hypochondriac Posted 5 September, 2009 Share Posted 5 September, 2009 MacBook 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, 160GB Hard Drive 13.3" Screen 2.4Ghz Core2 Duo processor 2 x 2Gb DDR2 RAM = 4GB 160GB Hard drive Dual Layer Superdrive Bluetooth Airport Wireless Enabled Apple Remote included too Warranty is up Sept 09 Still boxed, with original disks too. It was bought Sept '08 so still in warranty, Had LCD replacement in April this year. RAM upgraded to 4GB in December '08. Still in almost perfect nick except the usual minor surface marks on the glossy case and two tiny marks on the keyboard rest Two small dots below right arrow key. Less than a year old!!!! A 2 year extended warranty could be bought before the first year warranty runs out Sept 12th Is this worth 500 quid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 mmmm, i guess so, tho consider first how good a pc laptop you could get second hand for £500, for gods sake dont just buy one for the hype and "dont believe the hype" either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 mmmm, i guess so, tho consider first how good a pc laptop you could get second hand for £500, for gods sake dont just buy one for the hype and "dont believe the hype" either. I thought you were a mac convert? Basically I have had threee laptops die on me in the last year for various reasons. I went to say with my sister a couple of weeks ago and used her macbook a lot. What I really liked about it is that it booted up in roughly ten seconds and I was good to go. It irritates me how long computers take to do the same. (PS don't show essuruu this post). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 I thought you were a mac convert? Basically I have had threee laptops die on me in the last year for various reasons. I went to say with my sister a couple of weeks ago and used her macbook a lot. What I really liked about it is that it booted up in roughly ten seconds and I was good to go. It irritates me how long computers take to do the same. (PS don't show essuruu this post). 10 seconds my arse, unless it had hardly any software loading on boot (and I bet it was a macbook pro), in which case a laptop PC for £500 with little startup software installed would boot in a similar speed. Im not a mac convert, but I am a heavy mac user. I prefer using my mac for managing my photos, um, that about does it for me. Work wise PCs are far more productive. If its just for pleasure, then its a close call between Mac and PC, but really, compare what you can get for the same money... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 10 seconds my arse, unless it had hardly any software loading on boot (and I bet it was a macbook pro), in which case a laptop PC for £500 with little startup software installed would boot in a similar speed. Im not a mac convert, but I am a heavy mac user. I prefer using my mac for managing my photos, um, that about does it for me. Work wise PCs are far more productive. If its just for pleasure, then its a close call between Mac and PC, but really, compare what you can get for the same money... All I know was it was pretty damn fast, certainly in comparison to any PC I've ever used. Thanks for the advice though, I could always install windows on it as well and get the best of both worlds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 All I know was it was pretty damn fast, certainly in comparison to any PC I've ever used. Thanks for the advice though, I could always install windows on it as well and get the best of both worlds? Yup, you could, in which case you need to ask yourself what is it about Mac OS X that makes you want to use it above Windows 7 etc. iPhoto and garageband are pretty ****ing amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 What do you reckon Bajer? What should I get? Need it for everything really. Internet, pictures, music, word processing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 You play guitar don't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 You play guitar don't you? On occassion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 If you would ever have cause to do any recording of your music, then a mac, without a doubt. Garageband is simply one of the best applications I have ever used, fullstop. It has the best bits of big brothers like Logic studio etc, but is far from bloated and pretty easy to use. If not, then its 50/50 mate. My gut would say get a windows based laptop. That said, garageband might even get you playing guitar more, which cant be a bad thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 A VERY decent laptop new for £500 http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/home/Laptops/laptop-inspiron-17/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-17&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Cheers for that Baj. I'm going to have to think about this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Believe me, the shiny feeling of 'ohh, im a mac owner' wears off pretty quickly and you're left with Hardware A v Hardware B + Operating system A v Operating system B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 That's quite a change from what you were saying a few months back! I'm going to look at the dell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Not sure if this will interest you at all, but i have bought these for a few people i know, and even bought some and sold them on e-bay with a £70 