Bummer! Need to blow the GAS fund on a replacement Macbook :(

fandango

sweepy said:

PC World 0% Finance is probably your best bet but the 2016 MacBooks aren’t as versatile as the 2015 models

Disagree.

Think the current crop of MacBook Pros is very, very good.

Was looking very recently at a windows laptop to run some windows-only software* and I was looking at having to spend over £1500. Not cheap for a windows machine, and it took it up into/near MacBook/ MacBook Pro territory. Still going through the viability phase.

*yes I did look at buying a windows licence and using Bootcamp, but then I would have been re-booting the mac every 5 minutes to switch between Mac OSX and Windows. Not the most practical option. And running Windows on a Mac just feels wrong.

ICBM

In that case I would get credit and buy a new MBP. It will last longer than anything else so you'll get value for money out of it.

"The quality will remain long after the price is forgotten." - Henry Royce

darthed1981

Phil_aka_Pip said:

darthed1981 said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

The only good PC is one with Linux on it. F__k Windoze. original MACs were OK, they had 68000s in them. Now the modern ones have Intels. How do you get away from Intel??

Build a PC around an AMD processor, install Linux.

Job done.

AMD = as near as dammit Intel. ARM sbc + Linux is a better idea but you will end up building it yourself. There's nothing ready-made (AFAIK)

That's a bit harsh on AMD, they got the 64bit version of x86 to market first and had 64 bit processors out for years before intel, or indeed before 64 bit Windows became an option.

Mind you, there is always the old classic  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RISC_OS 

Phil_aka_Pip

@darthed1981 same segmented store architecture though. Same little-endian integer representation. Same restricted-use-of-registers (non-orthoganal design) SPIT!

Heartfeltdawn

Phil_aka_Pip said:

@darthed1981 same segmented store architecture though. Same little-endian integer representation. Same restricted-use-of-registers (non-orthoganal design) SPIT!

I don't care that you voted Leave but spitting at RISC-OS... outside now, mofo!  #AcornuntilIdie

Heartfeltdawn

fandango said:

sweepy said:

PC World 0% Finance is probably your best bet but the 2016 MacBooks aren’t as versatile as the 2015 models

Disagree.

Think the current crop of MacBook Pros is very, very good.

Was looking very recently at a windows laptop to run some windows-only software* and I was looking at having to spend over £1500. Not cheap for a windows machine, and it took it up into/near MacBook/ MacBook Pro territory. Still going through the viability phase.

*yes I did look at buying a windows licence and using Bootcamp, but then I would have been re-booting the mac every 5 minutes to switch between Mac OSX and Windows. Not the most practical option. And running Windows on a Mac just feels wrong.

£1500? Jesus... what spec was this?

strtdv

With PCs the view I take on laptops is buy cheap and view it as disposable, and with desktops buy the best you can afford and replace parts as needed.

I have an 8 year old desktop (cost about £900 at the time so not super high spec but not bad) which an SSD upgrade had meant isn't noticeably slower than a much newer machine, and I bought an i3 powered laptop with a 128GB SSD for £330 there which will last about 4 years and then get thrown out, although it boots quickly and runs everything I need it to. 

terada

menamestom said:

RaymondLin said:

Not to start a PC vs Mac debate.  It is amazing from a pure observation that I, and plenty of others are rocking a decade old MBPs happily with no speed issues but I don't know anyone still rocking a 2008 windows laptop.

I think part of the issue is many windows laptops were built to a price when they were new and it’s not always a fair comparison.

Every £400 - £500 Hp or similar laptop I’ve ever seen is a plastic pile of junk and all the ones I’ve had have developed problems.   Would be interesting to see how the higher end laptops fair, like the Microsoft ones.  Trouble is they end up costing as much as a MBP.

I’m going to get a MBP, but will probably wait until the next upgrade, hopefully the processors will get a bump.

I use both windows and osx these days having come from a mac centric background. Currently using an imac for my desktop and windows for a portable, the portable is a high end model from the start of 2017 and cost easily as much as a low end MacBook pro. 

1 year on some aspects are great - it is still super quick, the keyboard and screen are lovely, and windows 10 is a pretty nice OS, but the build quality really isn't there in comparison to a mac. The trackpad for example has come slightly loose so that it makes a clicking sound when you touch it, and one of the speakers has started buzzing at pretty much any volume.

Prior to this I had a £700 dell that literally fell apart after a year (the hinge cracked just after warranty, which split the top half of the base from the bottom to reveal it's innards). Meanwhile lady terada's MacBook air is still going strong (if a little slow now), after over 5 years.

If I were only looking to replace a laptop every 5-8 years, I'd be after a mac for sure.

sweepy

I was commenting on the 2016 MacBook Pro and above as being poorer as regards expandability by them dropping USB ports so you need yet another adaptor for your Dongles etc 

Bridgehouse

sweepy said:

I was commenting on the 2016 MacBook Pro and above as being poorer as regards expandability by them dropping USB ports so you need yet another adaptor for your Dongles etc 

Give it a few years - most devices will be usb-c and USB will be real legacy. USB is crap technology. 

sweepy

Unfortunately for those of us using Macs for music making, USB is pretty much obligatory

DLM

RaymondLin said:

Not to start a PC vs Mac debate.  It is amazing from a pure observation that I, and plenty of others are rocking a decade old MBPs happily with no speed issues but I don't know anyone still rocking a 2008 windows laptop.

Isn't @Sambostar's at least that old?

Gagaryn

rico said:

I’m still rocking my 2008 MBP. It had the RAM maxed out and has a SSD and can still run reaper and lightroom at acceptable speeds. I’m gonna be gutted when it goes!

I was still using a 2008 until about a year ago when I killed it with beer! Like you, maxed RAM, SSD and a 2TB HD in a caddy in the optical bay. 

57Deluxe

@axisus ;this seems like a legitimate dilemma to start a crowdfunding campaign!

axisus

I'm kicking my arse! A very good candidate turned up on eBay, but the finish time was at an awkward point as I go and get family takeaway on a Sat evening. I was back well in time but forgot the damn auction. Looked in 2hrs later to see that it went for £300. Doh. Local pickup as well. Bloody annoyed with myself.

PVO_Dave

If you fancied a new Air, this popped up on Hotdeals earlier: https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/apple-macbook-air-at-currys-for-849-minimum-200-trade-in-for-old-laptop-2903814 

bluechargeboy

axisus said:

I'm kicking my arse! A very good candidate turned up on eBay, but the finish time was at an awkward point as I go and get family takeaway on a Sat evening. I was back well in time but forgot the damn auction. Looked in 2hrs later to see that it went for £300. Doh. Local pickup as well. Bloody annoyed with myself.

If you missed the end of an eBay auction, it's because deep down inside you didn't really want it...(is what I tell myself)...

fandango

@axisus - has someone suggested a refurbished Apple laptop? If not here's the link:

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

axisus

PVO_Dave said:

If you fancied a new Air, this popped up on Hotdeals earlier: https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/apple-macbook-air-at-currys-for-849-minimum-200-trade-in-for-old-laptop-2903814 

13" a bit too small for me

fandango said:

@axisus - has someone suggested a refurbished Apple laptop? If not here's the link:

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Waaaay too expensive unfortunately