Dell Inspiron 6400 vs Macbook Pro...

[lunabass]

is uglier than Dennis Rodman in a blonde wig and pink stilettos and has a battery life of about 16.7 seconds on a full charge etc, etc.

...mines got a single 2.0ghz centrino chip so I dont have the heat problems and i get close to 2 hours on stage running live with a BCR and M-box connected...still ugly though

[Amberience]

Seriously, If Apple would lower there prices I would be all over there stuff.

Y'know I think a lot of people would. I'm far from anti-mac, I mean, these things are just tools to realise our creativity, they aren't love interests, no matter how humourous it may be to think of them as so

But I just couldn't afford a Mac. Simple as. With the advent of Bootcamp though, I don't see much of a difference nowadays between using a mac or a pc.

[snakedogman]

I think it should read more like this

Dell Inspiron 6400 15" price: $1,320 US. dollars

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Professional edit
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife™(glossy) edit
MEMORY 2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHZ, 2 DIMM edit
HARD DRIVE 100GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability

OR

macbook pro 15" price $2400

2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
2GB DDR2 SDRAM
160GB SATA hard drive 5400rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
256MB GDDR3 video memory

btw in my experience mac are good computers, but expensive. Myself I'm a pc man by heart but at work I work exclusively on macs. I do enjoy OSX for the most part but I don't find it neccesarily that much better than windows XP. It is generally quite stable and easy to use if you're not a computer geek. The fact that the new macs can now run both operating systems is of course a big bonus in their favour.

[threesixty]

I think you have to look at it this way.. If Sony released a VAIO machine with the same quality as a macbook pro everyone would be going nuts. Everyone would say get it if you can afford it. No one would even bother comparing it to a DELL because the build quality of the machine would just be no contest.

Think of the macbook pro as a souped up, best of breed PC laptop. Just like a top end Sony. When you look at it that way, the mac book pro blows away any PC laptop period. There just isn't any competition in terms of design, build quality etc.. Factor that its a PC that can run ANY OS (Linux, Vista, XP and Mac OS X) for the same price as all the other high end laptops then again there is no competition.

Also resell value for an apple machine is always far higher than any pc machine. Very few people trust buying second hand pc's cos you never really know whats in them. Pc companies build so many models, so fast and upgrade frequently which just rapidly devalues any normal pc laptop you buy.

If you can only afford a cheap Dell then buy a Dell. But if you think for one moment that a similary priced Mac Book Pro and any PC laptop are at the same level then your crazy. Apple blows it out the water at every level.
You can only spend what you have, but buy a Dell because its cheap not because it's better...

[Machinate]

I think it should read more like this

Dell Inspiron 6400 15" price: $1,320 US. dollars

yes, but the original post still said "if the performance is equal to the mac" - which it surely isn't.

[Amberience]

You're both going on specs alone. Neither of you have sat down with both products and compared them 1 for 1. Therefore I conclude that you're blowing smoke out of your arses.



I'm neither for nor against dell or Mac. But I do like to make my own mind up on such matters. My budget made my mind up for me though, so yes, indeed I did buy it because it is cheaper. But that doesn't mean I automatically think a Mac would be better.

Plus I do honestly not find Apple products attractive. They have this whole 60's Star Trek feel to them, and its just tacky.

[threesixty]

You're both going on specs alone. Neither of you have sat down with both products and compared them 1 for 1. Therefore I conclude that you're blowing smoke out of your arses.



I'm neither for nor against dell or Mac. But I do like to make my own mind up on such matters. My budget made my mind up for me though, so yes, indeed I did buy it because it is cheaper. But that doesn't mean I automatically think a Mac would be better.

Plus I do honestly not find Apple products attractive. They have this whole 60's Star Trek feel to them, and its just tacky.

Dude, I've owned a powerbook, a sony vaio and my girls got a Dell Inspiron. And I agree it's not just about looks although you must be one of the few people in the world who actually thinks a mac book pro looks worse than a dell! If your talking about a macbook I can understand, but a macbook pro. Nah ...
Anyway, its your dough.. just false justifications dont wash with me. There isnt a laptop with comparable build quality and price that can do ALL the things that a macbook pro can do. Its a fact. Whether u need ALL the functionality is a different matter ...

