New laptop/macbook

[danzan22]

there are some like that, and they are idiots.

I operate in a mixed environment.

and if that laptop has failed GC and motherboard within 6 months apple have to fix it or replace it.

They did replace it, took about 2 weeks, but it was all under warranty. People should know though that they can still fail quite easy like any laptop, so just because you here that Apple have a high build quality, I still wouldn't buy a laptop based just on that. Also the cost of their warranty is higher than most others i'm fairly certain.

 

[Nardz]

I have a Mac and would much prefer a Windows laptop. While the build quality is superior, i have had to deal with a fair few compatibility issues simply because everything is compatible with windows and not apple (mainly gaming, but other network problems have come up). Also after 6 months my macbook pro started failing on me, the graphics card as stuffed along with the logicboard. Also because it's apple, it cost a lot more to fix if you don't have a warranty. Asus and Dell would be my recommendations, better value for money, have them at work and they go fine.

Just my 2 cents

mac probably isnt the way to go if ur a hardcore gamers.. whilst most of the mainstream games are probably available (im not a gamer so i dont know) i imagine there'd be some that arent..

networking shouldnt be an issue, unless you're talking about file sharing - can be compatibility issues between windows and mac but apart from that you shouldnt have any issue.

the only other issue ive ever had would be file system compatibility. cant write to NTFS - and cant read ps3 formatted hard drives.. there's probably tools out there that do the above but ive never looked hard enough, or at all.

as for your graphics card/logic board issues, if u have only had it for 6 months it would cost u $0 to fix. apple is excellent when it comes to warranties and repairs. even better if u can make it to an apple store you'll have it back in a couple of days.

asus are pretty good... i'd prefer them over dell.. dell aint too bad though.. i also use one at work and it does the job - seems pretty flimsy though - wouldnt want it for personal use

stay right away from HP/Compaq.

 

[Nardz]

They did replace it, took about 2 weeks, but it was all under warranty. People should know though that they can still fail quite easy like any laptop, so just because you here that Apple have a high build quality, I still wouldn't buy a laptop based just on that. Also the cost of their warranty is higher than most others i'm fairly certain.

well u get the standard 12 months for free - after that it is quite expensive - i purchased a further 2 years applecare for around $500 if i recall... the service is great though. they fix/replace things no questions asked.

i figured i forked out for one of the higher end MBP's so might as well splash out a little bit more to get covered for the 3 years. it's quite unlikely i'll be upgrading before the 3 years is over.