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geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: tp4tissue on Wed, 25 March 2015, 20:14:01

Title: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 25 March 2015, 20:14:01
Vote Here:

http://goo.gl/forms/pc2KT0WKoO

View Current results

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1r09Hka_d7cK--djaOHBFQ0wbFwp_hqyCExIUy5Au5_0/viewanalytics?usp=form_confirm

Which one do ya'll prefer..

n.. why do you prefer it..?

Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Wed, 25 March 2015, 20:22:26
I like Chromebooks, but it's not an option.  :(
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 25 March 2015, 20:24:11
I like Chromebooks, but it's not an option.  :(

Really?  I've never met a person who uses one..

How / What do you like about it.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Lastpilot on Wed, 25 March 2015, 20:28:32
IBM pride

(http://33.media.tumblr.com/3e2ac8a9e32af086a68c14e878cb2145/tumblr_nfbg1z6xL61tyc95yo1_400.gif)
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Wed, 25 March 2015, 20:29:08
I like Chromebooks, but it's not an option.  :(

Really?  I've never met a person who uses one..

How / What do you like about it.

Well, for one their price point.  I have a PC at home that I will use for most tasks, but when I was taking college courses it served its purpose extremely well.  You start to see how many extensions are out there for chrome, and how capable the OS is after awhile.  You are even able to run linux on it, if you need to.  The only real issue I had with it, was that it wasn't the best thing to use for programming, which I expected going into it.  There are some tools that help with this, but overall it's a broken process.

Edit:  I ended up giving it to a family member, once I started my current job.  Hopefully I will be starting classes again this fall, and plan on picking up the new Pixel.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: rowdy on Wed, 25 March 2015, 20:29:10
I prefer MacBook.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: ctm on Wed, 25 March 2015, 21:42:41
I am more of a Linux person since Linux offers more customization. So I vote for ThinkPad. But I know Mac is also very nice. I guess I will try Mac one day. Anyway it's a Unix-like system and I think in essence it's not much different from Linux.
Title: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: heedpantsnow on Wed, 25 March 2015, 21:47:14
I liked my Surface Pro for many reasons, but OneNote and being able to use a mech kb with it top the list. Now I use a Thinkpad Helix 2 tablet. Like it for the same reasons (though I miss the built in stand of the Surface).
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 25 March 2015, 21:50:31
I liked my Surface Pro for many reasons, but OneNote and being able to use a mech kb with it top the list. Now I use a Thinkpad Helix 2 tablet. Like it for the same reasons (though I miss the built in stand of the Surface).

if you like the helix and surface, there's the lavie convertible coming out.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: byker on Wed, 25 March 2015, 21:51:17
I love my macbook
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: dante on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:05:40
Commodore 64, son!

(http://oldcomputers.net/pics/sx64.jpg)
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: jdcarpe on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:14:54
I have a ThinkPad T61, a Macbook Air, and an Acer Chromebook. I love all of them, but I use the ThinkPad most.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Novus on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:15:24
I don't like thinkpads.
I don't like the retro design.
They overheat.
I don't like the FN key on the left.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: bueller on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:16:24
OSX eats balls but I love Macbook hardware. Really solid construction, I've had 5 year old macbooks that still function like the day they were bought.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: dante on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:21:21
This is the only thing on OSX that wets my pants: http://www.secretgeometry.com/apps/cathode/
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:27:08
This is the only thing on OSX that wets my pants: http://www.secretgeometry.com/apps/cathode/

There's some geek- foam building up in my mouth..

But I shall resist.. (http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion/d79df121.gif)
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:28:37
I don't like thinkpads.
I don't like the retro design.
They overheat.
I don't like the FN key on the left.


Not the T series..

the T series hasn't overheated since the Pentium M days.. (http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion_custom/th_0fire.gif)
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: byker on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:37:14
OSX eats balls but I love Macbook hardware. Really solid construction, I've had 5 year old macbooks that still function like the day they were bought.


What do you dislike so much about OSX? Just curious. I was a first time OSX user when I bought my macbook air a few months ago, but so far I quite like it for my uses, which is mainly on-the-go and school usage since I have a nice windows desktop at home.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: bueller on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:39:59
OSX eats balls but I love Macbook hardware. Really solid construction, I've had 5 year old macbooks that still function like the day they were bought.


