Macbook Pro or hp dv6000t ?

[sbhas2k]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to buy a lappy.. so far decided on Macbook pro and Hp dv6000t.

Let me know which one to buy.. I like macbook pro 4 sexy look and excellent finish + isight etc .. but it has only 1GB ram and no dual dvd writer + service ???..

Hp has very good config.. but not as sexy as apple+battery life is not gd and no keyboard light ..

Please help me to decide.. cost doesn't matter as i'm getting it from US.

Anyother config also welcome .

[ambandla]

Don't buy macbook now. Apple is gonna announce new macbook's (most probably with LED backlit) in July WWDC (June 11th to 15th).

If price is not a barrier for you, you can certainly go for a macbook but wait for another 2 weeks.

[iMav]

dude if ur going for the mac book do go thru the various locked threads on the macs review done by windows' users also have a look at the fite club thread ... apple vs windows ... if u r windows guy and have been working on windows dont go for the mac unless u want to use only final cut

[aryayush]

First of all, let us clear some misconceptions:

1. You can increase the memory up to three gigabytes.
2. Every Mac (apart from the base model of the Mac Mini and the MacBook - not the MacBook Pro) comes with a SuperDrive. 'SuperDrive' is the term Apple uses for a DVD-drive that can read and write to all kinds of CDs and DVDs, including those that are dual-layer. In fewer words, the MacBook Pro you are thinking of buying has a "dual dvd writer".
3. Service? Where do you stay? I (and mail2and) can attest to the fact that Apple provides awesome after sales service. However, if you do not have any Apple authorised reseller or service centre in your city, that would be a problem. Which city do you reside in?

I recommend the MacBook Pro among the two as I already own one and have never been satisfied with any other purchase in my life as much as this one. The reasons (in brief):
1. The ones you already mentioned - the backlit keyboard, sexy look, excellent finish and iSight camera.
2. Mac OS X. The main reason why Macs are fundamentally superior to PCs.
3. The MagSafe power adapter. It has actually saved my beloved machine tens of times. I have no fear in connecting the wire across the room while people stroll around the whole day.
4. If you do end up buying the MBP, you'll see a lot of areas where Mac OS X absolutely kicks Windows right in the arse and one of the things you will realise is that you never have to shut down your Mac, or even hibernate it. All you do is close the lid and when you open it again, it is ready to go in two seconds flat. I haven't shut down my notebook for more than three months and it is working like a charm.
5. Don't know about you, but I like the elegance of slot-loading drives.
6. FireWire 800. Mind blowing speed.
7. The Apple logo. Looks matter. They really do. Flaunt value is a must in any gadget and in today's world, nothing is sexier than a back-lit Apple logo.

When I was out there to buy a notebook, my choice was also swinging between the two - HP dv8000 and Apple MacBook Pro. Everyone was advising me to go with HP but I had to wanted to see what is "oh-so-special" about Macs. I went to showrooms of both companies and saw a demo of Mac OS X at an Apple authorised reseller. Well, I knew at that instant that I could not ever use Windows for my regular work again. I also figured that even if, for some reason, Mac OS X turns out to be critically flawed in something, I could always run Windows on my Mac. I bought the MBP and have never ever regretted my decision. And I never use Windows now. Mac OS X is the best. So I would advise you to have someone show you a full-fledged demo of Mac OS X before you make any decision.

Oh, and ambandla is right, wait for WWDC 2007. WAIT.

I think I haven't emphasised my point enough. WAIT FOR THE APPLE WORLD WIDE DEVELOPERS' CONFERENCE, 2007.

The keynote of Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, is on June 11 and he will be announcing all the new features of the next version of Mac OS X, Leopard. There is also chance of new hardware. You'll most probably even have to wait for October when Leopard will be released. But it will be worth it. So WAIT. It is really unwise to buy an Apple product just a month or two before Macworld or WWDC. So do not make a mistake after severe warnings.

