Why A PC Diehard Bought A (Used) MacBook Pro (Op Ed)

[Steveymoo]

You bought a 4 year old laptop for $600? What is wrong with you? You could buy a new ultrabook for the same price, with a warranty. Chances of a component failing on a 4+ year old laptop = very high.

 

[scolaner]

They look good after 3.5 years of depreciation. Is that the subtle message you're trying to convey, Seth?

It's Daniel's piece, not mine, but yes, that's the not-so-subtle message on that point. He found that $600 for a used MBP was a good deal, and that it's held up remarkably well over time.

 

[scolaner]

First doing public relations work for Nvidia with their lies about gtx 970 and now you are writing advertisements for Apple and dressing them up as articles for educated technophiles. I am so disgusted with tomshardware. I've seen enough. I'll look for my hardware reviews elsewhere. Good bye.

We get comments like this all the time -- so many that we don't bother replying most of the time -- but this one made me chuckle. You're just so....so wrong.

 

[Leonardo Varuzza]

You could buy this notebook cheapely because of the defect in the 2011 Macbook pro design. If you use the discreet graphics intensively it will melt the soldering and the notebook will dye.

 

[ubercake]

The consumption-based Apple user honeymoon is usually over after about three months and then you start telling everyone how you can boot to Windows using bootcamp so you can run all the programs and games you want and need to.

 

[captaincharisma]

he compared an AMD PC with an intel powered Macbook, and also one of the worst kind of tablets on the market. was he just trying to prop up his macbook so he can still feel good about getting it? *facepalm*

 

[Vlad Rose]

"Undoubtedly, the thought to buy an impressive PC laptop crossed my mind more than once, but I didn't want power (and more potential issues); I wanted a sleek, durable MacBook Pro."

Please enlighten us, what potential issues are you referring to that aren't inherit in every device.

Oh and trying to compare a $300 windows RT tablet to a $1200 laptop isn't what I'd call a fair competition.

If you wanted a Mac, just say you wanted one. Don't write an article trying to justify an excuse.

 

[xyzzy1]

I bought a used 2010 i7 macbook pro and runboth osx and windows 7 on it.

Great as an osx laptop.
Even greater as a win7 laptop.
None of the flakey and flimsy stuff I see from dell, et al...

I use a 2011 i5 mac mini to run wndows 7. Runs quiet and cool on the corner of my desk. Makes me laugh at the noisey windows towers most folks use,

 

[igetsin]

Interesting article and something I can relate to as I went similar route but for different reasons. My side job is repairing and cleaning Desktops and Laptops and until recently anyone coming to me with an Apple device issue had to look elsewhere. At the same time I've been dying to experiment with Apple iMovie and iPhoto to see what they are all about.

As a result, I decided to go with also a 2011 Macbook Pro. Similar specs to the author's. To date I've replaced RAM on it and put in SSD drive to replace it's mechanical version. I was also to help somebody to transition from a Windows to iMac.

So these are my reasons. Would I pay over a $1000 for it....of course not. But going the used route worked for me.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I bought a used 2010 i7 macbook pro and runboth osx and windows 7 on it.

Great as an osx laptop.
Even greater as a win7 laptop.
None of the flakey and flimsy stuff I see from dell, et al...

I use a 2011 i5 mac mini to run wndows 7. Runs quiet and cool on the corner of my desk. Makes me laugh at the noisey windows towers most folks use,

There is no such thing as a "Windows tower" just a tower. Since when does the operating system decide how much noise a computer makes???

 

[Solandri]

I use a 2011 i5 mac mini to run wndows 7. Runs quiet and cool on the corner of my desk. Makes me laugh at the noisey windows towers most folks use,

There is no such thing as a "Windows tower" just a tower. Since when does the operating system decide how much noise a computer makes???

The Mac Mini uses a laptop dual core i5, which is why it runs quiet and cool. A desktop i5 is a quad core, and substantially faster than the Mac Mini.

Speaking of noise, one of the reasons I prefer buying Dell desktops for most of my business clients is that Dell actually runs acoustic tests on their designs to minimize noise. I used to be a stickler about noise, buying custom low-noise fans and pouring over HDD reviews to make sure the drives I got were quiet. Then I read an article about a visit to Dell's testing labs, and one of the tests they highlighted was an acoustic test. So I bought a few Dells and whaddaya know, they were as quiet as or almost as quiet as the systems I'd sweated over to try to silence.

 

[coolkev99]

Click-bait piece. Move along folks.

 

[Vlad Rose]

I bought a used 2010 i7 macbook pro and runboth osx and windows 7 on it.

Great as an osx laptop.
Even greater as a win7 laptop.
None of the flakey and flimsy stuff I see from dell, et al...

I use a 2011 i5 mac mini to run wndows 7. Runs quiet and cool on the corner of my desk. Makes me laugh at the noisey windows towers most folks use,

Dell is a horrid excuse of an example to compare PCs with as they go as cheap as they can at the cost of quality; then overcharge for it. If you compare an Apple to an actual decent brand of PC (Falcon Northwest for example), you'll see that the PC is faster for the price with the quality being just as good.

i5 mac mini = integrated graphics. Most computer fan noise comes from high end video cards or overclocked systems. If I took the video card out of my desktop (which is a mini-itx form factor), I can guarantee it will be just as quiet as your mac mini; and still faster.

 

[Solandri]

Dell is a horrid excuse of an example to compare PCs with as they go as cheap as they can at the cost of quality; then overcharge for it. If you compare an Apple to an actual decent brand of PC (Falcon Northwest for example), you'll see that the PC is faster for the price with the quality being just as good.

