<p>Get a MacBook. I just switched to it after having been a Windows user all of my life, and I couldn't be happier with it- it just plain works.</p>
<p>I always enjoy how the Mac bashers thend to be very vocal but never really come up with any actual substantial points to say why a PC is better than a Mac. There used to be a few diehard windows fans that used the OS as justification; however, now that any Mac can run Windows just fine (if you would want to do such a thing) that arugment is gone...</p>
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I always enjoy how the Mac bashers thend to be very vocal but never really come up with any actual substantial points to say why a PC is better than a Mac.
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<p>And I always enjoy how first thing anybody says is "don't get a Dell" when a computer question comes up. I've never used a Mac and I don't plan to start anytime soon. I'm happy with Windows (as happy as you can be I guess) and I know how to use Windows. I really don't feel like buying a new everything.</p>
<p>For me, Dell notebooks are the way to go.</p>
<p>I know how to use windows well also and I've been around the OS (or variants) my entire life. I never have reliability issues or freezing EVER. I know how to take care of my stuff, but I guess if you don't really know what you're doing/don't really have a preference and are the more "basic" user (for lack of a better word, video editing aside because yes, macs own @ video editing and I love them for that), then macs are the way to go.</p>
<p>I own a Dell (and a Mac) and have nothing against Dell, but I still believe that overall the Mac is a better platform (that's nothing against Dell, they just build 'em they don't design Windows). </p>
<p>Windows is, and always has been, a relatively unstable and insecure platform. Vista is a big improvement although its new 'look' and visual features are a blatent copy of the Mac OS and security wise they seem to have just decided to make the computer ask for your special permission before it does anything (the 'Vista needs your permission' is getting to be just as annoying as that stupid paperclip that used to pop up and say 'hey looks like you're writing a letter'). That's not a more secure operating system just a 'hey if your computer does something stupid it ain't our fault cause you said it was OK' operating system.</p>
<p>I've been a windows user all my life, its about time that I try something different, and from all the comments i've read from this thread and others I don't see the problem in trying a mac. I mean every computer has its downfalls none is going to be perfect.
I really didn't intend for this to be a which is better thread I just wanted to find out the most efficient and popular laptop used by current college students and I guess that I found my answer.
Again thanks to all who commented whether you are diehard PC user or Mac user!</p>
<p>Dell just has questionable quality on its consumer-line products...for that reason alone i would never recommend an XPS or especially an Inspiron (all the Dell horror stories seem to revolve around Inspirons...). i have nothing against Latitudes and only some reservations about Vostros since i've never handled or used one. but Dell still has McAfee built into the HD...which is annoying.</p>
<p>i converted to os x for college, and haven't looked back since. i feel like for the average user, os x is generally a better choice. leopard is far far better than vista as an os, and macs are, in general, just easier to use. i do think that they're less customizable, and that hardcore users should opt instead of windows or some variant of linux, but for most people, i wouldn't hesitate to recommend macs.</p>
<p>Any computer you buy will have issues, it's as easy as that. I recommend going out to a Best Buy or something where you can get your hands on a bunch of different models and see what feels the most natural to you. </p>
<p>On the Mac v. PC issue...well, they all have their problems, and because Mac is touted as having few if any problems, the problems they have are shouted from the rooftops. My best friend has a Macbook that crashed. My professor had a Macbook that crashed. The former lost everything, the latter retained everything. My boyfriend just bought a Macbook after owning a Dell (only because that's all his parents were willing to buy him). It runs hotter than my Compaq does (and my Compaq's fan is blown out, so it overheats), and has a pixel out--all straight out of the box. I personally really love Compaqs, but in looking to replace the one I have, I am eying a Sony VAIO. I've heard that Dell computers aren't made well, but that their support programs will replace/fix just about anything, on site. </p>
<p>:shrugs:</p>
<p>It's all in what you prefer. Do some research, find out what's important to you, find out what the figures mean. $1000+ isn't exactly pocket change, so you really shouldn't take this particular thread--or any particular thread--at face value.</p>
<p>URichmond,</p>
<p>I have to definitely agree. $1,000 or whatever you end up spending on a computer is not money to just be thrown around. (And if it is, feel free to share the abundant money:))</p>
<p>We've gone to Dell in my family exclusively because we've had success with them and no point in having several different types. I can't say whether one is better than another-- that's a personal decision.</p>
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i converted to os x for college, and haven't looked back since. i feel like for the average user, os x is generally a better choice. leopard is far far better than vista as an os, and macs are, in general, just easier to use. i do think that they're less customizable, and that hardcore users should opt instead of windows or some variant of linux, but for most people, i wouldn't hesitate to recommend macs.
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<p>That is best said. I am a hardcore user and i love the customization of windows. For what I do, windows is best and I guarantee that 99.99% of users don't do what I do (which you can't do on a mac) so for me, windows is best. For others, less hardcore, I would recommend the mac platform because it is stable and easy to use. </p>
<p>For my purposes (don't want to go into it), windows is easily best for me.</p>
<p>i think it's curios that no one has mentioned a lenovo as an excellent notebook</p>
<p>Congrats on picking up a MacBook Pro. It's an awesome piece of hardware that will serve you well.</p>
<p>Lenovo>Apple</p>
<p>Lenovos can't run Mac OS X. Advantage Apple. :)</p>
<p>^Macs aren't as fast as PCs. Advantage PCs :)</p>
<p>Umm... wrong. :)</p>
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<p>PC</a> World - In Pictures: The Most Notable Notebooks of 2007</p>
<p>Now everyone can quibble on what benchmark is used by whom - but the point stands that they are among the fastest notebooks in the world.</p>
<p>Speed has never been an issue for my 2.2GHz Core2Duo MBP - with its nVidia GeForce 8600M GT 3D card, I can run Half-Life 2, Portal and TF2 with full-high graphics, screaming FPS and full-screen 1440x900 glory.</p>
<p>Lenovos / Thinkpad are popular for business laptops (where I've seen them most) but I don't think they're as popular for personal use. They are still excellent machines though...</p>
<p>" Macs aren't as fast as PCs. Advantage PCs "</p>
<p>A) This isn't true
B) The dicussion is about laptops... if you want a super high end machine (Mac or PC) then you don't want a laptop anyway.</p>
<p>How is overclocking on that thing though FCY? I have the DDr2 version but mine is nice and overclockable (sitting at 620/520, up from 475/400. The DDR 3 is like 500/700 right?).</p>
<p>Is there a reason why you can't wait to buy a laptop until as late as possible before you actually enter college? You have at least 8 months before you start college, and there will be another generation of laptops by then. I would advise you to wait until at least July so that you will have a laptop that is the latest technology when you enter college.</p>