SlayerS_BoxeR Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 alright, my laptop completely died, and i need to buy one asap. i sometimes need to use windows for visual studio or mssql server. i hate windows, i'm sick of those errors BSOD and that's why i have brought up mac, but yeah i have to use windows at some point i'm not going to go into gaming or graphical design/multimedia tweaking so would you rather recommend macbook air (or air refurb) or surface pro3? don't say dell/thinkpad/asus/ and whatever and if you buy a macbook, can you download bootcamp rather than actually buying one? coz buying one is actually ridiculous how do you find running VS or mssql server on a bootcamp or on surface pro3? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primexx Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 well if you "hate" windows but have to use it occassionally, the choice is pretty damn obvious: get the one that runs OSX and can also run Windows decently, rather than the one that can only run Windows. astropheed, Osiris and satysin 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian S. Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 i hate windows, i'm sick of those errors BSOD ... Hold it right there, I have never gotten a BSOD in like 5 years, and never had I had one with Windows 8, so don't base your opinion off of that. +E.Worm Jimmy 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raa Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Hold it right there, I have never gotten a BSOD in like 5 years, and never had I had one with Windows 8, so don't base your opinion off of that. I'd have to agree. I have had no issues whatsoever with Windows 7 (recommended). So in this case since you need to use Windows, i'd recommend getting the Surface Pro 3. (Y) +E.Worm Jimmy 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctified Veteran Posted June 30, 2014 Veteran Share Posted June 30, 2014 Your question is self-answering: If you hate windows but have to use it from time to time the Mac is your choice since OS X cant be used on a non Apple machine (easily). Both machines are superb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio384 Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 You answer your own querstion, if you hate Windows, buy a Mac. On the other hand, you seem to hate Windows for reasons that do not exist. +E.Worm Jimmy, Raa and primexx 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeChipshop Member Posted June 30, 2014 Member Share Posted June 30, 2014 i hate windows, i'm sick of those errors BSOD and that's why i have brought up mac, Get with the times chap. Raa and +E.Worm Jimmy 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlayerS_BoxeR Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 how do you find running VS or mssql when you run on a bootcamp? and in surface pro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctified Veteran Posted June 30, 2014 Veteran Share Posted June 30, 2014 This is not a thread to debate the validity of his objections towards Windows. Please, stay on topic. astropheed and Nick H. 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Account no longer active) Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 MacBook Air displays aren't that great. You're best off with a 13" MacBook Pro. A MBP will give better performance than a Surface Pro 3. There's no lag with Boot Camp; it's just a set of drivers and a boot manager. A MacBook will actually outperform a PC with similar specs (Apple fine-tune their hardware well). Alternatively, there's many MacBooks on eBay - even a white 2009 model may suit your needs (a MacBook with a Core 2 and 4GB of RAM (and SSD drive) is still quite a powerful machine). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctified Veteran Posted June 30, 2014 Veteran Share Posted June 30, 2014 MacBook Air displays aren't that great. You're best off with a 13" MacBook Pro. How so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Account no longer active) Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 how do you find running VS or mssql when you run on a bootcamp? and in surface pro? Compare processor specs using PassMark (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php). Anything with a score of 2000+ combined with 4GB of RAM should run Visual Studio and MS SQL quite fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Account no longer active) Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 How so? I've used both Airs and Pros for a few hours (in some cases, days). Air displays don't have as good contrast and viewing angle, but what I don't like the most is the purple/pink tint when reflecting a white light source (not the case on a Pro). I'd put them in the same class as an older white MacBook's display. Plus, Retina displays are the future. Next time your at a store that has both on display compare them side by side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctified Veteran Posted June 30, 2014 Veteran Share Posted June 30, 2014 I've used both Airs and Pros for a few hours (in some cases, days). Air displays don't have as good contrast and viewing angle, but what I don't like the most is the purple/pink tint when reflecting a white light source (not the case on a Pro). I'd put them in the same class as an older white MacBook's display. Plus, Retina displays are the future. Cant argue with that, the display is indeed better. However, there's also value in mobility, power economy and physical footprint. My guess is that the OP was after these principles as well since he was considering a tablet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Co-ords Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 If you can wait there will be a 12" Air relased later this year with a retina display... