# Macbook or Dell Inspiron?



## shesells (15 May 2008)

Looks like my PB laptop (only 3 years old) is dead. Have it at a computer rescue place in the hope that my files (pics and itunes not backed up - silly girl!) are not all lost.

It's looking like I'll have to replace the laptop. Don't want to spend over 1k and would prefer to spend less. Am looking at a Dell Inspiron and the basic MacBook. My SIL swears by her MacBook for battery life and longevity.

Basically I use my laptop for itunes, pics and internet. Thesis finally finished so at the moment not a whole load of other stuff I would want. Desktop not viable in current home due to space issues.

Any opinions


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## ClubMan (15 May 2008)

You will pay a significant premium for a _MacBook _over a similarly spec'd non _Apple _(presumably _Windows_) laptop.  Whether you "need" or prefer the _Apple _experience is really up to you. If I was looking for most bang per buck I would probably dismiss _Apple_. I would love to have one but could not justify paying the premium.


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## shesells (15 May 2008)

My main reason for considering a MacBook is battery life. My now dead laptop had a battery life of only about 2 hours at its peak. Given that we travel a lot a 2 hour battery isn't very useful on a 10 hour flight. 

My OH is a student at the mo so I could get the Apple student discount on a MacBook which would help a bit.


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## ClubMan (15 May 2008)

You should do a bit of research on battery life of different makes/models of laptop and their different battery options so rather than just plumping for _Apple _on a single recommendation or _Dell_. Something like a UMPC or ultraportable might have fantastic battery life but the trade off may be elsewhere (e.g. speed, SSD capacity, screen size etc.). Horses for courses and every need/want generally involves tradeoffs.


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## z103 (15 May 2008)

> Basically I use my laptop for itunes, pics and internet.



I just got an asus eee, for about €330. It comes with open office etc, so you can also use it to do work.
I love it.


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## CrazyWater (15 May 2008)

Another thing to consider especially if you carry it around a lot is the size and *weight *of each of them.


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## ClubMan (15 May 2008)

shesells said:


> Looks like my PB laptop (only 3 years old) is dead. Have it at a computer rescue place in the hope that my files (pics and itunes not backed up - silly girl!) are not all lost.


Unless the hard disk has packed in completely chances are that taking it out of the original laptop and installing it in another one or as an external _USB _drive will give you access to the files. Or maybe even booting the laptop off a live _CD Linux _distribution. Etc.


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## MrMan (15 May 2008)

> I just got an asus eee, for about €330



Pardon my ignorance, but is that a laptop? Sounds interesting.


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## ClubMan (15 May 2008)

Asus Eee PC.

Elara have one _Eee PC_ model for about €290. I'm not familiar with all the different hardware specifications/options so am not sure how this rates in terms of bang per buck. I've also seen them for sale 2nd hand on www.adverts.ie.


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## MrMan (15 May 2008)

Thanks


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## jhegarty (15 May 2008)

ClubMan said:


> Unless the hard disk has packed in completely chances are that taking it out of the original laptop and installing it in another one or as an external _USB _drive will give you access to the files. Or maybe even booting the laptop off a live _CD Linux _distribution. Etc.




It does sound a big suspicious that they can't get the files off.... unless the hard drive is the problem then they should be able to save everything as Clubman posted above... 

if the hard drive is the problem then you should be able to get your laptop up and running with a new hard-drive very cheaply...


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## ClubMan (15 May 2008)

jhegarty said:


> It does sound a big suspicious that they can't get the files off


Who said that?


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## z103 (15 May 2008)

> Elara have one _Eee PC_ model for about €290. I'm not familiar with all the different hardware specifications/options so am not sure how this rates in terms of bang per buck.


That seems to be a pretty good price! They must have just got a delivery of them. They've been fairly hard to get over the last few weeks.


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## shesells (15 May 2008)

ClubMan said:


> Unless the hard disk has packed in completely chances are that taking it out of the original laptop and installing it in another one or as an external _USB _drive will give you access to the files. Or maybe even booting the laptop off a live _CD Linux _distribution. Etc.


 
Fingers crossed this is the case. Basically I had been having low memory issues and set aside last weekend to back up files. Went to switch on laptop on Sunday and I got the first screen (f2 to boot f12 to something else) and then the screen went black. The hard disk light was flashing when I switched it on and after the screen went black the hard disk light stayed off. Guy (recommended by another IT professional) who has it says that there's a major issue if the computer is not recognising the hard drive but he will do his best. He only collected it yesterday so fingers crossed!


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## ClubMan (15 May 2008)

shesells said:


> Basically I had been having low memory issues


Do you mean low *diskspace *issues? 


> Guy (recommended by another IT professional) who has it says that there's a major issue if the computer is not recognising the hard drive but he will do his best.


If you could not get to the _BIOS _configuration screen then my first inclination would have been to try booting off a live _CD _of some sort (e.g. a _GNU/Linux_ distribution) to see what happened. If that didn't work then I would have considered taking the hard drive out and installing it as an external _USB _drive in another laptop/_PC _to see if I could read it. But if this sort of stuff is beyond you then you did the right thing in seeking professional assistance.

As mentioned above this incident does not necessarily mean that your whole laptop is junk and needs to be replaced!


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## Sherman (15 May 2008)

shesells said:


> My main reason for considering a MacBook is battery life. My now dead laptop had a battery life of only about 2 hours at its peak. Given that we travel a lot a 2 hour battery isn't very useful on a 10 hour flight.
> 
> My OH is a student at the mo so I could get the Apple student discount on a MacBook which would help a bit.


