Thinking of trying a Mac

Soldato
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Didn't really think I would be posting here to be honest, but here I am!

Anyway, I've been thinking about going for a Mac for awhile now. I'm an avid Windows users (and still am!) and would like to continue to be, but I also feel like I need something new. I currently use a Asus UL30a laptop and also have a decent gaming PC (2500k, 4GB ram, 6950 etc), but I use my laptop about 90% of the time. I'm really annoyed with myself and my PC because I spent a lot on it, but just don't use it for games, the pure reason I built it. I'm playing on my 360 much more since I got Skyrim (just didn't fancy hunching over my PC for 100+hrs!).

I've been looking at the base spec Macbook Pro 13", which I can get for £859 with the HE discount. To fund this, I would sell both my PC and UL30 and need to put in some money as well. Thinking like that puts me off slightly as its a big investment, but an investment it would be, as Apple products tend to hold their value quite well. I don't think I'd need any more than the base spec. Seen the HD3000 gpu in action and it impressed me at how much it could cope with light gaming.

I like the idea of Bootcamp and have seen it in action and was impressed at how seemless it ran Windows (doing the opposite on a Windows based computer is either a hassle or impossible). I have had experience with OS X, can't remember which version it was though. Used it in college for 2 years between 2006-2008. It worked well for what we needed it for, photo editing, movie production etc, although since it was connected via the college's intranet, it seemed slower than it should have been.

I'm currently studying CIT (similar to Computer Science) at Uni. Whilst not an excuse to get a Macbook, I'd like to be able to have experience with multiple OS's. Couple of friends use Macbooks and they look lovely to use. Really like the trackpad for gesture use, seems very intuitive to use.

Basically this thread is another "is it worth it" question. I probably already know the answer asking in the Apple forum, but I'd really like to hear experiences from people who have moved (I say moved, but I still want to use Windows regularly, anyone who currently does this, I'd love to hear from you!).
 
Three years ago I was like yourself, avid Windows fanboy.. hated the mere mention of the word Apple. Then, for some unknown reason to myself I suddenly decided to buy a Macbook and my god am I glad I did! I don't think I could ever go back to fully using Windows now! Heck, if it wasn't for the fact that some software developers don't do Mac versions of their software I'd never look at Windows again.

For me, there's no doubt about it that it's worth it.
 
Personally I think you might miss the power of your current machine when dropping down to 2 cores and no dedicated GPU.

Imo - the best Mac experiences are the 11" and 13" Air, or 15" MBP.
 
Three years ago I was like yourself, avid Windows fanboy.. hated the mere mention of the word Apple. Then, for some unknown reason to myself I suddenly decided to buy a Macbook and my god am I glad I did! I don't think I could ever go back to fully using Windows now! Heck, if it wasn't for the fact that some software developers don't do Mac versions of their software I'd never look at Windows again.

For me, there's no doubt about it that it's worth it.

I would like that to happen, but I'd also worry because I still like Windows! :p

Personally I think you might miss the power of your current machine when dropping down to 2 cores and no dedicated GPU.

Imo - the best Mac experiences are the 11" and 13" Air, or 15" MBP.

Thing is, I don't use my gaming PC enough to notice the difference in performance between that and my UL30 (which is a C2D SU7300, 4GB ram, GMA4500 i think). Of course the games play pretty well when I do play them, but thats becoming rarer and rarer for some reason :(. The only games in the future that I can think of playing are games on the 360. And with Uni work, I just don't have the time or when I do, I couldn't be bothered getting up and end up firing up the 360 instead!
 
I went from monster gaming PC to a 2010 13" Macbook Pro as I just don't game that much anymore and do find when i do its on the 360. I do however still play CSS and L4D2 too fine on my macbook in Windows so its a win win situation.

When it comes to the OS, OSX is a joy to use and especially so in conjunction with the trackpad, it just makes it so smooth to use. I find myself able to do things much quicker in OSX even when I don't know the OS anywhere near as much as I do Windows

I really do not see myself ever going back to windows again and would say go for it myself. You do always have the option of having windows on there still whilst you learn OSX but you will find you won't want to go into it so often very quickly
 
Is there any point in waiting for an 2012 releases? Of course its the infinite technology loop where you can wait and wait, but is there any news of any updates in the first 2 quarters of the year?

The last set of Macbooks were released in October I believe? So I guess they are only a couple of months old.
 
