Laptop Purchase Help?

Question

Hey, i'm 13 years old and interested in buying a laptop for high school. Now the newest macbook pro just came out (10/14/08) and it looks very intriguing...i still need to decide whether i want a mac or a pc..can u give me a cuple details on which one i should buy...by the way...i like sony's and lenovos and im just lookin for a nice, well-built computer that can handle internet use and paper writing..i want it to be fast and reliable but im goin to a catholic skool so im not sure if theyre technology would stream with macs...also not too pricy either....under $1500....and dont say im to young to have a laptop!!!

Answer 1

Buy a PC, here are reasons why...





PC=Variety of specs, options, quality, prices, vendors, support

Mac=One vendor, limited options, still more expensive. Look below for more information..

======================================...

Contrary to belief, Macs are not better quality. They use a lot of the same parts as PCs. Apple also has been changing suppliers to try to "lower the price" and thus lowering quality. Even with the lower prices, Macs still cost more, they spend a higher percent of budget trying to make it look pretty, and marketing.



Today, Macs use the same hardware as PCs. Why spend extra to get the same CPU chips, graphics cards and OS X isn't as secure as you think.. Look below.



WINDOWS ADVANTAGES:



Aprox 90% of the market is Windows. PCs include windows already pre-installed.

1) There are a number of websites that still require Internet Explorer to view.

2) Printers and other things you hook into the computer are easier to support on Windows.

4) If you like the Dock on OS X (Mac) google/yahoo rocketdock, objectdoc.



I Would also install Avira AntiVir on the Vista since there is a FREE version and works well.

I Would also install Comodo FireWall on the Vista since there is a FREE version and works well.





LINUX ADVANTAGES:



1) Install Linux, and then get tons of stuff for free. Updates done, etc.. Linux is very EASY and has tons of software that will be updated automatically.

2) If you like the effects on a Macintosh go yahoo or google COMPIZ FUSION. It can do just about any cool effect a Mac can do and more...

3) If you like the Dock on OS X (Mac) google/yahoo Cairo Dock, avant window navigator.

4) Linux is MORE SECURE. I surf the internet and can even run SOME windows programs on Linux. Also, I can VERY EASILY INSTALL programs by checking a checkbox in either two ways to install (ADD/REMOVE or SYNAPTIC PACKAGE MANAGER). I can search for something I want, check a box and click apply. The program is automatically installed. (To me that is easier than searching the internet and dragging the program in MAC).



======================================...

LINUX OS



Easily turn your system into a Dual booting computer with Linux, fast, safe and secure, easy to use (contrary to belief). You then get the best of both worlds (Windows with all of its supported products, freely go online without the worry)



My Recomendation would be either Ubuntu (Most popular and well supported linux), Kubuntu (KDE version of Ubuntu),

Freespire (has all windows codecs for watching videos, dvds out of the box),

PCLINUXOS (very nice Linux, easy to use and polished),

There are so many good versions of linux besides these.



PLEASE NOTE: In linux there are many forms of Windows Environments, the two main ones are KDE (K Desktop) and GNOME. Ubuntu uses GNOME, KUBUNTU is a KDE version of Ubuntu, PCLINUXOS, Freespire use KDE... The differences in the window environments (DESKTOPS) control how you configure, open close the windows, the appearances of the windows... linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting helps with printer support. ScreenCasts.ubuntu.com shows video and non-video help with learning to work with Ubuntu.



There are many good Linux distributions for different reasons, distrowatch.com, polishlinux.org, desktoplinux.com

are good websites for overall understanding linux.



Installing Linux in general is very simple and much more secure than OS X(Macintosh) and FREE.

Also, most Linux distributions have a LiveCD which means you can try without installing...

UBUNTU, KUBUNTU, FREESPIRE, PCLINUXOS, etc.. all have live CDS.

All you have to do is..

A) to download .iso file off the internet from the Linux website

B) burn the .iso file to a CD or DVD (Make sure your burning software can burn an ISO)

C) restart the computer with the CD in the drive

D) As computer is restarting, press on F12 Key a bunch of times to get a boot menu

E) Select the option to boot from CD or DVD.



ANOTHER QUICK NOTE: People have been able to run OS X on a PC since the PC and Mac use the same hardware. THIS IS NOT LEGAL and I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT FOR SECURITY AND LEGAL REASONS.

