The Expensive Mac
July 18th 2007 12:37
(All prices in AUD)
So I'm going to buy a new laptop, like always I have an annoying budget keeping me from buying the most ultimate of computers, just as well I'm not in the market for one, sticking to a maximum price of $1900 and not willing to budge above $2000 (if the deal is really good) I set out.
I'm not interested in most brands except Dell and Apple (I've looked into most of the others and didn't really find anything).
Dell has a handy (but somewhat limited) system in which you can configure your laptop. So I set to it and came with the following (modifying a Inspiron™ 1520):
Vista Home Premium
Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.8 GHz)
15.4" Widescreen
Integrated Audigy Soundblaster HD (or something or another)
nVidia 8600m GT
160Gigabyte Hard drive
8x DVD Burner
6 Cell Battery/Charger
2 Years Warranty
All that for $1808, which was pretty good. I figure I can keep $92 in my pocket, no need to go for any bells and whistles.
With Apple my experience was odd. Upon looking at their online store I found their cheapest laptop was going for $2900. Yikes, Apple fanboys might be delusional nutcases but that doesn't mean they are particularly wealthy delusional nutcases.
But then I realized that these were 'mac book pros', ah, the 'pro' obviously is a fancy way of saying 'slightly faster than a non-pro but considerably more expensive'. Thats cool, thats cool, I found a 'Get an education discount' link anyway, so I figure 'I'm probably eligible and that I was (yay).
So here I am faced with the choice between severel MacBooks (as opposed to the 'pros'). Is it just me or is there something obscene about charging extra for a black macbook as opposed to a white one when the only difference is colour? Oh well, I guess them Mac fanboys are a little nutty to think black laptops are worth more somehow. Anyways, all the MacBooks seem to be running in the 13" range.. Meaning I'll have a considerably smaller screen than the Dell laptop.
But hey what the hey, I click on the white $1749 13" screened bugger hoping theres a customize thing in there somewhere, also I wanted to see just what was in it besides the 'double layer super-drive' (my guess is thats a DVD burner).
Yep, theres a customize option, yipee I suppose. Now, I want to at least match the Dell laptop. Looks like this thing only had one gigabyte ram. Damn, and it's $234 to upgrade to 2 gigabytes. Well I guess it's tough luck *clicks*.
I'll leave the harddrive at 120gigabytes (anything about 80 is too much anyway), skip the 'Apple Display' (fancy paying $829 on a 20" screen you can get for $400?). Heh, it looks like any poor sap who buys the ridiculously overpriced LCD monitor will have to buy the adapter seperate to connect the damn 'MacBook' to the monitor. Ouch.
Holy crap, is Apple really asking me to pay extra for an EXTERNAL USB DIAL UP MODEM!? WOW! Dell integrates it for free but it's nothing short of worthless anyway, and Apple not only has it external but they're charging extra for it! *skips*
So were running at over $1983 for the MacBook. Heres what I'm getting (if I'm crazy enough to buy this):
120GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
Country Kit
Keyboard/Mac OS
Superdrive 8x (DVD R DL/DVD RW/CD-RW)
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
Charger/battery etc
1 Year Warranty
No word on the videocard, honest to god it better be an 8600m GT at the least otherwise this is one massive rip off, a nice fast CPU is well and good but it's worthless unless you have a nice powerful GPU to play games on your Mac (which I intend to via 'bootcamp' or something or another).
Upon further research it looks like the MacBook uses Intels own Media Accelerator 950. Ah, thats another way of saying its graphics capabilites are useless.
You know if it did have an 8600m GT I think it would have been on the same level with the Dell laptop, but as it stands it is too expensive and is lacking sorely in some areas.
The Winners:
Price: Inspiron
Screen: Inspiron
CPU: MacBook
Hard Drive: Inspiron
Ram: Tied
Optical Media: I'd say this is tied too, though I give a personal preference to Dell for treating its customers with dignity and respect by not renaming a DVD Burner something as inane and stupid as 'Superdrive'.
Warranty: Dell
Overall:MacBook Inspiron
So I'm going to buy a new laptop, like always I have an annoying budget keeping me from buying the most ultimate of computers, just as well I'm not in the market for one, sticking to a maximum price of $1900 and not willing to budge above $2000 (if the deal is really good) I set out.
I'm not interested in most brands except Dell and Apple (I've looked into most of the others and didn't really find anything).