Any questions? Shoot 'em buggers.


Oh, and if I were you, I would be wary of advise from some of the people on this forum - gx_saurav and iMav in particular. They'll advise you to stay away from Macs. My advice is to try them and make your own decision. Don't let it be influenced by anyone else, not even me.

[sbhas2k]

I think if i buy a macbook pro, then service would be a big prob.

I'm stayin in India,Mumbai.. and apple has only one service center, dat too in Bangalore...

Thx aryayush for excellent review..

So far i was a windows user.. n planning to buy macbook pro since i can install windows as well.. n Will wait till june11

[aryayush]

You seem to have a lot of misconceptions. Who put all that in there?

Anyway, Apple has service centres all over India. In Mumbai, there is RSG Infotech. The name of the store is imagine. These are the addresses:

1st Floor, Maina Gul Building, Amboli, Andheri West, Mumbai 400058022
24813501 / 02, +91320596640	rupesh.pandey@rsg.co.in, jagdish.hathiramani@rsg.co.in

F-58, Level 1, Inorbit Mall, Link Road, Malad (W), Mumbai - 400064022
28781833/4, +9193320596639	upendra.chalke@rsg.co.in

There are several other Apple authorised service centres in Mumbai. Just go to this page.


BTW, I cannot believe your luck. Apple has these demo days going on right now.

Just go to any of the two imagine stores on the date of any demo day and see the extensive demos. Even if you go on a normal day, they are usually more than happy to give you a satisfactory demo of any Mac you want. Plus, you can use it and get familiar with it for as long as you want.

Also, I appreciate your willingness to wait. Most people become impatient and make mistakes. Stay tuned. Either me or nepcker will post the details of WWDC 2007 in the Technology News section.

[ambandla]

Yes.

Everyone is expecting to see new advancements in Apple macbook. Most important of all is LED backlit display which significantly increases life, decreased power consumption of display.

few days ago apple has upgraded the existing macbooks (faster processor speeds etc etc).

You can run linux and windows on macbook so no issues with compatibility

Rock solid kernel makes sure you get the best OS experience and say goodbye to annoying blue deaths and driver issues.

802.11n enables better wi-fi connectivity.

macbook pro comes with 6x/8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

upto 3GB of memory.

awesome backlit keyboard

great multimedia experience with ilife.

Since you are getting it from US, make sure that you get AppleCare Protection Plan. This enables 3 year full warranty on macbook but @ $350

You’ll get unlimited toll-free phone support, plus global repair or replacement service on your Mac and included accessories.

[gxsaurav]

2. Mac OS X. The main reason why Macs are fundamentally superior to PCs.

You are adviced to read the thread in fight club section to see how good or bad MacOS X is, if it suits you go for it.

4. If you do end up buying the MBP, you'll see a lot of areas where Mac OS X absolutely kicks Windows right in the arse and one of the things you will realise is that you never have to shut down your Mac, or even hibernate it. All you do is close the lid and when you open it again, it is ready to go in two seconds flat. I haven't shut down my notebook for more than three months and it is working like a charm.

Well, you can do this since Windows XP days.

HP DV6226tx is one of my favoriot machines as it is very well balenced. Not battery problem like over heating, can be serviced anywhere you want. Comes at a very nice cost with a nVidia Geforce Go 7600 graphics card with 256 MB RAM. VIsta Home premium is included & you can use the OS & hardware the way you want. If u break something, don't worry, service is available for very low price...unlike Macbook which can only be repaired in a Apple service centre which also costs 15k for AMC knows as Apple Care.

5. Don't know about you, but I like the elegance of slot-loading drives.

Just out of curiosity I m asking this. If you insert a DVD in the slot loading drive & power cuts, how do u get it out? in Mechanical drives you just insert the pin & tray opens.

6. FireWire 800. Mind blowing speed.

Firewire 800 devices are not widely available. They also cost a lot.