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Account no longer active) Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Cant argue with that, the display is indeed better. However, there's also value in mobility, power economy and physical footprint. My guess is that the OP was after these principles as well since he was considering a tablet. Both an Air and Surface Pro should run Visual Studio and MS SQL without much lag at all (having Intel i-series processors). I'm actually confident to say with no lag (considering they also have SSD disks, after having done some serious (HD) video editing on an Air last year - it flew along). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeChipshop Member Posted June 30, 2014 Member Share Posted June 30, 2014 This is not a thread to debate the validity of his objections towards Windows. Please, stay on topic. It very much is. He asked which one to go for and his misconceptions about Windows are a defining factor in his decision. Thus i think any one including myself, has every right to call these in to question. ajua 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctified Veteran Posted June 30, 2014 Veteran Share Posted June 30, 2014 It very much is. He asked which one to go for and his misconceptions about Windows are a defining factor in his decision. Thus i think any one including myself, has every right to call these in to question. He's talking about experiences, not beliefs. If HE cant stand Windows because HIS experience who are we to debate it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeChipshop Member Posted June 30, 2014 Member Share Posted June 30, 2014 He's talking about experiences, not beliefs. If HE cant stand Windows because HIS experience who are we to debate it? His experiences directly relate to the question. I'm all for staying on topic but IT IS on topic. Mini-modding people is not on topic and creates a lot of resentment in a thread, a thread that most people came in to help the OP out. For what it is worth OP, Windows crashes, driver incompatibilities etc are very much rare these days but in your case it is clear that a Macbook running a VM for the occasional Windows use would suit you far more than the Surface 3. shastasheen 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlayerS_BoxeR Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 is this a SSD or HDD? http://store.apple.com/au/product/FD760X/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-air-13ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctified Veteran Posted June 30, 2014 Veteran Share Posted June 30, 2014 is this a SSD or HDD? http://store.apple.com/au/product/FD760X/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-air-13ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5 SSD. 128GB flash storage1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchie64 Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 BIt of a silly question, with the added remarks of the OP. For me it would come down to 3 things: 1. Will OSX become my main OS for daily use? 2. Is tablet portability a highly favoured 'must have'? You'll have to live with the fridge/toaster combo :D 3. Are you going to actively use the touchscreen and pen? If the last two answers are no, than you might want to go for a iSomething if you hate all manufacturers that make Windows based hardware. Also, not sure about the buying of Bootcamp, as -afaik- Bootcamp comes with OSX as a feature. And really BSOD's? Not sure what brand of laptop you have, but these are very rare indeed nowadays. It always almost comes down to crappy/failing hardware, or badly written drivers. Mostly 3rd party ones. My old HP laptop started giving me BSOD's, and it turned out to be the cooling for the NVIDIA GPU. It got so hot, it literally melted itself off of the mobo. So yeah, Windows will give you BSOD's at that point :s It also steared me away from the cheaper laptops, and looked into a slightly more expensive range of hardware. I wish I could afford the Pro3 atm, it's 99% my dream tablet right now. > :wub: Just compare hardware specs for the software questions. I don't think there's much out there that wouldn't run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlayerS_BoxeR Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 http://store.apple.com/au-hed/product/FD231X/A/refurbished-133-inch-macBook-Air-18ghz-dual-core-Intel-Core-i5 that one is from 2012 and the one below is from 2013 http://store.apple.com/au-hed/product/FD760X/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-air-13ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5 do you reckon any big difference? which one would you go for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Som Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 hardy a fair comparison. why not look for a laptop with a similar spec to the macbook and save a bit of cash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesseinsf Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Surface Pro 3 because the MacBook Air only meets the bare minimum requirements for Visual Studio. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/4c26cc39(v=vs.90).aspx This guy sounds like he's never used a current OS in years. MacBook Air with Windows on it? Yes it can be done, but Windows on a MacBook Air is sensless. You are better off getting a MacBook Pro if you install Windows on it. Surface Pro 3 is a bit more but I would recommend it over a MacBook Air. The Surface has every feature of a phone/tablet with the power of a laptop. The MacBook Air is just a laptop. Plus the Surface Pro 3 has better connectivity with all your devices and it comes with a very good pen and superior screen resolution. Also the MacBook air meets the bare Minimum for the requirements. So Again Surface Pro 3 because it's so much more portable and you will never get BSOD's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts