Macbook vs Surface book?

[Don Chance]

Which do you think is better buy.

 

1)Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro 2.7GHz Dual-core Intel i5 with Retina Display

March 2015 

8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory

128GB PCIe-based flash storage

I would probably run windows on the lap anyways.

 

2) Used like new condition Surface Book,CR9-00001

 

I've heard the screen is better on the Mac? I can get them either  for around the same price of $1200

Edited June 28, 2017 by Don Chance

[dave_boo]

That's a lot of dosh for the Macbook.  Exact same specs as the wife's I can tell you that 128GB sounds like it would be sufficient but it really isn't.  You also will give up the "page up/down", "del" (printing "delete" on the backspace key doesn't not make it a "del" key!), and "home/end" keys (amongst others).  Yes you can map the keys, but as they won't be labelled you'll have to remember which is which.  Also only has 2x USB ports and the side mounted SD reader leaves the card sticking out.  Heavy usage gets the fans ramped up and the exhaust goes right up the front of the screen.  And the exhaust...what a great gunk trap.  If you are even a little bit OCD this will drive you nuts.  Have never used the Thunderbolt ports either.  Those are the reasons I deleted LXLE off of it; was just too frustrating.

 

However, the construction is rather nice.  It feels solid in your hands.  The keyboard is ok (although many people praise it I don't actually see the improvement over other brands).  The touchpad recognises and does a good job of understanding what I'm trying to do; this is a big deal compared to my Lenovo gaming laptop.  The screen is really nice.  It also, under OSX, seems to have an auto dim/brighten feature.  It is not anti-reflective which I do like, but I don't mind repositioning myself to prevent glare/reflection however you have to be judicious about how you clean it as waterspots will stay especially in the corners (that's more of my OCD).  The Mag-safe power connector is brilliant; having kids and being a klutz myself it has saved the machines from hitting the floor many times.  The audio system is nice for a laptop of course.  It also has the TRRS 3.5mm jack which means your 'small talk' headset can be utilised.  The SSD in there is nice and responsive.  The suspend/resume in OSX is nice and quick.  Battery life is ok but I don't really know how much offloading it does to the Intel GPU as it does seem to get rather warm when playing back x264/265 videos.

 

Never worked on a Surface Book, although some coworkers had them.  But not any more.  There's the screen aspect ratio difference; 3:2 versus 16:10.  The SB is also a higher density screen.  So I'd most likely recommend the CR9-00001 as it is newer, runs Windows natively, and can function as a tablet....but I don't have experience with it.

[gjoo888]

$1,200 for either a refurbished two year old MacBook or a second hand Surface Book? For that kind of money, I wouldn't buy either of those. The Dell XPS is rated by many reviewers as one of the best, if not best laptop out there, and you can get a new one with great specs for around the same price. 

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/dell-xps-13-1328971/review

 

I'm a Thinkpad diehard, but would defintely give the Dell XPS a long look next time I'm in the market.

[Jeffrey346]

The MAC is built better and will last longer. I am currently using a 2009 Macbook Pro. I upgraded the RAM to 8 Gig and replaced the HD with an SSD. My MAC runs flawlessly. 

 

Keep in mind, MACs are designed to run Apple"s OS which is far superior to Windows. Once you get use to the MAC OS you will never mutter the word Windows again.

If you insist on using Windows, buy a machine that is designed to run Windows.

[Sapporillo]

As previous posters stated, if you're gonna use Windows, you'll probably be happier with a machine designed for Windows. The MacBook may seem expensive, but it usually pays off in the long run. 

[Belzybob]

SurfacePro provides a non-upgradeable option for a very high priced POS.

[DMC1]

If you want windows get a windows machine.

I've had the same MacBook Pro since 2011 (upgraded SSD). Still runs like new, unbelievable value for 6 years use so far and superb build quality.

If you're happy with windows, then shop around a bit more. If you're willing to try Mac OS, then make the switch.

[CanuckThai]

I'm running a Surface Pro.  Love it.  Anyone that's tried it out for "size" has loved it.  There might be better, (always will be something better, if not today, then maybe tomorrow or next week ....).  I've had this one with me on projects from the coldest of northern Canada, the hottest and dustiest of North Africa and throughout  the SE Asian humidity.  Flawless (touch wood).  

[rapom]

Tiger Direct website sells this MacBook Pro brand new for $1299 and with the 256gb ssd for $200 more. You can buy refurbished from Newegg.com a lot cheaper than the price you quote. Both websites have Surfaces too. I would never buy any refurbished computer or any other eleçtronics (especially in Thailand) unless it was done by and included a factory warranty, even then it would have to be a bargain price.  Without a warranty, once you pay it's your problem. Personally, I would never buy any Apple product for the same reason a would not pay $250 or a pair of athletic shoes endorsed by some pro athlete. The value for your money doesn't equate. The 1-year-old HP computer I am using has a 17" HD touchscreen,  I-7 processor, 1tb hardrive, 12gb memory, Nvidia graphics and a DVD drive, cost less than $700 including sales tax. That is value for the money.

[Medicine Man]

http://m.gearbest.com/laptops/pp_421980.html?wid=4&lkid=10311901

If you want a high spec laptop that looks like a MacBook for not much money check these out. You have to change the windows 10 to an English version but there is a lot of help on the Internet. I've just built mine and it is a very good laptop