[Amberience]

You're both going on specs alone. Neither of you have sat down with both products and compared them 1 for 1. Therefore I conclude that you're blowing smoke out of your arses.



I'm neither for nor against dell or Mac. But I do like to make my own mind up on such matters. My budget made my mind up for me though, so yes, indeed I did buy it because it is cheaper. But that doesn't mean I automatically think a Mac would be better.

Plus I do honestly not find Apple products attractive. They have this whole 60's Star Trek feel to them, and its just tacky.

Dude, I've owned a powerbook, a sony vaio and my girls got a Dell Inspiron. And I agree it's not just about looks although you must be one of the few people in the world who actually thinks a mac book pro looks worse than a dell! If your talking about a macbook I can understand, but a macbook pro. Nah ...
Anyway, its your dough.. just false justifications dont wash with me. There isnt a laptop with comparable build quality and price that can do ALL the things that a macbook pro can do. Its a fact. Whether u need ALL the functionality is a different matter ...

I've made no false justifications. and I doubt I'm the only person on the planet to have good taste, lmao. Yes I know, I'm bad.

[Eraldo Bernocchi]

three letters: mac...

...and talking about guarantee: on april 3rd I bought 2 macbooks pro at the 5h av apple store in NYC. one for me and one for my wife who's doing live visuals and graphics (euro dollar exchange rate made save 1300 euros...)...got back to Italy....happy like a child...but...my wife's superdrive
broke just after 3 times she put a cd in...you may imagine our face.
always used mac and mac only, never happened anything, this time that bloody superdrive breaks pratically brand new.

so, guarantee talking...macbook pro bought in US, back in Italy,terror surfacing...called the nearest Apple center. they say no problem. get my car, drive 30 minutes, got there...superdrive changed, machine pristine. Time lost: 3 hours. Money lost:0, petrol excluded.

This is Apple guarantee, to me means a lot...

and by the way...mac book pro is a monster of speed so powerful my G5 DP 1.8 seems from the stone age...

[leedsquietman]

Why all the Dell bashing? Dell have machines at the budget end but their high end machines are a different kettle of fish. The build quality on the XPS range and higher end laptops such as the 9400 is fine, often the components used are superior to that in an equivalent costing Mac. When I got my INspiron 9100 I could have gotten a G4 Powerbook but the mac cost 400 dollars more, had 512 MB less memory, a 64 GB ATI Radeon 9600 versus a 128 MB ATI Radeon 9700 in the Dell, a 40 GB 5400 rpm drive versus a 60 GB 7200 rpm drive, 1 USB port less, 1024x768 resolution vs 1680x1050 resolution etc, etc.

I still liked the look and extended battery life of the G4 but the Inspiron 9100 just killed it for performance with pro audio software, especially Cubase SX3 but also Reason. I could double the track count and plugin count on the Dell, which had it's drawbacks (you needed a crane to lift the thing and the battery life was shorter than watching a match burn down) but put it on AC power it was like comparing COncorde to a Cessna. Maybe the fact Apple never released a G5 based Macbook could explain this scenario but the fact is, that option wasn't available and still Mac fanboys would rattle on about the Powerbook, but the 'lighter, sleeker, longer battery' advantages were not a priority for me.

The fact Apple have now gone INtel is a huge boost for people wanting to convert, and makes performance comparisons a lot more real, plus allows things such as Bootcamp.

None of these machines are exactly sturdy, well built machines. Apple seek economies of scale and have plastickyness about their machines just the same as Toshiba, Sony, Dell, etc.

I have had 5 Dell computers and not an ounce of a problem with them on 4 machines and their service was very good the one time I did have a problem. They also replaced a keyboard for me when they did not have to due to an error by me and gave me extra features such as an extended warranty and a free USB thumb drive on my last 2 purchases as a loyal customer. Service varies with case to case, there are Dell users pissed at Dell at their service and trust me, I know people who have Macbooks and G4 powerbooks who feel cheated by Apple too.

