Laptop Decision

I am in need of a computer and I like to shop around a lot and gather opinions before making a final decision. I stopped by a BestBuy only to find that the sales associates working in the computer section gave me false information and really didnt know what they were talking about. They only wanted to point me towards their favorites and suggest a brand such as HP, Toshiba, Dell, Apple or Sony. Thats pretty much all thats on the shelves. Thanks for the help...
I am an Engineering student and I need to upgrade my 3 or 4 year old Dell. My main concern is running AutoCAD and I know a laptop isnt the best option out there but I need it to be at least somewhat portable. I think a bigger screen would be helpful and I really like the keypad available on the larger laptops now. Im not too concerned with a large hard drive because it seems like the standard now is anywhere from 250 to 500 GB which is beyond plenty. I do need a fast computer though and I would think a better processor and more RAM would help that, but Im not the most computer savvy person, so Im not sure. Ive done a limited amount of research and found that there is the newer AMD processor as well as the Intel Core2Duo, or something of that nature available in some HP models Ive been looking at. I dont really mind what brand of computer I get as long as its the best one for the money and can efficiently run AutoCAD, as well as some other usual applications that you would think a college student might run. I dont like having recurring problems, and my Dell has had them over and over. Friends have turned to HP and said they love them, so Ive been looking in that category.
Any information, suggestions, or any other kind of help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks...

I didnt mind seeing their favorite computers, but I told them a little of what I wanted in a new laptop and the associate walked me around and showed me what they "recommended" based on previous sales and it seemd like random picks from all around their computer section. He went from $550 computers to $1200 computers and everywhere in between and just tried to give me a sales pitch rather than being informative. I gave him a price range and an idea of some features I liked and he didnt seem to pay attention which is why I am resorting to a discussion board. I like bestbuy and I think they'll give me the best computer for the best price but it wasnt until his co-worker stepped in and caught him giving me bad information that I realized he was just coming up with random answers to questions.

Similar Messages

Need help with Laptop decision

I am sorry about the length of this post, but I really need help. I am trying to buy a laptop and what should be a really exciting prospect (buying my first laptop) is turning into a nightmare that just about had me in tears over the weekend.
My budget is not big - 600 absolute max, but would prefer to spend a bit less than this.
I do mainly office work (Word, Excel, Databases and PowerPoint) and also some Photoshop work. I also play a strategy game called Caesar 3. I very much want to load my copy of XP on the machine, either replacing Vista or as a partition.
Looking through the models available in my price range and looking up the benchmarks I have found the following:
Most have processors like the Intel T5250 or T5450 or the AMD TL 58, which are all benchmarked as ok, but not great. A few have the AMD TL 60, which is a bit better and one or two have the Intel T7200 which is even better.
On the bulk of the machines the graphics cards are either the ATI Radeon Xpress X1200 or the Intel GMA X3100. Both of these are benchmarked as not great and the review says that they cannot handle strategy games. A few of the models have the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2400 or HD 2400XT and one or two have the HD 2600.
The problem is that the models that have the better processor have the lower rated graphics card and those that have both don't have XP drivers, as far as I can see.
Don't mind a 15.4'' screen (although the 17.1'' would be very nice to have) and would like a reasonably big hard drive (160 +). I will be getting 2GB of RAM.
I am at my wits end. I don't want to buy a computer that will end up taking a minute or more to refresh a screen when you have more than two things open, or that you have to keep rebooting to get it to work. I want to be able to play my one and only game (Caesar III) which is a strategy game and I want to be able to work in Photoshop and perhaps have one or two other things open at the same time, like a website perhaps.
Please help me, anyone. Am I asking for the impossible? I can't get hold of an email address for Toshiba to try to get clarity from them on the issue of drivers and whether they will be made available in the future.
Then there is of course the retailer issue as each retailer only stocks a limited number of models and one has to choose between those.
I hope someone can help me!!