 
TBH the battery life on my MacBook is no better than any Windows laptop I've used. Maybe the new MacBook Air with a solid-state drive has a longer battery life due to no moving parts, but it is very expensive. Although Apple machines are much more expensive, having bought my MacBook over a year ago, I will never switch back to Windows machines - I am quite happy to pay a premium for what I have found to be a far better user experience.


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## aircobra19 (15 May 2008)

If you use the Apple refurb store you'll pick up a basic Macbook for about €800. On the Dell Outlet, you'll pick up a far better spec'ed 1525, or XPS1330 starting around €400~500. I'm not making a value judgement, but thats that the hardware costs. 

With the Mac you are mainly paying for the experience of OS X as the hardware is broadly the same. If you been using a Mac up to now, I'd probably suggest sticking with it. You can buy used MacBooks too, so thats something to consider.


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## michaelm (19 May 2008)

shesells said:


> Looks like my PB laptop (only 3 years old) is dead. Have it at a computer rescue place in the hope that my files (pics and itunes not backed up - silly girl!) are not all lost.


One of  cable sets, a snip @ around €11 (delivered), will allow you to connect the laptop drive to another PC as an external device and unless it's totally horlicks'ed it should be detected and assigned a drive letter so you can copy your stuff off. Oh, I wouldn't buy a mac, IMHO they're over priced, over hyped and less reliable; I also dislike the OS.


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## shesells (19 May 2008)

Thanks but that's not a runner as the laptop won't power on past the start up screen. Just had a call and it seems like my own is a gonner, after a week they only have a handful of files. Am gutted but it's a lesson learned, albeit an expensive one. First purchase after a new laptop is an external hard drive and I'll be fussy about backing up.

Or is an online storage cache a better option? Dell offer one?


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## ClubMan (19 May 2008)

shesells said:


> Thanks but that's not a runner as the laptop won't power on past the start up screen.


That does not necessarily mean that the hard disk cannot be extracted from the laptop and attached to another machine via _USB _allowing the files to be recovered. Also while the laptop may not boot right now that doesn't necessarily mean that it's junk either.


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## michaelm (19 May 2008)

I wouldn't trust them, although they may have messed up the drive by this stage anyway.  If it were me, I'd still try connecting the drive externally to another PC.  Also if it's 'backup' you want then just burning DVDs on a semi-regular basis may be a better option than an external drive.


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## michaelm (19 May 2008)

shesells said:


> Thanks but that's not a runner as the laptop won't power on past the start up screen.


First thing I'd do in such case is to remove the battery in case that is causing the problem.  If not a battery issue then second thing would be to try booting the machine from CD (Linux Live CD, can be downloaded or probably get one on the front of a Linux Magazine).  If it boots then the issue is probably either a physical problem with the harddisk or an OS issue.


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## rob30 (26 Jul 2008)

I too am sick of windows based laptops that seem to start acting funny and malfunction, with regular blue screens and physical memory dumps, after around 18 months. I have had it in with a repair shop, who said it was fixed, but still not reliable.

I am not sure whether I am totally jinxed, incompetent, or am having a typical experience of laptops.

I am debating buying a macbook, as I feel the initial outlay may be compensated for with better longevity.

Do people have an opinion on this? Do apples last longer and function more reliably?


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## rmelly (26 Jul 2008)

No, I've have 4 laptops in recent years personal and company supplied (IBM & Dell) all of which have lasted more than 2 years in constant use (as desktop replacements) and all still running - 2 of the company ones have been passed down the line to others who are using them full time without problems.


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## blacknight (26 Jul 2008)

I used to have Dell laptops, but switched to the Mac.

Yes - you pay more for the Mac, but the build quality is fantastic and it is a pleasure to use.

I picked up my Mac on the refurb store for about 30% less than I would have paid for the same model new.

If you're looking for software and peripherals they're a lot cheaper in the Apple stores in the US, so if you're going over or know someone who is you can pick up stuff for a fraction of the price you'd pay here.


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## aircobra19 (28 Jul 2008)

rob30 said:


> I too am sick of windows based laptops that seem to start acting funny and malfunction, with regular blue screens and physical memory dumps, after around 18 months. ...?


 
I think you need to be specific about what the problem is.


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## mathepac (28 Jul 2008)

rob30 said:


> ...I am debating buying a macbook, as I feel the initial outlay may be compensated for with better longevity.
> 
> Do people have an opinion on this? Do apples last longer and function more reliably?


As a Mac user for nearly 20 years, I would have to support the longevity and reliability of their desktops, laptops and software coupled with the other innovative, well-engineered products they provide.

The message is spreading - my daughter has two, my ex has one, my sister has one. my brother has two and two of my "hand-me-downs" are now in the hands of computer novices who are learning about the quality user-experience that Apple provides.

A very satisfied customer.


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## aircobra19 (28 Jul 2008)

I'm a Mac user for 20yrs too and I reckon. Apple provide the best customer service a class action can provide. That is they will often ignore a problem until a class action makes them fix it. Often then only in the US.

TBH Usually they are pretty good. But they do have manufacturing faults from time to time, just like any other manufacturer. Apple forums are full of such issues, so they are not imune to issues.  Lets be realistic most of the hardware is the same these days, so they'll be effected like anyone else.


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