What do you dislike so much about OSX? Just curious. I was a first time OSX user when I bought my macbook air a few months ago, but so far I quite like it for my uses, which is mainly on-the-go and school usage since I have a nice windows desktop at home.

Just the hand-holding nature of Apple products in general kind of piss me off. So often I want to change something and then I find out you can only do it by loading 3rd party apps or doing some insane terminal hacking.

I'm a tinkerer at heart though so I know I'm not their target market, Linux is my true home :)
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: jason26 on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:41:16
I'd like a Thinkpad running OS X.  OS X gives the the best OS for a portable (unix environment, some commercial apps I need for work, minimize time developing in VMs), and Thinkpads give me the "pro" hardware I need - durable.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: jdcarpe on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:44:29
I run Ubuntu on my ThinkPad.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: vindaon on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:48:12
Had to grab a Macbook for school, but honestly not a huge fan of OSX.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: byker on Wed, 25 March 2015, 22:51:10
OSX eats balls but I love Macbook hardware. Really solid construction, I've had 5 year old macbooks that still function like the day they were bought.


What do you dislike so much about OSX? Just curious. I was a first time OSX user when I bought my macbook air a few months ago, but so far I quite like it for my uses, which is mainly on-the-go and school usage since I have a nice windows desktop at home.

Just the hand-holding nature of Apple products in general kind of piss me off. So often I want to change something and then I find out you can only do it by loading 3rd party apps or doing some insane terminal hacking.

I'm a tinkerer at heart though so I know I'm not their target market, Linux is my true home :)


Okay I can agree with that! :) I love to tinker with my stuff, which is why android is the only phone platform I will have! Linux is also great for that stuff.. OSX works for what I want it to do though, so I personally have no problems with it, but I wouldn't want it on my main PC.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: swill on Wed, 25 March 2015, 23:01:55
when I am rich, i use a macbook.  when i am poor i use a thinkpad.  true story...
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: rowdy on Wed, 25 March 2015, 23:08:58
This is the only thing on OSX that wets my pants: http://www.secretgeometry.com/apps/cathode/

It's great, isn't it! :)
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 25 March 2015, 23:09:38
when I am rich, i use a macbook.  when i am poor i use a thinkpad.  true story...

Hahahahha.. this is precisely how poor people think
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Novus on Wed, 25 March 2015, 23:26:00
I don't like thinkpads.
I don't like the retro design.
They overheat.
I don't like the FN key on the left.


Not the T series..

the T series hasn't overheated since the Pentium M days..
Show Image
(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion_custom/th_0fire.gif)


You mean since the IBM days.
Lenova does not agree
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Altis on Wed, 25 March 2015, 23:33:31
There must be a mistake. 2008 Dell Inspiron 1525 rescue-laptop isn't an option.  :eek:
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: swill on Thu, 26 March 2015, 00:05:18
when I am rich, i use a macbook.  when i am poor i use a thinkpad.  true story...

Hahahahha.. this is precisely how poor people think
Really?  I am currently using a macbook.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: user 18 on Thu, 26 March 2015, 00:18:59
For my uses, both are overkill. I'm running a 6yo HP that was only worth about $400-500 new. Throw linux on an SSD and it does everything I need it to do.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 00:19:03
when I am rich, i use a macbook.  when i am poor i use a thinkpad.  true story...

Hahahahha.. this is precisely how poor people think
Really?  I am currently using a macbook.

and the fact that you believe that makes you rich..
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 00:19:54
For my uses, both are overkill. I'm running a 6yo HP that was only worth about $400-500 new. Throw linux on an SSD and it does everything I need it to do.

6yrs is right around c2d..  anything pentium m / athlon 64 3xxx  ,  that's usually too slow
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: user 18 on Thu, 26 March 2015, 00:25:22
For my uses, both are overkill. I'm running a 6yo HP that was only worth about $400-500 new. Throw linux on an SSD and it does everything I need it to do.