7. The Apple logo. Looks matter. They really do. Flaunt value is a must in any gadget and in today's world, nothing is sexier than a back-lit Apple logo

That is the only thing good about Apple . If you want to flaunt then buy Macbook, if you want to work on it properly then buy HP.

Oh, and if I were you, I would be wary of advise from some of the people on this forum - gx_saurav and iMav in particular. They'll advise you to stay away from Macs. My advice is to try them and make your own decision. Don't let it be influenced by anyone else, not even me.

Yup, we are not apple marketing agents, arya is. So listen to him only .

You are indeed adviced to go & check yourself, Just don't be fooled by the looks of the OS. Try working on it & check whether the applications u use are available for it or not. Example, Mac OS X has very less ammount of games, lacks a cut option, lacks support for multisession DVD, & many other flaws which you are adviced to inquire before you but it.

Refer to this thread about MacOS X to find out the good and bad of it.

Or you can always buy a Macbook Pro, format MacOS X & install Windows Vista on it.

[Choto Cheeta]

dont know for others, but as there is BootCamp, when given the choise i would buy Apple Hardware (they are too sexy ) even though i may always run Windows in it ....

[praka123]

Its just plain jealousy to superior Operating System which i can see in owner of post number #8

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by praka123

Its just plain jealousy to superior Operating System which i can see in owner of post number #8

Yup, very jealous that I was able to find so many silly flaws & shortcomings in Mac which should not be there from day 1, while I was not able to find as many silly flaws in Vista which hampers productivity in any sence.

[aryayush]

@gx_saurav, I am warning you. Remove that last statement from your signature. You know just as well as I do that I never said something like that. You are free to include anything there that I have actually said. If you do not remove it within twenty-four hours starting this moment, I'll absolutely make sure it is removed by force. You have absolutely no right to misquote anyone.


@sbhas2k, That thread is a pile of bullshit. You'll find that the two most common posters in that thread are the two I told you to be wary of. That should give you an idea about the authenticity of that thread. In this thread itself, this guy has posted two things which are completely and utterly false: Mac OS X does have the cut option and it fully supports multi-session disks. Yes, these idiots do not know how to use it, but that is irrelevant to your decision.

So, I'll just repeat what I mentioned before, go and try it out and wait for WWDC.

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by aryayush

@gx_saurav, I am warning you. Remove that last statement from your signature. You know just as well as I do that I never said something like that. You are free to include anything there that I have actually said. If you do not remove it within twenty-four hours starting this moment, I'll absolutely make sure it is removed by force. You have absolutely no right to misquote anyone.

If the mods & admins, find it offensive other then freedom of speach, then surely I will .

Back to topic plz arya.

sbhas2k

Arya is right, he is the only one here who knows about Mac, a self proclaimed Mac genius. You are adviced to wait for WWDC.

One thing I want to ask, what is your budget? Cos a full fledged Macbook Pro will cost u atleast 1 lakh or more, while Mac book will cost u 64k or more, without a dedicated graphics chip. However the HP DV6226TX costs about 60k with 1 GB RAM & nVidia Geforce 7 series graphics card. It does holds a flaunt value in black colour though. Quite sleek with a webcam.

You can also install MacOS X on this laptop, though it will need to be done using illegal ways. Google is your best friend.

[sbhas2k]

Hello guys..

I didn't asked abt choosing windows or macosx.. i know dat i can install windows on macbook pro and mac osx on hp...

Just i wanna laptop wid lot of features, stylish, usability etc... I wanna play some games(not much) and mainly 4 movies n music.

As far as i know .. Apple is sleek nd stylish but damn costly... i'm choosing macbk pro bcz of 15.4 screen n graphics accelerator..
whereas hp is under budget with lot of features, widescreen.. but not stylish and sleek + battery backup is also low..

two ques -> does Hp has keyboard light... and
2nd.. if i install windows on macbook pro, can't i use USB 2.0 in windows?