Hi
The problem is that you want to buy an all-round notebook but dont want to spend much money.
Additionally you want to change the OS to XP and need the XP drivers.
Well this is very hard decision buddy ;)
A notebook for gaming equipped with the power full graphic card cost a little bit more as 600
So you have to take a decision; Do you want to buy an gaming notebook and spend more as 600 or you will take an notebook which is great for a common usage like DVD watching, working with Office software, etc
The Cesar game is not known to me but I presume it doesnt need a high performance graphic card and it should run on a normal notebook too.
I think a Satellite a200 is not bad choice for you because some A200 notebooks were delivered with the Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor and a NVIDIA GeForce graphic card.
And very important is that all XP drivers were already released ;)

How will adding a laptop to our dept. affect my CC buying decision?

We have a two-person department and want to upgrade from CS6 to CC. We are also adding a Macbook Pro to our group which will be shared for remote access. Will we need to purchase a third CC license for the laptop or will our individual workstation licenses cover it?

Cloud License allows ONLY 2 activations http://www.adobe.com/legal/licenses-terms.html
-Install on a 2nd computer http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1452292?tstart=0
-Windows or Mac does not matter... 2 on the same operating system, or 1 on each

Help with Laptop buying decision

Ok I am a mass communications student in college and produce a tv show for the college tv station. I have a digital media technology certificate so I am not a total noob but video editing is a deep world and I don't pretend to know it all by any means. I use final cut studio currently in the tv station media labs for my show and projects. ( I want to expand to use more industry titles and not just stay with the familiar final cut) I have adobe cs4 after effects and premiere pro and while it is installed on my home desktop, any sort of rendering in after effects quickly makes it apparent that this computer is incapable of my needs. I am also learning to use blender and have a copy so I am hoping to get into animation more heavily with the right computer. SO I would say my main programs to be running will be after effects, premiere pro, & blender. I am not a gamer at all, although it seems like gaming computers have the best specs. Ok so I am going to buy a computer and I need it to be a laptop because a) I will be using it for other student related tasks (i.e. note taking, paper writing, etc.) and b) often times it will be necessary to take it to my student job (lots of free time as I wait for people to check out equipment from the tv station lab), as well as take it to other campus locations and work on the go MY budget is about $1500. Not a hard budget but can't go crazy here. ( no suggestions over $2000) I am looking for suggestions. Up for anything. I am assuming through cursory examinations through google that an i7 quad core is gonna be a duh. I have had mac envy for the rich kids with macbook pros for a long time and I am familiar with final cut studio a great deal however it seems like my budget is going to go a lot farther in pc world than mac world. Yet I am up for all suggestions. Obviously lotsa ram, quad core, hdd space (or multiple hd) , nice GPU card, firwire, (and I do love bells and whistles). Huge screen would be conveniant while working, yet inconveniant while walking around campus. (so that could go either way) No preference on brand and such but prefer something reliable to carry me into grad school. I am also interested in external peripheals to make my video editing workflow efficient (external drives, capture cards, etc.) that any one thinks are must haves or something. Until now I have always used school equipment and I am ready to get setup on my own. So if its laptop "a" with external thingy "b" or some configuration like that you suggest I am up for it! Beyond that I am confused. Here are links to couple of models I have been eyeing:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834157043 Not the best reviews but affordable from my local staples(1,000)
http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g73jha2-order-p-2761.html I think this is impressive. Duel HDDSs, 8gb ram, nice attractive deign, apparantly great graphics gpu....I guess this puppy is in the lead so far but for some reason no firewire????
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/pdet.to?poid=460942 interesting laptop and like the included ssd but a little 2 expensive and 18" screen...this is one big "laptop" but seems powerful
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/...co=MTM3NDcyODk ok so this one comes in about right with price and I have had mac envy forever but only 2 cores? only 4gb of ram? only 5400rpm hd thats only 250gb? It seems hard to justify the money when you see the specs of other computers in the pc world
So I am up for any suggestions, any brands, any components I must include in my hunt (i.e. certain video card or something) custom or namebrand, etc. I have a couple of weeks to shop so i want to be sure I get THE ONE (and I have no plans to upgrade to cs5 any time btw so something meshing nicely with cs4 after effects and premiere pro but capable of animation as well) Ok please HELP me

> Obviously lotsa ram, quad core, hdd space (or multiple hd)...
Yes.
> ... nice GPU
card,
No.
As far as After Effects is concerned, a "nice GPU card" is a waste of money. Having basic OpenGL 2.0 capabilities is all that you need (actually, you don't even _need_ that), and nothing above the baseline is at all important.
Spend the money on RAM, CPU, and hard disk resources.
And be sure to get a 64-bit operating system.

