<p>So I know this question has been asked a lot, but I don't think those people asking were quite as involved as I am with their computers, but I'm still not a hardcore gamer. I am currently a junior, but i just started working and i am looking to buy a laptop that will last me through college (hopefully most of the four years.) I'm a casual gamer (minecraft, Sims, emulators etc) and like to explore new games all the time. I don't really have all of these on my computer at once, I go through "seasons" of one or two games. I also like to take pictures, though not obscene amounts, and like to photoshop. I'm also a big multitasker and would likely have itunes and safari and word and skype and a game open. Though I consider that not heavy duty, I'm worried that an air couldn't handle my library of music and movies, plus the fact that. Like to burn cds and that is literally impossible.
I don't know what the costs of getting add on storage would be, but it seems a hassle that I would like to avoid. I want to make the most of my money, so the durability of the pro seems better than the air, but the lightweight air would be easier to handle in class and on the go.
Sorry for the long post, but I feel like I'm a bit past casual User.
Thanks for helping me decide!</p>
<p>Well for gaming I’d get a PC, but if it’s just between Macbook Pro and Air, I’d go with Macbook Pro, because pro easily has the superior graphics card.</p>
<p>For Gaming, I would say Pro due to better graphics.But you should give gaming PC a thought.For the price of a macbook, you can make a high end 6 core i7 PC with amazing GPU. If you want OS X, You can also dual boot</p>
<p>You can also check out ultrabooks but if macbook is your choice, go for pro</p>
<p>For half the price of a Mac, you can get a pc with same specs if not better</p>
<p>But for you, Pro is better than air</p>
<p>i thought the only diff b/w a macbook pro and a macbook air is the former has a DVD drive.</p>
<p>Definitely not the only difference. Take a look of the specs on the Apple website.</p>
<p>I’m just laughing at these responses. Half of the people on these forums know almost nothing about computers. Looks like the lack of STEM majors is really starting to show. If you are “a bit past casual User” you wouldn’t even be thinking of owning a Mac for ANYTHING, let alone gaming. </p>
<p>SonicCare: Not even HALF the price, more like 1/5th of the price of a Mac. Last year I purchased a laptop with the high end AMD Dual Graphics for $350 on tigerdirect, and when compared to the 650M it only performs only slightly worse because of the CPU bottleneck. For someone who is “a bit past casual User”, such a laptop is more than enough.</p>
<p>One more thing, I just wanna stress, if it’s strictly gaming and supposedly school work, you probably are better off with a PC.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response. I was inclined to get a Mac because of all the great things I hear about it being extremely resistant to crashes and hacks. Ive gone through many dell PCs and my brother has a dell laptop, all have crashed or gotten extremely slow at some point. I was not impressed, so I thought that maybe a Mac would be worth the price.
I dont really know much about computers though, so if you have a better suggestion I would be very grateful.</p>
<p>I’m not going to get into the Mac vs PC debate because it really is a matter of preference. But, from experience Pro is the way to go over Air. All the teachers and freshmen got Airs this year and all of them haaate it.</p>
<p>Rather than buying PC from a brand, you could build one as you can choose your own parts</p>
<p>The ONLY THING that makes the Mac seem “faster” is the SSD. Get a PC with a SSD and 4GB+ of ram. You will never experience slowdowns ever again. Don’t forget that there are not many Open GL games available, this means that your choices will be VERY limited when it comes to gaming on a Mac. </p>
<p>FangirlMary-
It is not a matter of preference if you knowingly choose an inferior product. If you choose it unknowingly, you are just an ignorant consumer. Judging by your name, you probably fit under the ignorant consumer category. If you don’t believe that the Mac is an inferior product, you can always challenge me at my thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-computers/1456074-what-way-mac-better-than-pc-7.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-computers/1456074-what-way-mac-better-than-pc-7.html</a></p>
<p>
Stop talking down to people, Chronology. Unnecessary much? If you really want to deter people away from Mac, bashing them won’t help. </p>
<p>Anywhoozle, I believe that choosing between Mac and a PC is a matter of preference. Putting aside cost as a factor, it really comes down to what you like and/or want in a computer. Apple has some pretty strong pros that strings in numerous people into buying their products.</p>
<p>@Chronolgy whoa dude, uncalled for much? I was only saying that pro’s a better than airs. I honestly have no preference when in comes to Mac vs PC. My family has a shared PC that we all use and my school provides Macs to each student for 40 bucks a year. So really, i don’t really count as a consumer in this situation. I only need my computer to have internet access, word, photoshop, and be portable. When I go to college I will be buying the cheapest, no matter the brand.</p>
<p>If you believe that choosing between Mac and a PC is a matter of preference, you clearly don’t know the differences between the Mac and the PC.</p>
<p>
I know that “Putting aside cost as a factor…” is a dependent clause but it doesn’t mean that you can ignore it. </p>
<p>And it is a matter of preference. I suggest you read up on consumer demands and some psycholgy.</p>
<p>Mac vs PC is NOT the same as chocolate vs vanilla, actual evidence can be used to prove that the PC is better. If you believe that it is a matter of preference you don’t care about evidence and you purchase your computers without reason.</p>
<p>Okay bro. You buy a PC and I’ll just buy the one i can afford. If that turns out to be a PC then great. If it turns out to be a Mac then thats okay too.</p>
<p>If you can afford a Mac, you can afford a better PC.</p>
<p>
So preference isn’t a reason? That mean I can’t buy my Range Rover because there’s a Toyota that’s similar to it? Or I can’t get my BMW because there’s a Lexus that’s similar to it? </p>
<p>Have you ever thought that someone doesn’t want a PC? That they want a Mac? They want it because like how it looks, how durable it is, how it can sync up with the rest of their Apple devices? </p>
<p>If you have the money then you have the money. If I have a $3000 budget that allows me to buy what I want, I’ll buy what I want. It could happen to be a Mac. Who knows, it could be a PC. Either way if you have the money, you have the money. Once you get to a certain amount for your budget getting the best doesnt outweigh getting what you want.</p>