6yrs is right around c2d..  anything pentium m / athlon 64 3xxx  ,  that's usually too slow

Athlon neo MV-40, IIRC. It's fast enough to do basic web browsing, coding for school, and doesn't lag when I type. I have newer and faster machines (laptops and desktops), but this one has a smaller form factor and is still the one I go to for day-to-day use.

My personal opinion is that it's not too slow until it can't do what I want it to do.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 01:09:18
For my uses, both are overkill. I'm running a 6yo HP that was only worth about $400-500 new. Throw linux on an SSD and it does everything I need it to do.

6yrs is right around c2d..  anything pentium m / athlon 64 3xxx  ,  that's usually too slow

Athlon neo MV-40, IIRC. It's fast enough to do basic web browsing, coding for school, and doesn't lag when I type. I have newer and faster machines (laptops and desktops), but this one has a smaller form factor and is still the one I go to for day-to-day use.

My personal opinion is that it's not too slow until it can't do what I want it to do.

That is not usable.. lies...  passmark 400 points..

anything less than 1000 is going to be SLOW

anything less than 700 is going to be VERY VERY slow even for firefox..
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: smknjoe on Thu, 26 March 2015, 01:41:18
Both are overpriced. Especially the MB. I prefer ASUS.

Had to grab a Macbook for school, but honestly not a huge fan of OSX.

Graphic design major/school or just what IT supports?
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: byker on Thu, 26 March 2015, 01:44:19
Tell me how a macbook is overpriced? Sure some of them are, but not all of them. I have never been an Apple fan, but when I was looking for a thin/lightweight/good battery life/i5/ssd ultrabook a few months ago, I found nothing that compared. I ended up buying an 11" macbook air with an i5, 120gb ssd, 8gb of ram, 9 hrs of battery life for $900 Cad, and there was nothing running windows for a similar price..
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: bueller on Thu, 26 March 2015, 01:47:33
Tell me how a macbook is overpriced? Sure some of them are, but not all of them. I have never been an Apple fan, but when I was looking for a thin/lightweight/good battery life/i5/ssd ultrabook a few months ago, I found nothing that compared. I ended up buying an 11" macbook air with an i5, 120gb ssd, 8gb of ram, 9 hrs of battery life for $900 Cad, and there was nothing running windows for a similar price..

Agreed. Bottom of the range Macbooks are hard to beat price wise. They start taking the piss when it comes to the higher end models though.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: smknjoe on Thu, 26 March 2015, 01:50:13
How are they not overpriced? They (Apple) have always been the most expensive PC on the market. The laptops start at ~$1000 and the desktops can go over $15,000.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: bueller on Thu, 26 March 2015, 01:54:40
How are they not overpriced? They (Apple) have always been the most expensive PC on the market. The laptops start at ~$1000 and the desktops can go over $15,000.


Seriously man, go and do some shopping around - it is nearly impossible to find something that matches their bottom range without at least one spec being gimped out (SSD, monitor resolution or both).
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: byker on Thu, 26 March 2015, 01:55:05
How are they not overpriced? They (Apple) have always been the most expensive PC on the market. The laptops start at ~$1000 and the desktops can go over $15,000.


Did you read my post? I just told you why they are not overpriced:


I ended up buying an 11" macbook air with an i5, 120gb ssd, 8gb of ram, 9 hrs of battery life for $900 Cad, and there was nothing running windows for a similar price..
 


If you know of any equivalent laptops that aren't macs for better specs or budget please let me know!
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: smknjoe on Thu, 26 March 2015, 01:59:52
I've been purchasing laptops a couple of times a year for over a decade. You can always find something comparable $200-$400 cheaper if you shop around. The specs you quoted come out to $999 not $899.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: byker on Thu, 26 March 2015, 02:02:50
I did shop around. I am asking for a specific example please. There aren't many options in Canada near that price. And if you add the student discount + a Visa promotion that was running when I bought mine, that is how I got it down to $900 CAD.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: bueller on Thu, 26 March 2015, 02:04:24
I've been purchasing laptops a couple of times a year for over a decade. You can always find something comparable $200-$400 cheaper if you shop around. The specs you quoted come out to $999 not $899.

