I recently purchased one of the 2011 macbook pros.. I like it a lot. Even with one of the entry-level 13" models (I upgraded to 8GB RAM and a Scopio Black 7200RPM HD), I have the horsepower to run a windows vm (w/ VS2010, SQL mgmt studio, etc) via virtualbox for work and do most other stuff I want (browsing, emulation/gaming).
If graphics are important to you, get a 15 or 17" model, as the 13" models come only with Intel's HD3000 graphics (It's what I have and I like it just fine, but a lot of AAA games for mac will work only with models with nvidia/AMD graphics chipsets, just like on windows). Don't get RAM upgrades from Apple ($200 for 8GB upgrade on 13" MBP, vs ~$85 to DIY from amazon (I get free shipping w/ prime, so it was a good deal for me)). Their prices on SSDs aren't bad, though. Besides the MacBook Pro, the only other laptop that I know of with a unibody aluminum design is the HP Envy (and it's looking like the the 15" model won't see a Sandy Bridge update until this summer at the earliest). Aside from those two, there are several laptops on the market with magnesium or various composite chasis. In terms of the price:power ratio, a name that I kept hearing again and again during my laptop search was Sager/Clevo. They have a pretty dedicated following on the notebookreview.com forums, but because of the Series 6 chipset issues, all of the Sager laptops that were released earlier this year are only now getting into consumer's hands. There seem to be some issues with screen quality and some flex in the keyboard/chasis, but for the price it's a great bargain (just don't plan on treating them too roughly). The NP5160 and NP8130 are two recent models from Sager that provide a great value proposition (just google and read up on 'em yourself). Lenovo also has what appears to be a really nice 14" Sandy Bridge laptop (the Ideapad y460p), but it got caught up in the Series 6 chipset recall as well. I've heard a *lot* of horror stories from people about Lenovos, though. No matter what you do, if you're going to go with a new laptop, you definitely need to get a system with a sandy bridge processor (and shoot for one with a nice, not-underclocked dual core or quad-core proc.. if you want to do serious work, I'd avoid any of low or ultra-low voltage CPUs). The field is pretty wide-open at this point and only more models will hit in the coming months, so if it's something you're serious about you should do some research. A good starting place is to just google for "sandy bridge laptop" in news.google.com from time-to-time to see recent announcements. There's also a wealth of information on the aforementioned forum.notebookreview.com site. A lot of laptop loons there, but watch out for the tribalist/fanboy types. Cheers and good luck, Jeff On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 3:00 PM, Justin Bozonier <[email protected]> wrote: > Just bought a new MacBook Pro this year (just prior to the update). > I love this computer. I spend 20-30 hours a week on it. I'm cool for paying > for all the little luxuries, especially when it'll last 4 or so years. > > Sent from my iPhone > On Mar 27, 2011, at 2:58 PM, Eric Ridgeway <[email protected]> wrote: > > For PCs ive owned several different kinds... ASUS makes great pcs at low > prices .... Ive also always had good luck with Acer laptops ... Their > desktops blow but the laptops rock .... I currently use an HP dmz3 for > personal stuff and a Dell M4500 for work... > > The one really important thing to remember is to get a laptop that is sturdy > .... Ne more I would only buy a metal laptop .... So MBPs keep looking > better and better > > On Mar 27, 2011 2:50 PM, "Michael Ibarra" <[email protected]> wrote: > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Seattle area Alt.Net" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/altnetseattle?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Seattle area Alt.Net" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/altnetseattle?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seattle area Alt.Net" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/altnetseattle?hl=en.