Is there any point in waiting for an 2012 releases? Of course its the infinite technology loop where you can wait and wait, but is there any news of any updates in the first 2 quarters of the year?

The last set of Macbooks were released in October I believe? So I guess they are only a couple of months old.

The Macbook Pros are Mid Cycle at the moment.

Probably another 5 or 6 months before they get another overhaul.
 
Really? I used to own a mac mini and macbook. Got rid of both when the novelty wore off.

Good for you, however there is little else to better the MacBook range when it comes to laptops, same goes for the iMac and all-in-one desktops. I wouldn't get a Mac Mini unless it was as a HTPC and I had a hole burning in my pocket :)
 
Another vote for mac , I was the same boat as you over a year ago bought a I mac superb piece of kit. If I could use a mac at work I would ......

Inshort go for it !
 
I like my mac currently, used to game on my older 09 15" pro but it really has starting to show its age with deus ex hr and civ 5 so I now have a pc and a 13" pro (for uni).

From what I can see my base spec 13" could do a little light gaming if I needed it too (ssd would help it along too) so if you are not interested in that front give mac a bash! I find it much nicer for day to day stuff than my w7 pc, mainly down to the track pad now as that really has changed my expectations of how to use a pc more than anything else.

If you'll use it every day, benefit from a really nice environment to work at and find osx appealing (it's grown on me a lot) it really is worth it :) (at least from my opinion)
 
Cheers for the advice so far guys!

I do pretty much use my laptop exclusively at the minute. The gaming PC is just sitting there, being booted up maybe 2-3 days of the week, but I end up just browsing the internet and not doing any gaming at all! Last game I played was BF3 online, but I don't really have the time to play and end up getting ripped apart as I'm not as good as others who invest time in it. End up just giving up and playing Skyrim on the 360!

Currently have a price check thread open to see what all the parts are worth. But I think after selling both PC and laptop, I'll need to out about £200 of my own money for the Macbook (going by my lowest estimated price for the parts and laptop).

I would keep my Benq G2222HDL and Logitech G400 and hook the Macbook up to it if I need the extra space for Photoshop etc.

Tis certainly a tough decision!
 
The trackpad alone would be enough to sway me in favour of the Mac. I find myself infinitely frustrated when using a Windows trackpad now as they never operate as fluidly or accurately as the Mac.
 
I think I would balk at the prospect of getting rid of two PCs to get one, but then if you hardly use the desktop and do not anticipate this changing, it might not be a bad idea to be rid of it I guess.

For myself, I use the MBP a lot, often serving as my main PC and helping to alleviate competition over the Windows desktop. I have no regrets about getting it. At present I am not doing too much with it that I cannot do with Windows but as a fast, reliable system for day to day stuff it really is a joy to use, Those gestures that have already been mentioned certainly help matters. I never found back and forward buttons, as well as mouse wheels to be clunky until I used this thing (I use both the built in trackpad and a magic mouse). Even multitouch on a Windows touchpad does not come close. It is not the cheapest option but, especially with student discount, I still reckon it is well worth it.

About the only downside is that I worry a little too much about scratches and I get nervous when my little boy goes near it.
 
I think I would balk at the prospect of getting rid of two PCs to get one, but then if you hardly use the desktop and do not anticipate this changing, it might not be a bad idea to be rid of it I guess.

This is the main thing that is keeping me back from pushing the buy button! I could still afford to just sell the laptop and get the Macbook, but it would still leave me with a good gaming PC that just isn't being used. I always try to minimize any addition outgoings when I make large purchases, so ideally getting rid of both and spending as little as possible is the best situation.

Think I'm also a bit bored of Windows at the minute. Would like to try something different. I did install Ubuntu and Mint and my laptop. They seemed decent, but OSX just looks more polished, and of the course the extra software support with the likes of Steam, Microsoft Office and Adobe is very nice.
 
Just buy one and try it. Our opinions wont be the same as yours (or maybe they will) You wont know until you give it a go.

You have 14 days to return it if you don't like it. I did this a couple of years back with an iMac. Tried it for 10 days or so... returned it.

My Windows machine was just quicker and more efficient. I could do things quicker on it than I could the Mac. That is me personally. I'm pretty competent on a Windows machine and have it configured and setup exactly as I would like. Docks for easy access to programs etc. Once setup properly it's just as quick and efficient as OSX.

Let us know what you think of it.

I do agree. Macbooks are definitely the best laptops around... not for the software, but for the build quality. Nothing on the market can rival them at the moment.
 
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