The current mac pro and macbook/macbook pro range are excellent. Mac OSX is a stable and nice operating system. But the pricing could use a 15-20% reduction and the snotty fanboyism that exists among rabid mac fans on this site and elsewhere (in conjunction with the overly smug ad campaign) do nothing for the image of Apple. Seriously, I want to get a Macbook Pro as my next buy but under current circumstances I would probably go PC for the extra bang for buck factor. Hopefully this can change sometime soon?

and btw. Bootcamp is not 100% compatible with windows (there are some glitches and optimization issues with some software/hardware) and is not supported by Apple or Microsoft, so major failures, crashes and the like leaves you on your own. So however awesome Bootcamp is, I wouldn't rely on it too heavily.

[Amberience]

So y'know what... My Alesis IO26 doesn't work well at all with my Dell. So I'm sending the Dell back, getting a refund. Swapping the Alesis IO26 with a Tascam FW1804, and setting up a Mac Mini, for some portable recording goodness.

Live and learn I guess.

[leedsquietman]

Did you consider that it may be the soundcard? Before returning the computer, I would have tried another soundcard. Then at least you can determine if the computer is defective or the soundcard is defective or just that better alternatives exist for either device. my Echo Indigo IO pcmcia card works great with my Dell and so does the M-Audio firewire 410 (my friend wanted me to test it for him)

The thing with PC's is that some hardware works better on some machines than others as do some DAW programs. Differing components, chip sets etc.

[leedsquietman]

No offence, but I wouldn't expect too much from a mac mini, definate performance compromises there for the sake of cool image and portability.

If you're going the mac route, at least go for an imac running INtel ccore2duo.

[Amberience]

Did you consider that it may be the soundcard? Before returning the computer, I would have tried another soundcard. Then at least you can determine if the computer is defective or the soundcard is defective or just that better alternatives exist for either device. my Echo Indigo IO pcmcia card works great with my Dell and so does the M-Audio firewire 410 (my friend wanted me to test it for him)

The thing with PC's is that some hardware works better on some machines than others as do some DAW programs. Differing components, chip sets etc.

I tried my PodXTLive. Worked fine. I tried my friends Emu 0404. Worked fine.

The difference? These two are USB2 devices.

But here is the kicker... I *need* gain controls for the inputs on the soundcard, because I'm recording a drumkit. So the IO26 would've been fine, if not for the crap performance.

So ... another firewire interface will not work with the Dell, because it does not have its own firewire input. I was using an expresscard, I think that's the problem.

And there are no USB2 interfaces that have individual gain control, so I can't do it that way.

And to be honest, now that I've worked out my finances... I realised that I can easily afford to get the mac mini with these specs:

1.83ghz intel core duo
1ghz ram
80gig hdd

Add to that the tascam firewire interface, which has good reviews out there for being stable. Add to these a tft monitor and mouse and keyboard, and I've got a portable and powerful setup for recording my band.

The Dell couldn't match it, and I'd rather have the mini than another Dell.

Like I've said before, I'm not anti-mac. I just figured I couldn't afford to set one up. But the mini... I definitely can afford that.

[Amberience]

No offence, but I wouldn't expect too much from a mac mini, definate performance compromises there for the sake of cool image and portability.

If you're going the mac route, at least go for an imac running INtel ccore2duo.

Well I could afford the iMac with the same specs as the mini I just mentioned. But I have to ask, what is the difference internally?

Same proc, same gpu, same ram, same hdd speed (although the iMac has a bigger drive!) edit: Actually, I'm not sure if the speed is the same as the iMac

I can only really afford to go Mac if a friend of a friend gets it with his %15 staff discount (he works at a Apple store here in London)

What kind of performance comprimises? I mean.. they're pretty much the same machine. Only difference is the mini is more compact.

I'm seriously open to getting an iMac instead, but I would want to know why.