And any inputs on Thinkpad T60p?

[gxsaurav]

Well, since you already know that you can install any OS on any of the 2 laptops. Lets come to the hardware only

HP is cheap & is a PC, it works as a PC. If you install Windows on a Macbook you will face problems like non-standerd keyboard of Mac. Well, that keyboard of Macbook is very well suited for Mac OS but not for Windows, like there is no delete key, no insert key etc.

2nd, the cost. Macbook Pro costs more then 1 lakh. Arya's macbook pro costs 1.5lakh, do u justify paying that much price on a laptop? Well, if you can then there is no denying to buy a Macbook, cos you can get the same functionality in HP for far less cost.

3rd the looks, yup, White colour Macbook looks nice indeed, but the Glossy Looks of HP DV622TX appeal a lot. Now it depends on your personal subjective choice. A white laptop which has known heating problems with the whole systems resulting in sweaty hands & hot bottom or a black glossy laptop which is also available in Intel Santa Rosa configs now with balenced system configuration.

You can increse or decrese the fan speed of Macbook pro using 3rd party hcaks. The graphics card in Macbook Pro which is Radeon X1600 doesn't run at it's specified clock speed given by ATI. It runs at a lower clock speed due to heat issues.

RAM can be upgraded in both easily.

Macbook pro doesn't support ExpressCard interface. Since you are buying a laptop for quite some years to come, this is a vital feature as 3rd party manufacturers are coming with more & more Express Card devices everyday.

As far as I know, Macbook pro doesn't support HD Audio. Arya, can u install Vista on it in dual boot to check whether the onboard Audio chip is HD Audio or not?

Both come with onboard bluetooth.

HP Battery backup isn't low. Just get the 9 cell battery insted of default 6 cell.

AppleCare plan which is like annual AMC costs Rs 15k. In case of PC Laptop the prices are very low.

two ques -> does Hp has keyboard light... and
2nd.. if i install windows on macbook pro, can't i use USB 2.0 in windows?

1) I think it doesn't, go & check at your neartest HP dealer or google for it.

2) If you install Windows on MBP, then you can obviously use the USB. However I m nore sure about USB performance in Windows while running on MBP. Arya can clear this.

The only reason I would recomend going for Macbook is that you are sure to get a while colour Apple laptop. Thats the only thing good about it, looks.

Thinkpad T60p is a workstation class laptop. It comes with ATI FireGL graphics chip which sux when it comes to gaming. This chip is not meant for gaming. It is also quite heavy compared to both HP & Macbook Pro. I wouldn't recomend this unless you are looking for a mobile workstation

[iMav]

the best advice wud be u urself chk out at stores which suits u better:

in andheri west opposite laxmi ind estate thers an apple showroom ... besides the 1s mentioned by arya ... amboli, inorbit ... also visit the juhu croma they have a range of laptops u will get a fair idea of the usability of the ho machine


chk out both personally to see which suits u coz with mac u will ahve a different keyboard not saying its good or bad) but ttry it out

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

I didn't asked abt choosing windows or macosx.. i know dat i can install windows on macbook pro and mac osx on hp...

There is a lot of difference.
1. Installing Mac OS X on a PC is not legal and is frought with several issues. Apple actively tries to make the operating system cause problems when running on normal PCs. However, it is possible, yes.
2. You have to reboot to switch between the operating systems. On a Mac, you can install Windows in Parallels Desktop or VMWare right on top of Mac OS X and it will give you superb integration. The mouse will work seamlessly, drag and drop will work between the two operating systems, they can share an Internet connection, the shortcuts will change so that they are the same on both the OSes - it is a whole lot better than dual booting. It is difficult to make someone fully appreciate the power of Parallels Desktop unless they have used it.

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

Just i wanna laptop wid lot of features, stylish, usability etc... I wanna play some games(not much) and mainly 4 movies n music.

