MacBook pro vs Thinkpad

So basically, I'm getting a new laptop as my old vostro 1500 just isnt cutting it anymore. I've been looking to spend around 400-600 bucks and have narrowed it down to 2 options. Either a macbook pro similar to this one... http://cgi.ebay.com/Used-15-MacBook-...#ht_500wt_1078

or

a lenovo thinkpad edge 14, which looks like a really great laptop. the lenovo really outspecs the macbook in every class (processor, hard drive, ram) (at least the ones in my price range) and even features a spill resitant keyboard....

http://cgi.ebay.com/LENOVO-THINKPAD-...ht_5210wt_1063

idk guys im really torn haha.

Old macbooks = the suck. They are underpowered and overpriced. The new ones are good but way overpriced. If you don't have the cash for a new macbook, get the edge. The old macbook industrial design and battery life weren't even that good comparatively, which is the only reason I'd ever switch to a mac.

this again

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Originally Posted by lethal_pizzle

this again

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it aint turned into "this" yet :) Its still quite civil, just someone asking a question with someone answering :)

"yet" is the key word here

Point taken @MisterMoleyMole - I'll pop back later either to say 'I told you so' or grovel for forgiveness. Or to unleash a Bieber-bomb

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IDvf4BRCl-...by_BigManW.jpg

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Originally Posted by fullenglishpint

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IDvf4BRCl-...by_BigManW.jpg

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lol. Honestly I can't use a mac at all. Things like double-click close for windows is so annoying because I'm used to windows. I had one of those bulb-like colored all in one imacs. I liked it till I realized that apple had no idea that hard drives were not supposed to get hot and shouldn't be sandwiched in a giant hotbox... Had the hard drive replaced twice, died twice. Never bought a mac again. haha.

I'm about the purchase my first Mac here in the coming weeks. While the pricetag is extremely steep, I figure if I can make my HP last as long as it did (5 yrs) then I can probably do the same for the Mac.

WARNING: (to all and no-one inparticular & just getting this in before the torrent of crap)

Help this guy with his decsion and do not post off topic shite.
Mac vs PC is not gonna happen.


Everyone bleats on about how we all like to help each other out so, be true to your word as a DJTTooler and help or shut up.

OT will just be deleted.

Karlos

I think a common misconception is that getting more bang for your buck (more spec) is the best option.
Get what suits your requirements.
Do you need more that 2 usb ports etc.?
Are you using power hungry apps that need the higher spec?

I know nothing of the Lenovo. I do know that Macs have worked for me but if i needed more spec id be looking at the PC option as well.

@OP... to be honest the Macbook isn't massively future-proof. It'll run DJ software today no problem but if you are looking to produce or for something that'll still kick ass a couple of years from now you might be struggling.

eg. it has about the same spec as the HP PC I paid $800 3.5 years ago. I know apples and pears and all that. You might consider coughing up a few hundred more and get a better spec.

OK serious answer. Official refurb Macs are pretty good, but they tend to come in above the $500 price point. Despite what most of us mac fanboys will tell you, it's perfectly possible to run Traktor or whatever on a PC. It usually needs a little more tweaking, but it works fine. And as is obvious, you can generally get a higher spec PC for the same money.

Until linux has better DJ software (mixxx >.>), I'd go with the mac simply because it's a sensible unix-based system. I'm running a lower-spec 2006 macbook with no issues in Traktor, but some real lag when producing in ableton.

Thinkpad's are great though, Much better hardware IMO

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Originally Posted by fullenglishpint

It usually needs a little more tweaking, but it works fine.

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well I rly dont know how much tweakin one needs nowadays, my asus c90, thats like way to old, got itself an ssd and when w7 dropped it got that, and the only tweaks I did was turned off indexxing and wifi,

null problems

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Originally Posted by heaps

Until linux has better DJ software (mixxx >.>),

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this again

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Originally Posted by other1

well I rly dont know how much tweakin one needs nowadays, my asus c90, thats like way to old, got itself an ssd and when w7 dropped it got that, and the only tweaks I did was turned off indexxing and wifi,

null problems

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And I don't have to turn off wifi ;)

Hey OP look at some of the black macbooks. They're amazing laptops and built like tanks. I've been using mine for a while now, and highly recommend them!

