Roomate just got a 4530s: some Negative thoughts...

[willpower101]

I coerced him to get a 4530s at the suggestion of this forum and how easy it was to get osx running on it.
He got a great deal: $630, quad i7, 8gb, 750gb

However my thoughts are all around pretty negative and now I'm seriously considering other laptops. Does anyone else have similar feelings?

here's what I notice:

• The chiclet keys are very loose in there, kind of rattling all about. Nothing like a macbook, and ultrabook, or even a mid series dell. It makes it feel kinda like a toy.[/*:m:1dcc96bw]
• The keys are really small, yet really spaced out, so I keep missing keys.[/*:m:1dcc96bw]
• It's heavy. Like REALLY heavy compared to similar laptops.[/*:m:1dcc96bw]
• It's THICK. Like, REALLY thick compared to similar laptops.[/*:m:1dcc96bw]
• There's a ridiculous amount of wasted space around the bezel.[/*:m:1dcc96bw]
• The audio sucks. Sure's it's loud, but there's no quality to it.[/*:m:1dcc96bw]

I'm looking at the 4430s for 4330s and trying to stay under $450, however if either of them have this sort of Toy-like feel to the build quality, I'm thinking I might need to look for something else?

Thoughts?

 

[RehabMan]

May be true, but my ProBook was $404. I don't think I could buy a broken MacBook Pro for that.

 

[zaptoons]

Haha, yeah. $360 for my ProBook brand new off craigslist. There's no way in hell I'm getting a 15" MacBook for that price range that actually works. This notebook gets the job done and cost me a fraction of the $ and as I'm now able to do my work while sitting next to the beach, a cafe or anywhere I please, it's more than worth putting up with any build quality issues.

 

[GTFO Science]

The ProBook isn't trying to be a MacBook, it's a cheap laptop that runs OSX. You can't beat the price and overall, for the cost, the build quality is pretty darn good...

You will find laptops with better build quality quite easily, but don't expect them to be in the price range, and don't expect to hackintosh them with such ease.

 

[Blackstar]

I'm looking at the 4430s for 4330s and trying to stay under $450, however if either of them have this sort of Toy-like feel to the build quality, I'm thinking I might need to look for something else?

Thoughts?

First thought is you'll never get the quality and performance of a real MacBook for $450 unless you get lucky and buy a real one used and in great condition. But even then, it won't be new with the latest hardware.

Second thought is, you get what you pay for.

Current cheapest real MacBook made recently you can get is a refurbished Air model for $759, so I'd start saving.

Good luck.

 

[0101]

Thoughts?

Go over the spec list more thoroughly next time to check weight and dimensions. My keys are fine - I have no problem.

I got mine for a 1/5th of the price of a comparable MBP - it's great for the price. I think it's a little naive to expect a complete imitation of the Mac experience for less than a quarter of the price.

 

[willpower101]

Thoughts?

Go over the spec list more thoroughly next time to check weight and dimensions. My keys are fine - I have no problem.

I got mine for a 1/5th of the price of a comparable MBP - it's great for the price. I think it's a little naive to expect a complete imitation of the Mac experience for less than a quarter of the price.

True, however the build quality of say, a dell e5430 is much better. (Except it's a horrible pain to hack and half the stuff doesn't work right.)

Just looking at other options that are fully hackable (even with more effort) that have similar quality.

I considered an ultrabook, however I've not seen an ultra book for under 1k with the build quality I like. With that price tag, I might as well get a used Macbook Pro or Macbook Air.

 

[the3rdknuckles]

Thoughts?

Go over the spec list more thoroughly next time to check weight and dimensions. My keys are fine - I have no problem.

I got mine for a 1/5th of the price of a comparable MBP - it's great for the price. I think it's a little naive to expect a complete imitation of the Mac experience for less than a quarter of the price.

True, however the build quality of say, a dell e5430 is much better. (Except it's a horrible pain to hack and half the stuff doesn't work right.)

Just looking at other options that are fully hackable (even with more effort) that have similar quality.

I considered an ultrabook, however I've not seen an ultra book for under 1k with the build quality I like. With that price tag, I might as well get a used Macbook Pro or Macbook Air.

Buy it. You'll be happy with the quality and comfort of that machine and you won't have to worry about doing any work at all to make the system run like a mac.