Is there a PC Laptop to compete with the Macbook Pro?

[Mouzon]

Hi Guys, I remember a while ago hearing about a brand of high end PC laptops that I just can't think of the name of for the life of me!

I'm hoping you can help. Basically looking for the PC version of a Macbook Pro to use for onsite audio recording / mixing, Photoshop, hopefully onsite video editing.

To compete it's going to need the following things as minimum:

i7 Processor
500gb SSD
1920x1080 resolution minimum
The equivalent or better of the MBP's 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M.

The funny thing is, if I start to look for a PC laptop like this, the best I can find is one of those garish looking Alienware things that are just as expensive as the Apple MBP but with subpar specs - Tiny (16GB) or non existent SSD, lower screen resolution, trackpad that is nowhere near as responsive or intelligent.

[kahdgarxi]

If that's the case, why not just get a Macbook Pro and put Windows on it?

[Mouzon]

If that's the case, why not just get a Macbook Pro and put Windows on it?

That might end up being the solution.

You always hear that Apple computers are overpriced however so I'm hoping that someone will say, 'Here it is! Same specs and half the price!'

[Killora]

Alienware is overpriced just like apple products.

Which macbook pro are you looking at? Cause theres multiple ones... a better question would be..whats your budget?

[Mouzon]

Which macbook pro are you looking at? Cause theres multiple ones... a better question would be..whats your budget?

Let's say this is the one I'm looking at http://store.apple.com/au/configure/ME665X/A?

It's not about a budget as such, it's about getting the equivalent of that at the cheapest price possible.

[Tehterokkar]

Let's say this is the one I'm looking at http://store.apple.com/au/configure/ME665X/A?

It's not about a budget as such, it's about getting the equivalent of that at the cheapest price possible.

$3200 for that piece of shit? It doesn't even have a dedicated GPU!

Edit:
Done some researching, this is an about equivalent price just so you can see the difference between Apple's pricing. click i7 Extreme CPU, GTX 670M, 256GB SSD, 16GB Ram, 750GB HDD, Blu-ray Drive, 17.3'' screen(with Anti Glare)

That thing is comparable to a desktop easily.

Now for what you wanted in similar specs;
Link Is quite close to what the Apple one is, as all you really gave was the CPU.

I really wonder why Apple never mentions what products they actually use.. "Quad-core Intel Core i7", there's like 50 of those isn't there?

[Mouzon]

$3200 for that piece of shit? It doesn't even have a dedicated GPU!

So give me a single alternative then?

[Shadocaster]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...irtualParent=1

[Droki]

$3200 for that piece of shit? It doesn't even have a dedicated GPU!

Um, it has an NVIDIA GT650M with 1GB GDDR5
You shouldn't be allowed to hate everything made by Apple if you don't even know what they make.

[Mouzon]

$3200 for that piece of shit? It doesn't even have a dedicated GPU!

Some info on that page seems to be ommited (probably to make it look 'cleaner' haha)

The actual specs of that machine are:

15-inch: 2.7GHz
with Retina display
2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
512GB flash storage1
Intel HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
Built-in battery (7 hours)

I'd love more than anyone to be able to say that Apple products are overpriced, but in the case of this laptop I'm having trouble!

[Droki]

The linking the Asus has the answer you're looking for. Meets your specs, but at 2/3 the price and switch out 500gb SSD for 250+1TB hybrid drive.

[Iamanerd]

Here is a much better Laptop at nearly half the price. If you really desire a larger SSD you can either upgrade it through their menu or just install it yourself. Personally I stay away from Macbooks or any Mac computer in general, some of them are easy to fix and replace parts and others a bitch plus I hate closed of systems. If alls you are going to be doing is audio work and photoshop, stick with a smaller SSD and a large HDD. Unless you specifically need something from a macbook I would stay away from them.

Mind you this is my personal opinion and others will disagree but so be it, I hate working on Macs.

[Mouzon]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...irtualParent=1

This is great. Retails at $3k in Australia (We get ripped so badly compared to our friends in the US) new but looks like it's not hard to find one at a couple hundred dollars above $2k

Thanks very much for your help! I wasn't aware that ASUS made such a high end laptop!

---------- Post added 2013-05-16 at 03:56 PM ----------

some of them are easy to fix and replace parts and others a bitch

That couldn't be truer with the latest line of MBP's.. RAM and SSD are glued onto the body so good luck upgrading anything at all on it!

[Harry Botter]

This is great. Retails at $3k in Australia (We get ripped so badly compared to our friends in the US) new but looks like it's not hard to find one at a couple hundred dollars above $2k

Thanks very much for your help! I wasn't aware that ASUS made such a high end laptop!

MSi also makes high end machines too. Also there is a laptop maker (name escapes me atm) that you can customize the specs quite a bit but they look fairly basic on the outside.

[Killora]

I'd imagine theres better examples than that (there is in the US) but seeing as how you're in australia i'm not really sure where to look. From Xotic PC one can build This with the same specs (configure it to said specs) and either get the SSD option or skip it and buy a Samsung 840 512gb for ~$400 (not sure how much one is in australia?) and put it in yourself. all this and you're at about $1800. A little less than half the price of the macbook, for the same specs.

[Anowyn]

MSi also makes high end machines too. Also there is a laptop maker (name escapes me atm) that you can customize the specs quite a bit but they look fairly basic on the outside.

I have an MSi laptop that I paid $750 for when I got it and it was by far the best specs for the price. Other laptops with similar specs were running about $900 to $1000 at the time. They make some amazing ones with GTX 680M video cards in them for around $2500 - $2700.

Such as this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834152361

[Harry Botter]

I have an MSI laptop that I paid $750 for when I got it and it was by far the best specs for the price. Other laptops with similar specs were running about $900 to $1000 at the time. They make some amazing ones with GTX 680M video cards in them for around $2500 - $2700.

Such as this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16834152361

I bought my wife an Asus one that was a Best Buy only model a g75-bb or something and it is amazing for $1200. But yeah Msi and Asus make nice gaming laptops.

[Mouzon]

Such as this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834152361

Nice! Thanks for your help on this guys, and thanks Killora. That's really opened up the search with a few more brands and options.

[zaface]

Check this one:
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade
http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade

[nemex]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834230928

If you're looking for a smaller form factor from Asus, they have an ultrabook that meets most if not all of your requirements and even comes with a tablet bundled.