I'll repeat. Something like 95% of laptops aren't designed nor made by the brand name they bear. They're made by ODMs - original design manufacturers. They're like OEMs, except they also design the laptop. The vendor you buy the laptop from just slaps their name on it and re-ships it to you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_laptop_brands_and_manufacturers#Original_design_manufacturers_.28ODMs.29

The Macbooks are made by Quanta. Quanta also makes most of HP's laptops, as well as laptops from Dell, Toshiba, Acer, and others. So what's really going on here is people are claiming that one Quanta model laptop is somehow leaps and bounds better than all other Quanta model laptops because it has a cutout of a fruit on its lid.

 

[ddt529]

Any OS is better than Windows RT...not a very good comparison.

 

[kilzer15]

I agree with the author. I won a macbook pro (13'') at my 2011 prom. It is undoubtably the best laptop I have ever used. Every windows laptop I used have had something wrong with them, usually the inconsistent trackpad. But not the MAC. Best trackpad on a laptop, period. And i love the multi touch gestures. in windows 8 i always accidentally switch apps (Spotify, desktop, etc). I sure hope windows 10 will catch up in that department.

please stop referring to issues with laptops as a "windows laptop" issue, be specific on the manufacturer if it is a hardware problem. It was probably an acer or hp which i have had the pleasure of replacing many a trackpad. I have had no issues with trackpads in the past on any dell or toshiba laptops that i've used. If you dont like the the way a pad moves you can change the trackpad settings. I have actually used a 2013 macbook and i found the trackpad to be sluggish and you had to press down quite hard on the pad for it to register, but that could have been the settings and the fact that im not used to it. How do you always accidentally switch apps? i dont seem to have that issue.

Ive tried many different 3rd party windows laptops(toshiba, hp, dell, lenova) and the models I've used(~$800) have one thing wrong or another. The trackpads on competing laptops have always been bad or horrible in my experience. Also, the app switching issue I was referring too is a multitouch gesture to switch between open apps. But I only use one finger and it registers as the gesture to switch apps--Hence, bad trackpad.

Try adjusting the track speed and press down towards the bottom of the trackpad for better results on your macbook 2013. If that doesn't tickle your fancy turn on "press to click" to enable light tapping on the trackpad instead of having to press down. Anyway you cut it, there is a reason laptop manufactures are mimicking the macbook pro.

 

[beetlejuicegr]

I hope the author will keep having fun with the sleek and durable macbook pro but when the "fuse" on the motherboard burns out and his monitor is super dimmed from then onwards, he can go to apple stores for a solution lol.
The problem with apple laptops is really only one. there is really no support for anything unless you pay shitloads of money again. Apple products are not hobbyist products but consumer electronics. if they malfunction you just gotta buy new ones.

 

[hando]

We will see how long that apple quality will last you because you bought a 2011 MBP that has known issues with the GPU failing and Apple is in a class action lawsuit because of this. My buddy has one and recently had to pay hundreds of dollars to get his board replaced. Just search google for " macbook pro lawsuit"

 

[larkspur]

2011 MBP probably wasn't the best choice. Daniel may want to take note: Here's a nice video about the infamous 2011 MBP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKn8D5cIU0g

 

[Sn SM]

Writing this on a duo core Dell Latitude runing 64bit....Linux 8-] Really sad to
read the myth that there is two choices only....not correct. If you can download
an ISO and burn it...you have choice. Run the live CD to make sure your
hardware is supported and then chose that install icon 8-]

 

[ubercake]

Ugh. So you admittedly buy an inferior Windows RT tablet and the 'upgrade' to this? The Pro is about as refined as a brick. I have one for work. It's about 3x the weight of my surface pro 2 and not even close to as fast for the same or more price. Though there are elements of the Mac OS I like in an educational setting, it loses out in virtually every category everywhere else. I love it when my coworkers have to plug in after a couple hours of our meetings (I'm a technology coordinator), yet my surface will churn on for another 4-6 hours before I even bother to look at the battery.

And build quality? They're all built by the same factories in China with a different cover on them. That's a fallacy bent toward trying to get you to spend more.

The same thing bad for the Surface is the same thing that was bad for Windows in general: Windows 8. I was a huge opponent of Windows 8 when it was first released. Once they actually "finished" Windows 8 and released the 8.1 edition, it's been a solid OS with very few issues.

I've been seriously impressed with the performance and productivity value of the Surface and Surface Pro lines since the release of the Windows 8.1 update. Even a Surface RT with the 8.1 update offers a ton of value in a small package.

 

[Duckhunt]

Benghazi !. Benghazi.

 

[TEAMSWITCHER]

I can back up this Author's claims about the MacBook Pro. I've owned two of them now and they are great machines. PC fanboys think they are nothing special but they are wrong. Apple's "don't fix what's not broken" approach to the MacBook engineering has made the device perennially great. They don't change it for change's sake, and they don't follow the latest fads in computing, which is ironic because PC fanboys think the MacBook Pro is Fad computing....It's not....it's just a highly optimized, pure laptop experience, with rock solid keyboard, a responsive and accurate track pad that actually works, a great screen, all in a solid aluminum unibody chassis, with best-in-class battery life. The MacBook Pro is "Laptop" done right.

 

[USAFRet]

The MacBook Pro is "Laptop" done right.

And still, it depends on what OS ecosystem you want to proceed with. Windows, Apple, Android, Chrome, Linux. And what you actually do with it.

For instance, my whole software stack is Windows based. I'm not about to go repurchase ALL of that, just to switch to a Mac based system.

 

[Techguy150]

Why are people so useless at figuring out what is good hardware now. I like it better when computers were more of a geek thing cos ppm know what they doing and now every idiot and his dog has or wants an iPhone and if you want anything else like a good fast desktop pc with Linux you're a geek. Ppl care more about the specs of their car miles per gallon, size of fuel tank, how many cylinders.