[cel4145]

I'm surprised no one said to get a $500 Dell and buy $2000 headphones haha.

That was implied with my previous post

That being said, unless your major will have very demanding software that you have to buy and use, a $500-$600 Intel core i5 PC laptop will more than do the job for everything you need for college. Microsoft Office and a web browser do not require much. Anything more than that is just luxury.

Seriously, though. A core i5 PC laptop would spank your 2008 Mac Pro so bad. I have an old Windows laptop with similar hardware specs. It's horribly slow compared to my 2013 Toshiba core i5 laptop. It really doesn't make sense to buy a computer for $3200 with the idea of keeping it 6 to 8 years. The last two or three years of it's life it will be slow compared to entry level models. Best strategy is spend half that now, and the other half in three to four years on a new machine.

 

[jeremy205100]

The issue with that is, if I go with a laptop, I need at least a 15" screen to be productive and the 15" MacBook Pros start at $2000. That's without discrete graphics, which I need to run any light gaming I do. So with all that it's like $2600. If I got a desktop I'd probably get a cheap PC once this laptop breaks/no longer is capable of handling word (unlikely). 
 
The Core 2 Duo is obviously ancient, but other than that this computer has aged better than I would've thought. 
 
A comparable PC (parts wise) to the rMBP would be around $1500-2000, but isn't as durable, won't get as good battery life, won't have as high-resolution a screen and most don't have thunderbolt connectors.
 
The $500 PC every few years might work for some, but for me I know I'd hate the plasticyness of a PC if I used it for my main computer. That and Windows being an absolute nightmare (my opinion) having used 8.1 in school.
 
One of the reasons audio is a good hobby is because my DT 990s will last a good decade, if not longer, and my Schiit will be around longer than I am... 

 

[cel4145]

The issue with that is, if I go with a laptop, I need at least a 15" screen to be productive and the 15" MacBook Pros start at $2000. That's without discrete graphics, which I need to run any light gaming I do. So with all that it's like $2600. If I got a desktop I'd probably get a cheap PC once this laptop breaks/no longer is capable of handling word (unlikely). 

The Core 2 Duo is obviously ancient, but other than that this computer has aged better than I would've thought. 

A comparable PC (parts wise) to the rMBP would be around $1500-2000, but isn't as durable, won't get as good battery life, won't have as high-resolution a screen and most don't have thunderbolt connectors.

The $500 PC every few years might work for some, but for me I know I'd hate the plasticyness of a PC if I used it for my main computer. That and Windows being an absolute nightmare (my opinion) having used 8.1 in school.

One of the reasons audio is a good hobby is because my DT 990s will last a good decade, if not longer, and my Schiit will be around longer than I am... 

Don't the Macs have HDMI output? Hook it up to a monitor when you get back your room if you want a bigger screen.

Macs, you pay for the name. Your choice.

 

[depleted]

My suggestion is the rMBP with extended warranty, if you don't have money problems and you'll use the gorgeousness of the retina IPS display (i.e. you will make graphic design). A Mac Pro seems a bit overkill.
 
A good alternative is a Mac Mini with an external Samsung 4k display (retina equivalent, 550 euro, but TN and not IPS, so colors and viewing angles will be worse).
 
It all depends on your mobility needs. I stil rock a 2010 MBP 13" hooked to an external 27" display, upgraded with 8gb ram and a 750gb hybrid seagate SSD+HD. I could use a faster cpu but honestly it's really ram and hd that makes you feel a computer faster in 90% of use. Obviously I play with a PS3, or I would build a gaming pc just for gaming.
 
As an Apple user I know that once used to the build quality and OS X is really hard to get back to windows, even if a slightly less pricy comparable pc could do the same things, you could do it faster and hassle free with OS X so the time not spent really compensate for the money.
 
It all depends on available money. Is like buying a VW Golf and an Audi A3, same chassis, same engine, same specs/speed, consumption. You pay for everything else, it's just a premium product that has its value. It's a choice. Like a DT990 pro or a DT990 Premium

 

[LCfiner]

The Mac Pro is complete overkill for anyone not using the Dual GPUs for compute work. So if you’re not editing in Final Cut X and need something super fast for 4K video, don’t bother. Benchmarks show it’s not even that much faster (or some speed) as the TOTL iMac for CPU limited tasks. The Mac Pro is expensive because of the Xeon chips, Dual GPU design and the custom external design/casing.
 
get the macbook pro or macbook air you feel best about (you can use your existing external display for more screen real estate). or, to get something way cheaper than the mbp, get the mac mini and hook it up to your screen. it’s still easy to pop into a backpack.

 

[jeremy205100]

I'm hoping they upgrade the graphics card in the next rMBP, because the current one can't do 4k at 60Hz.

 

[cel4145]

The Mac Pro is complete overkill for anyone not using the Dual GPUs for compute work. So if you’re not editing in Final Cut X and need something super fast for 4K video, don’t bother. Benchmarks show it’s not even that much faster (or some speed) as the TOTL iMac for CPU limited tasks. The Mac Pro is expensive because of the Xeon chips, Dual GPU design and the custom external design/casing. . . .

or, to get something way cheaper than the mbp, get the mac mini and hook it up to your screen

Agreed. Unfortunately people buy based on specs that they don't understand.