Should I get a 13" or 15" Macbook Pro with retina laptop?

I, FINALLY, after one year of wanting to get a new laptop to use as my primary computer replacing my desktop computer at home.........have decided to switch gears from a Windows computer to a MACBOOK PRO with RETINA laptop. It's not an easy decision when you are spending SO much money on something you hope will last a long time as I do NOT plan on getting a new laptop once I buy this one for a very long time (until it breaks / can no longer function)!
My dilemma now is whether to go with the high end 13" Macbook Pro OR get a similar if not higher end 15" Macbook Pro. Here's background on myself and what I plan on using the laptop for:
I plan on using it as my new primary computer for home so primarily for my personal use, but I will be using it also for work so I will be using it for basically EVERYTHING!
I will use it to do word processing (MS Word), to do my finances (reconcile my bank stmts/accounts), using MS Excel for accounting work, check my emails, research the Internet, photo editing (pretty much basic, definitely not advanced) and creating slideshows with my photos/music, downloading/playing music. I do not plan on using it to play any games.
I use alot of MS Office / Excel and some Powerpoint - either for work or home.
I need alot of storage space for photos (recreational - up to 400 per vacation trip) and I plan on creating slideshows with the photos using Apple's great photo/video/slideshow apps! At last count, I had about 100GB of photo files.
I also need alot of storage for my music files - I have @ least 12GB of music right now and am always downloading more each year.
I plan on taking it with me outside of home only on the weekends for the most part like to a cafe (Starbucks) or library, but not for anything further than that (not for travel as I will just take my ipad).
I know it's only ~1lb difference in weight, but a couple of my concerns is since it will be my primary home computer (i.e.I'll be using it in the evenings/on the weekends and probably more (since it's an Apple!) to work on photos/slideshows, if the screen size difference will matter in the longrun in terms of having any impact on my vision (not sure if the 2" will make a difference in that). I'm only 45yo, but I do worry about that! I tried both the 13" and 15" in the Apple store and the only difference I saw was that the 15" screen allowed you to have multiple programs visible on the screen side by side, but viewing the actual programs was the same (in size). I don't really view programs side by side right now (I use the ALT-TAB shortcut alot to view multiple programs I have open at once), but I could see how having programs viewable side by side could come in handy.
I had a Toshiba 17" laptop before that was too HEAVY to lug around even if on the weekend so I no longer want a heavy laptop and want something more portable to take with me on my weekend excursions to the local cafe/library which basically means going from home to car and car to location at most, but when I go to use the restroom, I like to take it with me (do not feel safe leaving it behind on table) so I don't want it too heavy.
I do plan on getting me a Western Digital external hard drive to backup ALL my files yet since I plan on keeping the computer for as long as it'll hold up, I want to make sure I have alot of storage to keep up with me. I like the flashdrive component because there are fewer moving parts so less likely to have problems in the long run and given that (despite my need for alot of storage), I'll backup my photos/music to external drives should I end up maxing out on my storage.
I value your opinions, please help me DECIDE!!!!! I'm frustrated and it's driving me nuts!!! I know it's too much to ask, but if they had a 14", I would probably go with it! A 2" difference seems pretty big. :-)
THANK YOU!!!

Thanks guys. I'm set on the 15" now and am now deciding on whether I should go with the standard MBP or the MBP with retina display? I'm not an advanced photographer, but I do like to take alot of photos especially when travelling and I do plan on creating slideshows with my photos synched with music. I don't think I'd be one to really be able to tell the difference between a retina vs. non-retina screen given that since I can't really tell the difference between a tv screen with vs. without HD. So for me, I don't think it'd be about the retina display at all. It is more about the storage capacity AND the fact that I hear with the retina/flash storage, that there are less apt to have problems down the road so a more sturdy a machine. Given I take alot of photos/will be creating slideshows wth my photos, and downloading/playing music, I'm thinking the standard MBP might be better storage-wise. But also given I plan on keeping this laptop for a long time (basically, until it breaks or becomes too slow to function productively), that makes me want to go the retina/flash storage route. SIGH.
Should I not be so concerned about the longevity of the machine, but rather opt for the one with more storage?

