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: Comparable PC Alternatives to MacBook Pro?


Amaru
04-02-2014, 04:54 PM
In the market for a new laptop and despite being a lifelong PC user I'm likely going to jump on the MBP bandwagon unless I can find a comparable PC laptop. My budget is $3000.

I'm a "power user" but don't really do any gaming; mostly just work stuff like Photoshop and possibly video editing as well. Still, I'm looking for something that's going to be lightning-fast and problem-free for the next 3 years or so.... ie. 16Gb RAM, 500Gb+ SSD, etc.

Prefer 15" or 16". Would also like it to have a standard keyboard layout (weird Toshiba and HP keyboards: GTFO).

So far haven't found any PC laptop that can compare to the new MBP's physical size (weight/thickness), build quality, or battery life.

Any recommendations? Or am I looking for something that doesn't exist, and I should just STFU and go buy the Mac?

Thanks in advance all :hotbaby:

v_tec
04-02-2014, 06:37 PM
Budget of $3000 for a laptop.. :okay:

knight604
04-02-2014, 06:40 PM
You wont need to spend more than 1.5 for the things you want in a laptop.. if it isnt MBP

$_$
04-02-2014, 06:41 PM
I'm actually interested in this as well, but my budget is probably not that high. Something fast and lightweight, with good battery life seems to be hard to find

BBMme
04-02-2014, 06:54 PM
Razer blade
Posted via RS Mobile

Razor Ramon HG
04-02-2014, 09:06 PM
I have the Acer V7-482PG-6662

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7238/acer-v7482pg9884-review-everything-you-need/8

http://products.ncix.com/detail/acer-v7-482pg-6662-intel-i5-4200u-2f-83180-1020.htm#CustomerReviews

14.1" 1080p IPS Touch
i5-4200U
8GB DDR3
500GB + 24GB SSD
NVIDIA GT750M

Great and lightweight laptop. Battery can last up to 8 hours doing school work. 750M lets me play DOTA2 and D3 on max. Witcher 2 and Hitman Absolution runs decent on medium.

Because there's a regular 2.5" HDD slot and a mSATA drive slot, there's a lot of flexibility. I replaced the 500GB with a 128GB SSD and I'm using the 24gb mSATA as a music/picture storage drive.

Probably best ultrabook out there, and I only bought it for $900 after taxes ($1000 after SSD upgrade).

There's also a 15.6" variant out there, and I believe a 14.1" variant with an i7, which will be better for doing PS work.

I chose this laptop after doing extensive research, and it's a powerhouse for what I paid. Best laptop in the $1000 range no doubt.

sekin67835
04-02-2014, 09:10 PM
I have the 13 inch mac book pro retina. Very solid, great screen and not too shabby battery life. I'm not sure if there is photo shop for ios. In any case you can put boot camp or parallel on it.
Posted via RS Mobile

Mr.Money
04-02-2014, 11:07 PM
Razer blade
Posted via RS Mobile

This!!...

http://products.ncix.com/detail/razer-blade-pro-intel-core-29-95593.htm

or better off ordering from the razer website....i'm quite sure they offer 16gb ram,ect....

Vale46Rossi
04-02-2014, 11:57 PM
Perfect price point!

I just bought the brand new razer 14" coming next week... Paid exactly 3k!

512 SSD will be shipped from Razer tomorrow!

Pretty damn excited.

4k screen and bez performance.



http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade

Lomac
04-03-2014, 12:53 AM
Perfect price point!

I just bought the brand new razer 14" coming next week... Paid exactly 3k!

512 SSD will be shipped from Razer tomorrow!

Pretty damn excited.

4k screen and bez performance.



The New Razer Blade Ultra-Thin Gaming Laptop - 14" Notebook Display (http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade)

That's not 4k resolution...

StylinRed
04-03-2014, 04:08 AM
4k screen and bez performance.



The New Razer Blade Ultra-Thin Gaming Laptop - 14" Notebook Display (http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade)

thats WQXGA+ resolution (3200x1800)

UHD is 3840x2160

4k is 4096x2160

Graphics display resolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_display_resolution#QHD_.282560x1440.29)

Vale46Rossi
04-03-2014, 05:46 AM
Trust me, it's so close you can't tell the difference.

I have a f9k 4k TV in Asia and also the XPS15 and it's pretty damn close, plays and streams 4k porn so awesome that you can see the shame in the pornstars face.

Mr.HappySilp
04-03-2014, 09:14 AM
Trust me, it's so close you can't tell the difference.

I have a f9k 4k TV in Asia and also the XPS15 and it's pretty damn close, plays and streams 4k porn so awesome that you can see the shame in the pornstars face.

LOL i though they have no shame?!

.Renn.Sport
04-03-2014, 10:39 AM
just get a mac, OSX is far better in everyday use, especially when you are dealing with photos and videos editing. you won't even bother installing windows on it after a few months

Vale46Rossi
04-03-2014, 12:14 PM
LOL i though they have no shame?!

Trust me, with 4k not only can you see the herpes, you can also see their fathers disappointment on their faces.

m3thods
04-03-2014, 01:00 PM
just get a mac, OSX is far better in everyday use, especially when you are dealing with photos and videos editing. you won't even bother installing windows on it after a few months

That post is living up to your "title" above your avatar.

Amaru
04-05-2014, 04:32 PM
Budget of $3000 for a laptop.. :okay:

I am self-employed, work from home (internet marketing), so I probably average 10-12 hours a day on the computer. Basically my business depends on my computer, so I am OK to spend more if it means the laptop is going to maximize my productivity. I am also able to write off the cost as a business expense which helps a bit at tax time.

