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Going to buy first Macbook (15" pro 2017) - talk me out of it?
- Thread starter Your Entertainer
- Start date
I'd love to get either this or a surface when I got the funds in a few years. They're so good.
Never-mind, mac it is. I thought Microsoft had it by now with sp4/surface book
13 inches is honestly the best screen size
LegendofDragoonLives
Member
yep, and I intend to upgrade to 8GIGs of RAM as well. It's brutal man, couldn't believe it had aged as poorly as it has. They should not sell these anymore.
michaelius
Banned
Go for it but I'm not sure if you need so expensive model.
RastaMentality
Banned
it's a fantastic computer. i even love the keyboard now too.
MrS
Banned
Macs should be a Windows-free zone.
Yeah the first thing with most apple stuff is you just have to swallow the idea of the cost.
I'd say If viewing PDF's and some light photo editing in the future is all you're planning to do with it. I'd personally just get an iPad Pro. With a keyboard attachment for when you have to do any fast typing. At least that then gives you the option of touchscreen.
But as this is a promo not sure whether Apple includes iPad as educational?
if the option is there I'd go for a 13" inch Macbook Pro. I recently got gifted a fully stacked MBP and coming from a 15 inch older and heavier Macbook Pro this smaller newer one is amazing to use.
I'd say If viewing PDF's and some light photo editing in the future is all you're planning to do with it. I'd personally just get an iPad Pro. With a keyboard attachment for when you have to do any fast typing. At least that then gives you the option of touchscreen.
But as this is a promo not sure whether Apple includes iPad as educational?
if the option is there I'd go for a 13" inch Macbook Pro. I recently got gifted a fully stacked MBP and coming from a 15 inch older and heavier Macbook Pro this smaller newer one is amazing to use.
Woops. The Radeon Pro 555 is still a budget gpu, though. It's in this more complete list, and only marginally better than the GTX 555: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/directCompute.html
SporeCrawler
Member
recently bought a 2017 13' touchbarless macbook for 1280€. its pricey but i really love the hardware and software. if you want to edit music, photos or videos the standard software is better than most of the stuff you can get on windows. also you can get windows on it, if you want. the only downside so far is the lack of ports. mine only has two usbc ports... i hear the 15 inch has four usbc ports. youll need some dongles.
ipad is great for browsing but really not good for anything productive imho
ipad is great for browsing but really not good for anything productive imho
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
If the money isn't a big issue, then it's totally worth it. I vastly prefer OSX for general computer stuff than Windows and Apple makes great products.
They dont sell them anymore. Put an SSD and 8-16GB of RAM in it, though, and itll be tremendously better.
bennywhatever
Member
Get it only if you plan to use it for 7+ years. Never spend that much money on a laptop (one meant to last a while) and then upgrade again 3 years later. The purpose of that laptop, regardless of what Apple tells you, is to last you as long as possible. If you want a new laptop every 3 years, absolutely do not get it; you're wasting your money.
Outdoor Miner
Member
I just bought an XPS 15 (i7, 16gb, 512ssd) plus 24" Ultrasharp monitor plus thunderbolt dock and still spent less than an MBP 15. I can't justify the insane price tag MBPs carry nowadays. You could argue they were in a class of their own a few years back but no longer.
V1LÆM
Gold Member
i miss my late 2008 macbook. i really loved it and would love nothing more to go back to Mac but just can't justify the price anymore when I can build a PC that is way more powerful for much less.
apple's hardware and software work together amazingly. if you have the money and don't mind paying the price then go for it. i am thinking about buying a macbook to compliment my gaming PC. i'd love something to use while lying in bed or around the house. yet every time i find myself on Apple's website I keep thinking that I could built a much better system on my own for less money.
apple's hardware and software work together amazingly. if you have the money and don't mind paying the price then go for it. i am thinking about buying a macbook to compliment my gaming PC. i'd love something to use while lying in bed or around the house. yet every time i find myself on Apple's website I keep thinking that I could built a much better system on my own for less money.
Thornton Reed
Member
My 2009 MacBook Pro is going strong
My 2015 retina MacBook Pro is weak. You could get a far superior machine for that kind of money
My 2015 retina MacBook Pro is weak. You could get a far superior machine for that kind of money
That's the thing about the MacBook; you can't buy a better laptop when you consider OS X, the build quality, and longevity of the device. I bought a 2011 MacBook Pro in 2011 and I am still strugglging to justify upgrading to an newer model besides the outdated display (which isn't bad, just low resolution these days).
Don't do it OP. It's too expensive for the specs you're getting. Get an Dell Xps 15. Spend the $1000 you save on others school stuff like boat load of condoms.