As a mac guy, my recommendation is (sorry, Karlos): base it on your OS preference. You like windows? Why switch? You like osx? Why bother about windows? IF you prefer osx, get a used macbook with at least a core2duo cpu. The coreduos will not be supported by osx lion anymore.

Really, for DJin, an older macbook WILL work fine. So will an older Windows notebook. Pure specs matter, but they're not everything. I mean, I've got a 2,4 GHz macbook, and I DJ with it, make my tracks with logic, do photo editing etc. So would I if it was a 2.4 GHz core2duo windows machine, I guess (except for the logic part, obviously).

If it's just about the money and you don't care about the OS, take the thinkpad. Usually pretty reliable machines.

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Originally Posted by jimbob5000

The coreduos will not be supported by osx lion anymore.

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Is that true... didnt know that...!!! Lucky my back up is C2D as well.

Just got my new MBP 2.2ghz quad-core i7. Matte screen, ultra high-res resolution. I"m rich biiitch.

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Originally Posted by Karlos Santos

Is that true... didnt know that...!!! Lucky my back up is C2D as well.

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That's what I read on the interwebs. It's supposed to be about Lion being mostly 64bit code.

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Originally Posted by Chilly

Just got my new MBP 2.2ghz quad-core i7. Matte screen, ultra high-res resolution. I"m rich biiitch.

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I hate you.
Unless it's a 17'' screen one. Don't like those. Too big.

@jimbob5000... sure about that? My core2duo runs 64bit Windows no problem

I'd go with the THINKPAD but not without a quick googling that there aren't critical DPC latency issues with its combination of hardware. It's a friggin lenovo so you should be in the clear, especially after a nice tweaked clean reinstall of windows, but it doesn't hurt to double check.
You'll probably get more life out of it, it has 3 usb ports and has lenovo's build quality. Actually I might put that on my christmas wishlist :P

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Originally Posted by lethal_pizzle

@jimbob5000... sure about that? My core2duo runs 64bit Windows no problem

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he was talking about core duo, not core 2 duo.

core2duos are fine, coreduos aren't. Still have a coreduo mac? Get rid of it NOW :D

Oh right. Me not paying attention ;)

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Originally Posted by fullenglishpint

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IDvf4BRCl-...by_BigManW.jpg

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this is an out and out, flat out, lie in every single possible way

Google imaged mac vs. PC. Chuckled. Posted.

And MS paint is awesome, so....

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Originally Posted by fullenglishpint

Google imaged mac vs. PC. Chuckled. Posted.

And MS paint is awesome, so....

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No joke: Use it every day!
Everytime when I receive an Email with an embedded Image I need. We have Lotus Notes at the office, and it must be an ancient version, because if it's an HTML mail with an embedded image, the only way to save it (at least the only one I know) is to mark, copy and paste it into Paint. There's no other image editor on most PCs, and they're heavily restricted by the admins, so I can't even run Gimp portable.

EDIT: And BTW. great thread derail.

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Originally Posted by jimbob5000

We have Lotus Notes at the office, and it must be an ancient version, because if it's an HTML mail with an embedded image, the only way to save it (at least the only one I know) is to mark, copy and paste it into Paint

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AUGHHH it feels like reading my work log! :P

I can't speak to a comparison with the Macbook, but I do have a TP Edge 14" (Core I3-330M) and it works fine with Traktor Scratch Pro 2, my S4, and my 2 Technics doing DVS. One problem you may have (as I did) was the latency spikes every ~30-60 seconds for 2-3 seconds at a time. I was able to resolve that by uninstalling the Intel Active Storage Matrix drivers and the Thinkpad Synaptics touchpad drivers (Windows then defaults to its standard mouse pointer driver, which works just fine). After that, no more latency spikes with 192 buffers in Traktor. With the one you posted being an I5-480M you might even have a better buffer setting than I :)

Not trying to pick sides one way or the other, but from personal experience the Edge 14 works well for a DVS/S4 setup.

