Hi guys,

 

Laptop needed for home use. As it will be used mainly for web design and graphics I think I should go for something with a reasonable spec.

 

Ideally I would go for a Macbook Pro, but its out of my budget.

 

Could anyone recommend a similar quality Windows based laptop?

 

I suppose the main question is, would the Macbook be worth the extra outlay, and are they really that much better for use in this industry?

 

Thanks for any help.

Lets start with the most difficult question first. Is a macbook really worth its price? short answer: in my opinion yes. the long answer can be found by reading the mac vs pc topic here on the forums. In the end it all comes down to if you find the price worth a mac.

 

as for advise on buying a laptop, since you told us you dont have the budget for a macbook pro. I'm gonna tell you something that might not really help you at first.

 

my advise is. look at your budget and look for the best specs you can within your price range.

 

You can get a really decent laptop for around 800 here. I wouldnt know about the prices in the UK really.

 

and last but not least; Do you really need a laptop? you can get a much more powerful desktop for the price of a good laptop.

Lets start with the most difficult question first. Is a macbook really worth its price? short answer: in my opinion yes. the long answer can be found by reading the mac vs pc topic here on the forums. In the end it all comes down to if you find the price worth a mac.

 

 

There's a Mac vs PC topic on here?

 

It's covering old ground but it's mostly preference on what you use. You can get the same results a lot the time depending on your skills but saying that, a master carpenter wouldn't be using a spoon as a hammer, right? Go for what you can afford and for what you need it for in principal.

 

Without exaggeration, the majority of the people I know who don't work in graphics or a similar IT specific profession always get a machine they don't need. I know of someone who has a Mac Pro with 24inch Cinema display who just uses it for surfing the internet, using Pages and Photoshop Elements to make Christmas cards. Honestly. Reminds me of an old episode of Friends when Chandler got a 'state of the art' laptop: 12MB RAM, 500MB harddrive and 28k modem. Phoebe: "What are you gonna use it for?" Chandler: "Games and stuff".

 

Don't rule out a desktop like Tieskevo suggested, but if you want to be mobile and see clients... You could always get a used Macbook if you have your heart set on one. I had a PowerBook that was used and that lasted me a while.

Lenovo has really nice laptops for incredible deals.

especially the Ideapad Y series. I got mine 500$ off.

Specs:

i7

8gb RAM

1TB Hard Drive

GT 650M

I cant think of Lenovo anymore without thinking back at the thinkpad mr coffee edition.

 

in 2008 april the 1st. Lenovo released a laptop that could heat your coffee. it uses processor heat. to make it. i am not sure if you had to pour the coffee into the keyboard or if it made coffee on its own.

 

the date was no coincidence

In my opinion a macbook is a solid piece of equipment. It never fails on me and it's been around for quite some time. My previous windows laptops just didn't feel the same way It's pricey but it's definitely worth it! I absolutely love it for photoshopping and coding (it's a 17"inch macbook pro)

Bro take that laptop which suits your work and If you buy online so you are gona get nice prices as well and I dont think company metter in machines is the performance

Why do you want to use a laptop at home? Why don't you buy a good old desktop PC? It's a cheaper solution and it provides the best performance.

you should buy ultrabook from intel .

 

its new in this year

100% macbook. The reasoning is in the thread above, its tailored for designers in mind. Windows is for gaming, Macs are for design, everything about them is pure inspiration (not jsut the graphics, the way they use there hardware compared to windows is SUBLIME!)

get a retina macbook and you won use a desktop again, i havnt used my watercooled 4ghz quad core i5, 16gb ram, watercooled, 7800gt beast since i got my mac. it does EVERYTHING a windows desktop can do and more (minus the gaming)

"Windows is for gaming" is a bit hard :-)

 

100% macbook. The reasoning is in the thread above, its tailored for designers in mind. Windows is for gaming, Macs are for design, everything about them is pure inspiration (not jsut the graphics, the way they use there hardware compared to windows is SUBLIME!)

get a retina macbook and you won use a desktop again, i havnt used my watercooled 4ghz quad core i5, 16gb ram, watercooled, 7800gt beast since i got my mac. it does EVERYTHING a windows desktop can do and more (minus the gaming)

As a Mac user predominantly, I'd have to disagree that Windows is for gaming. Practically everyone I know (three people - joke ) who use a computer professionally - i.e. CAD, security systems and 3D animation - mostly use Windows or Linux. It wasn't until an American friend introduced me to a Mac, I probably wouldn't have used one.

 

I prefer using a Mac. Sometimes I wish I could play games on it, but that's why I have a console (also, would never get work done if I had PC type games on my computers!). Didn't want to continue the Mac vs PC debate here when there already is an ongoing thread, but it mostly boils down to skills, preference and budget.