Need help in buying a Mac laptop...

[Nechochwen]

After taking a quick look at the apple store online, the only thing you'll be able to afford is a 13inch screen, so I'll price you a sager based on that.

the cheapest mac you can get has a base price of $1100, bumping it up to 2 gigs ram and a larger HDD puts it at $1250.
Specs:
2 gigs RAM
160gig Hard drive
13" widescreen
2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
No idea what the graphics card is

The sager: $1009
Specs:
15.4" widescreen
2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Nvidia GeForce 8400M G Graphics Card
XP Pro
2 gigs RAM
If you wanted a faster CPU, the 2.4 GHz core 2 duo puts it at $1064

 

[PWCorgi]

Necho, do you have a Sager?

I'm having trouble finding online reviews...

 

[Renee750il]

I'm being silly, of course! Nikki knows I love her, even if she has a Mac!

Have you owned a laptop before? I'm asking because I may be able to direct you to the proper kind of laptop... I'm the laptop queen, I've had like 5 already, and upgrade VERY often.

And how many times have you disappeared and had to come back and post that your laptop fried?

*ducks*

 

[RedHotDobe]

I can't help in suggesting a Mac laptop, as I don't own one and have never seriously looked at them, and I absolutely suck at conserving money, but, why not try OpenOffice? It's free! http://www.openoffice.org/

But, if you happen to care, I really like the black MacBook. (You get a free 8GB iPod nano or touch, too!)

Explore the PC option like others have suggested. It most likely would end up costing you less than a Mac would.

 

[Nechochwen]

Necho, do you have a Sager?

I'm having trouble finding online reviews...

I don't; when I was looking for a laptop I found a $500 toshiba that fit my needs perfectly and runs great.

I do know a few people that have them, and they'll never be buying another brand of laptop again.

 

[RedHotDobe]

the cheapest mac you can get has a base price of $1100, bumping it up to 2 gigs ram and a larger HDD puts it at $1250.
Specs:
2 gigs RAM
160gig Hard drive
13" widescreen
2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
No idea what the graphics card is

That with the student discount comes out to be $1,134.

 

[Nechochwen]

That with the student discount comes out to be $1,134.

Which is still more than the more powerful and bigger Sager

 

[RedHotDobe]

I never said it wasn't; I was just correcting your pricing. Macs are more expensive, and above I said she should explore the PC option.

 

[Pam111]

My Macbook was cheaper on Macmall.com with the rebates (and free Parallels software and printer after rebates) than buying from the Apple store with a student discount.

I paid around 1100 with the free software and printer and upgraded the ram for very cheap. Don't order memory from Apple--it's way overpriced.

 

[Angel Chicken]

And how many times have you disappeared and had to come back and post that your laptop fried?

*ducks*

Quite a few, I'll admit! But I can't help it that ComCraps (Compaq) and Gayways (Gateways) are junk! This IBM has held strong, except for the hard drive dying ( Which was due for death, I've had it for a couple of years!)and the pepsi bath...

Lemme see... started with a very old compaq... got a gateway when that compaq died (it turned off and never came back on again.... it was THAT old.), that one died as well...then the other compaq, which had to be replaced with a newer one when the hinges broke on the LCD screen.... now I have the IBM, which hasn't been replaced yet (But it has been ressurected a few times... even after the pepsi bath, we gave it an alcohol bath and it worked again for a short time before the motherboard died).

 

[release the hounds]

Is this Mac laptop something you can buy at McDonalds?

 

[CharlieDog]

Is this Mac laptop something you can buy at McDonalds?

I WISH! Then it might be cheaper! Probably would suck though, and Wendys would be all over that and come out with their own Wactop, or something equally stupid, and then Burger King would be SURE to jump on that band wagon, followed closely by Chik-fil-a and then Dairy Queen and nobody wants to see that.

 

[Renee750il]

When it came right down to it and I'd talked to all the people I had access to who were REAL hands-on experts in all facets of computers, inside out and backwards and forwards AND use them extensively, from the young, brilliant geeks to the old hands who have been dealing with them, building them and programming since the 1950s, they all told me the same thing . . . for ease of use, for dependability, for lack of trouble, longevity and overall satisfaction and just general all-around everything you use a computer for, get a Mac.

And they were right.

I also realized that I know a whole lot of various and sundry MicroSoft based machine techs who are making TONS of money fixing people's machines and straightening out glitches and general mayhem, but I don't know a single Mac tech up close and personal . . . Hmmmmmmmm . . . . guess there isn't much of a job market for them.

 

[Nechochwen]

Longevity my ass.

I've got a windows machine from 2000 that still works just fine.

 

[Renee750il]

Oh, I'm sure there are a few out there. They aren't the standard though. I've got an old laptop from . . . . oh . . . . the early 90s? Maybe even the late 80s? Anyway, one of the first ones. It will still boot up and run.

But it's a freak.

 

[Nechochwen]

if someone knows how to use a computer properly (ie, not download random crap) then their computer will last them a long long time. Hell, even if they don't they can just reformat and as long as the hardware is in good shape there won't be any problems.

 

[Renee750il]

I've had computers that never even came into contact with the internet, that were religiously maintained - not just by me, but by actual gurus, not MS techies - that spent a lot of time on life support and put us through massive data reconstructions, even with backups. Got any idea how much vital data you can lose from even half a day in a law office when all your work and record keeping, notes from telephone conversations, etc. are kept on the computers?

If we'd been able to have access to the software we needed, we'd have gladly gone back and run on DOS, since I knew how to use DOS and my boss actually held patents for DOS applications.