Movies, masti, music - everything is fine. Games? Not so much. Macs have a very small selection of high end games to choose from. Windows is preferred for gaming. So, while you can game on a MacBook Pro, you'll have to reboot into Windows to do that.

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

does Hp has keyboard light

No, it doesn't.

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

2nd.. if i install windows on macbook pro, can't i use USB 2.0 in windows?

Of course you can. And there are no performance issues either. Apple gives you all the drivers you would need and everything works perfectly fine - from USB to FireWire, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, even the iSight camera, microphone and Apple remote. Simply everything works.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Macbook pro doesn't support ExpressCard interface. Since you are buying a laptop for quite some years to come, this is a vital feature as 3rd party manufacturers are coming with more & more Express Card devices everyday.

It does. It comes with an ExpressCard slot and it is located on the left side of the base of the notebook. Next...

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

As far as I know, Macbook pro doesn't support HD Audio. Arya, can u install Vista on it in dual boot to check whether the onboard Audio chip is HD Audio or not?

Bloody smartass! What do you think of yourself! You actually thought I would install a whole operating system on my MBP and boot into it just to check something you asked me to? LOL!

Mac OS X is perfectly capable of telling me whether the machine has HD audio or not, thank you very much.
@sbhas2k, yes, it supports HD Audio.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

AppleCare plan which is like annual AMC costs Rs 15k. In case of PC Laptop the prices are very low.

Every Mac comes with a standard warranty of one year of free onsite and telephone support. You need to spend fifteen thousand rupees if you want to extend the coverage to three years.

@sbhas2k, I am confused now. Which one are you planning to buy, the MacBook or the MacBook Pro? The MacBook Pro is the aluminum one and the MacBook is the white one. Of course, only the Pro comes with the 15.4 inch screen so I guess that is what you are thinking of buying. This gx_saurav guy had me confused.

And I forgot to tell you one more plus point, MacBook Pros are the thinnest and lightest laptops in their class. Not the MacBooks though. The MacBooks are the thinnest but not the lightest.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Just out of curiosity I m asking this. If you insert a DVD in the slot loading drive & power cuts, how do u get it out? in Mechanical drives you just insert the pin & tray opens.

MacBook Pro = notebook
Notebook = comes with a battery
Comes with a battery = Keeps working in the event of a power cut.

Simple.

[sbhas2k]

Thx for all the inputs..

Indeed i've visited the inorbit mall and saw the Macbook Pro. I like it bcz it was sexy and i can install windows in it,but haven't checked the performance of windows on it..
Anyway will visit onceagain to have a handson experience,since i'm gonna wait till june 15th.

As said early i'm gonna get from US, Hp will cost me arnd 70K with 2g ram, latest processor, tv tuner card, nvidia 7400, webcam(not dat gd) etc.. but it dont like the lights all arnd the lappy + the sounds during volume up,down etc + no light for keyboard

Where as Apple will be 85-90k with 1G ram, isight, HD audio(of course apple has HD) etc.. but no insert, home, printscreen btns (of course der will be shrtcuts for this ) + only 1G ram and 2.16 ghz processor + no high volume in inbuilt speakers.

@aryayush : i checked in various reviews and forums nd it was metioned dat in windows isight won't work and supports only USB 1.0 + few other issues r der bt dunno abt the reliability of the sources.
Is MBP has heating prob ??

My budget is arnd 85-90K within which both Hp & MBP will fit in..

