MacBook, or Alienware laptop?

[Zech Marquis]

I love my iMac G5, in fact next year I want to replace with an Intel iMac :-) BUT...it would also be nice to have a laptop too so I can enjoy some wireless websurfing and not be tied down to my desk. The new MacBooks look nice, eyt they seem perhaps a little bit small...meanwhile Alienware has a new DuoCore laptop out now, and it's about the same as te macBook. i know, Alienware uses windows,but at the same time, why not have each?

http://www.alienware.com/Configurator_Pages/area-51_m5550.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-AREA51M5550-R3&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT

This Alienware has the same video card as the MacBook Pro, and it'll cost 1449 before tax (with a dvd burner too, otherwise abut the same as the MacBook) Would it be feasible to have the laptop and keep my iMac G5?

[stlsaxman]

1. My fiance' just purchased a new macBook... the small one-

i am intensely jealous. she said it was the wisest decision she ever made (after saying yes to marrying me!) and she was a long-time MS user.

[Zech Marquis]

3. I wear glasses too, so

is it ok with the MacBook's 13 inch screen? at CompUSA someone had the disply setting up messed up, so I couldn't really say how good it was. The black MacBook did look nice :-) Apple has some refubed MacBooks, so I can go that route.

[stlsaxman]

4. we're both late 40's/early 50'ers... both do the reading glasses thing.

they call it a 13" screen but i's just as wide as my 15" powerbook. it has a "wide-screen" dimension (16x9) so movies look good, and LCD display technology has improved much so the display is brighter in heavy ambient light. it may be small for you still, but the screen dimensions make more sense.

and it's easy to send the display to an external screen or projector- close the laptop, plug it in, open it and go. she does many Powerpoint presentations using MS Office database, spreadsheets and the like. here's a big plus- the macBook comes with a remote control for it's software "Front Row"- and it will also shuttle thru slides remotely for Powerpoint.

[Zech Marquis]

6. good!!!

I'll most likely have it on my lap most of the time, so the size of the lettering shouldn't be a problem:-) And now I do need one with the Superdrive--I have alot of videos from the iTunes Music Store (and tons of podcast too). My iMac G5 has the combo drive--which is good for now-but as I buy more iTunes videos I'm going to need to back them up on dvds. And isn't there an c able so I could output the MacBook screen to an HDTV? :evilgrin:

[stlsaxman]

8. i run my Mac Mini into a 26" Sharp Aquos w/ DVI in...

it's a perfect picture. BUT the display MUST be DVI input and NOT HDMI (which carries digital audio over the same cable, so that's where Sharp is going with it now). Apple does NOT have drivers for HDMI. No DVI to HDMI adapter will do it. I tried everything. The DVD player looks perfect but the desktop and fonts are fuzzy...

Fortunately, i got the Aquos at CompUSA on a close-out last winter and Best Buy miraculously gave me a full refund on my first display. *shwew*

Here are the video specs for the new MacBook-

# Mini-DVI port
# DVI output using mini-DVI to DVI adapter (sold separately)
# VGA output using mini-DVI to VGA adapter (sold separately)
# Composite and S-video output using mini-DVI to video adapter (sold separately)

so there you go! this thread has got me thinkin' i want to get a macBook myself.... and soon!

[Zech Marquis]

12. too bad

I just have an HDMi port on my new LG HD set (the 30 inch Superlsim).. But the MacBook has been sold on me. :bounce:

[LeftyMom]

2. Alienware is overpriced, IMO

A lappie is a great thing to have but if you want it primarily for web use you really don't need to spend that much.

[billyskank]

5. Quite true, but then so are Macs

So I would say, go with the Mac: might as well get something that at least is really stylish and has a wonderful OS.

[Benfea]

7. Word of warning about laptops:

I recommend against individual users buying laptops. (I provided support for lots lof laptop users <both PC and Mac> for a long time.)

The problem is that when something breaks, a laptop is generally far more expensive to fix than a desktop. As a Mac user, this effect is slightly less pronounced as the desktops are nearly as proprietary as the laptops, but the effect is still there.