profit! http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1762467072.1252234686@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeiemkfjjjcflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=2&sm=0&tm=4&sku=657233&category_oid=-27411 Says refurb, but all have come through brand new, just last years stock, HDMI, Blu-Ray player, 250GB HDD, 3GB RAM, free Windows 7 upgrade etc.....Years warranty Check it out, very nice piece of kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 That's quite a change from what you were saying a few months back! I'm going to look at the dell. Thats what I mean by the 'mac affect' wearing off. My mac still crashes more than my pc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Not sure if this will interest you at all, but i have bought these for a few people i know, and even bought some and sold them on e-bay with a £70 profit! http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1762467072.1252234686@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeiemkfjjjcflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=2&sm=0&tm=4&sku=657233&category_oid=-27411 Says refurb, but all have come through brand new, just last years stock, HDMI, Blu-Ray player, 250GB HDD, 3GB RAM, free Windows 7 upgrade etc.....Years warranty Check it out, very nice piece of kit Cheers. I may actually get that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Cheers. I may actually get that. I love the one i bought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Just counted seconds to boot up on my Snow Leopard 4gb ram macbook, 55secs... Doesnt bother me in the slightest, just saying... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Just counted seconds to boot up on my Snow Leopard 4gb ram macbook, 55secs... Doesnt bother me in the slightest, just saying... My sister doesn't know a whole lot about laptops. I suspect she has hardly any software which could affect boot times. I think it was closer to 20 seconds but it was really really quick and I was on the internet straight away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Macbook connection to my wifi from sleep is blistering, I would say less than 3 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essruu Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 A VERY decent laptop new for £500 http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/home/Laptops/laptop-inspiron-17/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-17&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1 This has a very plastic and clunky feel about it and the trackpad and mouse buttons are horrible. I had the misfortune to have to use one recently to set up AV / Firewall / Network / File Sharing on for somebody who is almost completely PC-dumb. Mind you, it was running Vista Home Premium. Believe me, the shiny feeling of 'ohh, im a mac owner' wears off pretty quickly and you're left with Hardware A v Hardware B + Operating system A v Operating system B. Hardware Mac and Operating System Mac then. Hypochondriac has already experienced the eye-opening of not having to wait for startup, it just working etc., and will experience the OS and software further in time, should he make the switch to a Mac. Windows 7 should take Windows users closer to a Mac experience, but they'll still have horrible contraptions like the Dell Inspiron and other makers' plastic bricks to have to accept. Aluminium MacBook, without doubt, Hypochandriac. Baj, re your startup time: My unibody MacBook cold starts in 18secs. I've copied this from another source to save having to explain in detail, but if you want to speed it up, you'll now know what to do: - "You may be able to speed up your boot process by understanding the fact that Mac OS X reads and preloads icons for everthing that is in your Documents folder and everything that is on your Desktop. Taking this concept to heart, if you keep a tidy desktop with the smallest number of items possible on it, and minimize the number of files you keep in your Documents folder, you may notice an improvement in boot time. I take this concept to heart myself, keeping only 5 icons on my desktop and keeping all my personal files in a separate "My Documents" folder as opposed to Apple's intended Documents folder. The only things to be found in my Documents folder are items that have been placed there by applications that store configuration information there. Microsoft Office is a notable offender in this regard, storing a hierarchy of folders there. Still on the topic of booting, make sure that you know what items are being loaded at login of your user account, and eliminate any of them that you don't feel are needed. You will find the list of login items in your System Preferences, Accounts, your_user_id, Login Items." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 6 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 6 September, 2009 Thanks for the input ess. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 6 September, 2009 Share Posted 6 September, 2009 This has a very plastic and clunky feel about it and the trackpad and mouse buttons are horrible. I had the misfortune to have to use one recently to set up AV / Firewall / Network / File Sharing on for somebody who is almost completely PC-dumb. Mind you, it was running Vista Home Premium. Hardware Mac and Operating System Mac then. Hypochondriac has already experienced the eye-opening of not having to wait for startup, it just working etc., and will experience the OS and software further in time, should he make the switch to a Mac. Windows 7 should take Windows users closer to a Mac experience, but they'll still have horrible contraptions like the Dell Inspiron and other makers' plastic bricks to have to accept. Aluminium MacBook, without doubt, Hypochandriac. Baj, re your startup time: My unibody MacBook cold starts in 18secs. I've copied this from another source to save having to explain in detail, but if you want to speed it up, you'll now know what to do: - "You may be able to speed up your boot process by understanding the fact that Mac OS X reads and preloads icons for everthing that is in your Documents folder and everything that is on your Desktop. Taking this concept to heart, if you keep a tidy desktop with the smallest number of items possible on it, and minimize the number of files you keep in your Documents folder, you may notice an improvement in boot time. I take this concept to heart myself, keeping only 5 icons on my desktop and keeping all my personal files in a separate "My Documents" folder as opposed to Apple's intended Documents folder. The only things to be found in my Documents folder are items that have been placed there by applications that store configuration information there. Microsoft Office is a notable offender in this regard, storing a hierarchy of folders there. Still on the topic of booting, make sure that you know what items are being loaded at login of your user account, and eliminate any of them that you don't feel are needed. You will find the list of login items in your System Preferences, Accounts, your_user_id, Login Items." Load times dont bother me, especially as my pc laptop loads just as "quick". I must say, I do like the answer to speeding things up, namely "dont keep stuff on your desktop or in your intended documents folder", yeah, great.... if that was a windows answer to a slow windows start up you'd be taking the **** out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essruu Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Load times dont bother me, especially as my pc laptop loads just as "quick". I must say, I do like the answer to speeding things up, namely "dont keep stuff on your desktop or in your intended documents folder", yeah, great.... if that was a windows answer to a slow windows start up you'd be taking the **** out of it. I wasn't saying 18 secs wasn't blisteringly quick, I just couldn't believe that your 4GB MacBook running Snow Leopard would take takes 55 secs. Are you sure you're not starting it up with the Windows partition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyLove Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Thats what I mean by the 'mac affect' wearing off. My mac still crashes more than my pc. What the hell are you doing with your mac's then. I have had my current on for over a year and not once has mine crashed ever. My previous macbook never crashed ever. And I used that for live performance's and once did an 8 hour DJ set with it and still not an issue. My previous power book only crashed once and that was my own fault. So in 6 years I have hand 1 crash. Really what are you doing with your mac?. By the way Hypo. £500 is a very good deal considering the amount of ram in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 What the hell are you doing with your mac's then. I have had my current on for over a year and not once has mine crashed ever. My previous macbook never crashed ever. And I used that for live performance's and once did an 8 hour DJ set with it and still not an issue. My previous power book only crashed once and that was my own fault. So in 6 years I have hand 1 crash. Really what are you doing with your mac?. By the way Hypo. £500 is a very good deal considering the amount of ram in it. Sounds like you only run one or two applications at a time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Bizzle Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 What the hell are you doing with your mac's then. I have had my current on for over a year and not once has mine crashed ever. My previous macbook never crashed ever. And I used that for live performance's and once did an 8 hour DJ set with it and still not an issue. My previous power book only crashed once and that was my own fault. So in 6 years I have hand 1 crash. Really what are you doing with your mac?. By the way Hypo. £500 is a very good deal considering the amount of ram in it. Not really djing is it? using a ****ing computer to do it all for you. Just press play and it syncs it all for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyLove Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Not really djing is it? using a ****ing computer to do it all for you. Just press play and it syncs it all for you. Not if you use decent software like Serato this has no sync feature and you still need to be able to beat count (even with a sync button) and also select the right music for the crowd. So shove that in your pipe and smoke it matey chap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyLove Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Sounds like you only run one or two applications at a time... When DJ'ing mostly yes although I can run 3 all interworking together perfectly (Serator, Alberton & DJAY). And with the system intesity of recording stuff as well I still have had no issuses. I have also been playing FM whilst importing