Reasons a non-gamer will go with a windows laptop?

[Temp name]

I have never been able to see any pixels on any screen since the old SVGA days of 800 X 600. I certainly understand there are more pixels in a higher resolution screen, I just say they aren't needed. On a smaller screen they provide no discernible increase in detail. It's all in the imagination because you think it should look better since it has higher numbers. In reality, it looks no better to the human eye.

It looks better to me though. I'd be able to tell the difference between 720 and 1080p on a 15" monitor in a blind test. How do I know? Because I've done it.

[Biernot]

I have never been able to see any pixels on any screen since the old SVGA days of 800 X 600. I certainly understand there are more pixels in a higher resolution screen, I just say they aren't needed. On a smaller screen they provide no discernible increase in detail. It's all in the imagination because you think it should look better since it has higher numbers. In reality, it looks no better to the human eye.

I'm sorry, but i think you should check your eyes. If you can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 15" screen (at a reasonable distance, like e.g. 2 feet), then your eyes aren't up to par. If i take off my glasses, then i suspect, that i would barely not be able to tell the difference (my glasses are not that strong, without them i am just under the limit to legally drive, around 1.5 diopter).

That said, while there is a perceived quality improvement to go with higher resolutions than 1080p on a 15" screen, it is often not worth the drawbacks (more expensive, higher energy consumption -> battery life). I would say, that 1080p is about the threshold where you still can identify individual pixels, but going with higher resolutions still improves the image quality (sharper text, etc.)

[ldev]

I'm sorry, but i think you should check your eyes. If you can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 15" screen (at a reasonable distance, like e.g. 2 feet), then your eyes aren't up to par. If i take off my glasses, then i suspect, that i would barely not be able to tell the difference (my glasses are not that strong, without them i am just under the limit to legally drive, around 1.5 diopter).

That said, while there is a perceived quality improvement to go with higher resolutions than 1080p on a 15" screen, it is often not worth the drawbacks (more expensive, higher energy consumption -> battery life). I would say, that 1080p is about the threshold where you still can identify individual pixels, but going with higher resolutions still improves the image quality (sharper text, etc.)

I'd go 1440p. Of course it depends on screen size, but for most common to bigger screens 1080p is way too little.

[Salty Maud]

Huh, this thread is still alive.

Rather than asking why go windows i'd ask why go mac. If then answer is anything other than "i want something with a popular, recognizable brand" or "i need x software only available on mac", i'm lost for reasons. If "Specs don't matter", why are you even looking to spend a grand in the first place? If you're essentially just going to take notes and browse facebook in class there are perfectly viable inexpensive thin and light notebooks available, they just don't come with the yuppie status included.

[moremana]

Huh, this thread is still alive.

Rather than asking why go windows i'd ask why go mac. If then answer is anything other than "i want something with a popular, recognizable brand" or "i need x software only available on mac", i'm lost for reasons. If "Specs don't matter", why are you even looking to spend a grand in the first place? If you're essentially just going to take notes and browse facebook in class there are perfectly viable inexpensive thin and light notebooks available, they just don't come with the yuppie status included.

gtfo. No one can take you seriously if you classify all people that buy apple products as yuppies.

And no Im not an apple fan, Im no fan of anything. I buy what I need or want whether its Apple, Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Nvidia. and yes, I own both ... MacOS and Windows 10!

[Salty Maud]

gtfo. No one can take you seriously if you classify all people that buy apple products as yuppies.

Wasn't meant to be taken seriously anyway. Was meant to make you think if you're considering apple just because it's a recognizable brand and like a fancy watch it's essentially a status item more than necessarily the right tool for the job. And just like you might still want to buy a fancy watch, it's okay if you want to buy a fancy laptop too, just be honest with yourself about the reasons you're willing to pay for it.

[moremana]

Wasn't meant to be taken seriously anyway. Was meant to make you think if you're considering apple just because it's a recognizable brand and like a fancy watch it's essentially a status item more than necessarily the right tool for the job. And just like you might still want to buy a fancy watch, it's okay if you want to buy a fancy laptop too, just be honest with yourself about the reasons you're willing to pay for it.

So buying quality makes those items a status symbol....gotcha.

How bout this. Buy a Macbook pro or air, if you need windows apps you can install bootcamp and use them, you have the best of both worlds in one laptop. That is not a status symbol, thats smart purchasing.

[ldev]

Macbook Airs run like shit - 1.6ghz dual core?

Just buy 13 inch MBP. Or 11" iPad Pro if you're going with 1.6ghz dual core.

[Salty Maud]

So buying quality makes those items a status symbol....gotcha.

No. Buying a product from a premium brand that commands a premium price without packing the features to match makes it a status accessory. At least you'll look cool in starbucks, and if that's your priority, more power to you. If you just want a light laptop to carry to school, there are cheaper options that can take your notes in class just as well, and if OP decides that actually they want some decent performance too after all, there certainly are more powerful alternatives within the budget (surface laptop 2 appears to be on sale if OP's hellbent on picking up a premium product).

