<p>@Meteorain007 - Yeah, Blender is kind of lame and it's frozen my computer too. That's why I stepped it up to 3dsm and Maya. :D</p>
<p>Thanks for both of your advice! :)</p>
<p>i got a dell xps m1210 in june... at college now. works perfectly. besides the obvious asethetic factors, macs really dont offer very much to 99% of college students.</p>
<p>I got a Macbook for college after having PC's my entire life, and I couldn't be happier.</p>
<p>why couldn't you be happier? your entire life is based off a computer?</p>
<p>Yes, my entire life is based off a computer. That's exactly what I meant by that statement. Of course I wasn't speaking in regards to a computer, I meant my entire life. You sure are a smart one.</p>
<p>Wow, dude chill out. This is the internet....why are you so mad over a stupid computer?</p>
<p>A macbook is equivalent in price to other laptops. Macs are really not overpriced like they used to be-at least not the consumer lines. </p>
<p>Windows PCs are only better when you build them yourself. They're cheaper, and you can better choose what software is put on the computer. Companies like Dell, HP, etc, load their computers with crap. Apple does indeed put trial software on their computers, but the difference is their trial software doesn't bog down the operating system. The windows OS is much more easily affected by what you put on the computer. One of the beauties of the Mac OS, which Microsoft tried to do with vista, is that applications and whatever else you put on your computer doesn't affect the stability of the OS!</p>
<p>However, since we're college students, we're mostly talking about laptops here, not desktops. You don't have the option of building your own Windows laptop. You don't have the option to determine what companies put on your computer. The laptops out there currently are just as expensive, if not more, than macs. </p>
<p>The only reason to choose a mac is for the OS and supporting applications. If you prefer OS X, then get a mac. If not, then don't bother! I switched from XP to a mac, and I love it. I absolutely cannot stand a windows computer, and the new Vista operating system only made the matters worse. Now THAT is a piece of bloatware...Really, Windows ME was a much finer crafted piece of work than this. I prefer macs because I'm simply more productive on them. People think that something that just works right must have been dumbed down. Not true. This mindset is a product of people having to tweak the Windows OS to do what they want. Why waste hours making Windows do what you want, when the Mac OS already does it?</p>
<p>BTW, how does using Windows on a mac void the warranty? Are you talking about the computer warranty, applications warranties, or the operating system warranty?</p>
<p>
[quote]
The windows OS is much more easily affected by what you put on the computer. One of the beauties of the Mac OS, which Microsoft tried to do with vista, is that applications and whatever else you put on your computer doesn't affect the stability of the OS!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>yeah right... you have to be really really naive to buy into this. Do mac fans seriously think like this?</p>
<p>have you extensively used both operating systems? I have. Windows is a nightmare. Better not do anything with it! Everything will go to hell.</p>
<p>Windows <em>is</em> a nightmare at times. I can highly recommend a Mac for anyone who just wants a simple, powerful computer and won't need to perform anything complex or game. </p>
<p>Also, the original post on laptops vs. desktops is misleading - Generally speaking, desktops <em>are</em> always more powerful than their laptop components. A desktop with the latest core 2 duo processor, 4 gigs ram, 500 gig hard drive, and a decent video card would come in at around $1200, whereas a laptop with those exact same specs would come in at around 2500$ - 3000$. And don't even get started with what kind of desktop you could buy with $3000 - quad SLI, core 2 QUAD, etc. etc. No matter what, desktops will always overpower their little brothers. For the average student this won't matter, because you won't need a very powerful machine to do some research and word processing. Just keep in mind, portability comes at a price.</p>
<p>Don't know even this has been brought up before but oh well.
I want a Macbook for college but I'm worried that after I graduate, it'll be no use because the majority of the corporate world is based on Windows. I don't know what my job is going to be, but if the "real world" uses Windows, am I making a bad decision by purchasing a Macbook?