In a desktop, most of the parts are completely standard. If something breaks, you go down to the store -- any store -- and buy a new one. The parts in a laptop however are proprietary to that particular make and model, so if you want replacement parts, you have to go to the manufacturer. Around two to three years after that model of laptop is pulled from the shelves, the manufacturer will stop making new parts for it, and that's when repairs can get really expensive.

PS -- if you do buy a laptop anyway, be very careful with the LCD screen. It is often cheaper to buy a whole new laptop than to repair a damaged LCD screen.

[NV Whino]

9. I'm not sure what your question is about wireless...

I am on my iBook right now, wirelessly connected to my DSL. I can print wirelessly and communicate with my desktop G4 if I need to.

My iBook, by the way, is a 12" screen and I find it perfectly adequate for web surfing. I use the desktop and my 20" cinema screen for any serious work I have to do.

[Zech Marquis]

13. once the apple store opens in my area

I'll get an Aiport card installed and some more RAM. That with my futre MacBook will be the end of wired net access for me:-)

[Madrone]

10. The first thing you should do is research "alienware reviews" -

and "alienware support" on Google. The choice may make itself.

[Deja Q]

15. Dell bought Alienware too. But keep in mind a company is a company first,

"red" or "blue" second. Apple is hardly immune.

Any laptop with FreeBSD on it is tantamount to OS X. And wouldn't cost as much. But that's just me. (and it's also why Apple won't release anything back to the open source community. They'd lose way too much money from it. So while I applaud iTunes for being humane with the DRM issue, don't expect me to buy anything else of theirs anytime soon.)

Knowledge is power. One can learn or accept what the maker doles out. Neither choice is bad, but it won't stop me from voicing my loud mouth. :D

[Madrone]

16. My point wasn't about red or blue companies -

It was actually about Alienware machines being THE SUCK - based on the tons of reviews I've read all over the web. MAYBE they'll be better now that Dell bought them out. One can only hope - as I don't think they could be much worse. A shame too, as they used to be the best machines available.

I didn't mention Macs - but since you brought them up... I am a new Mac convert. Got a 17" Macbook Pro a couple of months ago. I am blown away. The hardware is top of the line, and OSX is niiiiiiice. I'm a FreeBSD geek too - so I'm somewhat qualified to say that for most consumers OSX is MUCH different than a laptop with FreeBSD on it. I am able to dig into the guts of OSX and do things most consumers would never know is there, let alone see because I'm comfortable w/ the command line and know unix. I also access the ports collection - another thing most people will never utilize. Apple has EXCELLENT support (from what I've heard - I almost never use support for anything), both hardware and OS. Support is something that is very important to most people.

[Ravenseye]

18. I have an Alienware, and I"ll have you know...

It's the worst computer I ever bought. The worst customer service experience I ever had.

I had to essentially take it apart and rebuild it correctly it was done so badly.

It shipped with the software I ordered (office) installed, but no discs and no registration number so I couldn't activate the program.

I ordered it and they didn't ship it for months because as I finally found out 'The speakers you ordered aren't in yet'. When I said to ship the damn computer now, and the speakers when they arrive separately, they said ok. A few days later my speakers arrived. My computer didn't come for another two weeks.

And on.

And on.

And on.

I use PC's. I prefer PC's and Windows. But if the choice is Macbook or alienware, they should go Macbook.

[CanuckAmok]

11. Single biggest problem with PC based multimedia laptops:

They require so much cooloing, they sound like a 747 taking off.

My Toshiba P10 (which is a piece of shit, by they way) cools so poorly that I had to make a small a/c fan and use it whenever the laptop is working, to circulate enough cool air through the intake.

[kedrys]

14. We just bought a DuoCore Mac Book Pro and LOVE it!

We haven't tried to run BootCamp on it (to run Winblows), but that's the next experiment.

[Madrone]

17. I got one a couple of months ago -

And I agree. LOVE it. I was going to install windows initially - now it's the last thing I want touching my MBP! :D Maybe Linux though.