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General discussion

Macbook v. Dell Latitude (or other Dell)

by synthesisofyou Feb 9, 2009 7:16AM PST

I'm looking to get a laptop for college (i'll be starting in the fall). My intended major(s) are either: Biological Sciences/Biology, Spanish, or Business. I want to go into Medicine. I'm not sure what kind of laptop I want, or what the best buy would be. I've grown up on Dell and have had one my whole life, I've never had a mac. Up until my good friend recently purchased a mac, I never really even considered one - but he loves his and it makes me want to get one as well. I'm not so sure as to what I'll be doing on the laptop other than the misc. school work. Video Editing and graphics design interest me, but its nothing I'm going to be doing professionally, but it would be cool to mess around with. I talked to a guy at the apple store today and he said that if I was looking to do any big-time graphics and video editing that a macbook is not a good choice, due to the video card. What are some pros and cons of each (Dell Latitude v. Macbook)? Would a macbook be good for graphics and video editing? How good is the iMovie and how well do the Adobe Suites run on a mac compared to the Dell? Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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5 Posts
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While I may disagree.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Feb 9, 2009 7:47AM PST

The current unibody Macbook graphic are now quite a strong point. The 999 buck Macbook is your value in the line and I'd avoid it.

-> Go to your school and see what others have in your classes. You don't want to be the only Apple or the rare PC.
Bob

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HD
by synthesisofyou Feb 9, 2009 8:05AM PST

Does the mac do HD video stuff? The camcorder I'm looking to buy supports HD; does the macbook?

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Sorry.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Feb 9, 2009 9:09AM PST

But even my netbook does "HD." Can you define what "HD" is so we can be sure?
Bob

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Something caught my eye
by FrankQC Feb 9, 2009 11:49AM PST

When I was reading I only had to read the first three sentences.

If you are going into business... Please go with a PC and not a Mac. Your professors will have some programs that will only work with Internet Explorer and PC-based systems. I'm currently doing a Bachelors of Commerce (for IT Management) and it is important to have a PC.

It's a PC world.

I'm not starting a flame war BUT for me... Macs are really useful for personal use and not for commercial/education (also.. depends what you'll do with it.. but generally for business programs it's all Windows).

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Dell vs. Mac
by Renegade Knight Feb 10, 2009 4:23AM PST

First I can't stand Dell as a company they are busy trying to screw me over because they are unable to read their own warranty and honor the extended one that I bought.

That said our local computer shop sells two kinds of used laptops. Dell Lattitude and IBM Thinkpads. They tend to hold up better than others.

I also recently got a Mac and run both OS X and Vista on it. The biggest PITA about that Macbook is that the keyboard layout is annoyingly inefficient. The thinkpads and latitudes have a nice layout. The first one I've seen that makes it worth using a laptop keyboard. There may be shortucts that I'll learn in time on the Mac but ever time I reach for keys that make my job easier they are missing.

In bang for the buck it's hard to beat a MacBook. When you step it up a notch the MacBook Pro is about 400.00 overpriced give or take a bit for the same powered Dell or Thinkpad.

The new MacBooks are better than the old ones for video and graphic editing, but not as good as the Pro's.

The main problem with a Mac is finding non fanatics who can give you straight answers on what works and doesn't. I'm too new to know all the tips and tricks that may make me prefer another Mac. Right now though if I wanted another Mac I'd buy a Thinkpad W500 or T400 and hack it to run OS X. That's how much I dislike that keyboard. What I do like on the Mac is the multitouch trackpad. However I also like the trackstick on the Dell and Thinkpads. You can't have it all, it's a matter of what compromise you want to live with.

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