Not in Australia. I literally just went through this with a friend who was shopping and the Macbooks were better specced at the $1300-1500 range. There were a couple of models that came just under the Macbook prices but the build quality on a Mac is way better so I just sent them that way.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: smknjoe on Thu, 26 March 2015, 02:11:21
I'll pass on shopping for you. ;)
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 09:30:17
I did shop around. I am asking for a specific example please. There aren't many options in Canada near that price. And if you add the student discount + a Visa promotion that was running when I bought mine, that is how I got it down to $900 CAD.

The macbook air is extremely overpriced. Its never had a full powered processpr. Pretty sure its a ulv speed CPU which only realistically operate at 60% the speed of full power iterations
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: azhdar on Thu, 26 March 2015, 09:38:53
Thinkpad to work on it,
mcbook to impress plebs/gurlz.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: jamster on Thu, 26 March 2015, 10:00:43
Thinkpads, because I can upgrade parts on them without wanting to defenestrate the designer. Just did a RAM swap tonight, and it took <60 to do two machines.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 10:08:56
Thinkpads, because I can upgrade parts on them without wanting to defenestrate the designer. Just did a RAM swap tonight, and it took <60 to do two machines.

They've started to solder the ram though. Sooner or later I think we're going to end up with locked systems like the macbook.

Ever since the x230 they locked the BIOSes, so u can't even do the whitelist no more. And on the x220 they locked the 1866mhz memory speed to make their new products look better.  My x220 actually bench higher than the new crop of x250s
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Altis on Thu, 26 March 2015, 10:27:27
If you know of any equivalent laptops that aren't macs for better specs or budget please let me know!

Dell XPS 13.

It's about the same price, much more powerful CPUs, more options, standard 1080p display, better battery life.

Compared with the 13" MB Air, it's a strong competitor.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Matias on Thu, 26 March 2015, 10:45:51
I miss the old ThinkPad keyboard layout (with the proper Nav Cluster).  The new ones are a let down.

Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Belfong on Thu, 26 March 2015, 10:54:48
I used the Thinkpads for almost 16 years of my life because I thought they are the best - until I discovered MacBook Air. Nuff said. No need to vote. Ha ha.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: byker on Thu, 26 March 2015, 11:07:45
If you know of any equivalent laptops that aren't macs for better specs or budget please let me know!

Dell XPS 13.

It's about the same price, much more powerful CPUs, more options, standard 1080p display, better battery life.

Compared with the 13" MB Air, it's a strong competitor.


Yeah the Dell XPS 13 seems to be the best competitor. I probably would have bought the Dell had I wanted a 13" laptop.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 11:40:22
If you know of any equivalent laptops that aren't macs for better specs or budget please let me know!

Dell XPS 13.

It's about the same price, much more powerful CPUs, more options, standard 1080p display, better battery life.

Compared with the 13" MB Air, it's a strong competitor.


Yeah the Dell XPS 13 seems to be the best competitor. I probably would have bought the Dell had I wanted a 13" laptop.

Hrrmm.. looks like a nice kit, but the color range is a bit weak.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: NoblesseOblige on Thu, 26 March 2015, 11:55:15
Have no use for either, but if I had to pick one I'd take a Thinkpad over Macbook any day.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: swill on Thu, 26 March 2015, 11:58:05
The old thinkpads have a wonderful place in my heart.  When my T42 got stolen it was a very sad day indeed.  I have had a few things stolen in my lifetime, but I think that one hurt the most.  Haha.  It might also have been because it was running my CNC machine and I didn't have a backup of the install :(.  I had to find a new machine with a parallel port and rebuild it from scratch to in order to get my production going again. 

I have enjoyed Macs for the last 7-8 years, but their obsession with trying to make things small has probably finally killed them for me.  No ethernet and limited thunderbolt ports is very limiting.  Trying to do two monitors and a wired connection is impossible on most recent Macs.  It is too bad.  :(
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:12:13
I miss the old ThinkPad keyboard layout (with the proper Nav Cluster).  The new ones are a let down.



I think people are nostalgic of the Old "BRICKS" , sure they're sturdy, but they're bricks..