HP Dv600t : $1610

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic (32-bit) edit
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz/4MB L2Cache) edit
Display 15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800) edit
Memory 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) edit
Graphics Card 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7400 edit
Personalization Free webcam included with HP Imprint + Microphone edit
Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth edit
Broadband Wireless Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard edit
Hard Drive FREE Upgrade from 80GB 5400RPM to 120GB 5400RPM!! edit
Primary CD/DVD Drive LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer edit
TV & Entertainment Experience HP Expresscard TV Tuner for Windows Vista Notebook edit
Primary Battery High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery edit
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works 8.0 edit



Apple macbook pro : $1994
Product Features

• 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB shared L2 cache
• 1 GB RAM (SO-DIMM) 677 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) 120 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive slot load 6x Super Drive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• 1 FireWire 800 port, 1 FireWire 400 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard/34 slot, DVI output with support for VGA (requires adapter included sold separately), combined optical digital/analog line in, combined optical digital/headphone out
• Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics processor, dual-link DVI support, 128 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM

Processor, Memory, and Motherboard

• Hardware Platform: Mac
• Processor: 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo
• Number of Processors: 1
• RAM: 1 GB
• RAM Type: DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drive

• Size: 120 GB
• Type: Serial ATA

Graphics and Display

• LCD Native Resolution: 15.4

Cases and Expandability

• Weight: 5.6 pounds

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

it dont like the lights all arnd the lappy

Exactly. I'm glad someone mentioned it. I knew if I would, people would say that I am just criticising it because it isn't Apple's and that it looks cool. It doesn't. It looks fugly. HP's and Dell's design team needs to do their homework more seriously. Sony's VAIO range has lights too, but at least they are subtle and actually look good (in most cases).

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

but no insert, home, printscreen btns (of course der will be shrtcuts for this )

No shortcut for Insert though. I don't know why someone needs that key, but if you do, you'll have to use another keyboard. The rest are there and have substitutes if not.

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

no high volume in inbuilt speakers.

If you are saying so in general, you're right. It isn't that loud. But it is louder than HP dv8000's. I haven't compared with the dv6000 though. I'm sure it is louder, but you need to check it out. I feel that the speakers on my MacBook Pro are very good.

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

@i checked in various reviews and forums nd it was metioned dat in windows isight won't work and supports only USB 1.0 + few other issues r der bt dunno abt the reliability of the sources.

Check the date for those reviews. They are very old. Boot Camp presently comes with drivers that enable full-fledged support for every hardware component in any Mac. I have Vista installed right now and everything works fine (except the crap operating system itself, but there isn't much Apple can do about that).

Originally Posted by sbhas2k

Is MBP has heating prob ??

Yes, it has. By problem, I mean that it heats up a lot. The manual says that over-heating is perfectly standard behaviour and nothing to be alarmed about. The heat can get uncomfortable for the wrists at times though. I use a simple application that increases the speeds of the fans and that does a good job of lowering the temperature. Keeping it on a flat surface with a fan pointed towards it helps a lot. But if you sit somewhere with the sun's heat falling on the notebook, it does get uncomfortably hot.
My personal view is that a little extra heat is not a heavy price for getting to use Mac OS X. Your opinion might vary.

[gxsaurav]

2. You have to reboot to switch between the operating systems. On a Mac, you can install Windows in Parallels Desktop or VMWare right on top of Mac OS X and it will give you superb integration. The mouse will work seamlessly, drag and drop will work between the two operating systems, they can share an Internet connection, the shortcuts will change so that they are the same on both the OSes - it is a whole lot better than dual booting. It is difficult to make someone fully appreciate the power of Parallels Desktop unless they have used it.

keep in mind, this is still virtualisation & is slow. You also require atleast 2 GB RAM if u intend to virtualize on Macbook Pro. That adds additional costs.

Bloody smartass! What do you think of yourself! You actually thought I would install a whole operating system on my MBP and boot into it just to check something you asked me to? LOL!

You just said U have Vista installed.

Originally Posted by arya

And I forgot to tell you one more plus point, MacBook Pros are the thinnest and lightest laptops in their class. Not the MacBooks though. The MacBooks are the thinnest but not the lightest.