Return/exchange laptop just purchased

I just purchased an Asus laptop on 8/13 and am thinking about exchanging it for a laptop with a bigger screen, but hopefuilly the same specs (i.e. Core I7, etc.). I have the receipt and manuals that came with it but do not have the original box it came in. Will that be a problem? Please advise. Thanks.

The box isn't an issue. As long as it is in like new condition and you bring it back within the 30 days with the receipt, you are good to go. Remove your personal data before doing so.
Crystal
Superuser
Forum Guidelines | Terms & Conditions | Community Guidelines | What is a Superuser?
*Remember to mark your questions solved and click the star to give kudos to show your thanks!*
While I used to be a Best Buy Employee, I no longer have any affiliation with Best Buy.
My opinions do not in any way shape or form represent Best Buy's Official decisions.

Urgent..need help to buy a dell laptop.

I am from India.My friend is coming to Boston on next week.I want to buy Dell XPS 17 laptop.I want to know whether Dell XPS17 and XPS15 laptop is available in the shop and location of shop near to the Boston,MA,USA airport.I want to know the price of Dell XPS17 laptop with processor i5 and i7.Please anybody help me..

Here I'll help. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=E6742A3E6BD1FD0C354B377FDC6E0A95.bbolsp-app03-24?...
Crystal
Superuser
Forum Guidelines | Terms & Conditions | Community Guidelines | What is a Superuser?
*Remember to mark your questions solved and click the star to give kudos to show your thanks!*
While I used to be a Best Buy Employee, I no longer have any affiliation with Best Buy.
My opinions do not in any way shape or form represent Best Buy's Official decisions.

How do I use my airport express as my default audio for a laptop?

I can stream music from iTunes to our airport exoress no problem, but I'd like to be able to use the speakers connected to our Airport Express as the default audio output for my MacBook Pro - i.e for all sounds, aps, etc. This would allow me to wirelessly stream music or any other audio (not just iTunes) and then have it played through the speakers. I've googled and looked here, but cannot seem to find a clear cut answer that isn't two plus years old in all the clutter.
Thank you in advance.
(PS - I'm working on a MacBook Pro with the latest and currently up to date OS X 10.7.2)
Message was edited by: kldietch - ANSWER FOUND - USE AN IPAD/IPHONE TO STREAM THE AUDIO TO AIRPORT EXPRESS OR BUY AIRFOIL FOR MY LAPTOP TO CIRCUMVENT APPLE'S DECISION TO WALL OFF AUDIO OUTPUT FROM LAPTOPS TO THE AIPORT EXPRESS.

The bottom line is that you will need an application like Airfoil for Mac to be able to stream any audio source on your Mac to the AirPort Express.
Rogue Amoeba | Airfoil for Mac: Wireless Audio Around Your House

SCCM Report for Laptop Battery Condition

Good morning,
We are in a situation where we're needing to monitor conditions of laptop batteries in the school district I manage. I have added the laptop batteries class(Win32_Battery) and have all required/requested information checked under this class. This
has been set for a week, so all devices should be inventoried by now.
How do you recommend my getting a report together that shows battery condition/etc? The fields I would like to see are ones such as:
Win32_Battery
battery status
design capacity
design voltage
Expected Life
Error Description
Full Charge Capacity
Really anything that will help us in knowing which laptops batteries need replacing.
I am not that knowledgeable about SQL reporting/SCCM reporting, so any help in getting this is greatly appreciated. Any resources that you can point me in for getting more familiar with creating my own reports would be greatly appreciated. I
don't even know where to begin.
Thank you!

