Need suggestions for a laptop!

[diabx0r]

Well, I am getting the parts for my new desktop in tomorrow, and I figured I might as well go for a laptop as well.

I want a laptop that will be used primarilly for gaming (WoW mainly), school work (doing a lot of C++, Java, etc...), and some movie and graphic editing.

I have been looking at Macbook Pros, as I have never used Mac before and know a couple of people that have them and love them (including PC users).

What are some decent laptops besides Macs? Are Dells worth a shite?

Thanks, guys!

Also, I MAY put Linux on the laptop, as I spend quite a bit of time in Linux as well. But that isn't a requirement, just a thought.

Thanks again!

Also, my budget is around 3 grand... I can go a bit higher, but would rather not.

I have a bud who works at Apple and can get me a 25% discount, so that MAY be the obvious choice.



As I said, I mainly play WoW, which is Mac compat.

 

[simms]

IBM Thinkpads, Apples and some Dells are all I could recommend.

 

[nombrecinq]

Apples are for gay little nerds, and girls. For a real man's computer you want an Asus or a Thinkpad. Check out the Asus W3j. I'm personally waiting to see what Lenovo is going to announce at the end of this month about the widescreen T series.

 

[TheStu]

If you are going to be coding, and playing wow, and photo-editing I would say that the Macbook pro is the obvious choice. Contrary to nombrecinq's 'I'm a sheep following everyone else's backwards opinion' opinion, the mac would be great at all those things. Wow will run natively (not sure if it has been released in universal binary though) XCode is an awesome app to have if you program at all (Software engineering student here) and adobe's products always come out first for the mac. As of right now, they have not updated their software for the intel chips, but you can always run them from windows if you so desire. Plus for the video editing, iMovie HD and iDVD both ship with the new macs, and those are usually sufficient for the average user, but again, there are plenty of apps out there for the mac in that area.

I do however second his recommendation for the lenovos. I have heard nothing but good things about thinkpads, and they seem to have much the same fanatical following as macs do. I don't understand though why it is that people insist on busting on mac users for 'wasting their money' or being 'gay little nerds' when thinkpads cost just about as much, if not more, and i bet just as many nerds use them.

And since when was it a bad thing to be a nerd on ANANDTECH?!?!?!?!

 

[nombrecinq]

Na I was just kidding, I'm a total nerd too. I just personally dislike OSX because of some navigational issues, andI believe Windows to be superior with folder navigation and OS navigation. As an ubergeek, I love having the native shell "terminal," but I just can't deal with the navigation. Lenovo T60 would be perfect if they just gave it an x1600 256MB or greater video card, but they haven't yet.

 

[IEC]

Originally posted by: nombrecinq
Apples are for gay little nerds, and girls. For a real man's computer you want an Asus or a Thinkpad. Check out the Asus W3j. I'm personally waiting to see what Lenovo is going to announce at the end of this month about the widescreen T series.

You know Asus makes the Macbooks, right?

 

[nombrecinq]

Yeah I know that Asus makes the Macbooks, and I think Quanta makes the Macbook Pro. I have no qualms with the sexiness and build quality... except for the wristpad staining over time. I just don't like OSX. Windows is a good OS in design and speed, but I just wish it were more stable. I'll still take the ease of use over stability any day So my computer needs to be rebooted every 10 minutes, big deal

 

[KuJoe]

Originally posted by: nombrecinq
Yeah I know that Asus makes the Macbooks, and I think Quanta makes the Macbook Pro. I have no qualms with the sexiness and build quality... except for the wristpad staining over time. I just don't like OSX. Windows is a good OS in design and speed, but I just wish it were more stable. I'll still take the ease of use over stability any day So my computer needs to be rebooted every 10 minutes, big deal

Spoken like a true newb.

 

[gpgofast]

I just ordered a Lenovo Thinkpad T60p.

