<p>I'm starting college this fall at Tulane and I figure I'm gonna need a laptop there. I've been a PC user all my life, but I've heard alot of good things about Macs and I'm thinkin about switching over. Is there a general consensus as to which is better? Also, does anybody have problems with computer games on macs?</p>
<p>Dells are cheaper and Macs are better (except for gaming).</p>
<p>Not many games are either programmed for Macs or in universal binary. You can still play great games; you just have a much smaller selection. However, if you buy and install a copy of Windows on a Mac, you can have the best of both worlds (except for price).</p>
<p>I've actually heard of proplems with the new mac that also plays windows. I don't know exactly what they are though.</p>
<p>I'd stick with a Dell!</p>
<p>Dell makes solid laptops (but avoid the Inspiron series, go for a latitude or an XPS). Customer service is good, but half the time you'll have trouble understanding the other person's accent (I've called them thrice and each time I had to listen closely and ask the other guy to talk slowly).</p>
<p>Nicer Dells have good build quality and are fairly reliable, plus, they are much more inexpensive with the right coupons and such.</p>
<p>If you can get past the "Cheap Dell" feel (I can't unfortunately...), then Dell is always an excellent choice.</p>
<p>Apple surely makes aesthetically appealing computers that are immune from virus attacks and whatnot (as long as you're not running windows), but you pay more for about an equal amount.</p>
<p>Apple has a contract with another hardware company ASUSTeK (or ASUS, which makes AMAZING laptops, I'd look into those :D ). However, Apple does try to save money so through those contracts they ask ASUS to use less expensive material in laptop construction.</p>
<p>By the way, you're hearing this from someone who is biased against Dell and is typing this on a Mac.</p>
<p>Go ASUS W5F!!! :p</p>
<p>I've owned both a Dell and a Mac. </p>
<p>I think you'll want to consider how much you're willing to spend, what "extras" you'll use, and what games you'll play. </p>
<p>For example, if you play Blizzard games almost exclusively like I do, then MacOS is all you'll ever need. If you, like most gamers, venture into more areas on a regular basis, you may be better off with a well-specced XPS.</p>
<p>i would recommend purchasing an apple. the biggest advantage that apple computers offer is stability. the operating system is also user friendly and it has great programs. its a few extra bucks but it is worth it.</p>
<p>Dell! Always!</p>
<p>Macbook Pro :) You can use Win XP with it, which I use to just play games like counter-strike source and some other games. </p>
<p>I've had no problems so far.</p>
<p>i would prob buy an apple</p>
<p>dell just seems like such a noob / overpriced laptop - unless you get one of those nifty coupons. cost makes a world of a difference tho</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice. Not sure which to buy yet, but I'll definetely be consulting this thread when I make the decision.</p>
<p>Consult the book store at your uni and find out what system they use. Also try to talk to the faculty in your department (arts/science/etc) and see what they use. You want to be compatible with your profs, especially now that a lot of them have you submit papers online. My mom is a law prof and hates the fact that she can't type comments into the pdf files sent by mac users (as opposed to MS Word files). Don't annoy your profs any more than you have to! People often overlook this aspect of computer purchasing for uni. </p>
<p>What are you going into? I've heard that macs are good for graphic design and majors that need a lot of media editing, but pc notebooks are better for most other things. </p>
<p>Dell also has better insurance than mac. I just bought an XPS M1210 (hasn't even come in the mail yet) for my first year, and we chose to buy the accidental coverage with on call service. That means that if your laptop is stolen, it will be covered. If you spill a coffee on it, it's covered. If anything happens, they have on-call service, which means that a dell techie will be in your dorm room within 24 hours. Sounds good to me.</p>
<p>We asked the apple guy (from the apple store) about tech support, and he goes "it's all online" like people will never use it because apple is so superior. Your friend spills a latte on your notebook the day before your term paper is due and you get nothing except some "online instructions". Yippee? </p>
<p>Besides, if you really just want to game, everyone knows that you buy Alienware. It's x.core. :P</p>
<p>i wouldnt really worry about insurance, well at least wher ei go, they fix mac's free.</p>
<p>ozym, Dell LITERALLY offers $750 coupons more days than not. You can also save money with their free upgrade/shipping promotions, cashback credit cards, the 12% University discount, and the fatwallet 3% discount. Saying Dell laptops are overpriced is a plain lie.</p>
<p>Cowgirl: Alienware is owned and run by Dell. Plus, you're paying hundreds of dollars for a paintjob and a logo.</p>
<p>Slorg... I was going of what my gamer friends tell me (hence the "x.core :P). I really have no idea about games. Basically what I needed in a computer was compatibility and portability. My notebook is small, has decent battery life, a good insurance plan, and runs with what more people have (PC rather than mac).</p>
<p>I would personally go with a Dell. I can give you a link with some good coupons to to save up to $750 on a laptop (Inspirion and the Latitude series). <a href="http://www.dailyedeals.com/free_online_coupons/dell.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.dailyedeals.com/free_online_coupons/dell.htm</a></p>
<p>I plan on getting a Dell Inspirion E1505 which originally costs $2100 for only $1400. I always want the best upgrades when it comes to my laptop for a good price.</p>
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and runs with what more people have (PC rather than mac).
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<p>This is becoming increasingly irrelevant in the present. Most of the core file standards (i.e. Office files, Adobe files, JPEGs, AVIs, etc.) are easily run on both platforms.</p>
<p>The ONLY file type that gives me any trouble is WMV, and I've quickly managed to reduce that trouble to nothing more than a 5 second wait.</p>
<p>Mac is so easy to use. Its easier if u come from pc stuff. I only used a pc my whole life until i got my macbook pro. Its too easy to use. Also runnign windows is fine on mac. I can play oblivion on above average settings. So I suggest a mac for all rounded purpose.</p>
<p>Yupp, no problems on my end with a mac (I just made the switch a month ago). Even though I have windows, I never used it. Hopefully this will change when school comes around because windows is hogging up 30 GB of good space, although I could delete the partition later.</p>
<p>I'm going to buy a macbook this august, probably. I'm great with computers, but I need a computer that just "works" without me fussing with it or putting time into it.</p>
<p>It used to be the case that macs were overpriced. Now, with the student discount and free ipod, the macbook has the best value of any notebook on the market. Go to dell and add up the price of a notebook with all the features the low-end macbook provides - it's at least $50-$100 more.</p>
<p>I was worried about WMV video files for a while, because my university records the lectures for advanced engineering courses and puts them online, in a WMV DRM'ed format that only plays in windows, but then I found out that windows media player can play video fast enough in Parallels! So I hope to play back the taped lectures on my new mac :)</p>
<p>i love my inspiron. it's everything i could ask for.</p>