Good you have added the class. Please use the following link for the detailed information about Win32_Battery:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa394074(v=vs.85).aspx
Last Full Charge should guide your decision on replacement.
Following link will help you as well:
http://www.helpwithwindows.com/Windows7/Check-your-laptop-battery-health-in-Windows-7.html
-RG

PC Laptop, MacBook, or what I really want.... The iPad 2

I am a community college student in Eastern North Carolina. This past summer my laptop of several years finally ground it's last gear and since then I have been without a laptop. I do not receive financial aid, or help of any kind, paying for my classes and textbooks so I was going to go to my local Wal-Mart and just buy the cheapest laptop they had so I could complete my assignments. I said as much in one of my classes and my professor who happens to have all Apple Products had a lot to say. Yet I am still unsure of a few things and need some clarifications before I make a purchase (I have read everything I can find, but I am worried I've misread or misinterpreted something):
What I need to be able to do:Write / Create:
Research Papers
Excel Documents
Power Point Presentations
Create, Open, Edit, Save and Send the above type of files so they can be opened, edited, saved and sent on Windows 7 Microsoft Office 2010
Surf the Internet (I am aware that Safari fulfills this need)
Back-up my files, pictures, music, videos, etc. on an external harddrive should (God forbid) something happen to whatever product I purchase. (I feel much safer with a hard copy)
Stream online video(s) and audio to complete assignments for classes.
Carry my product with me all day, every day. (I leave home at 6am and rarely get home before 9pm)
What I want to be able to do:
Keep track of assignments, appointments, and work schedule
Have my music, videos, and pictures with me while I am on-the-go
Watch an occasional movie from iTunes or Netflix without using all of my available memory
Consolidate! (My bookbag is extremely heavy from lugging around textbooks, notebooks, and various items and supplies for both work and school)
PURCHASE eTextbooks (CourseSmart offers only rentals, and as a Psychiatric Social Work major I want to keep some of my psychology and social work textbooks as references later on down the road. Purchased eTextbooks can't be ruined, lost, or stolen like printed textbooks and so seem the smarter choice)
Questions:
What is the big difference from an Apple Laptop and Apple's iPad 2?What can the laptops do that iPad 2 cannot? I know there are no USB hubs or any ways to install a program from a CD, but with iCloud and the AppStore won't I have everything I will need?
If I decide to buy the iPad 2:
Do I buy the iPad 2 from the Apple Store, Wal-Mart, or Best Buy?Honestly, what is the difference? The Apple Store for Education offers free next day shipping as a "discount" but this is going to be my Christmas present for myself and it is going to have to sit in it's box until December 25 anyways. Or I can always drive 25 minutes to Best Buy and not have to worry about any kind of shipping at all. Everyone's prices are all the same so I see no difference. Am I missing something here??
Which memory size do I buy?
I had a lot of music on iTunes, but have forgotten my password. Since I no longer attend the school which provided the e-mail account I had (stupidly) linked to my iTunes Account there is no way to find out my password. I have 2GB worth of songs on my new iTune's account, and I do expect that to grow.
I do have a lot of pictures, but they are all on Facebook and Google's Picaso Application. I really do not see myself using the iPad 2's cameras much, and not to mention I heard they left the consumer lacking.
I perform a lot of work in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; however with iCloud and the 'Dropbox' App I should be able to save my work online, right?
I do not travel much, but when I do travel it is long distances. (Example: 2008 - England for 1 month, 2009 - Ireland for one month, 2010 - Wales and Scotland for one month) Would WiFi work in the UK, Italy, Greece, India, Peru, Guatemala, etc.? I cannot see how it would be, but I am just now truly jumping on the technology bandwagon.
Can I back-up ALL of my iPad 2's files on a external hard drive via a PC Computer?
WiFi Only or WiFi+3G?
One mile from my house in every direction some form of high speed internet is offered, but my family and I are stuck using dial-up (shhh.... shhh.... it's okay.... don't cry for me too hard). My HTC Desire cellular phone contracted through US Cellular offers a Mobile WiFi Hotspot and only offers 2GB of service. Can you sign up for a iPad 2 WiFi+3G data plan without having a cellular plan through either AT&T or Verizon? Is the 3G service only offered in the USA?
How to the WiFi Only and WiFi+3G differ? Just being able to get online even when there isn't a WiFi connection available?
Will the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote Apps fulfill my need for Mircosoft 2010 Word, Excel, and PowerPoint?
I must be able to create, open, edit, save, and send work to my professors. I understand that I can accomplish all these things should my professor use an Apple Product; however, what if my professor does not? Will Windows 7 Microsoft 2010 be able to open my work?
Is there a video, book, ebook, or guide on how to use Pages, Numbers, and Keynote? I have never used these applications and from what I have seen it will be quite an adjustment for me.
Can I take music or videos off my iPad should my space begin to run low?I have bought several songs and videos on my iTunes Account, but what if I sync my iTunes Library only to find when it has finished that I have only 3GB of memory left? (Probably a stupid question, but I am trying to cover all angles before making such a purchase)
Can I buy textbooks via the iTunes Store, CourseSmart, or Textbook Application?
I have researched CourseSmart to the best of my ability and it seems that you can only rent eTextbooks. Is the accurate? Not that I am complaining! By renting textbooks on the iPad 2 via the CourseSmart Application the device will have paid for itself in just two semesters. Considering I have at least another 3.5 years of study ahead of me there is no telling just how much money I can save!
Should actually buying eTextbooks not yet be available is there any chance it might be in the near future???
Are there any Stylus Pens available that can write on paper while also writing on the iPad 2?
I am a very heavy-handed person and am scared I will somehow damage (Scratching the screen, accidently pressing down too hard, etc.) the iPad 2 should I try and use a Stylus on the screen.
Should this product not exist: If I were to use an available Stylus (Which are good and which are bad??) would there be a problem with both the Stylus and my hand touching the screen at the same time? When I write my fingers and hand both touch the paper, and so I am worried I will make a useless purchase.
iPad 1 released in 2010. iPad 2 released in 2011. iPad 3 released in 2012?
Does anybody know if Apple is currently working on or close to completing the iPad 3? I do not wish to buy the iPad 2 at the end of December and then have a newer model with better hardware upgrades come out 2 or 3 months later.
I understand that technology advances quickly, but will iPad 2 continue to be the world's leading tablet device or is Apple going to release the next 'world's leading tablet device' soon?
I wish to thank any and every person who responds to this. I know this is a lot of questions, but to me the iPad 2 means paying up a lot of money. I work part-time at a Boys and Girls Club and I have to make every cent count. The iPad 2 seems to be an absolutely amazing device and I truly hope that it will be the best product to fulfill my needs. I must make a decision soon because Santa Claus is on his way!
Again, thank you for your responses and for your time!
Hunter Shelton

The ipad is certainly no replacement for a computer/laptop.
It is used in conjunction with a laptop/computer. It is simply a big ipod/iphone.
I would not even consider the ipad for your needs.

My MacBook Pro laptop says 'service battery' and doesn't charge very well but my Mac is 5 years old. Is it worth buying a new battery or do you think I should buy a new mac?

Hi guys,
I can only leave my MacBook Pro unplugged for an hour maximum and it never seems to fully charge. It says on the Mac to service battery - which I guess means buy a new battery.
I have had my MacBook for over 5 years now and it does get used probably every day, if not every other. If I brought a new battery would it all work normally again or is it getting old and do I need a new one?
Also, my charger seems to be playing up a bit now as well. It's seems to be temperamental when I plug it in and takes to while to light up and charge. I've attached an image of the battery bit on my laptop as the lead seems to be fine - is this normal?
Thanks in advance guys.

Is there any application(s) that your current Mac cannot run that only a new can? Calculate the cost per year of your current MBP and compare that to the cost of a new battery. Spread the battery cost over a year or two of additional operation, how do the dollar amounts compare? If the MBP is functioning properly, I generally find it is more cost effective to keep it.
If the retina display and the SSD storage are very desirable from your perspective, then that becomes a different matter. You are the one to make the final decision.
Ciao.

