So as a first year student, what kind of laptop do you suggest I get. Reasons please, not just fanboy-ism.

My only inclination at this point is towards mac because of the potential lack of viruses. I don't want to have to deal with losing everything on my computer because of a virus.

Also, I've been using windows all my life.

i havent had a virus EVER using windows. Just be careful where you download stuff.

p.s. mac's are super expensive compared to pc's if you didnt already know that. there is another thread about this mac vs windows somewhere around here.

When you get sketchy messages from your friends with links to sites you've never heard of before via MSN/email/Facebook do you immediately click on the link and download whatever it links to?

Do you still use Limewire and download "music" files that just happen to have the exact same name as what you typed in the search bar but are only 500kb?

When trying to get illegal software, do you still type the name of the software followed by the word "crack" into google and download/install whatever it links to?

If you answered no to all of the above, it'll be damn near impossible for you to get a virus on any modern Windows machine... if you answered yes to any of the above, get yourself a Mac and don't look back... heck, maybe you should get yourself an iPad instead, because you sure as hell need a computer to protect you from yourself >_<

Anyway, assuming you're not the type of person t give yourself a virus, choosing between a Mac and PC usually comes down to a few things: Build Quality, Battery Life, Price, and Gaming.

MacBook Pros have some of the best build quality of any laptop you can get, the unibody aluminum case is sexy, durable, and decently resistant to drops. Apple also tends to be REALLY good with customer service, the only other maker I know that comes to mind with warranties in the same league as Apple is Asus.

The latest MacBooks are boasting a solid 10 hour battery life, while PCs can range anywhere from 1.5 - 13 hours of battery life. If you want battery life in a PC, stay away from laptops marketed as "gaming" or "multimedia" and you'll be basically guaranteed a laptop with at least 5 hours of battery life (i.e. Enough to take from class to class all day w/o charging). If you really want battery life in a PC, look for "ULV" laptops, they usually ave battery life in the 8 - 13 hour range.

PCs will always be significantly cheaper than Macs, you can get a PC that matches the $1300 Macbook in specs for about $600 and you can get PCs that rival the $2300 MacBook Pros for around $1200.

If you have any intention of gaming, stay the hell away from Macs. Generally speaking Gaming Laptop PCs tend to be crappy laptops, so it usually makes more sense to get a cheaper gaming desktop and a cheaper laptop rather than a gaming laptop (which almost never have more than 2.5 hours of battery life and are big and heavy as ****). But you can find Laptop PCs that are decent for lower end games (WoW, CS:S, etc) that are also solid laptops.

Hope that helps

My suggestion is to just use the Windows OS which you are familiar with already. Fear of getting a virus shouldn't even be an issue. Get an antivirus (ie. MS Security Essentials. You don't need anything heavy duty like Norton). Best security is to just use your brain when surfing the web. Don't open up suspicious emails (YOU"VE WON A BAJILLION DOLLARS CLICK HERE TO ACCEPT!!1) and other crap like that.

To add about the Macbook,

My warranty expired last year, but whenever I bring it into the apple store they always try to help me out free of charge if there are any problems. It's only if they need to change hardware that they'll charge me for parts

Windows. I love iPod's and have a lot of respect for the Apple brand and what they've accomplished in the last decade or so, but there's no way I'll ever change as far as computers go. I'm way too accustomed to Windows and the little experience I have had on the Mac OS I couldn't stand.

So, to answer your question... look to your last sentence.

If you decide to get a Macbook in the end, it's not that hard to navigate. I never used macs until I got my Macbook and it didn't take me too long to get used to it.
Also, if you have Windows OS on hand you can put it on a Mac and use both

The Mac OS isn't that hard to get used to. It's pretty much the same thing as windows except with a bunch of faster shortcuts and a multi-touch pad and mouse (if you want to buy the mouse).

It looks slightly different but the windows, folders, applications are all the same. You could probably get accustomed to the Mac shortcuts in a week max.

Originally Posted by hellonewyork

If you decide to get a Macbook in the end, it's not that hard to navigate. I never used macs until I got my Macbook and it didn't take me too long to get used to it.
Also, if you have Windows OS on hand you can put it on a Mac and use both

You can also run Snow Leopard on VirtualBox in Windows.

Protip: Almost any modern Intel PC (preferably with NVIDIA or Intel graphics) can run OS X with hardly any hacking whatsoever. Check here.

the idea that macs are so much safer than windows machines from viruses is now a myth. Windows 7, at the latest hackers convention, was proven to be "on a different level" than Snow Leopard, with Safari being the first browser to be breached. What USED to make macs safer was the fact that there were so few users, and that they used to have the PowerPC processors. Now with the increased popularity of Macs, and now that they have intel chips, Macs are very prone to viruses if the user is stupid enough to download specific content. While there are still more viruses for Windows machines, the almost complete lack of security on Macs makes them just as prone to viruses. And btw, i know 2 friends last year who had their MacBook Pros get viruses, one of which was very serious.

These may interest:
http://secunia.com/gfx/pdf/Secunia_H... ort_2010.pdf
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple...r-139942.shtml

That said i have nothing against Macs. The interface is very nice. Its truly a preference and id suggest going to BestBuy and physically spending like 20 minutes on the Macbook and see if you like it. Just dont think its invulnerable to viruses.

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

Protip: Almost any modern Intel PC (preferably with NVIDIA or Intel graphics) can run OS X with hardly any hacking whatsoever. Check here.

Second that, I got OSX running on my HP laptop almost perfectly a little while back.

