I’ve always been an opponent of Mac. Mostly because of the fanaticism behind the brand. I still cannot get my head around paying an inflated price on identical hardware just because of a brand. Not to mention, the inability or limitations to upgrading that hardware. Below I will show how a 15″ 2.2GHz MacBook Pro compares against an almost identical hardware PC.
| Model | 15″ 2.2 GHz MacBook Pro | SAMSUNG Series 7 NP700Z5A-S0AUS |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | OS X Lion | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit |
| Processor | 2.2GHz Intel Core i7 | Intel Core i7-2675QM 2.2GHz |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512MB | AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1TB |
| Memory | 4GB 1333MHz | 8GB |
| Hard Drive | 500GB 5400-rpm | 1TB |
| Optical Drive | 8x slot-loading SuperDrive | DVD +/-RW Super Multi Dual Layer (S-ATA) |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g, 10/100/1000BASE-T | Gigabit LAN and WLAN |
| USB | Two USB 2.0 ports | 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0 |
| Screen | 15.4″ | 15.6″ |
| Dimensions | 14.35″ x 9.82″ x 0.95″ | 14.2″ x 9.3″ x 0.94″ |
| Weight | 5.6 lbs | 5.04 lbs |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 hours | Up to 7.8 hours |
| Other |
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| Price * | $1,799.00 | $1,149.99 |
This was the closest core hardware PC I could find to compare against. Even with this, the Samsung has twice the graphics memory, system memory and hard drive space. Some personal preference features which I enjoy having are the USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI port. In order to get an HDMI port with Apple, you must buy a proprietary Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter. MacBook has an aluminum body, but this is an aesthetic detail. It seems that this aesthetic appeal is why people would pay an additional $650.
You may claim that MacBook pro has a more robust operating system. However, this is untrue. I do give Apple credit for providing excellent customer and technical support, however, if you are planning on spending this amount of money on a piece of hardware, I would assume that your technical knowledge would drive you towards a PC platform.
* Price as of 2012/04/29