Help me decide on what apple laptop i want to get. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!

hi, as you can see, i am new to the discussions. i grew up on a mac and have had a mac for a family computer all of my life.
well i started really getting into video games, (especcially computer games). and went to buy my first computer that i didnt have to share. of course it was a pc (acer aspire 3500 laptop). i was into games.
so i got used to windows, and its ok. but not vary fun. and after a while i started to get jealous of my best friend and his ibook G4 and all of its capabilities. i was really into blizzard games. and i now reallise they are mac compatible Doh! of course i also liked CS. as anyone with a pc does. anyways im getting old of games but still like to play the accasional. and i went to apples website and was amazed with tiger. and found out about bootcamp and all that stuff. i wanted a laptop, since i do alot of travelling. and i was intruiged by the macbook. i would go for the higher end one. with some upgraded ram.(white) but then there is the macbook pro with some great graphics capabilities. but comparing the two i found that macbook performs just as well, sometimes better than the IMO overpriced macbook pro. i am not really willing to spend 3000 dollars on a laptop or any computer really. i just want a good reliable Apple lappy that will last me a while. now i AM willing to spend 2000 dollars on a macbook pro or an upgraded macbook. but what one is the better deal? i think it is pretty obvious that its the macbook. BUT- i have heard many many a bad things about some of these macbooks. such as battery problems, overheating issues. and random shut downs. i dont want those hassles! is a macbook pro less prone to theese sort of things and is it worth getting over a macbook? Or are all of these problems with the macbook just early production problems and i should wait a while for them to be resolved? please help me make this decision. this is the only place i could find to post this so i hope its ok to have this topic here. and sorry about the life-story. i just need to get some honest opinions, because i need a new laptop soon (mine is on the way out) and this is a big chunk of change here. thanks in advance.
acer aspire 3500 laptop with a 30 minute lasting battery and has fallen apart. Windows XP i need a mac....

I think that you should go with the MacBook also and get it maxed out.
I know you have heard this now from everyone that has posted on this topic but it is true that a maxed out MacBook is better then a MacBook Pro.
The games work perfectly on my MacBook and the games that I have played have been, The Sims, Orgeon Trail, Halo, Tiger Woods, Madden 07.
No problems and graphics are stunning.
I also like the size in the Macbook since I also travel a lot and I my brother has the MacBook Pro and he hates lugging it around on airplanes and stuff since it is a lot bigger.
So...
Final Answer: MacBook with 2gb of RAM and a 120gb hardrive since you are willing to spend 2000 dollars.
Good Luck and Have Fun!
Sam
"Once you go Mac, you never go back!"

How do I get my laptop fixed after 6 weeks of waiting for parts that work??

I've been waiting 6 weeks for my laptop to be repaired...this time. The first time it was a week and the problem was not solved. I have a Macbook Pro that started randomly rebooting. It kept getting worse and worse until it wouldn't even complete a boot up, it just went into a cycle of reboots until it finalyy ended with a kernal error. They replaced my AirPort card which didn't solve the problem. My authorized service provider received replacement parts twice, and both times the parts were faulty so they are STILL waiting. I took matters into my own hands, which meant 2 1/2 hours on hold, no that is not a typo, I waited on hold for two and one-half hours with Apple. I spoke to a human twice, and each time asked for a supervisor or manager who could make a decision and solve my problem, but please don't put me back into the hold queue. After nicely saying they would not, they of course did put me into the hold queue...twice. I just want my computer back!!! The Apple commercials say "they just work", but they don't. If this was a pc, I could drive to my local Best Buy and purchase any replacement part, install it myself in an hour or two, then get back to doing what I need to do, but not with an Apple!!!! Thank goodness I purchsed the Apple Care or I would really be toast. From what I've read on the boards, this is a well known, common problem, so why isn't Apple doing everything possible to keep from ticking off so many people?
I just got off the phone with someone at Apple, after a total of 3.5 hours on the phone, and of couse he has to call people to find out what to do, so it is STILL going to be a couple of days, both of which he will be out of the office so someone else will take care of contacting the powers-that-be. So my question is, what can I do to escalate this matter besides hiring an attorney? Is there some magical department I can call or some supreme being I can email to get some help before I lose faith in all things Apple???? I'm afraid at this point I've had to tell people who ask me how I like my MAC that I would never in a million years purchase one again because the survice is so incredibly horrible and way too traumatic. Who at Apple can I complaign to and have it mean somethings?
Thanks for any suggestions you can offer...