(Or should I not even worry since the Macbook might self-destruct after 4 years---like my PC laptops?)</p>
<p>Mac Laptops usually last longer than their PC counterparts- although we can't really tell with the recent switch to Intel.</p>
<p>You can put Windows on there later anyways, and some jobs will allow either Windows or Mac OS.</p>
<p>Linux!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>VMware > mac+windows combined</p>
<p>Except you have to run VMware at a major performance hit compared to running the OS natively.</p>
<p>Regarding whether MacOS/X is derived from Linux -- MacOS/X uses an integration of Mach 3.0 (CMU) and FreeBSD 5.0+ (BSD/OS) so Linux is <em>not</em> a foundation of the MacOS/X kernel</p>
<p>Regarding whether Linux is virus-free/worm-free -- those of you who think that Linux is totally immune to viruses/worms need to look at this before a false sense of security sets in ==> List</a> of Linux computer viruses and worms (Wikipedia)
While Unix and Unix-based derivative O/S are less likely to get infected, it is <em>still</em> possible!</p>
<p>okay here it goes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Mac book pro: with 2.6 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB memory, 200GB at 7200RPM hard drive, 17 inch high resolution wide screen, SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW), iWork '08 preinstalled, Costs $4,128</p>
<p>Vaio with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.6GHz, 4GB memory, 200GB at 7200RPM hard drive, SuperMulti DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive, LCD 17" WXGA+ (XBRITE-ECO™) (same pixel ratio as macbook's screen), Bluetooth, 1.5 hour longer battery life than the macbook (I added 100 dollars for an extended battery life), Costs: $2749.99</p>
<p>Okay, they have the exact same specs and the vaio costs $1378.01. less than the macbook pro. Yes! And with that 1,378 dollars you could easily build a computer with specs that completely trashes any macbook in existence</p>
<p>Here are the links if you don't believe me (you have to configure the computers so just plug in what you want to both computers and compare prices):</p>
<p>CTO</a> | Customize
The</a> Apple Store (U.S.) </p>
<p>GO AHEAD AND WASTE YOUR MONEY!</p>
<p>OK... we'll here's my input: I am an avid computer geek (I build my own PCs) and am very familiar with both PCs and Macs (and own both). </p>
<p>My laptop (and personal day-to-day computer) is a Macbook. In my own opinion, the Mac OS is far superior than Windows hands down. Afterall, all of the so called 'new' features in Vista (e.g. gadgets, 3d showing open program windows, showing preview of file contents in its icon) are just copied from things that have been in OS X for a while.</p>
<p>My big desktop computer is a PC that I built running Vista (best version of Windows yet, but still essentially a knock-off of the Mac OS). I use this system mainly for games and the like. It's still true that there are many more games available for PCs than Macs and also the high end graphics card manufacturers all focus on their PC based products (although with Macs switch to an Intel platform the difference between a PC and Mac is now more software based than hardware). </p>
<p>For day-to-day work (e-mail, writing papers, web browsing) both the Mac and PC will accomplish those tasks. Personally, with my experience I would pick the Mac for these. There are some specific situations where a PC could be better (e.g. some scientists and engineers may use PC only software)... however, don't forget that a Mac can now run Windows in it's native form (not emulated like before) so you can run those programs in Windows on a Mac no problem. Think of it this way... Apple is so confident that their OS is better than Windows that they'll happily provide you with the necessary tools to run Windows on your Mac since they know people will still primarily use OS X unless they have to use Windows for something special. Do you think Microsoft would happily add a feature to Vista so you can run OS X instead? I think not! </p>
<p>My own advice would be that unless you want to play lost of games with top end graphics cards and the like then go with a Mac. If your looking for a laptop then you can't go wrong with the Macbook or Macbook Pro... they're both excellent machines and of course the fact that Apple products look just as nice as on the outside as they work on the inside is a big plus too! </p>
<p>Of course, hardcore techies will probably go with none of the above and choose some obscure version of Linux! ;-)</p>
<p>I agree with rocketman08.</p>
<p>Really, it all comes down to the undeniable:</p>
<p>BEST DESKTOP: Build it yourself, double boot with Mac OS + Windows (either XP or Vista, whichever you prefer. Personally I like XP better)</p>
<p>Now as for BEST LAPTOP, it's not that easy. I would say MacBook or MacBook Pro, but some may disagree...</p>
<p>Dual boot linux and windows....who need a Mac OS?</p>