Base MBP vs Gateway P-6831 FX

[TangoJuliet]

As I have been waiting for apple to update their iMacs I have been considering buying a new MBP. I am currently a ADC member and get their sweet discount on the Pro's with the base model costing around $1500 + tax.

I just read the ATOT article here and saw that this Gateway notebook looks pretty sweet. For the most part I dont really do any gaming any more except on my 360 but I was thinking about taking the notebook to work and play some RTS games on my breaks. I have been doing some video encoding lately. I also wanted to be able to hook up the notebook to my TV in the living room and play some movies. With the MBP I would use the dvi while the Gateway has a HDMI connection. The gateway also has a eSATA connection.

Both notebooks would end up costing the same and each have advantages/disadvantages. The MBP is a little more portable while the Gateway sports a nice 17" screen and is heavier.

Also, my ADC membership expires on June 1, 2008 so I cant wait all too long. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

[randomlinh]

IMO, the 17" notebooks are too large to carry around (this goes for any of them, including the MBP). As for HDMI/DVI.. the only benefit is the gateway will have is if it gets a bluray drive, and that the hdmi supports whatever encryption it is. I don't think that will be a factor though. Otherwise, you can get dvi->hdmi cables as easily as hdmi->hdmi ones.

eSATA will be a bigger advantage than FW800 IMO because of availability. Gaming will have an advantage on the gateway since you won't have to dual boot to play games (unless the RTS you want is a fully fledge mac game).

But I value OS X heavily as well. It's why I compromised an got an iMac (which may have been a mistake given my nature of tech fidgeting.. heh). I also wanted to use Aperture. So if you're more inclined to use an Apple product for video software, I'd go that route.

So it really depends on how much you value those things.

 

[secretanchitman]

i'd just get a macbook pro to be honest. you can get a dvi-hdmi cable, and use the optical out that the mbp has (also has optical in as well!) to get sound. you can always grab an expresscard that has an esata port on it, although i know its way more convenient to have it onboard rather then adding it yourself. you do lose the skininess of the mbp since you are going for a 17" laptop. i think you should be aware that the 17" model that AT reviewed has the same resolution as the mbp - 1440x900. for 17", i think at least 1680x1050 should be the standard, but to each his own i feel.

if you want a dedicated gaming notebook and you dont care about the weight/thickness and you want those additional ports, the gateway is your best choice. if you want something that is thin and light, lose of some the connections (but have similar ones as a tradeoff), and is actually decent in gaming, i'd suggest going with the mbp.