If you need to work in the mac os environment, that's a fair argument for mac, but i don't think OP has said that they are dependent on any mac exclusive software. Otherwise it's just a more expensive alternative with admittedly pretty design.

[nocturnus]

No, it doesnt. Because that 400e laptop weighs 4+ pounds, doesnt have a QHD+ screen, solid aluminum body, etc.

It has a similar CPU and RAM config, nothing more (and almost assuredly does not have an NVMe SSD boot drive).

The number of people in this thread that cannot grasp the difference between a 400$ plastic, TN-panel brick and a high-end ultraportable is staggering.

b.b.but, I can buy a Skoda that's similar to a Range Rover for an eigtht of the price! It's the same!

Do you or do you not want to spend the time to learn another OS? I'd never use a AppleOS product, not because of any bias against them but I just don't want to spend the time learning a new OS and figuring out replacements for all the software I use.

It's really not that hard, I'm quite sure you can find half an hour to learn the basics.

I have never been able to see any pixels on any screen since the old SVGA days of 800 X 600.

Time for an appointment at the oculist, buddy.

Look people, you're entitled to your irrational antipathy towards Apple but for your own sake, stop spouting out non sense just to support a narrative you know is utterly flawed. No, you won't find comparable laptopts for half the price, the truth is that actually comparable laptops have similar price tags.

We had top of the line Dell laptops before we completely switched to an Apple ecosystem and nothing I have ever seen compares to my current MBP.

[Temp name]

b.b.but, I can buy a Skoda that's similar to a Range Rover for an eigtht of the price! It's the same!

Time for an appointment at the oculist, buddy.

Look people, you're entitled to your irrational antipathy towards Apple but for your own sake, stop spouting out non sense just to support a narrative you know is utterly flawed. No, you won't find comparable laptopts for half the price, the truth is that actually comparable laptops have similar price tags.

We had top of the line Dell laptops before we completely switched to an Apple ecosystem and nothing I have ever seen compares to my current MBP.

It comes down to what I've said before: Do you only care about performance per dollar (Value), or other things. MacBooks are terrible value. They perform like shit for the price. *but* they're very nicely built (on the outside), have great screens, and a subjective beauty to them. Also they function as a physical representation of your epeen.

It's really not that hard, I'm quite sure you can find half an hour to learn the basics.

I mean, I still muscle memory reach for my arrow keys on the 60% (Which doesn't have arrow keys) I've had for 9-ish months. Can imagine there'd be a lot of small annoyances similar to that swapping to another OS.

A big one I'd probably complain about is that I've heard MacOS doesn't have a right click? That'd annoy me to no end, even if there was another way of doing the same thing, I'd just tap right click and get annoyed nothing shows up for a couple seconds until I remember.

[oplawlz]

Look people, you're entitled to your irrational antipathy towards Apple but for your own sake, stop spouting out non sense just to support a narrative you know is utterly flawed. No, you won't find comparable laptopts for half the price, the truth is that actually comparable laptops have similar price tags.

I mean this is just objectively wrong. You can google performance comparisons till you're blue in the face and unless you're reading some shady article from "ilovemacs.com" you're just never going to find one that agrees with your fetish. Here, I'll save you some trouble: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/h...macbook-pro-15

[Temp name]

I mean this is just objectively wrong. You can google performance comparisons till you're blue in the face and unless you're reading some shady article from "ilovemacs.com" you're just never going to find one that agrees with your fetish. Here, I'll save you some trouble: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/h...macbook-pro-15

Not to nitpick too much, but the GPU on the HP is garbage-tier. Even the 1050ti is worse than the 560x by a decent margin. If you wanted to get work done, the MBP would easily win, even with the thermal issues

[moremana]

No. Buying a product from a premium brand that commands a premium price without packing the features to match makes it a status accessory. At least you'll look cool in starbucks, and if that's your priority, more power to you. If you just want a light laptop to carry to school, there are cheaper options that can take your notes in class just as well, and if OP decides that actually they want some decent performance too after all, there certainly are more powerful alternatives within the budget (surface laptop 2 appears to be on sale if OP's hellbent on picking up a premium product).

If you need to work in the mac os environment, that's a fair argument for mac, but i don't think OP has said that they are dependent on any mac exclusive software. Otherwise it's just a more expensive alternative with admittedly pretty design.

Kind of like Microsoft Surface...or Dell XPS, I could go on. The point is, if you want to use the Apple eco system, and some of us do, you buy a Apple, it is not a luxury as the same quality Windows laptops cost the same so stop.

iMessage, Airdrop etc are all amazing and you cant do that natively on a Windows machine. In case you haven't read the entire thread you will see I am not a brand fan. I have both, many Apples and Windows machines and laptops.

That being said, Windows does not hold a candle to Apples OS. Gaming is better, but not by much since Metal was introduced. So stop trolling me and move on, you have your opinion, I have mine. Difference is I use Apple, you don't and until you do and fully use it, don't condemn others for doing so and name branding them as yuppies.

