08-26-2009 at 04:54 PM
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#181
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atinus
No, I'm not a gamer and I will probably just use it for notes and surfing the net. Price isn't really a problem ($1500 max) but Im having trouble dealing with all the options.
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If price isnt a problem then get a macbook pro. Just get the 13' MBP (the only 1 in your budget will cost $1300 after discounts) and you wont regret it. Also remember if you buy from the apple store (in yorkdale, eaten centre, square one or online) you get a free ipod touch and the student discount of $100 (remember to take student card)
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Sinan Yaseen
Electrical & Biomedical Engineering Lvl.III
McMaster'12
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08-26-2009 at 06:58 PM
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#182
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Senior Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by syaseen
If price isnt a problem then get a macbook pro. Just get the 13' MBP (the only 1 in your budget will cost $1300 after discounts) and you wont regret it. Also remember if you buy from the apple store (in yorkdale, eaten centre, square one or online) you get a free ipod touch and the student discount of $100 (remember to take student card)
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....and you get a free printer.
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Usman Yousaf
Second Year
Molecular Biology and Genetics
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08-26-2009 at 08:14 PM
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#183
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Senior Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Taunton
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You do realize that that article is over three years old, right?
http://www.n4g.com/gaming/News-133514.aspx - if you want to play games, avoid Windows Vista. Says the article from 503 days ago.
If you're going to say Macs are no good for gaming, then stick to current reasons. With Bootcamp letting you install Windows easily, the only thing left to call to question is the hardware.
I know almost nothing about video cards, so how well does the NVIDEA GeForce 9400M in the cheapest MacBook Pro stand up to the competition? |
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08-26-2009 at 08:24 PM
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#184
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Elite Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkA
You do realize that that article is over three years old, right?
http://www.n4g.com/gaming/News-133514.aspx - if you want to play games, avoid Windows Vista. Says the article from 503 days ago.
If you're going to say Macs are no good for gaming, then stick to current reasons. With Bootcamp letting you install Windows easily, the only thing left to call to question is the hardware.
I know almost nothing about video cards, so how well does the NVIDEA GeForce 9400M in the cheapest MacBook Pro stand up to the competition? |
The NVIDIA Geforce 9400M is an integrated GPU while you may be able to play some games on it, but to game its reccommended to have a dedicated GPU so you'll have to look at the MBP with the dual GPUs.
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Sinan Yaseen
Electrical & Biomedical Engineering Lvl.III
McMaster'12
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08-26-2009 at 08:26 PM
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#185
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Elite Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkA
You do realize that that article is over three years old, right?
http://www.n4g.com/gaming/News-133514.aspx - if you want to play games, avoid Windows Vista. Says the article from 503 days ago.
If you're going to say Macs are no good for gaming, then stick to current reasons. With Bootcamp letting you install Windows easily, the only thing left to call to question is the hardware.
I know almost nothing about video cards, so how well does the NVIDEA GeForce 9400M in the cheapest MacBook Pro stand up to the competition? |
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M is an entry level card. With 256 megs of video memory, you won't be able to play the newest games with it, and some games from even 3 years ago will be choppy and will run mediocrely on medium level graphics.
The article may be from three years ago, but it doesn't change the fact that Apple doesn't cater to gamers. That's not what the company goes for, and if you read the article, most of the points brought up there still apply today.
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Ben Taunton
Life Science IV
McMaster University
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08-26-2009 at 09:25 PM
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#186
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Trolling ain't easy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TTHX
seems to be a bit of apple hate around here.
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On the contrary, I find there are a few too many apple fanboys around here  .
... some people fap way too hard to Steve Jobs :p
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Dillon Dixon
Alumni
Software Engineering and Embedded Systems
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08-26-2009 at 09:44 PM
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#187
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ownaginatios
On the contrary, I find there are a few too many apple fanboys around here .
... some people fap way too hard to Steve Jobs :p |
nah it just seems like a certain few have to adamantly go against apple whenever anyone mentions one. |
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08-26-2009 at 10:05 PM
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#188
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Trolling ain't easy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TTHX
nah it just seems like a certain few have to adamantly go against apple whenever anyone mentions one.
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I find it annoying when people act like Apple has revolutionized the world. Read here for more, or listen to every other student on Campus that owns a Macbook .
