I've had my laptop for around 6 years now and it's beginning to show it's age... so I'm gonna have to replace it with something. MacBooks are obviously nice to have, but I'm thinking a gaming PC might be nice to have just for the extra options as far as games go. I haven't played any PC games seriously since around 2003 so it could be fun to get back into that... although I do have a PS3 and 360 already so it's not a total necessity. Public opinion?
Do what I'm going to do when I upgrade computers, get a dell mini 10v and put snow leopard on it, then get a gaming laptop or desktop.
If you already have a PS3 and 360, do you really need another option? I have trouble playing all my games and I only have a 360. Honestly how much would you see yourself strictly gaming on the pc? If you think it will be a lot, it might be worth it. If you just need a new computer, but figure you might as well get one that can play bad ass games just in case you might want to, but are mostly interested in the computery things it can do, I'd say get the MacBook for sure. I was never really big into computer games, except for the more casual stuff like King's Quest, and never advanced past Doom and Duke Nukem as far as online playing. I was always more into consoles anyway. And I have a MBP and it's my most treasured item, I don't think I could love an object more. Sometimes I spoon with it on the couch. It's my greatest purchase ever, does everything I need a computer to do. Although that could differ quite a bit from what you need a computer to do. And surprisingly, there are some fun games you can get on a Mac. Not the hottest new titles or anything, but it has it's own library of games that's worth having on your lappie while on the go. Plus emulators. It's perfect for that. Wait, do you/have you used Mac's before? Or would this be your "switch"?
Yeah I'd stick to console gaming primarily, it's just those few games that either aren't released on consoles or perform badly on them. You're right, I just need a new computer and figured if I'm spending money anyway it might be worth a bit extra to make it play games. A MacBook would be my switch, my laptop was never very good at actually being portable with it's awkwardly placed vents so I never really bothered taking it anywhere, my sister has a MacBook and it's kind of annoying when she's sitting comfortably on the couch with it and I have to go upstairs and sit in my uncomfortable chair to use this old thing. I do quite like nooobynick's idea too though, are these the things you're talking about: http://www.dell.co.uk/mini ? Very cheap indeed.
The PC gaming market is slowly phasing itself out and seeing as you've got a PS3 and an Xbox, a gaming laptop wouldn't be on the top of my list of priorities. It's no secret that I love Apple and I'd be going for the new MBP 13" if I was in this position. But whatever, if you're used to Windows and like it and you don't want to give up Steam, go with your gaming rig.
I think a MacBook Pro might be slightly over my budget. It's a tough choice 'cause I could build a PC that totally screams for £700 shopping in the right place. I don't really prefer PCs to Macs at all, as with consoles they both have pros and cons, and they both do what I want so they're both a viable choice. Never used Steam though, it'd make this old thing glow red hot just running steam.exe let alone any games I bought on it.
I believe so, just make sure you get the 10v, the normal 10 won't work I believe, here is a guide from gizmodo on how to do it. http://gizmodo.com/5389166/how-to-hackintosh-a-dell-mini-10v-into-the-ultimate-snow-leopard-netbook
That's always the cheapest option. You could build your own superfast gaming rig AND get a Dell Mini 10 (w/hackintosh) for a pretty reasonable amount of money. Hodapp has a hackintoshed Dell Mini 9. http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=9103
I eventually gave up on the Dell Mini 9 as the hackintosh community is almost as bad as the jailbreak community. I guess if you're happy running outdated stuff until someone gets around to hacking kernel extensions and other junk with each iteration of OSX, then whatever. I eventually bought a 13" MacBook Pro to replace my Mini 9, and couldn't be happier... especially since the MacBook Pro can actually do more than run a web browser and an IRC client at once. Unfortunately I didn't come to the realization that I should just buy a real computer until I had already spent more on upgrading the Mini 9 than I did on the Mini 9 itself.
I'm not sure I'd be too fussed about updating. They really are dirt cheap though so I'm sure I'd be getting more than I paid for. Plus I'd have the PC for anything serious. It's given me something to think about anyway.
We're discussing the possibility of having a Dell Mini as well as having a gaming PC... which could be done for about the same price as a MacBook
Problem with that is that you really need to know what you're doing. If you do, great. But compatibility-wise, things could really get effed up, and mechanically-wise, you could honestly end up short-circuiting your computer. I mean, it's a rare case, but if you're going custom, at least get a tech savvy friend to make sure everything runs together nicely. A sweet graphics card and a crappy processor just don't mix. If I were you, with a PS3, I'd be MBP all the way, just for the battery life. And with PCs, technology advances are just too fast. After a year, I was barely meeting minimum requirements on the few games I played.
