Macbookpro Vs N81vp ??

My school bursary is up to $2000CAD. anything over that, I pay myself, but I'm hoping to not go over too much.

I can't make any online purchase from the states since the bursary only works if you purchase your laptop in Canada using Canadian dollars.



school campus discount:

$2049.99 - Apple MacBook Pro 15" Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz Laptop
(basic 1-yr warranty)

or
-------------------------------------
around $ 1700ish CAD for shipping and taxes


ASUS N81Vp-C1 Notebook - Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 (2.66GHz) Mobile Processor 1066MHz FSB, 6M L2 Cache, 4G DDR2, 320G HD, DVD+/-RW Super Multi, 14.1" WXGA (1366X768), ATI HD4650 1GB VRAM DDR3, Wireless 802.11 bgn,1.3M Camera Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Accidental Damage Warranty 1 year ASUS Accidental Damage Warranty - Drops, Fire, Spill, Surge for purchase after 9/10/07
Parts 2 years limited
Labor 2 years limited



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which would you prefer and why?

thanks

 

It depends on what your needs and preferences are.
I see that you filled out the faq last year... why not fill another one out so others can better understand your current situation?

 

When you say nothing about what you need/want, it's hard to tell you anything.

 

Well, I would personally go for the Asus, but thats because I am interested in gaming, which the asus would beat the mac. Also due to it being cheaper.

However, it depends on what you like the most, as both are very capable laptops, so if gaming is not really an issue, both perform great so choose the one that appeals the most to you.

 

I think that macbook worth if you like or need to use Mac OS X if not just go with the asus.

But if i need to choose FOR ME i will choose the macbook .

 

nope,9600gt is equal to 4650

 

As others have asked, what will you be using the computer for? If it's general productivity, editing photos and movies, etc., school work and Web surfing the Mac is the superior machine hands down because of the power and grace of OS X and the built-in iLife suite. In terms of a travel portable it's also a better choice because while the ASUS is one tough and well-built lappy it simply cannot match the quality and strength of the Mac's unibody construction.

On the other hand (you knew there had to be an other hand, right?) the N81 wins without a doubt on bang for the buck: every component from the CPU & GPU to the hard drive is one bin up (or more) from what you'll find in the Mac, all for less money. Also in terms of ports there is no contest; the Mac has NO HDMI, eSATA, no built-in card reader, no modem, and about half the USB ports as the N81. The ASUS warranty (US) is far superior to Apple's as well.

As for personal preference I find the screen and the keyboard on the MacBook Pro much better, but the N81's LED screen is no slouch, just smaller with less resolution. The glass-covered trackpad on the MBP is the best available on any laptop I'm aware of, and the multi-touch gestures actually work as advertised, unlike the Synaptics POS on the ASUS; if you use an external mouse the point is moot.

Battery life is better on the Mac, by maybe 20-30%.

You will get higher resale down the road with Apple's product, so TCO is not as easy to determine as comparing price versus specs.

If you like to tinker and are savvy about updating drivers and anti-virus programs etc. you can save some cash initially buying the ASUS, but if you are the kind of person who does NOT want to get under the hood the Mac "just works."

The bad news is it's a very tough choice, the good news is that whichever you choose it won't be a mistake. I hope this helps you decide...

 

Well, DDR3 9600GT is the second fastest mid range card from nvidia, but as far as tests have shown, the 4650 on the N81vp is a tad bit faster. I guess it comes down due to the ATi card having 64 equivalent shaders, even if it is still 128bit.

In the end it comes down to how it performs in games, in which I have seen it perform like a champ, and a decent 10-15%+ increase over 9600GT DDR3.

The extra CPU muscle helps too abit in that regard, with RTS games etc etc.

Overall the Asus is a better gaming machine by a tad bit, but in the end both are mid range.

As for why I would choose it over the mac? All things considered, I get more value out of it than the mac, I just don't like paying extra for stuff I don't consider useful to me. And I definetly don't buy a notebook just by looks.

 

That is a decent price on the MBP as it is starting from $2,000 USD in the US before any taxes. I personally would probably still go with the Asus due to the better CPU, warranty (with accidental damage), presence of more USB ports (5 vs. 2 IIRC), and lower costs though...though my tendency to dislike Apple may be partially influencing my decision XD.

It primarily depends on what you will be using this laptop for. The MBP has the advantage of battery life due to the weaker P series CPU, SLI configuration, and pixel count (due to it being 16:10 instead of 16:9). IMO the end value is determined by how much you value using Mac OS X (without violating Apple's EULA). I personally am not fond of Mac OS X and hence it wouldn't validate me spending more towards it (and may force me to spend less on hardware as I would need to purchase a Windows license for my existing software library).

On the other hand if you do not need the power provided by the CPU or the GPU then there is always the option of the N80Vn-X5 and now the N81Vg-X1 (well atleast here in the US ) which cost a few hundred dollars less.

 

Go for the MacBook Pro as you can run both OS X and Windows. ALso Macs have beeter resale value. I hope this helps. God Bless

 

I'd go for the Asus since it's specs are overall better than the MBP, which IMO is overpriced.

 

MacBook Pro may be more expensive up front, but when you decide to sell the MacBook Pro, you can easily sell it I estimate about 70-75+% of the original cost even after 1 year or so. With the Asus, after one year, you will be lucky to get 50% of your purchase price. I hope this helps. God Bless

 

Not all users wish to resell their computers (especially after such a short time). I personally wouldn't without first switching out the hard drive and probably wouldn't want to undergo that hassle. I usually end up either keeping them for unreasonably long amounts of time (e.g. I have a 10 year old laptop and 9 year old desktop not too far away from me) or giving them away to someone I can trust (and even then I'd perform a hard drive wipe).

 

I think the point being made was that in trying to determine Total Cost of Ownership you should take into account the Mac's higher resale value - and not after just one year but more importantly after two or especially even more. Windows laptops of that vintage have little resale value whereas MacBooks and MacBook Pros resell for a tidy fraction of their original price. Don't take my word for it, check out eBay, etc.

That said I agree completely on the dangers of letting a used machine go without completely wiping the hard drive with a program designed to write zeros to the disk multiple times or some other security steps to insure your data stays safe. But don't let your guard down selling to a trusted source: you have no idea where it'll end up when that person is done with it.

 

I meant I normally don't sell laptops at all. I wouldn't do so without simply getting a new hard drive (which I dislike doing just to get rid of it) . If I ended up giving it to a trusted source (i.e. a relative) then I usually end up just wipe out the hard drive. For people like me, resale value has little importance (unless they still sell significantly well without hard drives installed after 4+ years of usage). It is up to the OP to determine how much resale value will matter to him.

 

Absolutely.

Just an aside: unlike you I usually do trade out of my laptops fairly fast, it's the desktops that hang around until they are basically obsolete and "donation-ware." Lots of schools and low-income families still welcome them, tho, and put them to good use which is all I ask for at that point.