[oplawlz]

Not to nitpick too much, but the GPU on the HP is garbage-tier. Even the 1050ti is worse than the 560x by a decent margin. If you wanted to get work done, the MBP would easily win, even with the thermal issues

The difference is pretty marginal, actually, especially since we're not gaming and the gpu only has to drive one 15" monitor - and once again, we're talking value for performance here. There is no question in that comparison that the macbook is a higher end machine, but 40% more powerful? Nah bro. Epeen tax.

[Temp name]

The difference is pretty marginal, actually, especially since we're not gaming and the gpu only has to drive one 15" monitor - and once again, we're talking value for performance here. There is no question in that comparison that the macbook is a higher end machine, but 40% more powerful? Nah bro. Epeen tax.

40% more powerful than an mx130? Yes it is. The Mx130 only exists to give display outputs.. Which Intel CPUs already have. It has literally no purpose in life, it's unusable garbage. It's just over half as powerful as a GTX750. Not 1650, or 1050, or 950, the 750. Which came out 4 years ago and was bad when it came out.
And if you're not gaming, why buy a 1500 dollar laptop? Buy a 400 dollar. Or, if you care so much about value, buy a 1000 dollar laptop instead.

Paying half the price might still be better value if you're getting the same performance in the tasks you care about, but when you can also get that performance in other laptops that cost half of *that*, then you're still paying out of your ass

[Salty Maud]

So stop trolling me and move on, you have your opinion, I have mine. Difference is I use Apple, you don't

Trolling, nice. My work laptop is a macbook pro... My personal laptop certainly is not.

Kind of like Microsoft Surface...or Dell XPS, I could go on. The point is, if you want to use the Apple eco system, and some of us do, you buy a Apple, it is not a luxury as the same quality Windows laptops cost the same so stop.

Yes, there are premium product lines on the windows side of the fence too, but unlike on the apple side, they are not the only options available. Point still stands. a) OP doesn't necessarily even need a premium laptop for light school use in the first place b) If you wanted performance, you'd get more for your money with a windows laptop. Exhibit a: quad core i5, pen ready touchscreen surface laptop 2 for $899 against $999 dual core macbook air. Or if portability while retaining a ability to run full desktop apps is the priority, surface go + type cover for $498.99 in the lowest end configuration. You got options. And you certainly don't have to stay within the surface lineup either, it's just a convenient first party analogy to apple and mac.

if you want to use the Apple eco system, and some of us do, you buy a Apple

That's a bit of a catchall buzzword excuse in 2019. You don't need to have everything from the same brand to have continuity and interconnectivity. But yes, if you only want to use apple solutions, that falls to the "i need x software only available on mac" reason i conceded earlier.

[nocturnus]

I mean this is just objectively wrong. You can google performance comparisons till you're blue in the face and unless you're reading some shady article from "ilovemacs.com" you're just never going to find one that agrees with your fetish. Here, I'll save you some trouble: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/h...macbook-pro-15

"It's objectively wrong", then you go ahead and post an article that confirms what I previously said: That you can not find an actually comparable laptop for half the price.

Read what people write before quoting them, rather than knee-jerking into a half-assed reply that makes you look the fool.

[Ahovv]

Well, a Windows laptop could feasibly get repaired. Good luck repairing anything from Apple, they'll just try to get you buying a new one. They have the absolute worst support and repair system.

[nocturnus]

It comes down to what I've said before: Do you only care about performance per dollar (Value), or other things. MacBooks are terrible value. They perform like shit for the price. *but* they're very nicely built (on the outside), have great screens, and a subjective beauty to them. Also they function as a physical representation of your epeen.


I mean, I still muscle memory reach for my arrow keys on the 60% (Which doesn't have arrow keys) I've had for 9-ish months. Can imagine there'd be a lot of small annoyances similar to that swapping to another OS.

A big one I'd probably complain about is that I've heard MacOS doesn't have a right click? That'd annoy me to no end, even if there was another way of doing the same thing, I'd just tap right click and get annoyed nothing shows up for a couple seconds until I remember.

And that's the point; people generally don't pay for performance only. I'm quite sure that an Alienware with the same i9 cpu as my MBP will outperform it on raw processing speed, but it will do so by sacrificing on quite a few fronts. It'll be a thick piece of plastic that weighs a ton, draws ludicrous amounts of power and makes an exorbitant amount of noise.

People keep crying about how Macs are status symbols and I'm sure they are for some people. For most of us though, they're just tools that work.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, a Windows laptop could feasibly get repaired. Good luck repairing anything from Apple, they'll just try to get you buying a new one. They have the absolute worst support and repair system.

I'm a physician, I don't 'repair' computers, so I couldn't give two shits about how easily some other brand can be disassembled. Apple's support is among the best I've experienced, they've replaced my iPhone for free, after I accidentally broke it myself during squats and they replaced the motherboard on my mom's old Macbook for free, after the extended warranty expired. But I'm sure you'll have your anecdotes about their horrible service, unless of course you never actually had anything to do with them.