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Miscellaneous laptop discussions : Apple MacBook Pro 17" vs Asus G70s: (almost) the best of bot
Apple MacBook Pro 17" vs Asus G70s: (almost) the best of bot
by richardlai - 8/27/08 2:53 PMEarlier today I was in the London Regent Street Apple Store, playing with the top of the range MacBook Pro 17":
Intel Core 2 Duo (T9500?) 2.6GHz,
17" 1920x1200 LED-backlit,
2GB DDR2,
200GB 7200rpm,
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 512MB DDR3,
8x SuperDrive,
Apple Remote,
1-year warranty (worldwide?),
£1,754.28 (higher education student discount; there is also a slightly cheaper refurbished one).
Whilst I am impressed with the Mac software such as iLife and the cool hardware features like slot-in optical drive, I still don't know if the price is justified since for a slightly cheaper price I can get the top-range Asus G70S:
Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 2.6GHz,
17" 1920x1200,
4GB DDR2,
2x 320GB 5400rpm,
NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT 512MB DDR3 x2, (yes, SLI)
Blu-ray RW,
Built in TV Tuner,
Numeric keypad,
Windows Vista Ultimate,
Bag & mouse,
2-year global warranty,
£1770.61,
which is a damn sexy beast and definitely owns the Dell XPS M1730 in terms of appearance, even though Dell offers a more powerful NVIDIA card.
Obviously, portability is not an issue for this class - I care more about the performance, practicality and appearance. I do some video and photo editing, with the occasional big 3D games when it's raining (this is England for you!).
With my previous DVD video documentary project I could have used iDVD, which looked fantastic on the MacBook Pro earlier and I can't think of any Windows software that can match it, but then again is it worth sacrificing the SLI graphics cards, Blu-ray and TV tuner?
Let the battle commence!
Apple MacBook Pro 17": http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/hom...ro?mco=MTE4MTM
Asus G70s: http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1...15&modelmenu=1
PS: I originally posted this message on the "Computer Help" board, but then realised that I should have done so here.
Have you owned and carried a 17 inch before?
by R. Proffitt
- 8/27/08 3:20 PM
In reply to: Apple MacBook Pro 17" vs Asus G70s: (almost) the best of bot by richardlai
I found that size to be fine for a desktop.
I'm just looking for a powerhouse
by richardlai - 8/27/08 3:24 PM In reply to: Have you owned and carried a 17 inch before? by R. Proffitt
Yep, I'm not expecting to carry either of these around with me. I already have a ThinkPad X31 for travelling.
The Asus is Windows, the other is MacOSX
by R. Proffitt - 8/27/08 3:33 PM
In reply to: I'm just looking for a powerhouse by richardlai
These are nearly impossible to compare since one you get to arm yourself to the teeth in defense of spyware and more. The other is something you just use.
In the USA I can't suggest the Asus name.
Bob
Is Asus' service bad in the US?
by richardlai - 8/27/08 3:37 PM In reply to: The Asus is Windows, the other is MacOSX by R. Proffitt
Is that what you are implying? Their service in Hong Kong and the UK is quite good.
I know it's hard to compare, which is why I am seeking advice here. I have very little experience with Mac OS X, but I have played with it in the Apple Store every now and then.
It's support level is
by R. Proffitt - 8/27/08 3:42 PM
In reply to: Is Asus' service bad in the US? by richardlai
To the point of non-existent. Yes, the hardware gets fixed but its up to you to do driver updates, trouble shoot Windows and more. If you like doing that then here you get that name.
Apple on the other hand.
What's the goal here? Use the machine or have the machine take up your time (like Windows usually does.)
So you're a Mac person then?
by richardlai - 8/27/08 3:51 PM In reply to: It's support level is by R. Proffitt
I would go Mac but there are too many engineering software I use that can't run on Mac OS X. Still, there's always Boot Camp, which in a way means we should focus on the hardware, but this alone would mean I should definitely get the Asus.
Then the Mac
by R. Proffitt - 8/27/08 3:58 PM
In reply to: So you're a Mac person then? by richardlai
While it runs Windows very very nicely you may not want to pay for the parts you don't use. The Asus with dual hard disks and the like is your usual laptop "tank" that doesn't seem to age well. Be sure to keep the warranty in force until you don't mind paying for the repairs.
Bob
Warranty
by richardlai - 8/27/08 4:04 PM In reply to: Then the Mac by R. Proffitt
I would definitely extend the warranty from 2 years to 3 years, if I were to get the Asus (not that I needed it for my current Asus laptop). At the moment the G70s is all out of stock in the country, so this gives me the opportunity to consider other brands and models. The Asus representative said it'd be the second week of September when the next batch arrives for the UK shops, but my local shop might be able to get a few in next week. We shall see.
Any experience with Dell? The XPS M1730 seems to be the only real alternative. Alienware and the likes are overpriced.
Surrounded by Dell.
by R. Proffitt - 8/27/08 6:38 PM
In reply to: Warranty by richardlai
It's work and as you may suspect there must be hundreds or more of those here. Nothing exciting. Just another laptop (from dell.)
Dell it is then...
by richardlai - 8/28/08 4:43 PM In reply to: Surrounded by Dell. by R. Proffitt
Just bought myself a cheap (brand new) Dell XPS M1730 on eBay UK:
Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 (2.60GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
17" WUXGA (1920x1200) LCD
4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
400GB Free Fall Sensor Raid 2 x 200Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM)
8x SuperMulti DVD writer
NVIDIA SLI Dual GeForce 8800M GTX with 1GB GDDR3 Memory
Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965a/g/n Mini Card
ExpressCard Slot
Dual-Link DVI-I (support for 30-inch displays)
15-pin monitor connector, VGA & DVI
TV-Out (S-video-Out): 7-pin mini-DIN connector (optional S-video to composite video adapter cable)
Integrated 8-1 Card Reader
It's £2089 (~US$3820) on Dell's website, but the auction finished with £1340 (~$2450).
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