Dell has a handy (but somewhat limited) system in which you can configure your laptop. So I set to it and came with the following (modifying a Inspiron™ 1520):
Vista Home Premium
Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.8 GHz)
15.4" Widescreen
Integrated Audigy Soundblaster HD (or something or another)
nVidia 8600m GT
160Gigabyte Hard drive
8x DVD Burner
6 Cell Battery/Charger
2 Years Warranty
All that for $1808, which was pretty good. I figure I can keep $92 in my pocket, no need to go for any bells and whistles.
With Apple my experience was odd. Upon looking at their online store I found their cheapest laptop was going for $2900. Yikes, Apple fanboys might be delusional nutcases but that doesn't mean they are particularly wealthy delusional nutcases.
But then I realized that these were 'mac book pros', ah, the 'pro' obviously is a fancy way of saying 'slightly faster than a non-pro but considerably more expensive'. Thats cool, thats cool, I found a 'Get an education discount' link anyway, so I figure 'I'm probably eligible and that I was (yay).
So here I am faced with the choice between severel MacBooks (as opposed to the 'pros'). Is it just me or is there something obscene about charging extra for a black macbook as opposed to a white one when the only difference is colour? Oh well, I guess them Mac fanboys are a little nutty to think black laptops are worth more somehow. Anyways, all the MacBooks seem to be running in the 13" range.. Meaning I'll have a considerably smaller screen than the Dell laptop.
But hey what the hey, I click on the white $1749 13" screened bugger hoping theres a customize thing in there somewhere, also I wanted to see just what was in it besides the 'double layer super-drive' (my guess is thats a DVD burner).
Yep, theres a customize option, yipee I suppose. Now, I want to at least match the Dell laptop. Looks like this thing only had one gigabyte ram. Damn, and it's $234 to upgrade to 2 gigabytes. Well I guess it's tough luck *clicks*.
I'll leave the harddrive at 120gigabytes (anything about 80 is too much anyway), skip the 'Apple Display' (fancy paying $829 on a 20" screen you can get for $400?). Heh, it looks like any poor sap who buys the ridiculously overpriced LCD monitor will have to buy the adapter seperate to connect the damn 'MacBook' to the monitor. Ouch.
Holy crap, is Apple really asking me to pay extra for an EXTERNAL USB DIAL UP MODEM!? WOW! Dell integrates it for free but it's nothing short of worthless anyway, and Apple not only has it external but they're charging extra for it! *skips*
So were running at over $1983 for the MacBook. Heres what I'm getting (if I'm crazy enough to buy this):
120GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
Country Kit
Keyboard/Mac OS
Superdrive 8x (DVD R DL/DVD RW/CD-RW)
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
Charger/battery etc
1 Year Warranty
No word on the videocard, honest to god it better be an 8600m GT at the least otherwise this is one massive rip off, a nice fast CPU is well and good but it's worthless unless you have a nice powerful GPU to play games on your Mac (which I intend to via 'bootcamp' or something or another).
Upon further research it looks like the MacBook uses Intels own Media Accelerator 950. Ah, thats another way of saying its graphics capabilites are useless.
You know if it did have an 8600m GT I think it would have been on the same level with the Dell laptop, but as it stands it is too expensive and is lacking sorely in some areas.
The Winners:
Price: Inspiron
Screen: Inspiron
CPU: MacBook
Hard Drive: Inspiron
Ram: Tied
Optical Media: I'd say this is tied too, though I give a personal preference to Dell for treating its customers with dignity and respect by not renaming a DVD Burner something as inane and stupid as 'Superdrive'.
Warranty: Dell
Overall:
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
but Macs are pretty sexy...
Comment by Ahmed
techy.Bytes
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Qwerk
Cinema Three
Also the Dell one has a built in camera, pretty much useless which is why I didn't list it
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Oh what a timely post (for me anyway). I'm looking round for a laptop and have been looking at the Dell's. I thought they were reasonably priced, but figured maybe I needed to look round at others for a comparison (but can't really be bothered). Glad to see that you're coming down on the Dell side as well.
I do love the Mac's. Apple really know how to package a product. But much as I love them, I just can't justify the cost compared to what else is on the market.
Kylie
Comment by Ahmed
techy.Bytes
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Qwerk
Cinema Three
It isn't an over exaggeration or anything like that, I've looked at the exact same products both were offering and Apple was always far more expensive, the biggest offence I have ever seen in my life was Apples 20" Widescreen LCD monitor, they were selling it for $900, DELL was selling a 22" Widescreen LCD monitor for $400. Less than half price and bigger.