a movie and listening to music at home and still no issues even the speed of the apps didin't slow down to bad. somethign I could never do on a windows machine. Seriously If you havn't already I would suggest re-installing OSX or if in warrenty then get the Mac guys to look at it or if out of warrenty then suggest changing the RAM if you havn't already as the only time OSX crashed on me was when I changed the RAM and there was a problem with one of the sticks. Got it replaced and my mate who now own's this mac has still not had an issue in 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 7 September, 2009 Author Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Cheers Jonny for the advice. I'm still undecided about it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 When DJ'ing mostly yes although I can run 3 all interworking together perfectly (Serator, Alberton & DJAY). And with the system intesity of recording stuff as well I still have had no issuses. I have also been playing FM whilst importing a movie and listening to music at home and still no issues even the speed of the apps didin't slow down to bad. somethign I could never do on a windows machine. Seriously If you havn't already I would suggest re-installing OSX or if in warrenty then get the Mac guys to look at it or if out of warrenty then suggest changing the RAM if you havn't already as the only time OSX crashed on me was when I changed the RAM and there was a problem with one of the sticks. Got it replaced and my mate who now own's this mac has still not had an issue in 3 years. Have done multiple memory scans, its not the ram, and why on earth I should have to reinstall OSX again just because its slow escapes me, I'll only install the same apps again! Remember, I'm not slagging of Apple, I'm more of a realist. Macs do crash! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyLove Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Cheers Jonny for the advice. I'm still undecided about it all. At the end it comes down to what it is you want it to do. one thing to note is that the cost of ownership of a PC over the years is higher than that of a MAC. Example. You just want something to do general office / web / some small gaming activities. You buy a brand new £500 windows machine you can almost guarentee that within 3 months this will be on it's way to being out of date. You also have to get AV & other internet security software. The issue as well is that it won't handle the items like movie editing and music creating if you wanted to do that sort of thing anyway near as good as the MAC. (You will also need to buy extra software) If you purchased a MAC for £500 you don't need internet security / AV. I am not saying they are completly untouchable but you really do have to be thick to get a virus or have your MAC hacked. You also don't need to purchase any extra software for the lttle extra things you would like to do for a windows machine. Basically the average life of a windows machine is about 3 years before you really look to upgrade or replace it. The average life of a MAC is over 5 years my mate still has my old Power Book g4 which is 5 years old and this still covers all the things he needs to do including music and movie editing in HD as well. I am not saying windows machines are crap but it really comes down to what it is you want to the machine for. Also alot of people see specs of machines and think that is far better than the MAC but there is a reason for this because they need to run a heavy Os and AV which the MAC does not. Anyway I Hope some of this makes sense and gives you some ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlakeySFC Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Mac's own PC's, after my experiences with PC's i will never own another again throughout my life. Once you go Mac, you don't go back. Nicest thing for me is no Virus threat so you don't need to put those stupid anti-virus pop-up thing's on when you start up a pc, you just go straight in to it. On mac's everything works like it should...when i log in to my laptop safari, MSN and iTunes all open automatically and are all loaded up extremely fast...where my old PC laptop takes a good 10 minutes and can barely run MSN and Internet explorer at the same time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torres Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 (edited) I must say, I do like the answer to speeding things up, namely "dont keep stuff on your desktop or in your intended documents folder", yeah, great.... if that was a windows answer to a slow windows start up you'd be taking the **** out of it. Which it actually is. I like the way Ess has had to fanny around with his Mac to make it boot nice and quickly. I thought that was the kind of thing that only Windows users had to do and that Macs "just worked out of the box"? Lol. Edited 7 September, 2009 by Torres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Mac's own PC's, after my experiences with PC's i will never own another again throughout my life. Once you go Mac, you don't go back. Nicest thing for me is no Virus threat so you don't need to put those stupid anti-virus pop-up thing's on when you start up a pc, you just go straight in to it. On mac's everything works like it should...when i log in to my laptop safari, MSN and iTunes all open automatically and are all loaded up extremely fast...where my old PC laptop takes a good 10 minutes and can