14" screen SXGA(1400X1050)
Core 2 Duo @ 2.33 GHz w/ 4MB of cache
2 GB RAM
100 GB SATA 7200 RPM drive
a/b/g wireless
8X Dual Layer DVD burner
256 MB ATI FireGL V5250(equivalent to an ATI X1600-X1700)
Docking station
Spare Superdrive Battery
Approximate cost >$2500


Apple does not have an equivalent 14" model. Their wide screen 15.4 " MacBook Pro w/ equivalent graphics card is 2,499.00.

Minuses for Macbook Pro

-Lower resolution display
-Heavier and Larger
-No 7200 RPM drive option
-Less durable??
-1 year warranty vs. 3 for the thinkpad
-Lower Battery life
-NOT Vista Capable!
-Thinkpad has more available accessories(docking stations, Superdrive accessories, etc...)

Pluses for MacBook Pro
-Prettier
-DVI output on the laptop-reason I bought the docking station was to get this capability to drive an LCD at work
-No Firewire on Thinkpad
-NOT Vista capable!

APPLE has come a long way in the last 2 years, and if my company would support an APPLE, they would definitely be a viable option for me. 2 years ago Apple vs. PC price was ridiculous. Today, the Apple makes fiscal sense. GP

 

[TheStu]

The new intel macs are vista compatible, I have seen numerous stories about people dual booting OS X and the vista beta. So unless Microsoft has some sort of plan to remove that ability.... If however you mean that the drivers are not vista compatible, then yes... you are right (for now) how long is it going to take for either apple, or someone else to release teh drivers though?

As for the lower res display... the mbp is a widescreen display, whereas your thinkpad is a 4:3. I personally prefer the widescreen, especially considering that the pixel difference is 216K. which really is not alot... Especially considering where those pixels are located (the bottom of the screen) so you will be able to make your windows taller...

If I was intending on using my laptop as a portable, i wouldnt want the 7200 RPM drive anyway due to the power consumption issues. The new mbp also has 802.11n capabilities (in windows only for now, but os x compatibility is only a firmware update away) As for the durability.. can't really speak to that. I know that my macbook has stood up to going in and out of my backpack like a champ, and has been dropped once or twice (i swear to god it was an accident...) I think that the thinkpads have the Sudden motion sensor, but if not, mark that up as another plus for the apple. The SMS is a gift from on high.

However, I do like your addendum, and the fact that you were willing to look at the apple, and that you aren't just busting on them. I get so tired of people ripping on apple (and this was before i bought my first mac too) and yet never mentioning the fact that IBM in particular has just as strong a following and are usually 'overpriced' as well. And nothing grinds my gears like "Well, i can get this dell for $XX". That's great and all, but my two friends just got new dell laptops... they didn't come with restore disks. My mac came with the OS X disks, iWork and Office 04 trials, garageband, iDVD, and all those other iApps. I'm sure that your thinkpad is going to come nice and complete out of the box as well, and with a minimum of bloat-ware that most OEMs love to put on their systems.

 

[gpgofast]

I've used a 15.4 Compaq X1000 as my personal laptop for the last 3+ years(it's been a pretty great PC) and I know for travelling it is physically too large. I will be using the laptop as a desktop replacement at work, so a dedicated graphic's card along with a reasonably fast hardrive was neccessary in my eyes. Battery performance was secondary, the machine will serve as my desktop for a couple of years. Coworkers have 12" laptops, and they are just too small for my needs. That left a 14 inch laptop.

There is not a lot of HIGH performance laptops with 14 inch screens, most manufactures seem to be heading in the widescreen direction. The Lenovo was really the only one that fit my personal and professional needs, but if my corporate IT would support an Apple, the MBP would have been a contender. The price difference is neglible to what I ended up spending.

Looking at the OP's needs and budget, an Apple MacBook Pro would fit his needs nicely, especially if he dual boots with XP(or Vista) for gaming.

My .02 cents. GP