blonde poker forum

I'm in the market for a new laptop.

Just need it for basic multitasking, be able to run 5 different poker sites, with PT/HEM, plus table ninja, 20 internet tabs and a film that sort of thing.

I'm pretty superficial so looks are everything.

Lightweight, compact also key.

£500-£1k budget.

I've never used a Mac before, but think they look the bomb, tired of Windows 8 and just generally quite fancy seeing what all the fuss is about and migrating.

Is it worth the expense? You're paying almost double from what I can see. Or is it very much apples and oranges? (no pun intended!)

WRT the different models, looking at the 13" one, of which there are two models. Paying about $200 more for 256GB as opposed to 128MB "PCIe-based flash storage". Is this worth the money? Is this to do with memory storage, or operating speed? Sorry texperts about that question lol.

Can anyone suggest a decent Windows (I guess) based alternative?

Thanks 

alienware from dell are expensive but different class.  Maybe a bit heavy for your needs and slightly above your budget but def worth it and pleasing on the eye.  I had mine 3 years and its the best laptop i have ever had in my lifetime by a mile.  Works like new after 3 years of serious 12 hours a day hammering.  Worth bearing in mind though as a different option.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-17/pd.aspx

Yeh too heavy for me. Lightweight is pretty essential requirement.

I own a IT company and part of my business is to supply hardware etc...this is my general advice when asked this question..



macs def win out... their operating system is far superior, faster and smoother than windows and far less vulnerable to virus,spyware etc.... the biggest drawback besides price is compatability..windows runs pretty much anything whereas Macs can be a bit limiting... make sure there are mac versions of the poker clients, PT/HEM you wish to use and that it will run the programs you wish to use.. mac book air are the nuts screen res is superb..

when i bought my daughter a new laptop it was a mac..myself unfortunatly i need the diversity of a PC.. but given a straight choice it would be a mac..

Thanks :)

I think we want exactly different things in terms of grindability, looks and functions.

I got a Mac sround 1 year ago and it's the best decision I could have made. If you're going to be somewhere for a decent amount of time buy a thunderbolt, they are really really good and you can always sell for a similar price as they are popular.

Agree with all of this even to the point I just bought my daughter a MacBook Pro 13".

If you go the Mac route see if you can get a student to buy for you as the discounts can be quite generous. £180 if I recall correctly.

Favouring MacBook Pro over Air now, heard the air won't be able to handle 12 tables and an external monitor etc etc...

Once you go Mac you'll never go back!

Check out the prices on Amazon, much cheaper than buying directly from the Apple store.  Also, consider cashing in some Pokerstars FPP's for Amazon gift vouchers to buy your Mac.

the 15" retina display is the best, and it allows you to connect to 2 thunderbolts/external monitors.

Mac all the way!

I got a Macbook Pro about 3 months ago and I love it. It's hands down the best performing computer I've had and you don't have to be particularly tech savvy.

It's also totally worth getting just so you can enrage Windows/Android bores when you tell them you have a Mac.

can also get windows put on via parallels

Looks like the opposite to me.

The MacBook Pro 13" is £749 on amazon ($1198) but $1099 on apple.com with free shipping.

Think the retina display one is the way to go. Can't decide between these two

(http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc416/cambridgealex/C4625644-D17F-48D6-9637-19A98538F4C1_zpshy6i7fbk.jpg) (http://s1210.photobucket.com/user/cambridgealex/media/C4625644-D17F-48D6-9637-19A98538F4C1_zpshy6i7fbk.jpg.html)

The only difference appears to be the "256MB flash storage". What does that mean? If it's memory so I can have loads of films on there then I won't bother. If it's speed then that's a different story...

How much more is 15"?

For grinding I thnnk it will be a lot better.

The Flash Storage is the primary hard drive.  You should put anything on there that you want to load / run really quickly.  If you wanted to download and store loads of porn films/pictures then you would probably need to buy an external hard drive.  These are relatively cheap but 256GB should be fine for most things.  Unless you're planning on downloading the entire contents of Brazzers Netflix then you should be fine.

The 15" is £500 more and I use a monitor for grinding anyway. Will be heavier and bulkier to carry around as well so it's not a good option for me.

@tomsom 128MB is 200$ cheaper, will that suffice? Literally will just have some photos and iPhone videos to store, and run the usual software + poker bits and bobs.

If you decide you don't want a Mac and want something that gives a similar performance from a Windows laptop, I got a Dell M3800 when I started my new contract.  It's a corker of a Windows machine with an ultra-HD touchscreen, which is incredible.

It's not cheap though, think the spec of mine (with two SSDs) cost about £1,600.  Nice laptop though.

Is that $1099 the price in the USA (the USA is the cheapest place to buy computers)?.  If you but them in the UK the apple store price is £899 or £999 with the retina display.  I would recommend to spend the extra and get the retina display.

If you buy goods direct from USA be careful as customs sometimes slap tax on it at point of entry not too sure the exact way it works but i have had goods slapped with extra tax before

Yet again I find myself agreeing. I got slapped with a £90 charge when I shipped a £400 item from the states. I had to pay the deliveryman cash.

Lol don't sound so disappointed when you agree with me :)