Mac OR PC???

Hey guys looking to get a new lap top. This IBM thinkpad just isnt fast anymore :licka: and i am getting sick of no hard drive space and it barely boots up. i was looking at MAC's because my roomate has had one for about 3 years now and he hasnt had a damn problem with it. the only problem i see now is that how much the damn thing costs.

i usually dont get something i dont want. so im going for the big one:

2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Accessory Kit
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
2GB 667 DDR2 - 2x1GB SO-DIMMs
MacBook Pro 17-inch High-Resolution Widescreen Display
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm


$2,899 w/discount. and the website said something about trading in old equipment also, i'll have to check it out...

Do you guys know anything or heard anything about these computers being any good? How do they hold their value?

IMHO that's wayyyy too much money if you're not going to use it to it's full potential. You could probably get one for a grand less that will perform the same for what you need it for.

I agree are you really going to use all that power? My sister has a 2.0ghz dual core mac mini with 1 gig of ram and for doc editing, browsing, chatting, and doing email it's way way way more then enough for her. You probably don't need something that advanced but hey your call. Be sure to try to use the school discount :)

I'm a/b to get a laptop too... IMHO Macs are too expensive... They are finally getting versatile enough for me to consider, but the price drives me away...

Man, I get major discounts (built a $3k computer for $800, 2yr ago, and it's now selling for $800@ retail), but they're only for PCs. I can't get laptops/components that cheap.

BTW, I used to run my own PC business, and worked as a PC service tech... so I've got some connections... Post a general idea of what you're looking (especially if you have specific component wants), and I'll see what I can do... but most likely, not much on a laptop...

Mac for the fuckin lose. I know like 6-7 guys with Mac laptops and everyone of those guys has had it into the Apple store atleast once, no less than three have had it in three times in the 8-10 months they owned them. Not to mention they are expensive as all hell. My question for you is why the hell do you need such a great computer? I can guarantee you that you wont know the difference between a rediculously expensive computer like that and much less expensive one unless you are running really high resolution games or like 100 programs at once.

i do run many things at once thats what slows it down... also do play online games with high res

Who the hell pays $3k for a computer anymore? I mean c'mon man, you can get something that will do what you want for ~$1,000 now. Nice computers are getting cheaper. Unless you have your heart set on a Mac (which is dumb for the average user) then get something like this. I GUARANTEE this will do anything you want and more, and it's affordable. Gaming, video editing, web surfing, word processing, whatever. This will do all of them at the same time. The only thing you might want is another 1 GB of memory, which would cost you another $80 and even a newb could unscrew the flap on the bottom and slide it in.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834280004

ok so here is how it goign to go. i am going to build a desktop. i want a huge processor. 2 gig of ram. 250gig hard drive. and a HUGE graphics card. can this be done for less then 1000$ for just that stuff? also for the hell of it im going to put vista ultimate on it.

can any of you guys personally help me build this over summer? i need to know brands and stuff. also keep in mind i dont want to have to run a giant fan in this computer. i heard some have a cooling system? whats up with that. so anyone here can help me out?

start with this? Intel Core?2 Quad Q6600, 2.40 GHz (BX80562Q6600) Boxed Processor (http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Intel-Boxed-Core2-Quad-pro-2-40-GHz-1066FSB-8M%7EPD-38880473%7EFD-1719%7Ekworg-CPU%7Elinkin_id-3067820%7EDMT-3%7EVK-3067819)

http://cgi.ebay.com/INTEL-PENTIUM-D-3-0GHz-AGP-PCIe-MOTHERBOARD-CPU-COMBO_W0QQitemZ150131192222QQihZ005QQcategoryZ1244 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
at the bottom of that page... could i build it as such:
Motherboard:ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA 775 Motherboard Quad-Core Ready DDR DDR2 AGP PCIe SATA RAID

CPU (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/) Intel Pentium D 945 Dual Core 3.4GHz 800MHz 2x2MB LGA775 CPU, OEM
More Info (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:printitem%28document.cf.sel0.value%29;)CPU Fan (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/)ADVANCED COPPER BASED CPU Heatsink & Cooling Fan (Recommended)
More Info (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:printitem%28document.cf.sel1.value%29;)RAM Memory (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/)2GB (2x 1GB) DDR2 667MHZ PC5400 DUAL-CHANNEL MEMORY HIGH QUALITY
PC Tower Case?

anything worth buying for under 350?

(http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:printitem%28document.cf.sel4.value%29;)

Mac's have beautiful user interfaces, but that's about it. They are way over-priced, and you can certainly get much more for your money if you went the Dell/Compaq/Gateway-etc route. I got my 1.8GHz Compaq Presasrio V2000, with 100GB HDD, 1GB Ram for $1200 with warranty. This little thing is lightning fast, an excellent workhorse. I have several broswer windows open, music playing and a word doc out at any one time, it handles it perfectly. I've even played some pretty decent video games on this thing: Dawn of War, Homeworld, etc, ran at excellent resolution and fps without it ever slowing down. I highly recommend a PC over a Mac any day; just more for your money.

Are you sure you know how to build a computer? Its not hard at all, but if you dont know exactly what you are doing you should talk to buddy before you buy stuff.

Also, www.newegg.com (http://%5BURL=%22http://www.newegg.com%22) ]New Egg[/url] should help... IIRC the stuff there is cheaper than anything on eBay or elsewhere.

does these specs sound good? also can you guys check out the website and make sure it sounds legit...

CASE: ($10 off Mail-in Rebate)Sigma Gaming Orca Mid-Tower 400W Case
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Pentium® D 945 Dual-Core CPU @ 3.4GHz 800FSB 2x2MB L2 Cache EM64T
MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core Supports) Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
MEMORY: 2GB (2x1024MB) PC4200 DDR2 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreader)
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce 7100 GS TurboCache supporting 256MB PCI-E (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO CARD 2: NONE
LCD Monitor: NONE
HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: NONE
Optical Drive: (Special Price) 18X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: NONE
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

with a 22" monitor it comes to 1200ish...

what do you guys think? no clue what brand this company is or what

www.cyberpowerpc.com

you know now that i look at it i might get the dell M2010 that thing looks pretty sweeet...

That system is a rip-off. I could personally build that system for $800 or less with said 22" monitor.

I'll tell you what. You send me $800 and I will build you a monster and ship it to you. I'll take a cut of $50 out of the $800 for building it and you will have a machine you won't believe how powerful it is.

what about the dell m2010 off ebay new? that thing looks pretty sweet. i kindsa wanted to stay with a laptop but if i can build a kick ass desktop then yea

http://images10.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/27-136-108-04.jpg LG 18X DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE Model GSA-H42N-BK - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827136108)
Item #: N82E16827136108
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#1)


$28.99
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-$10.00 Instant
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate (http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/XION11-208-021Jun05Jul0207nl14.pdf)
$79.99
$69.99
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Item #: N82E16822136012
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#2)

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$199.99
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$139.99
$129.99
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Item #: N82E16814130086
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#2)

Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Service Net Replacement Plan -- $39.99 1 Year Service Net 1 Peripheral Extended Plan -- $39.99 2 Year Service Net 1 Peripheral Extended Plan -- $49.99 2 Year Service Net Replacement Plan -- $59.99 3 Year Service Net 1 Peripheral Extended Plan -- $59.99
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate (http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/EVGA8MIRsJun01Jun3007lh15.pdf)
$219.99
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$57.99
$47.99
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$120.99
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Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#5)

does that sound good guys?