This is nostalgia, which in this case is against practicality..  you just can't carry it around
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: baldgye on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:14:04
If you know of any equivalent laptops that aren't macs for better specs or budget please let me know!

Dell XPS 13.

It's about the same price, much more powerful CPUs, more options, standard 1080p display, better battery life.

Compared with the 13" MB Air, it's a strong competitor.


Yeah the Dell XPS 13 seems to be the best competitor. I probably would have bought the Dell had I wanted a 13" laptop.

I had an xps13

its the perfect formfactor but it's nearly 8years old and is just ****ed... everything on it is ruined lol... the same time I got that laptop a mate got a white bottom of the range macbook... both lasted about the same time...

I love the Thinkpads and I think I would go for one of those over a Mac, simply because I like gaming. I wish the Pro had more options for inputs, but its a beautify made machine which is only held back by OSX
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Flyersfan1 on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:14:58
I've been using a Lenovo x230 for the past two years and have really loved every moment with it.  Despite the annoyingly low resolution, and newer keyboard design, there's really not much I dislike about it.  It's light enough that I can carry it around with other textbooks and not have it put any strain on my back.  I recently just swapped out the spinner in favor of a Samsung 840 256GB SSD and holy crap, it's like a brand new machine again.  I'm really not a huge fan of some of the changes Lenovo has made to the thinkpad lineup, so I'll likely be using this until I'm forced to buy something else, and when I do, it would likely be a Microsoft Surface or something similar.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Matias on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:16:15

I miss the old ThinkPad keyboard layout (with the proper Nav Cluster).  The new ones are a let down.


I think people are nostalgic of the Old "BRICKS" , sure they're sturdy, but they're bricks..

This is nostalgia, which in this case is against practicality..  you just can't carry it around


Just to be clear, I don't miss the computer itself.  I miss the keyboard layout.  It was the perfect combination of spacesaving and functionality.

Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:19:13

I miss the old ThinkPad keyboard layout (with the proper Nav Cluster).  The new ones are a let down.


I think people are nostalgic of the Old "BRICKS" , sure they're sturdy, but they're bricks..

This is nostalgia, which in this case is against practicality..  you just can't carry it around


Just to be clear, I don't miss the computer itself.  I miss the keyboard layout.  It was the perfect combination of spacesaving and functionality.



which cluster specifically, there's been many iterations over the years.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Altis on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:23:30
I liked the MacBook Pros and Thinkpads before they ruined the keyboards. Both had exceptional keyboards until just a couple of years ago.

Apple still sells the non-retina, thicker MacBook pro with the good keyboard, but the computer itself is outdated and I'm not sure why it's still around.

The Lenovo G510 has a great keyboard, but most of the newer ones have moved to a shallower depth (like the Apples), making them light and shallow.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:25:48
I've been using a Lenovo x230 for the past two years and have really loved every moment with it.  Despite the annoyingly low resolution, and newer keyboard design, there's really not much I dislike about it.  It's light enough that I can carry it around with other textbooks and not have it put any strain on my back.  I recently just swapped out the spinner in favor of a Samsung 840 256GB SSD and holy crap, it's like a brand new machine again.  I'm really not a huge fan of some of the changes Lenovo has made to the thinkpad lineup, so I'll likely be using this until I'm forced to buy something else, and when I do, it would likely be a Microsoft Surface or something similar.

The x230 is essentially the newest of the X series currently worth buying..

x240 didn't have the mouse buttons, and the x250 doesn't have dual channel memory(WTF!!)..

The x260 i think will probably knock it out of the park.. and be the ultimate machine..
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: baldgye on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:25:53
I liked the MacBook Pros and Thinkpads before they ruined the keyboards. Both had exceptional keyboards until just a couple of years ago.

Apple still sells the non-retina, thicker MacBook pro with the good keyboard, but the computer itself is outdated and I'm not sure why it's still around.

The Lenovo G510 has a great keyboard, but most of the newer ones have moved to a shallower depth (like the Apples), making them light and shallow.

I really liked the old keyboard style that the macpro's used to have before they went all scrabble keys style... though I do like the scrabble tiles
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: swill on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:34:25


I miss the old ThinkPad keyboard layout (with the proper Nav Cluster).  The new ones are a let down.