That being said, I'de stick to Windows 7 on a moderately priced (~$800 - $1200) laptop. Anything cheaper and the build quality is likely to suffer. Generally speaking, it's really hard to infect a modern Windows machine (Vista+). The best guideline is, if you see that UAC (cancel or allow) window pop up, and have no clue why it did, just click Cancel! Also, I recommend using Microsoft Security Essentials. Most other antivirus software is bloated and slows down your machine, but MS Security Essentials is thorough and doesn't slow down your machine.

In terms of brand, I'de stay away from Acer and lower end HP laptops. My Acer laptop died right after the warranty expired (go figure). Sony laptops are generally comparable to Macs in quality and bolster some impressive specs. Spec wise, look for a laptop with a Core 2 Duo or Core i5/i7 processor. A core i3 processor is acceptable too if you aren't going to push your machine too hard and use it mainly for work. You should also get a laptop with 2 GB of ram minimum, but 4 GB is the best bang for the buck. Also, if you want to game on your laptop, stay away from Intel graphics cards. I recommend a laptop with a semi recent Nvidia graphics card (8XXX series +). As for harddrive capacity, that's really upto you, I find 250GB too small, and even 320 GB is pushing it, but it depends how many song and videos you store on your laptop. Checkout the Lenovo IdeaPad series of laptops, they seem very impressive for a fair price.

In terms of Macs, I'de still follow the same guidelines. I'de recommend a Macbook Pro if you can afford it, but stay away from the 13" one since its specs are atleast a generation old. As said before, the build quality is absolutely amazing. However, having used Macs at work for the past two summers, I find that I can be more productive in Windows and that sometimes the simplicity of the UI on the Mac makes things more difficult than on Windows. Also, if you are going into a program like Engineering that needs specialized software, it most likely won't run on OSX unless you run Windows in a virtual machine (which means purchasing a Windows license!).

So, if it was me, I'de get a Windows laptop just for the flexibility it gives, and the multitude of choice out there. Hope this helps, and goodluck!

Windows, duh.

Originally Posted by qwerty91

Now with the increased popularity of Macs, and now that they have intel chips, Macs are very prone to viruses if the user is stupid enough to download specific content. While there are still more viruses for Windows machines, the almost complete lack of security on Macs makes them just as prone to viruses. And btw, i know 2 friends last year who had their MacBook Pros get viruses, one of which was very serious.

That said i have nothing against Macs. The interface is very nice. Its truly a preference and id suggest going to BestBuy and physically spending like 20 minutes on the Macbook and see if you like it. Just dont think its invulnerable to viruses.

I generally try to stay away from Mac vs PC debates, but once in a while, I have to make a comment.

Having said that... A virus is a program. The vast majority of these programs are written for windows. Macs are impervious to those. SHould you happen to get a Mac coded virus, yeah, you're screwed. But start looking now if you want to find one. I've been trying to get one since last august when I got my MacBook Pro, and still haven't got one.

I also worked for Apple's technical support, and spoke to 30-50 people a day by phone, 5 days a week for 7 years. 3 of those years were after the switchover to intel processors. In that 7 years, I saw 1 confirmed virus. Many more were suspected by customers, but only 1 was confirmed (the well known mac trojan from early last year), and the Engineer I dealt with on it gave me the green light to give the guy a new computer for it, since it should never happen (hooray kick ass customer service). I think your friends were running Windows via bootcamp and caught the virus there, and neglected to mention that part of it.

Hell, even independent analysts have only found 63 viruses for macs. Ever. Not bad for roughly 30 years making computers. How many come out for Windows every year? Also, the first worm for OS X didn't appear for 6 years after it was released (7 years if you include the public beta). So yeah....it's not very common.

Having said that, the macs can still host and pass on a virus for windows. It will have no effect on the mac, but if you don't know it's a virus and send it along to a friend running windows, they're ****ed. So just install some antivirus software as a precaution to make sure you don't pass one on, and of course, ensure you're not the unlucky one in a million to get a mac virus.

And to reiterate what qwerty91 said, spend some time on a mac and see what you think. It IS a lot of money, but well worth it, imo. If you live close to downtown, swing by 361 Jackson west (Corner of Jackson and Locke). It's the store I work at, selling and repairing Macs. we can answer any and all questions you might have. I'm not trying to plug my store, but we are Mac people, not some guy that got a week's worth of training on how to answer basic questions.

Originally Posted by PhilipD

In terms of brand, I'de stay away from Acer and lower end HP laptops.

Yes, stay away from HP's lower end, but not so much Acer. Acer used to be absolute crap, but they seem to be getting better (since you know, you can't really stay in business if it's universally known that your stuff is crap). I bought an Acer AspireOne earlier this year, and it was an amazing deal (like $270) for what I got. Really good screen and battery life.

Much better than the first gen eeePC I used to own :p.

I actually had the same question as you. I ended up getting a Mac, and so far, I love it.

Here's my very brief rundown:

Build quality - Macs seemed very sturdy, being built out of aluminum and all. The track pad is incredible, the keyboard is great and the screen, while super glossy, is good too.

OS - Honestly, OSX and Windows are pretty similar. OSX seems to have a lot of short cuts though, especially using the [unbelievably amazing] track pad. If you had to ask me which I prefered, I might BARELY chose Windows, just cause that's what I'm used to. But OSX is great.

Windows - A Mac can run windows. So I guess you get the best of both worlds?

Windows Laptops - It seemed like everyone suggesting Windows based laptops couldn't decide on which to get. They all agreed HP sucks, but they could not agree on which actually is a good brand. Someone would say x is good, another would say x is bad. Someone would say x is better than y, another would say the opposite.

Macs are expensive, yeah (Though if you are a Uni student, you can get 100 bucks off), but so far I haven't regretted my decision. If you just want a Mac because you are afraid of viruses, don't worry about it - with common sense, it can be pretty hard to get a virus on a PC. In like 7 years I think I've only had 1 [major virus].

Hope that helps.