But, I have included a link to show you, purpose is to show that there is nothing special about the MAC.



**************************************...



A)Price...

A similar equipped PC is much cheaper to purchase than Mac. Lets use Dell (but you can compare with another PC Brand if you like)



*****************(LAPTOP)

Dell Inspiron Laptop $849 dropped to $799

15" Screen

CPU: (upgrade to) 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

Memory: 3GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Optical Drive: Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) - WRITES DVDS,CDS, READS Blue-Ray Disks



Macbook $1349 just dropped to $1224

13" Screen (SMALLER)

CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (SAME)

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (SAME)

Memory: (upgrade to) 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (LESS RAM)

Hard Drive (upgrade to) 250GBSerial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (SMALLER HARD DRIVE)

Optical Drive: (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) - (Writes CDs, DVDs, cannot read Blue-Ray) (WORSE AND 1/2 SPEED)



****************(DESKTOP)



PLEASE NOTE: Some responses might be that below is not a FAIR comparison but it is SINCE this is comparing Apple Mac's BEST DEAL vs Dells BEST DEAL. If you decide that you must have an all-in one. The Dell all-in-one has more ram, WIRELESS keyboard and mouse and equivalent to $400 for free making the Imac still more expensive when you upgrade the Imac to try to match. Personally I don't think the ALL-IN-ONES are a good choice, and consider them overpriced, lack expandability and repairs both more expensive and require the entire computer. To me it is NOT a good deal.



PS: Apple was smart, they know that they must make Macintosh look different than PC so all Macs except the Mac Pro will not have a Tower Option. This is not good for the consumer since it lacks expandability but it makes the Mac "look different", if Mac had a tower for low-end, more people would realize the similarities between the two and apple would loose people. In other words, in my opinion, it is "Style over Substance"



Dell: (Right Now) Specs Below costs $809

CPU: 2.4 GHZ Dell Inspiron QUAD (4 Processor) CORE

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: 3GB Ram

HARD DRIVE: 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 16x DVD/CD Read/Writer

GRAPHICS: (upgrade to ) ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



The Best Deal Mac is not the Mac Mini since it has no monitor, keyboard, mouse, very skimpy on options and setup... IMac is better price than the Mac Mini.



IMac ($1400)

CPU: 2.4 GHZ DUAL (2 Processor) CORE (SLOWER CPU)

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: (upgrade to) 2GB Ram (LESS RAM)

HARD DRIVE: (upgrade to ) 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 8x DVD Reader/Writer (1/2 speed)

GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



************************END OF DESKTOP



======================================...



B) SECURITY:



Mac OS X was hacked in 2006 under 30 minutes, and hacked within 2 minutes in a contest in 2008. Linux and Vista were not able to be hacked until another day when restrictions were lowered.

All macs are standardized with Cameras, if your system gets hacked, the hacker would more likely be able to turn on your camera.

Please Note: All OS's have vulnerabilities.



======================================...

B2) VIRUSES



The argument that OS X has less viruses is true, but that is against XP, BUT Mac OS X has viruses, a friend of mine has a VIRUSED MAC. As more users use Macs, more viruses will come out for it. Especially when users think "they are safe". Linux is also very low in viruses and is free with plenty of free software.



Google/Yahoo Mac Viruses



======================================...



C) Windows License is discounted with PCs..



You do not pay the full price, for instance Dell -> you pay $50 or less for Vista Home Premium If you buy a Mac and want Vista, you pay full price.



======================================...



D) EXPANDABILITY & REPAIR...



With AppleCare you have to put down $300 and there is no guarantee the computer will be fixed, may cost more.. Repairs are more expensive than PCs since the IMac, Mac Mini are compact units, and Apple charges a premium for their services. Some repairs can be done by another repair service but the compact design of the computer causes problems.

With an IMac, if the problem is with the monitor, the whole computer would have to be brought in.

IMac and Mac mini lack expansion.



======================================...



E) PROBLEMS



Macintosh's are far from bug free despite their fan base claiming so. Sample of problems: Overheating Macbooks, OS X- not responding to keyboard, some units with 16bit screens, etc.. True, all computers have their issues but Apple Fans tend to hide their problems which makes it tough to trust any statistics about Apple.(Not all Apple users are "Apple Fans", more of its users are naturally "Apple Fans" since it is such a small percentage of the market, and since they tend to consider Microsoft and PCs evil, tend to be more radical and get people to switch at any cost.) Apple is lowering prices which means you can expect lower quality than in the past. Apple had switched the manufacturers producing parts. OS X also has problems SLOWING DOWN.



