Buying the right computer

[Roxas]

Macs are unneededly expensive, and can be very restrictive when it comes to upgrades. Plus, there is still a major lack of native games for macs. That said, i can only recommend macs for graphic design work or purely college work.

Steam for Mac is here.

But yeah, I'm currently saving up for a 17" Macbook Pro customized with an i7, which will be (including student discount) €2174(down from €24xx). Now this kind of money takes me about 6-7 months to save, I'm almost there, but I still doubt myself.

I'm going to Art College, majoring in Digital Media Design, and this laptop might have to replace my desktop entirely, it'll turn into my main computer, which I'll probably dual-boot Windows on, since we use 3D Studio Max for some things.(Windows Only).

Is this a good choice? I know there are other high-end computers, but the OS X thing plays a roll too, it's always nice to have something different...

I'm fairly certain I'll get the Macbook, but I still have some doubts now and then.

[Fiel]

There are a few things I'd recommend for you, Roxas:

Check with your university. Do they require that freshman get laptops? If so, buy it from the school. It's all too easy to look at the price and say it's too expensive or it's more expensive than what you could get from an Apple store. But you do get a lot of benefits for it:

- Free tech support for as long as you attend that university. And usually the tech support is very, very good. At mine, they swap out hard drives, give away new cables and power supplies, replace batteries... and they help you in person. It's all right on campus.
- The stuff you get from them likely has a software package that's more tailored for the university, such as including programs that they require or software you need for most majors (Office, for example).

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If they sell you a MacBook, get a MacBook. If they sell you a PC, use a PC. If they sell you both, check with your advisor and get in contact with other students from your major or professors and ask them what they use.

[Roxas]

There are a few things I'd recommend for you, Roxas:

Check with your university. Do they require that freshman get laptops? If so, buy it from the school. It's all too easy to look at the price and say it's too expensive or it's more expensive than what you could get from an Apple store. But you do get a lot of benefits for it:

- Free tech support for as long as you attend that university. And usually the tech support is very, very good. At mine, they swap out hard drives, give away new cables and power supplies, replace batteries... and they help you in person. It's all right on campus.
- The stuff you get from them likely has a software package that's more tailored for the university, such as including programs that they require or software you need for most majors (Office, for example).

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If they sell you a MacBook, get a MacBook. If they sell you a PC, use a PC. If they sell you both, check with your advisor and get in contact with other students from your major or professors and ask them what they use.

See, that's the thing, our school doesn't require laptops, but my teacher said it's highly recommended to get one. And the Macbook I'm buying is practically from my school, as our school has their very own page on the Apple Store, school logo and all, with discounts higher than anywhere else.

[XTOTHEL]

IMO, buying a macbook is buying into "fashion" for computers. I'm on a windows desktop, and I do digital media fine without any problems. It is just down to personal preference. Adobe makes its CS suites available for both OSes. Not saying Macs aren't solid computers, they are. But I'm not saying other PCs aren't just as solid and more powerful. Also note that I know "arts" people almost use Macs 100% exclusively, so...go join the club?

[Roxas]

IMO, buying a macbook is buying into "fashion" for computers. I'm on a windows desktop, and I do digital media fine without any problems. It is just down to personal preference. Adobe makes its CS suites available for both OSes. Not saying Macs aren't solid computers, they are. But I'm not saying other PCs aren't just as solid and more powerful. Also note that I know "arts" people almost use Macs 100% exclusively, so...go join the club?

I do admit, that I highly endorse the design of the Macbooks, and having used many laptops, there's more killer features too, the major one being the Multi-touch trackpad, which I know isn't exclusive to Apple, but their implementation is by far the best. And the 6-8 hour battery life on them too, I have heard good things about them, while all other High-end notebooks provide 3-5 hours.

[Jamie_Kurosawa]

Macs are nice but they are overpriced for what they offer and learning a different OS, while useful in some situations, actually can be a set back in others.

I still will recommend HP stuff due to HP's customer service and warranty, regardless of what many people would say bad about them. I've used HP for about 10 years now and I've always had a good experience with them. I've even had several times where they sent a free replacement part.

A lot of schools will resell HP, Gateway, and Dell products. Fiel is right though, if the school offers to sell you one, buy it. It's cheaper and most schools do have a tech support department.

[thinbear]

Mac used to have better color management/ easier color calibration (this could be outdated)
again like Fiel said, check with your teacher/ tech support in campus, they have better experience than most of we do