Which Laptop do i buy?

Hi there,

I want to buy a new laptop, i'll be using it for editing videos and pictures. Website design using some adobe programs and also i want to use it for gaming. I've narrowed it down to three choices. Two are from apple and the other is alienware. The reason i like apple is that i want to get to know the OSX better for work reasons and also they are a nice light sleek design. As for the alienware 14, Its got a bit better specs for gaming, i can run all the programs i would like to use on it and i'm happy using windows 7 as its clean and simple.

These are the three choices:

1. http://store.apple.com/nz/product/FE664X/A/refurbished-...

The refurb apple mac book pro 15"

2. http://store.apple.com/nz/buy-mac/macbook-pro?product=M...

The 13" mac book pro new, upgraded processor to 2.8GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz. I may upgrade the ram to 8GB but may do it myself as i can be cheaper right?

3. http://configure.ap.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=w...

Alienware 14, Here's the specs as the link may reset itself:
Windows® 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (English)
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Intel® Turbo Boost)
Microsoft Office Trial (Multi-Language)
1 Year In-Home Service with Premium Phone Support
No Virus Protection requested
8GB 1600MHz Dual Channel DDR3L
750GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s + 80GB mSATA SSD Caching
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M with 2GB GDDR5
Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit DVD Media
Also Includes
LCD Back Cover (WLAN) Alienware 14
14.0 inch (355.6 mm) WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare Display
Slot-Loading 8x SuperMulti Drive (DVD±R/RW)
Alienware 150W AC Adapter
Killer NIC 1202 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0
Primary 6-cell 69W/HR
Alienware 14 Keyboard (Non-VPT) for English
Alienware 14 : Standard Base
WLAN Killer 1202 Driver
Internal High-Definition Performance Audio
System Documentation(ENG)
Alienware 14 Software Alienware
Welcome Letter - English
ANZ techsheet
Power Cord (ANZ)
None
Shipping Box Alienware 14
additional software
Avatar - Alienhead 3D
W511071NZ-Alienware 14
None
None
CyberLink Media Suite 2.0 DVD
Mariner1405_1010/IND/ANZ/AS/KR/JP/BTO
LTO2
NZLaptop Batteries Carry 1 Year Warranty Only From Invoice Date
NZDell's Terms and Conditions apply
Technical Support
FGA NB-OS-BTO Freight Charges(New Zealand)

So which do you think works out the best for what i want it for. In a perfect world i would probably have the OSX on the Alienware so i can get to know the OSX and use it software but also have the better gaming specs. But let me know your insight on what you think would suit the best.

Regards,
Scott

 

For the new retina MacBook Pro, you cannot upgrade the RAM. The RAM is soldered on the motherboard, not "hot pluggable".

 

@Nette Thank you very much, i will have to upgrade to 8Gb on the 13 for it to be a option. What do you believe to be the best choice?

 

Well for myself, I'm currently using Retina MBP (early 2013) with 8GB RAM, 3GHz quad i7 processor with 3.8GHz turbo (of course it is an upgrade) and 512GB SSD (upgraded as well).
I used to be a fan of Windows a year ago but when I moved to a Mac I realised that it's a lot better...

 

@Nette So between the 13" RMBP or the 15" refurb MBP?

 

The new MBP has faster RAM and SSD as far as I know, however if you want to save money while having a larger screen you should choose the refurbished MBP. Me personally don't like refurbished products and I would rather get the new 13" MBP.

 

Good input. I myself don't like refurb but it did seem like a good deal. The only thing that is holding me back is the gaming side but it think it should be alright as a casual gaming system

 

I think my current MBP (early 2013) is good enough, however the new late 2013 MBP might be even better (Apple said that it's up to 3x faster).

For gaming, the new 13" has Iris graphics which is pretty similar to Nvidia. However if you pay the top 15" model, you will get both Iris pro and Nvidia graphics.

Actually, I think you can't save much with the refurb'd model as the new models' prices dropped by $200-$300. Hope it helps

 

Dell is the best laptop to buy

 

The best machine in the world: Apple MacBook. but it is difficult to operate and windows is different as well, this machine is like that you buy one time and forgot.
2nd option is Sony Vaio.
But these 2 machines are very expensive.

3rd option is what I am using Dell inspiron core i3, 500 gb hard dist, 4 gb ram, super drive, windows 8 genuine.

Now its up to us.

 

Never ever buy Sony VAIO laptop. It used be a good one.
But now a days they are adding cheap hardwares.
I did this mistake of buying Sony VAIO laptop.

 

I ended up getting the 13" macbook pro ret and it is amazing