You can try looking for a better deal at the dell outlet website. You can get a refurb or open box of a XPS 15 9560 with 16gb, 1tb SSD and 4k touchscreen for $1200.
You can try looking for a better deal at the dell outlet website. You can get a refurb or open box of a XPS 15 9560 with 16gb, 1tb SSD and 4k touchscreen for $1200.
I almost did this back in December. SO glad I didn't buy the Macbook Pro I was looking at. I got a Lenovo Flex 4 on sale with an i7, 16GB ram, 15'' FHD+ screen, 256 SSD and a 2GB Radeon GPU for around $650.
I almost paid $2000+ for a logo and some fancy metal. That machine wouldn't have been as capable as the one I bought, either.
I almost paid $2000+ for a logo and some fancy metal. That machine wouldn't have been as capable as the one I bought, either.
m_shortpants
Member
I have the top of the line MBP 15" from work, it's a great machine.
Gravy Boat
Member
I used to hate Macs but since I was forced to use one for work I've fallen in love and can't go back. Coming on 5 years now and I can't recall a single issue, and I'm just using an 11inch MacBook Air.
I'd take a long look at a Surface Pro or a Thinkpad X1 Yoga with the same specs before committing to the MBP unless you absolutely need OS X for something. I really like the utility of my X1 Yoga - when I bend it around to be a tablet, the keys recede so I don't accidentally press them. Has a pen slot built in too which makes annotating PDFs or stuff in OneNote really fast and easy.
Zeyphersan
Banned
I have a 2016 13 and its sublime. Youd be super happy with that computer
Skellig Gra
Member
It's a very nice computer but its way too expensive for your needs. Unless you have mountains of disposable income you'd be better served with a more budget model. Or even get a tablet if you are mainly viewing pdfs.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
I hear you on the software bugs. My work offered them and I tried an SP4 for a couple of months, but the thing was a nightmare to use. Constant interface scaling issues and weird bugs just killing the user experience. Don't even bother with one of these if you use external monitors regularly.
AliasGreed
Member
OP from the first page What's wrong with an Alienware at work ? I used my old Alienware at work for 9 years until it broke. A lot cheaper and I had more processing power than my co-workers with expensive Dells and apples. No one gives a shit what your laptop looks like as long as your actually working and getting stuff done.
brianjones
Member
http://apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
get refurbished.. it will look brand new
buy the best computer you've ever used and never look back at windows
get refurbished.. it will look brand new
buy the best computer you've ever used and never look back at windows
MugiwaraCole
Member
Do it and never look back.
Still using my 2012 MacBook (though it's on its last legs, I think).
Still using my 2012 MacBook (though it's on its last legs, I think).
Hatty
Member
USB-C is good actually
CD'S BAR
Member
But USB-C to ___ adapters are not. Especially when you're shelling out well over 2 grand.
SporeCrawler
Member
yeah you need dongles for sure but it is fast
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Windows really just needs to get their act together when it comes to scaling and high DPI devices.
They even have an article on their page about it, so they definitely are aware that Windows is shit at handling high resolution devices.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3025083/windows-scaling-issues-for-high-dpi-devices
Personally, I would not want a Windows laptop with higher than 1920x1080 resolution simply because of the scaling problems. They're fine if you just keep it at 100% and never use external monitors, but running 4K+ resolutions on a 13" or 15" screen without scaling is not really practical.
They even have an article on their page about it, so they definitely are aware that Windows is shit at handling high resolution devices.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3025083/windows-scaling-issues-for-high-dpi-devices
Personally, I would not want a Windows laptop with higher than 1920x1080 resolution simply because of the scaling problems. They're fine if you just keep it at 100% and never use external monitors, but running 4K+ resolutions on a 13" or 15" screen without scaling is not really practical.
Besides the price, the touchbar is useless and the SSD is soldered on which is absolutely terrible.
If you must get an MBP, get a 2015 (refurb is probably cheaper) model instead.
Otherwise get the XPS.
It's not limited to 2012 machines though, you can even bring new life to even older MBPs. I use a Mid-2009 with 8GB of RAM and an SSD every day and it works mighty fine (I even run a VM, but since it's just a C2D I can't give more than one processor to it which can be annoying)
If you must get an MBP, get a 2015 (refurb is probably cheaper) model instead.
Otherwise get the XPS.
They have actually, as long as you replace the HDD for an SSD and use 8+GB of RAM.
It's not limited to 2012 machines though, you can even bring new life to even older MBPs. I use a Mid-2009 with 8GB of RAM and an SSD every day and it works mighty fine (I even run a VM, but since it's just a C2D I can't give more than one processor to it which can be annoying)
Loonz
Member
Got a Mac Book Pro on 2013 as I needed an ultra portable laptop to carry around for my masters projects back then.