I think people are nostalgic of the Old "BRICKS" , sure they're sturdy, but they're bricks..

This is nostalgia, which in this case is against practicality..  you just can't carry it around

There is nostalgia because their entire purpose was practicality.   They were built like tanks and could survive anything.  You could always count on a thinkpad.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Matias on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:36:28

I miss the old ThinkPad keyboard layout (with the proper Nav Cluster).  The new ones are a let down.


I think people are nostalgic of the Old "BRICKS" , sure they're sturdy, but they're bricks..

This is nostalgia, which in this case is against practicality..  you just can't carry it around


Just to be clear, I don't miss the computer itself.  I miss the keyboard layout.  It was the perfect combination of spacesaving and functionality.



which cluster specifically, there's been many iterations over the years.


The ThinkPad X220 was the last good one IMO.


Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 12:40:51

I miss the old ThinkPad keyboard layout (with the proper Nav Cluster).  The new ones are a let down.


I think people are nostalgic of the Old "BRICKS" , sure they're sturdy, but they're bricks..

This is nostalgia, which in this case is against practicality..  you just can't carry it around


Just to be clear, I don't miss the computer itself.  I miss the keyboard layout.  It was the perfect combination of spacesaving and functionality.



which cluster specifically, there's been many iterations over the years.


The ThinkPad X220 was the last good one IMO.




LOL..

x220 was the only machine to support 1866 ram for a while.. + 5 to 20% gpu performance, + 10% cpu score as well.

They're talking about unlocking for other laptops over at bios-mods
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: user 18 on Thu, 26 March 2015, 13:12:50
For my uses, both are overkill. I'm running a 6yo HP that was only worth about $400-500 new. Throw linux on an SSD and it does everything I need it to do.

6yrs is right around c2d..  anything pentium m / athlon 64 3xxx  ,  that's usually too slow

Athlon neo MV-40, IIRC. It's fast enough to do basic web browsing, coding for school, and doesn't lag when I type. I have newer and faster machines (laptops and desktops), but this one has a smaller form factor and is still the one I go to for day-to-day use.

My personal opinion is that it's not too slow until it can't do what I want it to do.

That is not usable.. lies...  passmark 400 points..

anything less than 1000 is going to be SLOW

anything less than 700 is going to be VERY VERY slow even for firefox..

And yet I'm using it now without any trouble :P

Yes, if it still ran Vista, it would be unusable. Yes if it still had a spinning disk, it would be much less snappy. A lightweight OS makes a big difference, and I fully expect to continue to use this same machine until support for Debian Wheezy ends.

A benchmark can only tell you so much, and you shouldn't conflate it with actual user experience.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Findecanor on Thu, 26 March 2015, 16:24:55
ThinkPads and MacBook Pro's were good back in around 2010-2011 when they had optical drives, some expandability, ports and really good keyboards.

After that, they have got progressively worse. I want none of them.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 19:37:16
ThinkPads and MacBook Pro's were good back in around 2010-2011 when they had optical drives, some expandability, ports and really good keyboards.

After that, they have got progressively worse. I want none of them.

2011 was really PRE sandy bridge

So basically BEFORE ultrabook..

Sandybridge was the game changer.. because it made it possible to make smaller form factors..

PRIOR, they Had to make bigger chassis just to fit the battery, so they decided hell, i'm gonna put some ports in.

But Sandy changed all that, so everything went more "svelte"
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: slip84 on Thu, 26 March 2015, 20:32:26
Just got assigned a new Thinkpad at work.

The trackpad is ****ing atrocious. Like easily the worst I have ever dealt with. The click motion is about 6" down and back up, which knocks you off what you're doing. It's virtually unusable. I'm not a fan of tap-to-click (accidental input), so that's not an option. No one beats Apple on trackpad tech/software. No one.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: Altis on Thu, 26 March 2015, 20:59:18
I've heard they can be pretty bad, slip84. Which model did you get? And how's the keyboard? :cool:
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 21:24:50
Just got assigned a new Thinkpad at work.

