14 DAY TRIAL // Sean Balsiger compared the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models and their Dell alternatives. This curiosity struck him when he saw how well equipped the new and updated MacBooks are.
The closest to the MacBook Pro line seems to be the Dell Precision line as it is their high-end line of notebooks. If one wanted to compare the basic 15.4 inch model from Apple, then the Dell should be upgraded just to match the standard features of the MacBook. From there on, things are almost identical.
One win for Dell in the configuration department is that its video card has got 256MB and can use 256MB of shared memory for a total of 512MB, whereas the MacBook has got only 128MB video card. Well, this is certainly a strong point, as the video card's memory is important, but bear in mind that the Dell was upgraded to resemble MacBook's performance and Sean did not upgrade Dell's screen or its optical drive to a DVD burner. He could have... but that would have meant more money spent and even without these upgrades, the MacBook was $875 cheaper. The upgraded Dell goes up to $2,874 while the MacBook to $1,999 with its standard features.
Well... with that difference of $875 one could upgrade the 15-inch MacBook to a 2.33GHz processor with 2GB RAM and 200GB HD and still remain with $100 in its pocket. Also, with $2,874 (the cost of an upgraded Dell Precision notebook, the alternative to the 15-inch MacBook Pro) you could buy an 17-inc MacBook Pro with a 2.33GHz processor, 2GB standard memory and a 160GB HD.
Talking about the 17-inch MacBook Pro...Dell's alternative to this model of notebook is almost the same if talking about the hardware configuration. The only difference between the Macbook Pro and the Dell is that one has an ATI graphics card (Apple) and the other has an Nvidia card, both have the same memory, Sean says.
Well, when it comes to the price difference, it is huge. The MacBook is $2,799 whereas the Dell $4,142. What would one choose? Facts are enough to answer that question.
In the end, Sean Balsiger writes something that many who came in contact with Apple's products have asked themselves: Is there really a reason to stay on PCs anymore? he myth that Apple computers are more expensive than PCs needs to end. They have proven that they are committed to selling well-equipped computers at reasonable prices. Now people just need to take the time to compare the systems and realize that with a Mac they are getting a better computer at a better price with a better operating system, and if they don't like Mac OS X they are still better off to spend hundreds of dollars less and buy a copy of Windows for their Mac.