NO MORE THAN 10 Links were allowed... Here are the ones that I could not add..

www.ubuntu.com/

www.kubuntu.org/

www.freespire.org/

www.pclinuxos.com/

distrowatch.com/

polishlinux.org/

www.desktoplinux.com/

xwinman.org/gnome.php

xwinman.org/kde.php

help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsAppli...

help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToU...

www.linuxalt.com/

screencasts.ubuntu.com/

www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrintin...

www.free-av.com/

www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

Google/Yahoo OS

Answer 2

You are not too young to have a laptop.



You however don't (for highschool) NEED a laptop. A home computer is perfectly sufficient. You cannot take notes in math on a laptop in a timely fashion, you cannot take notes in half of science class in a timely fashion on a laptop.



It has been shown (through Science) that you absorb more information the first time if handwrite notes instead of typing them. That is important for things like English, History, Social Sciences and especially mathematics and "pure" sciences like biology, chemistry and physics. You cannot realistically take proper notes in physics or mathematics on a laptop word processor (ie: MS Word) even with the equation makers.



A desktop computer to type assignments/projects on is all you *need*. I'm in 3rd year computer science at university, I don't have a laptop when I go to school, I own a laptop, but I don't take notes with it (I used to for one class, it didn't improve my understanding of the material, and I needed to carry it around with me).



As far as what are good laptop brands:



1) The Lenovo Thinkpad series (not the generic "lenovo" branded ones, the Thinkpads) are very good, the T and R series are a good balance of performance and cost. They are very rugged, much more durable than other brands.



2) The Panasonic Toughbooks series (for the same reasons as the Thinkpads)



3) The Apple Macbooks series (both the regular and 'pro' varieties), the $999 one is all you "need" for highschool work.



Any laptop at any price point will satisfy all your requirements. You can type into it, surf the internet with it, watch you-tube videos, install programs, but unless you spend $3000+ you won't get a high-end "gaming" laptop which has a battery that lasts for 1 hour.



The MSI Wind "netbook" is a great balance of price vs. performance, it is very cheap, and works well at what it plans to do. Offer something you can type into with a fairly long battery life (if you get the 6-cell one).



I own a thinkpad myself, and have no complaints. I hear no complaints from people with Apples, and have not seen anyone with a Toughbook, because they are super-hard to find.



I would NOT get a Toshiba, HP, Compaq, Acer, Dell or Gateway. I worked in the repair industry and their computers break more than Thinkpads, Apples and Panasonics. They have flimsy cheap plastic parts holding them together (vs. a very strong full magnesium frame), have easy to scratch shiny plastics which look attractive but don't last, and their parts break down fairly regularly, especially Toshibas.



If you get one, get a Thinkpad, a Toughbook or a MacBook, but you don't need one for schooling, at least, not yet.

Answer 3

in case you prefer to regulate photographs, edit movies or create podcasts, i could advise a MacBook. The equipped-in iLife application promises impressive kit for self-expression via becoming your individual media. for academic or enterprise tasks, you need to use the loose NeoOffice workplace suite to open, edit and keep Microsoft be conscious, Excel and Powerpoint data which you're sporting over out of your previous gadget. I actual have the white MacBook and 2GB of RAM and that's amazingly quickly for all the purposes I at the instant use. After possessing 6 abode windows-based laptops before (5 dells and an IBM), that's my well-liked computing gadget that I actual have ever had.

Answer 4

truth hurts kid, your at an age that beggs to be beatup for a notebook

also if it slips out of your butter fingers consider it toast



but if you still want a pc Toshiba are the best followed by hp/compaq

Acer is an excellent middle of the road with lots of good features and

works like a hot Da** but avoid dell and Mac as the cost of a mac with software will be well beyond your budget and dells are crap and have crappy support

Answer 5

i don't think you are 2 young for a laptop but for your first laptop it doesn't need to be real exspensive, I have an acer and it perfect for me, I would go to walmart their computers are the cheapest, and they have a nice selection the one I have cost only 400 bucks there but i paid more cause i got it at another store

Answer 6

hi dear, I would recommend DELL. You can manage well withing 1500 bucks and is durable. Good luck