<p>I'm just researching now.. I haven't ran to the store to get one yet.. All I asked was "Which Laptop was best".</p>
<p>Overclock the graphics card? I haven't tried. It's basically plenty fast as-is for everything I do (I'm not really a bleeding-edge gamer... but I <heart> The Orange Box) and the machine's under warranty for another 6 months, so I don't want to give Apple any reason to reject me should the motherboard do an imitation of Chernobyl tomorrow.</heart></p>
<p>Best for what?
The best laptop for all around purpose and for looking cool and to conform with the college norm go with macbook.
To look professional and business like with stable and high quality hardware go with IBM thinkpad
To get the best value go with Dell.
if you want to play video games, don't get a Mac unless you want to pay extra to get windows installed on your mac.</p>
<p>A bit about my experience: I own 2 Dell laptops, the first one last for more than 3 years until I sold it on ebay. The new one is still working fine after 1 year so it's not as bad as you think. I don't have any problems with windows and linux. I'm also using mac OS at school since 2 years ago, it works pretty well but the control was not intuitive after years from using windows and I feel not so productive with the software. oh and a little comment on PC viruses, honestly I haven't got virus since I was... a long time ago maybe 7 years ago. Just install a decent antivirus and act smart then you won't get any virus.</p>
<p>Is macbook regular that much different from macbook pro, I dont want to spend an extra $800 unless its worth it.</p>
<p>the MBP is significantly faster and more powerful than the regular MB, but it's really only worth it if you need the horsepower. For the typical college student, an MB is plenty. I do a lot of music production on my laptop (full band recording, editing, comping, etc.), which requires more than a MB could handle. If you do anything like that or video editing, etc. it might be a good idea to step up to the MBP, but otherwise, stick with an MB.
If you're really into gaming, a PC is still best, although many here would argue you need to buy a separate desktop if you game....</p>
<p>hmmm...
for windows i would suggest sony (our sony desktop works really nice and i heard their labtops are good 2)
and of course macs are really good 2 (i own a macbook pro)</p>
<p>"Is macbook regular that much different from macbook pro, I dont want to spend an extra $800 unless its worth it."</p>
<p>The Macbook Pro is a more powerful computer; however, one wouldn't notice this at all in most cases. I own a Macbook and it's been able to tackle anything I throw at it (editing long videos, rendering DVDs) without any trouble. The one big difference is that the Macbook has integrated graphics wherease the Macbook Pro has a separate graphics card. This won't make any difference at all for most applications; however, the Macbook will suffer when trying to render things like games with fancy 3D graphics. I use a custom built PC desktop for gaming anyway so this dosen't matter (and afterall if one is into the games that need good graphics performance then you wouldn't really want to play them on a laptop). </p>
<p>The Macbook Pro also has a few other design bells and whistles. The case is metal vs. plastic, the keyboard lights up at night... things like that. However, both feature things like the built-in video camera, magnetic power cord, glowing apple logo and the other general design featuers associated with macs. </p>
<p>The more I use my Mac the more I appreciate the fact that not only do they look great, but they're designed well too. For example, my previous Dell PC laptop had air intake vents on the BOTTOM so of course when you put it on your lap you block off the air flow and the thing starts heating up to the point where it's uncomfortable. The Macbooks only have vents on the back. </p>
<p>I think the best advice would be to go to an Apple store (if there's one near you) or anywhere else that sells Macbooks and look them over in person. Unless you're planning on playing 3D games or doing other work that requires high-end graphics performance the increased computing power of the Pro is unlikely to provide any bonus. However, design wise they are quite different and so that comes down to personal preference. Either way, they're both excellent laptops.</p>
<p>I've been going back and forth between building a PC (with Linux) or getting a MacBook Pro (I can't stand vista >_< ) but I don't really know how much I would use a laptop in class etc. I suppose its more convenient all over but I'm not sure. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Hi...I'm in the same situation as the OP, trying to decide which to buy. Initially my choice was between Apple and PC, but the consensus in the technological review world is that for my purposes, Macs are way better. I don't "game" at all, mainly I type things up, go on the Internet, chat online, listen to iTunes, and upload pics every once in a while.</p>
<p>The selling point though was when both my parents got iMacs. Until you actually get a chance to spend some time with it and see all of the awesome things you can do, you're really not giving Macs a fair chance.</p>
<p>I know Windows like the back of my hand, and so for me, switching to Mac is going to be a big step, but it's also one that I've researched thoroughly.</p>
<p>That being said, my next decision was over which Mac to get. I wanted a laptop and when the Air came out it was definitely hard to resisted that 3-pound computer, but I went to the Apple store and they made it pretty clear that the MacBook (MB) was the right choice. Airs are meant to be a secondary computer used by people who travel frequently. The Pros are for...not to be obvious or anything...professionals; people who do graphic design, video editing, or work with sound for a living. For everyone else, there's the MacBook. Now I just have to wait until June, when the new one is supposedly coming out. ;)</p>
<p>For general purposes, a Mac is indeed probably the best choice. I prefer non-Apple computers solely because of price. One can buy a decent PC for a good deal less than a comparable Mac; hundreds of dollars less, in some cases.</p>
<p>I'm planning on a Compaq (entering Fall '08 as well). My mom's is terrific and she's never had any trouble with it.</p>