The trackpad is ****ing atrocious. Like easily the worst I have ever dealt with. The click motion is about 6" down and back up, which knocks you off what you're doing. It's virtually unusable. I'm not a fan of tap-to-click (accidental input), so that's not an option. No one beats Apple on trackpad tech/software. No one.

LOL,

Go into the UltraNav options, and start disabling all the stuff you don't use like tap zones, etc..

It makes the trackpad much better..  this is a known "software" overcomplication issue.. the trackpad itself is fine.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: bueller on Thu, 26 March 2015, 21:31:02
Just got assigned a new Thinkpad at work.

The trackpad is ****ing atrocious. Like easily the worst I have ever dealt with. The click motion is about 6" down and back up, which knocks you off what you're doing. It's virtually unusable. I'm not a fan of tap-to-click (accidental input), so that's not an option. No one beats Apple on trackpad tech/software. No one.

The trackpads are one of the biggest selling points for me on Macbooks, no-one does them better. My 5 year old MBP pad was like a million times better than the near new Lenovo one I had.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 March 2015, 21:34:46
Just got assigned a new Thinkpad at work.

The trackpad is ****ing atrocious. Like easily the worst I have ever dealt with. The click motion is about 6" down and back up, which knocks you off what you're doing. It's virtually unusable. I'm not a fan of tap-to-click (accidental input), so that's not an option. No one beats Apple on trackpad tech/software. No one.

The trackpads are one of the biggest selling points for me on Macbooks, no-one does them better. My 5 year old MBP pad was like a million times better than the near new Lenovo one I had.

not true.. it comes down to the ultranav software.. by default it's kinda buggy, but they perform equivalently once properly configured.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: bueller on Fri, 27 March 2015, 06:34:05
Just got assigned a new Thinkpad at work.

The trackpad is ****ing atrocious. Like easily the worst I have ever dealt with. The click motion is about 6" down and back up, which knocks you off what you're doing. It's virtually unusable. I'm not a fan of tap-to-click (accidental input), so that's not an option. No one beats Apple on trackpad tech/software. No one.

The trackpads are one of the biggest selling points for me on Macbooks, no-one does them better. My 5 year old MBP pad was like a million times better than the near new Lenovo one I had.

not true.. it comes down to the ultranav software.. by default it's kinda buggy, but they perform equivalently once properly configured.
The software wasn't too bad, it just felt flimsy to me compared to the Macbook. It was a low end lenovo though so I can't speak for the higher end models.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: baldgye on Fri, 27 March 2015, 06:38:46
Just got assigned a new Thinkpad at work.

The trackpad is ****ing atrocious. Like easily the worst I have ever dealt with. The click motion is about 6" down and back up, which knocks you off what you're doing. It's virtually unusable. I'm not a fan of tap-to-click (accidental input), so that's not an option. No one beats Apple on trackpad tech/software. No one.

The Alienware (inorite) track pad is IMO the nicest to use... not sure about the rest of the laptop mind
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: jamster on Fri, 27 March 2015, 07:33:39
The trackpads are one of the biggest selling points for me on Macbooks, no-one does them better. My 5 year old MBP pad was like a million times better than the near new Lenovo one I had.

Did you have a Lenovo Thinkpad, or a Lenovo non-Thinkpad (e.g. Yoga, IdeaPad, etc). I have a Yoga which has the biggest piece of **** trackpad I've ever come across on a laptop. On the other hand, my Thinkpad trackpads are fine.

My opinion is that Thinkpads retained some vestige of serious-use design from the IBM days (well, I stopped paying attention around the x220), but the standard Lenovos are the usual pieces of consumer crap that most laptops have turned into these days.
Title: Re: Does GH like Thinkpads or Macbooks
Post by: davkol on Sat, 28 March 2015, 05:20:56
X200T Master Race. I have absolutely no idea, what to pick as an upgrade, when the need comes. Probably FS LifeBook T902 or T734, but replacement parts, or even refurbished laptops are nearly non-existent. I might have to cut some edges here and there, which would allow me to look into the new shapes (something like thinkpad yoga). Decisions, decisions, decisions…

For the record, Apple is completely out of question. I can hardly imagine anything worse than a macbook for my use case.