Macbook pro 13 inch or Alienware m11x

fogzo

Any advice on which laptop to go for would be appreciated it will be used for web design, scripting and the odd occasional gaming :P

Also read in some other forums that alienware comps have been known to "blow up" can anyone confirm this? or any problems with them

jayme1

at this very moment in time a definite neither

the alienware m11x has been discontinued now, and the macbook is going to be upgraded to the new ivy bridge CPUs very very soon so wait for that upgrade.

I would say for what you want to use the laptop for you will want as large screen as possible, I think 11" will be too small esp for gaming and personally I find 13" is too small too.

so given only those 2 choices I would go macbook pro but definitely wait for the ivy bridge upgrade, as the CPU and GPU performance will be much improved.

gonzo127

also depends on what games you want to play because macs are not great for gaming (although are getting better with steam now working properly on mac - the game selection is still very limited)

i also feel that for webdesign and scripting what you are looking at spending is probably overkill (and as above will not be helped by a small screen(

Dussed

Last time I checked the Apple MBP line, I'm sure that dedicated graphics cards started at the 15" model, meaning you'd have a hard time gaming on the 13". As for the Alienware, in my experience, I'd never go near anything Dell anymore, so much hassle, effectively scamming me with a repair that was started about 10 days before the year warranty was up. I'd go for the MBP all the way if you have the money, the support will be a hell load better.

ragecake

I wouldnt go with a Mac for gaming, they're not very stable, and tend to be a little crap.

Alienware, whilst still a part of Dell, have their own CS department, so are better than Dell anyway.
I've never heard of an Alienware blowing up though...

Im wielding a pretty badass Asus, and have had no trouble with anything, and Im constantly running the internet, Photoshop with all it's editing gubbins I've added on, and all my photography software, and it still plays games happily.

InsideInsurance

ragecake wrote: »

I wouldnt go with a Mac for gaming, they're not very stable, and tend to be a little crap.

What the hell mac have you been using?

I agree with others that there are not many games on them and whilst it is now improving they are well behind the curve but unstable? Can count on one hand how many times I have ever rebooted any of my Macs other than for major OS updates.

To the OP - if you want mainstream gaming rig then a mac isnt for you, at least not in the next 2-3 years or so I'd guess.

I personally would hold off on any MBP purchase right now as the refresh is well over due and there are increasing rumours of it using the new Ivy Bridge processors with an announcement date being June and launch quickly after. Of cause these are just rumours and so could be well out