The new Mac Pros are really server grade/commercial high end workstation machines. The Xeons are a horrible price/performance choice over Core i7s where I would be surprised if most consumers would be able to tell the difference in day to day use. The Mac Mini server edition for has the Core i7. One could get that model today, then get the newer edition in 3 or 4 years when the next generation of core i7 out performs those Xeons, and still have money in the bank.

 

[jeremy205100]

Agreed. Unfortunately people buy based on specs that they don't understand.

The new Mac Pros are really server grade/commercial high end workstation machines. The Xeons are a horrible price/performance choice over Core i7s where I would be surprised if most consumers would be able to tell the difference in day to day use. The Mac Mini server edition for has the Core i7. One could get that model today, then get the newer edition in 3 or 4 years when the next generation of core i7 out performs those Xeons, and still have money in the bank.

Is the Xeon not any better than the quad core i7? Even at a faster clock speed? 
 
And I'm not trying to sound ignorant. I'm very good with computers (took this one apart several times) but I haven't ever really bought a workstation computer so I'm not sure of the benefits/drawbacks.

 

[cel4145]

Is the Xeon not any better than the quad core i7? Even at a faster clock speed? 

And I'm not trying to sound ignorant. I'm very good with computers (took this one apart several times) but I haven't ever really bought a workstation computer so I'm not sure of the benefits/drawbacks.

Listen to what LCfiner is telling you about who is the target market for that Mac Pro. It is better. I said "price/performance" choice. Apple is charging a fortune for a setup built around those Xeons with ECC memory and the expensive case and a motherboard to support the Xeons. That Mac Mini server edition is a much better price/performance value. Then I would switch out one of the 1 TB drives on the mac Mini for a 250GB SSD and reinstall the OS on the SSD instead of running raid. Well, I'm guessing Apple will let you run it in a non-raid configuration with two different drives, but you'd better check that since their products are built around the idea that consumers don't want to make choices.

Anyway, if you have money to burn, go right ahead. But most college students can find better things to do with their money than buying a $3000 computer.

 

[65535]

A Mac Mini with a 1TB HDD and a 240-256GB SSD is an amazing value.

 

[depleted]

yes with mini you can have two independent hard drives
 
actually how to change hard drive and ram in my macbook is described in the manual, it's not really that apple don't want the user to do it. Also in the mini is very easy.
 
the damn tricky ones are the imacs, hate that design

 

[JimGramze]

Since there is always the next big thing around the corner, buy a computer when you need a new computer. Period. It will last you for years is you get a new one as you seem to already know. For you it is time and I would not hesitate.

Sounds like you might want to get a separate music player like an iPod.

I would highly recommend the Macbook Pro for college, fully tricked out for longevity reasons.

 

[jeremy205100]

Since there is always the next big thing around the corner, buy a computer when you need a new computer. Period. It will last you for years is you get a new one as you seem to already know. For you it is time and I would not hesitate.

Sounds like you might want to get a separate music player like an iPod.

I would highly recommend the Macbook Pro for college, fully tricked out for longevity reasons.

I have a 64GB iPhone so I don't need a separate music player. Besides, no player is going to hold my 500GB lossless library. The tricked out rMBP is tempting, just need to make sure the next revision can handle 4k.

 

[JimGramze]

That is a valid concern, about 4K. The current Macbook Pro will handle a 4K monitor at 30 Hz, but it does not have 4K on its own screen which is currently 2560x1600. Personally I'd be more concerned with the 720p FaceTime camera which I would like to be higher in resolution.

 

[ryant]

I have a couple of thoughts on this matter. Firstly Being in the IT industry for the past 8~ years i'm really baffled by the whole "macs last longer" idea. The company I've worked for over the past 5 years is a split environment with about 20 macs and 40 pcs. The failure rate on the macbook pros has been worse than our pcs. Most aren't lasting 2 years without some form of major repair. I've seen dead logic boards/graphics chips, quite a few kernel panics/OS instability, as well as dead hard drives. The research i've seen on warranty repair rates puts apple at fourth best (three PC vendors ahead of them in "reliability"). I'm not trying to say they are terrible but out of the 15 some odd macbooks we've got 7 have had catastrophic failures within their first two years. So there is my anecdotal evidence . That said my experience has also been that people are buying the cheapest pc laptops they can find on average (think $299 walmart specials) and then hating it because it's total crap. Then going out and blowing 1-3k on a mac and raving about how much better macs are than pcs. It's a bit silly when you think about it.
 
Now a bit more back on topic, I agree that spending $3k on a rMBP isn't really worth it unless you have a really good reason. As stated above, trying to keep a laptop for more than 4-5 years is really not a great idea. The tech moves way to fast unless all you need is facebook and microsoft office.. and if thats the case why on earth would you spend $3k to do that? I will throw my lot in with the buy something cheaper and replace more often (yes there are MANY good laptops for way less than $3k). I get that people have trouble going from one OS to another but i've been using OSX and windows (upgraded to their respective newest versions) daily for the past 5 years and can't fathom why people find either of them difficult. They take about 1-2 weeks of learning and then it's fine. If you like OSX and hate windows then stay with it. Just realize that OSX is more expensive for equal level hardware. 
 
My recommendation would be to look at the used market. You may be able to snag an rMBP for closer to the 2k price point and save yourself lots of cash that can be used for a newer model in 2-3 years.