Originally Posted by arya

Yes, it has. By problem, I mean that it heats up a lot. The manual says that over-heating is perfectly standard behaviour and nothing to be alarmed about. The heat can get uncomfortable for the wrists at times though. I use a simple application that increases the speeds of the fans and that does a good job of lowering the temperature. Keeping it on a flat surface with a fan pointed towards it helps a lot. But if you sit somewhere with the sun's heat falling on the notebook, it does get uncomfortably hot.
My personal view is that a little extra heat is not a heavy price for getting to use Mac OS X. Your opinion might vary.

Gr8, so over heating is good feature. Lolz

Keep one aditional thing in mind. There are only a few TV Tuners for Mac, while the HP unit comes with one already. Like I mentioned, 3rd party components for MacOS X is low compared to Windows. Why buy a Macbook if you will end up running Windows on it. The 1 inch think enclosure does makes it thin, but also very hot. You are paying more money in case of MBP & still getting 1 GB RAM only, while in case of HP you are paying less money but getting 2 GB RAM.

However since you want to buy a white unit...there isn't much to advice u.

[aryayush]

MacBook Pros are not white, you idiot!

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

keep in mind, this is still virtualisation & is slow. You also require atleast 2 GB RAM if u intend to virtualize on Macbook Pro. That adds additional costs.

One gigabyte of RAM is fine enough for virtualisation. And there is a free virtualisation application for Mac OS X too, but is currently only in beta and I personally do not think it is ever going to be as good as Parallels.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

You just said U have Vista installed.

Yes, I have. But you said "Arya, can u install Vista on it in dual boot to check whether the onboard Audio chip is HD Audio or not?" My reply was for this vain statement.

@sbhas2k, I forgot to mention one very good feature of MacBook Pros that is absent from the HP offering - the sudden motion sensors. They are designed to protect your hard drive in case your laptop ever falls. Mine has never fallen so I cannot comment on how well it works.
However, this feature has spawned a very useful and free third party application that prevents your notebook from being stolen. I have it installed. When I sleep at night, my notebook stays awake downloading from the BitTorrent network. I get up late in the morning and this little utility ensures that I am alerted if someone dares to move my notebook from it's position on the table (like the servant, for example). It is darn useful.

[iMav]

well then why dont u drop and tell how good actually the mac book pro is

[nepcker]

Gaming on the MacBook Pro:

Macs are definitely not the best machines you can get for gaming. (Gamings consoles are.) But still, you can find many games for Mac OS X. I play a lot of them myself.

Visit www.apple.com/games

[aryayush]

These are the good games on Mac OS X, no more and no less:

Age of Empires III
Call of Duty 2
Close Combat: First to Fight
Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour
Doom 3
Halo: Combat Evolved
Prey
Quake 4
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked!
Shrek 2
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Warlords
The Sims 2 (Family Fun Stuff; Nightlife; Open for Business; Pets; University)
Spider-Man 2 The Game
The Sims Life Stories
Unreal Tournament 2004
Warcraft III: (Reign of Chaos; The Frozen Throne)
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
Zoo Tycoon 2

Starcraft II will be released by Blizzard Entertainment simultaneously for both Mac and PC.

[gxsaurav]

That motion sensor has been available in IBM Laptops from quite sometime. Inquire about HP though.

[nepcker]

Well, I'm currently waiting to play Enemy Territory: Quake Wars on my mac.

"Mobile gaming has moved from the backseat to the driver’s seat with the MacBook Pro. Experience the best games on a 17-inch display (1680x1050) with the amazing combined power of the Intel Core 2 Duo and ATI Mobility Radeon X1600. The ultimate gaming laptop is just 1 inch thick and weighs a mere 6.8 pounds — a heavyweight in an ultra light body. Plasq’s Comic Life is included."
Check: http://www.apple.com/games/hardware/index.html#go
http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/graphics.html

And oh, here are some more great games you can play on Mac OS X:
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Myst Online: Uru Live
Star Wars: Empire at War
X3: Reunion
Imperial Glory