[BareFeats] 3D EXTREME: 'Retina' MacBook Pro versus two other MacBook Pros - Page 5

So they invented marketing?

The vents on the sides are new, my friend's got a previous-gen MBP, and it will burn you (literally) if you game on it without shoving ice packs underneath it. You can't close the lid with it on either if you set it to not sleep when the lid's shut, because the vents (in the hinge area, no less) are blocked by the screen, unless you want your Macbook to start overheating. I do think the 512GB SSD in the new MBP is awesome though. I wouldn't want anything less than that if you're paying close to $3k on a laptop with non-upgradable hardware though. I mean, Alienware's laptops are expensive, but you can swap out the CPU/GPU (GPU is MXM 3.0 standard BTW, you can put in a 2nd one too)/RAM/HDD for cheaper than it would cost you do it through them directly. But their laptops are also ugly as sin.

Alienware is STILL better than apple in terms of price / performance. In October, I had this argument with a friend. I used a computer built by myself as a base-price (i.e. 100% cost). HP was at about 140%, Dell at 160%, apple at 220%. Apple is THE WORST offender when it comes to overpricing for hardware. I dont care about the 'great support' - im talking how much does it cost me to get 'X' part in my rig. If you really want Ill update and upload the spreadsheet. I doubt they've changed much since October 2011.

Also, Alienware DOESNT have a mindless following that upgrades when the latest model comes out. Go on any classifieds site (i.e. E-bay), and you can find hundreds of macbooks for sale from the LAST refresh because "im getting the new one".
So basically you're admitting that Apple cant get its act together and figure out a desktop that isnt complete junk.
Lol what? I expect my laptop to work fine - If it breaks (provided its not massive user-error, like dropping it), its because its poorly designed. When I buy hardware, I get the MINIMUM warranty available. Why? Becuase hardware fails in two ways: almost instantaneously, or essentially never. If we're talking about a full system, chances are ANY failures will be minor. a RAM DIMM is probably $40, a hard-drive is sub $100. The only situation that buying a warranty makes sense is if you are expecting a MASSIVE failure. If you actually NEED a warranty to feel safe with a product, the product is obviously unreliable. End of story.

Surprisingly, my SAGER (see sig) which is almost 2 years old has had zero problems, even though its been dropped a bunch of times. I also upgraded the HDD to an SSD, the RAM, and if I really wanted to, I could upgrade / replace the DVD drive (with a blu-ray or 2nd drive), swap out the GPU and CPU, and even the thermal paste. I got the 1-year warranty on that.
No, but I can go to Amazon, or literally any computer shop and get 8GB of ram for under $40. So thats maybe $80 in RAM upgrades.

Again, this is OCN. If we REALLY have to buy a pre-built rig, we buy the minimum spec, then upgrade it ourselves to save money/get better parts.

The hardware is EXACLTY the same as in any other laptop. An intel CPU is an Intel CPU, same with an NVidia GPU, Samsung SSD, etc. The system is fairly average on its thickness considering the specs, and a 512gb SSD is admittedly fairly good, but a Crucial M4 512gb can be got for $400. The battery life is also fairly average now (a friend of mine has an i5, 8gb, etc. laptop with 10 hours, and its no thicker than the MBP), so thats also a moot point. The ONLY thing is has going for it is the screen, and even then its mostly a waste because the OS doesnt even run at native rez (it maxes out at 1920x1200). Its actually better to run windows 8 on it.

I would say 90% of the apple hate is legitimate, but only about 10% of it is expressed well. On the face of it I might hate apple because its "mainstream" and "not windows", but its actually because of all of the above.

I stopped reading at "extreme 3D gaming" and the list of games.

I don't know why anyone doesn't bother to point out the obvious. Where's this similarly spec'd laptop that's $1300 cheaper? How about $500? Where's a similarly spec'd laptop that doesn't have half the battery life, isn't twice as thick, and doesn't way 3-5 lbs more? Is it still a laptop?

If you're gaming on a laptop you're an idiot. If you think you can find a better laptop it's only because you've never taken your laptop off of your desk. Some of us have things to do.

(Waits for someone to point to a VAIO Z series and talk about how they don't have heat problems)

I think the morons are ones who pay 2800$ for subpar hardware, except the display which is genuinely nice. But its not much better than other high end panels, asus / alienware are using a 1080p ips panel that is about 10 PPI less than the retina display. And they are 17" while the MBP is 15".

Now the hardware is okay, but in context of price it is a joke. The problem is the premium that Apple demands for their brandname. I can't believe people would pay 2800$ for a 15" MBP with a 650m -- For that money you can buy the world in terms of a laptop or ultrabook. Despite what a poster above stated, gaming on a laptop is very viable with good hardware, and you can get an 18" alienware with a 7970m (current fastest laptop chip), the fastest i7m, and tons of storage for 1800$. Thats with a 1080p IPS panel that is 10ppi less than the 15" retina display, thats much more viewing area with only slightly less PPI. The 7970 is basically a desktop pitcairn (7870) so yes, it is very usable for gaming. OTOH, the 650m is not usable for gaming unless you drastically lower resolutions. If memory serves the 650m is akin to a GT450.

I'm an apple shareholder so I gotta snicker at those who justify apple prices. These people keep feeding the machine, which is fine by me now that I think of it.
Edited by xoleras - 6/17/12 at 5:39am

The reason I'v been going on and on defending Apple lately is because the ridiculous hivemind attitude here to attack every single thing Apple related.
I'm fully aware that I'm paying a huge premium over retail for Apple hardware. I can afford it and I have my reasons for buying it. At the end of the day, I need a reliable OS X laptop with a dedicated GPU for programming. I don't defend Apple as a company somuch as I do their products.

I know Apple is a patent troll. I hate the way Apple acts corporately. At the same time, I think it would be silly to settle for a second choice OS (Windows/Android) and hardware because I don't like the company. It's not like the Windows world where I can find a similar laptop from someone else. I hate the company, but love what Apple does with OS X and seemless integration. Even if I had problems with Apple enough to buy a PC and Android phone, I still wouldn't ever reccomend a non Apple laptop or phone to someone who is not tech literate. It doesn't get much simpler and easier to use then the OS X environment, especially when using a range of Apple products like Apple TV, Macbook, and an iPhone.

Sure OS X can be put on other devices, but that kind of eliminates the point of OS X. I use it specifically because I don't want to tweak anything or do any work to make it work. Your right on the chicklet style keyboard and large trackpad design are showing up on other laptops, which is fine. I would consider one of those if they ran OS X stock.

Here is an example of what I mean about the design though. Here is an ultrabook that has a similar keyboard and trackpad to OS X, however the trackpad is offset. For me, this is a dealkiller. It could be sporting 16bg of RAM, a 1 TB SSD, a 15 hours batter, and desktop GPU and I wouldn't be interested in it for a mobile device. Docked and used as a desktop maybe, but not for on the go.