I had a similar waiting time when I sent my iMac G5 in to a Service Provider to get the optical drive fixed. It has to do with - the part takes so much time to get to the Service Provider then if its faulty, they have to resend for a new one. From my experience I would be calling the Service Provider and keeping up on them and the progress. If you need to, ask them how to speed things up. My Service Provider told me to phone Apple to give authority to speed up the shipping to 2-day instead of a week (it is something only the user can ask Apple for) or to ask them to loan me another computer till they get it fixed if it is going to take a lot longer. I called Apple, the lady at Apple put me on hold and gave me to her supervisor who then got the Service Provider on the phone to verify and then told me the part would be there within 2-3 days. It came and was finished, but it took a month before I became wise that nothing was happening at the Service Provider's end "We are waiting for the part" they kept telling me, but they just forgot to order the second one. I found all this out from Apple. There was nothing shipping to the Service Provider at the time nor had there been a second order for the part. The Service Provider did not even tell Apple the first one was faulty. It is called miscommunication and it happens from time to time.
I would make sure you tell Apple how long your computer has been in the shop and always sound professional and polite to whoever is on the other end and ask for that shipping speed up. Phone your Service Provider first to get the proper name that it is called!
It sounds like you got a lemon being taken care of by a Service Provider which automatically takes longer because of shipping. If it is not fixed when you get it back phone Apple first. Hope this helps you.

Should I buy a new laptop? Or fix it with more RAM?

Dear all,
After a few years (since mid 2009) of happy relationship with my Macbook Pro, the last year I have noticed a severe decline in speed in all applications as well as a lot of apps crashing or not responding regulary. Me and my laptop have survived this long thanks to this forum where I am usually able to find solutions to various problems and by experimenting with "home fixes", despite my lack of technical knowledge.
I live abroad in a country without access to proper computor service centers etc, however I am visiting Europe next week and I need to take the decision on whether it is worth fixing my laptop or if the best option sis just to buy a new one.
After my attempts to troubleshoot and after reading up on this forum I am suspecting that the cause of the problems might have something to do with RAM or the proccessor. I do run a lot of heavy apps such as photoshop, premier pro, indesign, firefox, lightroom etc. I have always been able to work efficiently while having several apps running at the same time (for example firefox, word, indesign and photoshop) however since a while back i can't run more than 1-2 apps at the same time without the computer crashing or getting paralysed. The beach ball is spinning for minutes after each click which is very frustrating when working with details in for example photoshop. I have tried to clean up the computor with Onyx a few weeks ago which I think improved it a little bit. My 500GB harddisk is less than half full.
I would really appreciate your advise on my options of fixing the issue or just buying a new computer. Below are some details about my laptop.
Millions of thanks in advance!
Best,
Hanna
Processor: 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256MB
Software: OSX Version 10.8.3

I think 8G of memory may be good enough to run Adobe suite and Office.
No, there is no such risk.
Following shop has memory you need, though if you think you couldn't hadle to upgrade RAM, take it to Apple Store's Genius Bar to ask about upgrading RAM.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3
-- kaz-k
PS/ You'd better ask about your question at MacBook Pro discussion board.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro

I've installed Photoshop Elements 12 from a CD onto my PC laptop. I'm thinking about buying a tablet, so was wondering if (a) can I install on a 2nd device (b) can I use the serial number online as I won't beable to install from a CD, and (c) will I beabl

I've installed Photoshop Elements 12 from a CD onto my PC laptop. I'm thinking about buying a tablet, so was wondering if (a) can I install on a 2nd device (b) can I use the serial number online as I won't beable to install from a CD, and (c) will I beable to choose a mac, after the initial was on a PC???? Thanks Martin

A single user license allows for having activated installations on two machines. An Elements license allows for either platform in many cases (recently not the case from what I've seen). If you have the disc, see if it contains the Mac installation files... if it does then you should be able to install them via a download as well. I cannot answer with certainty for the last question since it relies on the previous question. Personally, I would not let an inexpensive piece of software dictate an expensive hardware purchase decision.

Laptop Decision

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