PM
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    chapz
    Posts: 10182 - Karma: 66
    shit i didnt see your post above. get the vaio fw! fuck the deel and mac, get that sony!
    Apr 26 2009 9:00PM
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    hartig
    Posts: 8192 - Karma: 10
    i dont see the problem with this.
    i dont even use my button, i just tap the track pad..
    something i would do if i had a windows based laptop.. but multitouch is the shit
    Apr 26 2009 9:20PM
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    MACAQUE
    Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
    Yep. I'm arguing with you. Telll me when you find a Sony with 250GB in a SSD
    Apr 26 2009 9:33PM
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    hartig
    Posts: 8192 - Karma: 10
    i didnt realize that it was that hard to switch out hard drives.
    Apr 26 2009 9:43PM
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    MACAQUE
    Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
    The Mac has one as an option.
    Apr 27 2009 2:49PM
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    Big_Spence
    Posts: 16177 - Karma: 4,352
    Click for larger image
    Apr 27 2009 3:01PM
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    The_Future
    Posts: 1418 - Karma: 607
    .... I'm pretty sure you can get a SSD in the Vaio.....
    Apr 27 2009 9:10PM
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    *joe*joe*
    Posts: 31 - Karma: 13
    comparing dell to apple is like comparing a ladybug to a cyborgenetic bear with machine guns for arms, apple being the bear.
    Apr 27 2009 11:18PM
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    MACAQUE
    Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
    n that case, disregard everything I just said because it is probably wrong.
    Apr 27 2009 11:20PM
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    MACAQUE
    Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
    I apologize. You are always absolutely correct, and can not be wrong in any way, shape, or form. Anything you say should be considered the truth. Is that good enough?
    Apr 27 2009 11:46PM
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    colorado_dope
    Posts: 281 - Karma: 26
    Apple for sure. Almost all college campuses are going mac, got a macbook pro over a HP and I regret nothing.
    Apr 27 2009 11:49PM
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    MACAQUE
    Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
    Ok, so now that I'm of the belief that the Sony has specs that aren't below that of the Mac, I would still have to say go with the Mac based on the operating system.
    Apr 28 2009 12:07AM
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    tomalom
    Posts: 350 - Karma: 10
    apples are so nice no problems super easy apple appple apple
    Apr 28 2009 2:24AM
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    Rbamf
    Posts: 792 - Karma: 15
    apple>dell
    Apr 28 2009 2:49AM
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