You wont need to spend more than 1.5 for the things you want in a laptop.. if it isnt MBP

Yes, you're right... and when I purchased my current laptop (soon to be replaced) around three years ago, I went in with that mindset (ended up with a Dell Studio XPS16). I spent $1900 on the XPS, and saved around $800 over the MacBook Pro... but fast forward to today, and my Dell is now worth maybe $200 on Craigslist while a 3-year-old MBP can still fetch nearly $1000, so the cost of ownership actually ended up the same. And for those three years I had to live with a laptop that was not even close to the MBP in terms of build quality.

Not saying you can't end up getting better value for your money in a PC laptop -- I have always been a PC homer anyway -- but I've now realized you have to look beyond the up-front price to figure out how much the laptop will really "cost" in the long run.

I have the Acer V7-482PG-6662

AnandTech | Acer V7-482PG-9884 Review: Everything You Need (http://www.anandtech.com/show/7238/acer-v7482pg9884-review-everything-you-need/8)

http://products.ncix.com/detail/acer-v7-482pg-6662-intel-i5-4200u-2f-83180-1020.htm#CustomerReviews

14.1" 1080p IPS Touch
i5-4200U
8GB DDR3
500GB + 24GB SSD
NVIDIA GT750M

Great and lightweight laptop. Battery can last up to 8 hours doing school work. 750M lets me play DOTA2 and D3 on max. Witcher 2 and Hitman Absolution runs decent on medium.

Because there's a regular 2.5" HDD slot and a mSATA drive slot, there's a lot of flexibility. I replaced the 500GB with a 128GB SSD and I'm using the 24gb mSATA as a music/picture storage drive.

Probably best ultrabook out there, and I only bought it for $900 after taxes ($1000 after SSD upgrade).

There's also a 15.6" variant out there, and I believe a 14.1" variant with an i7, which will be better for doing PS work.

I chose this laptop after doing extensive research, and it's a powerhouse for what I paid. Best laptop in the $1000 range no doubt.

That looks awesome, thanks for the suggestion. The 14.1" doesn't quite deliver what I'm looking for, but I'm going to try and find a store that's selling the 15.6" version so I can check it out in person.

Thanks for the feedback, all... at this point, unless the aforementioned 15.6" Acer blows my mind, I'll probably end up with the MacBook Pro.

JesseBlue
04-10-2014, 03:03 PM
You can always add a second monitor
Posted via RS Mobile

Amaru
04-16-2014, 03:30 AM
Update...

Bought this: Configure - Apple Store (Canada) (http://store.apple.com/ca/buy-mac/macbook-pro?product=ME294LL/A&step=config)

It has already won me over. Mac 4 Life.

Seriously though, it's fast as fuck.

Boots in less than 15s.

Retina screen is sick.

I'm sold on the concept of trackpad gestures, especially for surfing the web.

Seamless integration with my iPhone / iCloud is really convenient.

Happy with the purchase.

underscore
04-16-2014, 11:55 AM
I'm assuming you already thought this through, but if it's a work computer why not a desktop?

Razor Ramon HG
04-16-2014, 05:55 PM
He wants to show it off at Starbucks :troll:

Manic!
04-16-2014, 06:24 PM
Update...




Boots in less than 15s.



Why so slow?

lilaznviper
04-16-2014, 11:07 PM
15 seconds is a bit slow

Lomac
04-16-2014, 11:42 PM
Update...

Bought this: Configure - Apple Store (Canada) (http://store.apple.com/ca/buy-mac/macbook-pro?product=ME294LL/A&step=config)

It has already won me over. Mac 4 Life.

Seriously though, it's fast as fuck.

Boots in less than 15s.

Retina screen is sick.

I'm sold on the concept of trackpad gestures, especially for surfing the web.

Seamless integration with my iPhone / iCloud is really convenient.

Happy with the purchase.

My Air boots in less than 5 seconds... :troll:

Personally I'm not a fan of Macbooks, though I should specify it's more the OS than anything I don't like. I love the build quality of the shell and the solid feeling of their laptops. However, I'm pretty sure I also managed to buy the only Macbook Air in existance with a multitude of problems (two F-buttons don't work, trackpad fails after shutting the lid while it's still running, and wireless devices like mice also stop working after a few minutes of usage... have to unplug and plug 'em back in). :okay:

But, hey... if you're happy with your purchase, that's all that matters. All we can give is our own opinion! :hotbaby:

Amaru
04-17-2014, 03:17 AM
I'm assuming you already thought this through, but if it's a work computer why not a desktop?

So that I can show it off at Starbucks.

Why so slow?

15 seconds is a bit slow

Made this video just for you guys......... (new MBP vs. old Dell XPS, racing to boot up and open Photoshop)

Boot times - YouTube

:fuckyea:

underscore
04-17-2014, 08:26 AM
Compared to your old, bogged down laptop it may be fast, but 15s isn't that quick for a brand new computer.

Manic!
04-18-2014, 11:23 AM
PC from 3 years ago.

ssd boot to windows + photoshop - YouTube

Razor Ramon HG
04-18-2014, 01:36 PM
7-8s to reach the desktop for a Mac is not bad. I think my Air took just as long.

Amaru
04-18-2014, 09:18 PM
PC from 3 years ago.

ssd boot to windows + photoshop - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpuIGORXyRc)

Guess I should sell my new MBP and get that PC then!

:fuckthatshit:

lilaznviper
04-18-2014, 09:26 PM
PC from 3 years ago.

ssd boot to windows + photoshop - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpuIGORXyRc)

faster if you disable some things in bios that you don't need