I would like the following not to be misunderstood as some kind of tech brag. just stating (sad) facts.

I've just received a brand-new 27" iMac at work. it's the current "top of the line" model and has specs similar to those of the maxed-out IBM W701 laptop I purchased almost a year ago (that alone is pathetic). i7 quadcore (I believe the CPU on the iMac is actually a bit faster), 12GB RAM, 1GB graphics. of course it's perfectly tweaked because our admins are damn good at what they do.

now imagine my surprise, and I bullshit you not, that when I did a side-by-side comparison doing everyday tasks (which in my case involves almost the full range of adobe creative suite 5.5 programs), my 11-month-old fucking LAPTOP turned out to be faster (handling the exact same project files) than this "top of the line" imac, a full-sized DESKTOP machine.

bottom line: if you don't know how to tweak your machine, and you have too much money, buy a mac and be happy in your walled garden. but if you're willing to put a little effort into tweaking your computer to perform a specific task (such as running audio software), a PC will outperform a mac of similar specs at a fraction of the cost.

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Originally Posted by fullenglishpint

And I don't have to turn off wifi ;)

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darn! u got me! :D

I can actually use it with wifi on as well, it's just that old habbits die hard u know :rolleyes:

and I have no problems tethering it with my Nexus One as i play so i just works :p

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Originally Posted by ctrld

I would like the following not to be misunderstood as some kind of tech brag. just stating (sad) facts.

I've just received a brand-new 27" iMac at work. it's the current "top of the line" model and has specs similar to those of the maxed-out IBM W701 laptop I purchased almost a year ago (that alone is pathetic). i7 quadcore (I believe the CPU on the iMac is actually a bit faster), 12GB RAM, 1GB graphics. of course it's perfectly tweaked because our admins are damn good at what they do.

now imagine my surprise, and I bullshit you not, that when I did a side-by-side comparison doing everyday tasks (which in my case involves almost the full range of adobe creative suite 5.5 programs), my 11-month-old fucking LAPTOP turned out to be faster (handling the exact same project files) than this "top of the line" imac, a full-sized DESKTOP machine.

bottom line: if you don't know how to tweak your machine, and you have too much money, buy a mac and be happy in your walled garden. but if you're willing to put a little effort into tweaking your computer to perform a specific task (such as running audio software), a PC will outperform a mac of similar specs at a fraction of the cost.

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*sigh* This may be true. It's just not relevant. For work, your computer is going to spend most of the day sitting there, waiting for you.

Wasted CPU cycles don't benefit anyone.

Also: "of course it's perfectly tweaked" wouldn't actually make it past a review of your paper.

At the OP: buy what you prefer. It would surprise me if either of those machines was noticably different in terms of actual use. As a personal prefernce, I've switched to Mac because I spend enough time troubleshooting my own software, I don't have the energy for troubleshooting someone elses.

op here,

ive been a pc guy my whole life but we use macs at school. i want the mac because ive never really had any reliability programs with them at school but aside from my shitty laptop neither have i with windows... the spillproof keyboard is making it a tough decision haha. as much as i hate to, ill probably end up with the mac

edit: ok i caved got this monster http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Apple-MacBoo...8135889?_tab=1

560 bucks :D

If you still have some spare change, get some extra ram and a silicone keyboard cover ;)

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Originally Posted by bumtsch

If you still have some spare change, get some extra ram and a silicone keyboard cover ;)

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+1

This is a tricky one.

I prefer Thinkpad hardware (better spec, better value and better looking... IMO) but you're limited to running Windows/Linux. The Mac option is probably less value for money but you have the option to run Windows properly with Bootcamp so it's more versatile.

It's really an impossible question to answer - totally down to personal preference really.

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/9350/indexmm.png