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Dillon Dixon
Alumni
Software Engineering and Embedded Systems
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08-27-2009 at 12:42 AM
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#189
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ownaginatios
I find it annoying when people act like Apple has revolutionized the world. Read here for more, or listen to every other student on Campus that owns a Macbook . |
i find it annoying, when someone is trying to help out by talking about a product in which they have had a good experience and mentions nothing about how apple or steve jobs has changed the world and someone comes in and automatically talks crap about something that they want to purchase and start to state about facts about the product which isn't true based on previously false presumptions.
no one here has said anything about apple revolutionizing the world. no one in any of these laptop threads has bashed pc's or acted smug about owning or having an apple, but those with apples have been receiving the backlash simply for choosing a certain product over another. |
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08-27-2009 at 02:18 AM
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#190
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Trolling ain't easy
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TTHX
i find it annoying, when someone is trying to help out by talking about a product in which they have had a good experience and mentions nothing about how apple or steve jobs has changed the world and someone comes in and automatically talks crap about something that they want to purchase and start to state about facts about the product which isn't true based on previously false presumptions.
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Rage much? Successfully trolled 
Quote:
Originally Posted by TTHX
... no one in any of these laptop threads has bashed pc's or acted smug about owning or having an apple, but those with apples have been receiving the backlash simply for choosing a certain product over another.
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Perhaps it doesn't happen much in this thread, but if you go through and read through the "Typical Laptop for a Life Science student?" thread, you'll see what I mean :p.
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Dillon Dixon
Alumni
Software Engineering and Embedded Systems
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08-27-2009 at 10:45 AM
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#191
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Alright i'm going to try my best to avoid dabbling in on the apple vs. pc war and just give my recommendation on a laptop. (although in my post you can see where my side would be)
although I prefer a certain type of system it doesn't mean everyone else should swear to it aswell.
First off, it is best to make a list of what you want and this will help cut out alot of choices.
1. if you are going to be running it in places where you need to rely on battery life, you could look at laptops that have upgrades to 9 cell or even 12cell batteries.
Also, you pay a price for performance. a laptop with a good graphics chip like an Nvidia 9800m will allow you to get a better gaming/performance experience, but in-turn you may have a hot running laptop that drains your battery regardless if its a 12 cell or not.
2. CPU- the processor is famous for being the brain of a computer, and this is why it is important to keep cpu's in mind when purchasing. looking for a higher clock speed (2+GHz) is wise and also the type (dual core is the bees-knees).
i dont know much about AMD but i can tell you that when you see a 'P' infront of an intel processor (ex. p8600) -those processors are more energy efficient (easier on the battery) without loosing much performance.
3. RAM- now ram is the bedrock of multi-tasking. today's norm, in laptop memory is around 2Gb but you cant go wrong with 3 or even 4 if you have a 64-bit operating system. (windows vista x64)
4. SIZE and screen resolution - if you want a portable laptop then you obviously want a smaller screen and this can also net you some more battery life as the screen is a main factor in battery depletion. It is also important to note resolution. this is the size of the display -pixel-wise. the higher the resolution, the crispier and sharper the screen looks BUT this also gives the graphics chip more work to do.
5. aesthetics - face it, your putting alot of money into a laptop so you might aswell get one that appeals to you. this means looking for the small additions like the touch sensitive media buttons that most new HP's have all of that.
as for specific computer recommendations, id have to recommend looking at ASUS laptops only because I'm loving mine and they can be pretty good when it comes down to price/performance.
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Mechatronics Engineering IV
if(at_first_you_dont_su cceed) break;
Last edited by Julian : 08-27-2009 at 10:54 AM.
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08-28-2009 at 05:43 PM
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#192
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To all upper-year life science students:
Is a MacBook Pro compatible with all the course softwares needed in a typical life science schedule? (Chem 1A03 & 1AA3, Math 1A03 & 1AA3, Psych 1X03, Bio 1A03 & 1M03, Geront 1A03, Physics 1L03, and Econ 1B03)
Thanks!
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Jen Y. 
Life Sciences - First Year
Mary E. Keyes 09/10
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08-28-2009 at 06:04 PM
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#193
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JY123
To all upper-year life science students:
Is a MacBook Pro compatible with all the course softwares needed in a typical life science schedule? (Chem 1A03 & 1AA3, Math 1A03 & 1AA3, Psych 1X03, Bio 1A03 & 1M03, Geront 1A03, Physics 1L03, and Econ 1B03)
Thanks!
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Life Science students don't really need any software for any of those courses. The only software you will be using are things like MS office so a MBP should be fine. I personally have a Macbook and it has served me well so far.
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Usman Yousaf
Second Year
Molecular Biology and Genetics
JY123
says thanks to u.yousaf for this post.
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09-02-2009 at 07:39 PM
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#194
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Account Disabled by User
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09-02-2009 at 07:49 PM
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#195
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Elite Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tiger
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I'd recommend the sony one. Its the most expensive, but has the best spec out of all them. If you want a dell then buy it from the dell online youll get a better deal and you can customize it.
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Sinan Yaseen
Electrical & Biomedical Engineering Lvl.III
McMaster'12
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