barely run MSN and Internet explorer at the same time right *cracks knuckles* Firstly, you do go back, well, at least you end up using both. Do you really want me to post examples of Mac viruses, or shall we skip to the next point? As for speeds, could I hazard a guess that you macbook is either a) a lot better spec than your laptop or b) is running significantly less software..... or c) both. And MSN on mac, thats a bloody joke!!! (use Adium) Trouble is, enough people read posts like yours and start to believe its true... until they by a Mac and use it heavily and realise "ah ****... well, its good, REALLY good, but its still not all its cracked up to be". Then you're stuck with an expensive piece of kit thinking "****, best not admit I'm not 100% happy or ill look a tart for saying how great this was"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essruu Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 Which it actually is. I like the way Ess has had to fanny around with his Mac to make it boot nice and quickly. I thought that was the kind of thing that only Windows users had to do and that Macs "just worked out of the box"? Lol. Someone didn't read/understand my post. My MacBook boots from cold in around 18secs. I couldn't understand why Baj's would take 55secs, so I did a quick Google search and grabbed that info in case it helped Baj. I have only two desktop items and no startup apps, which probably explains mine. Baj seemed to be making a point about how long his took to start up, that's all, so god knows how messy he is. FWIW, I also get between 3-5+hrs battery life, depending on what I'm running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyLove Posted 7 September, 2009 Share Posted 7 September, 2009 right *cracks knuckles* Firstly, you do go back, well, at least you end up using both. Depends on your apps that you might need for the majority you can find a mac alternative or at least find something else that does the job most of the time better Do you really want me to post examples of Mac viruses, or shall we skip to the next point?There are a few yes but that is really more for unix than anything else so not just on mac. However you really do have to be a numpty to end up with one As for speeds, could I hazard a guess that you macbook is either a) a lot better spec than your laptop or b) is running significantly less software..... or c) both.Sorry Baj I think it just seems to be you as all my macs have had loads of apps in fact I can run very intensive apps together on my standard spec mac when a more powerful PC would just melt under the pressure. I believe the gadget show epitomised this best when using a Laptop with twice as much grunt than the standard mac book (not pro) and could not complete a simple 30 second HD video clip. And MSN on mac, thats a bloody joke!!! (use Adium)Try AMSN works just like MSN only for mac. Or just use what most people seem to use now adays it's an application called Skype. Trouble is, enough people read posts like yours and start to believe its true... until they by a Mac and use it heavily and realise "ah ****... well, its good, REALLY good, but its still not all its cracked up to be". Then you're stuck with an expensive piece of kit thinking "****, best not admit I'm not 100% happy or ill look a tart for saying how great this was"...Again I think this is just your good self on this one as I haven't found an unhappy mac owner yet although people do need to tone it down a bit I admit but yeah they are expensive but you do get what you pay for. Thankfully we live in a world where we are all free to have an opinion. (Just don't slag off the MAC or Steve Jobs will come and take your fingers away) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrey1saint Posted 8 September, 2009 Share Posted 8 September, 2009 My son and I love Macs,he wouldn't have a PC after using one. They are simply fantastic,well made and generally trouble free.All IMO of course. If you are using mainly for work(unless its graphics based) I no so sure) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 8 September, 2009 Share Posted 8 September, 2009 I love the way people say they choose macs because of no viruses, I use a netbook with XP service Pack 3 and have no anti virus software. Just use common sense and google chrome. Same here, even with a bit of P2P stuff on my netbook, i have no A.V and i don't have any virus troubles. If i have to spend £500 on a white shiny laptop to make sure i dont get a virus (not strictly true though eh) then i think i'll just stick to my current machine and if neccesary format my windows P.C every 6-12months for a couple of hours and crack on that way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 8 September, 2009 Share Posted 8 September, 2009 I dont deny macs are good, that's why I still have mine and use it so much, I just don't bother wearing rose-tinted specs at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentley Posted 8 September, 2009 Share Posted 8 September, 2009 Mac defense force are out in this thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponty Posted 8 September, 2009 Share Posted 8 September, 2009 I dont deny macs are good, that's why I still have mine and use it so much, I just don't bother wearing rose-tinted specs at the same time. You should. Those shiny screens give off a lot of glare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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