I wasn't very keen on the thing, but I simply couldn't find a Windows equivalent as good in everything as the Pro was. Very good all-rounder, at least by numbers.
It turned out to be the best decission ever. Such a powerful, easy to use, snappy, light, wonderful machine. The retina screen is still a joy to look at, sound is fantastic, keyboard is great, trackpad is out of this world precise and an absolute pleasure to use, battery life made windows laptops look like a joke, build quality is UNREAL good. Remember, I am talking about what was available in the market back then.
I use it daily since then and is as good as new. I can't feel the need to update really, it is that good still. Interacting with this device still is a marvel.
I have just very recently purchased a Dell laptop for some software I need to use for work that's only available on Windows, and man... it is such a downer. I can be so quick with the Mac and Windows just lacks the finesse by comparison. Especially if you are a a heavy keyboard shortcut user like I am.
I wasn't an apple believer at all man, but the Mac Book Pro changed that for my forever. It is the best computer I've ever had. When I use it I feel the freaking thing dissapears and I just... do stuff. Perfect man-machine fusion. Absolutely wonderful device totally recommended if you can afford the price.
I wasn't very keen on the thing, but I simply couldn't find a Windows equivalent as good in everything as the Pro was. Very good all-rounder, at least by numbers.
It turned out to be the best decission ever. Such a powerful, easy to use, snappy, light, wonderful machine. The retina screen is still a joy to look at, sound is fantastic, keyboard is great, trackpad is out of this world precise and an absolute pleasure to use, battery life made windows laptops look like a joke, build quality is UNREAL good. Remember, I am talking about what was available in the market back then.
I use it daily since then and is as good as new. I can't feel the need to update really, it is that good still. Interacting with this device still is a marvel.
I have just very recently purchased a Dell laptop for some software I need to use for work that's only available on Windows, and man... it is such a downer. I can be so quick with the Mac and Windows just lacks the finesse by comparison. Especially if you are a a heavy keyboard shortcut user like I am.
I wasn't an apple believer at all man, but the Mac Book Pro changed that for my forever. It is the best computer I've ever had. When I use it I feel the freaking thing dissapears and I just... do stuff. Perfect man-machine fusion. Absolutely wonderful device totally recommended if you can afford the price.
Loonz
Member
Very true, my Dell laptop comes with a 4K 15' screen and the way Windows manages the scaling of the HUD of different pieces of software in such an UHD is just... feels totally unpolished, unprofessional, disjointed. You have software that makes good use of the extra resolution living together with apps that feel totally low res.
And what's even worse, software from MS themselves that's not adjusted for UHD at all. And even pieces of the general Windows 10 interface that are like left behind and never updated to allow for proper scaling. It is such a mess man. I mean, I can watch video just fine, but the whole desktop experience could hardly be more jarring and just reeking of neglect.
This was another huge issue I forgot about. Even applications you would think would support HDPi don't (steam) and look terrible scaled. I've been using a 2014 MBP since release and it was my first macos device. It has only crashed twice since I bought it, which is amazing.
Your Entertainer
Member
A little update - seriously considering the 13" now.
Regardless, a spec I like (base everything w/ TB and only upgrading to 16gb ram) is nearly $1900 (but I get free Beats lol).
Seriously looking at the new 2017 13.3" Razer blade stealth. W/ a beefier i7 and 16gb of ram, it's only $1399 - plus it has ports, runs windows etc. But again, I feel like this is against my better judgement, as they seem notorious for issues and have questionable long-term support.
Regardless, a spec I like (base everything w/ TB and only upgrading to 16gb ram) is nearly $1900 (but I get free Beats lol).
Seriously looking at the new 2017 13.3" Razer blade stealth. W/ a beefier i7 and 16gb of ram, it's only $1399 - plus it has ports, runs windows etc. But again, I feel like this is against my better judgement, as they seem notorious for issues and have questionable long-term support.
GHG
Member
Do it.
I bought myself a 5k iMac a couple of weeks ago. I kid you not, it's the best technology purchase I've ever made in my life, and I'm generally not a fan of Apple hardware usually. This piece of kit has changed my life from a work perspective.
Edit: just seen your update. I meant do it as in get the Mac.
I bought myself a 5k iMac a couple of weeks ago. I kid you not, it's the best technology purchase I've ever made in my life, and I'm generally not a fan of Apple hardware usually. This piece of kit has changed my life from a work perspective.
Edit: just seen your update. I meant do it as in get the Mac.
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