I tried desperately to talk myself out of it. There are many things I could use that much money on.  However, my laptop is crap and I am in desperate need of a new one to stay productive.  I went to Best Buy and looked at all the Windows Laptops.  After comparing apples to apples (or in this case, apples to pcs) there is no real comparison.  Everything in this Mac is top of the line.  There is no PC at a Big Box store than can truly compare.

So, I took the plunge.  I’ve been doing my research, set my specs, and researched some more.  I found one online that I mentioned in my previous post that had my specs, but was a slightly older model with a lesser processor.  Other than that, it is a good machine and a good deal.

I went out to Best Buy yesterday to do one final check before ordering the machine online.  If they could sell me the $1999 Macbook pro they stock, and it had 1 2GB stick of ram (so I wouldn’t have to throw the ram away when upgrading to 4GB) then I would have purchased it.  However, it had 2 1GB sticks, and didn’t meet any of my other requirements.  I could compromise, but I’m so close…

The guy I was talking with at Best Buy told me that they have a brand new model that came in today that was not even on display yet.  It was $2499 (plus tax) and was 2.66 Ghz with a 6MB shared L2 Cache, 4GB ram, 320 GB 5400 RPM hard drive, Nvidia GeForce 9400M and Nvidia Geforce 9600MT graphics cards with 512MB of memory and a 15.4″ screen.

This computer was a little more than my budget allowed, but met most of my requirements.  How much was the 7200 RPM hard drive going to help anyway?  Most of my work will be done off of external hard drives, so I was willing to let this requirement slide if the others were met.  Now, I had to figure the benefits of buying locally versus ordering online and consider how much that added processor speed was worth.  I left the store again with no Macbook in hand to think it over for one more night.

Friday morning I woke up and started hitting the internet again.  I searched Apples sites for the closest retail stores to my location that sold Macbooks.  I found a store, Macs and More in Pratville Alabama so I gave them a call to see what they had to offer.  They priced one out just above the Best Buy’s Price (but with the 7200 RPM HD, so it was a good deal).  I wanted the guy to convince me to buy from him versus online.  However, when I brought up that I was considering ordering one online the salesman got kinda preachy, then started bitching a little about how “if you feel comfortable ordering one online, then I can’t tell you not too”.  It was more the tone than what he said, but a little salesmanship on how the “service” would be better locally might have landed him the sale.  Too bad, his loss. Hope he doesn’t work on commission.

I tried weighing the benefits of purchasing at Best Buy.  First, I am a premium rewards zone member, and this purchase would guarantee me continued use of those privileges for another year and 1/2.  The main benefit is that I don’t have to pay restocking fees on open electronics items if they suck or if I change my mind.  This came in handy with the Flip Mino and could be useful in the future if I continue to purchase a lot from them like I have in the passed.  Also, I have the computer today, in hand and don’t have to wait another week.  Yes, I could be patient, but I’m not.  Third, if something goes wrong, I have somewhere to take it and someone to bitch at in person.  This means a lot to me.  I don’t like mailing my computer off to someone I don’t know.  If Best Buy wants to mail it off, that is their issue.  I still get to go in there regularly and scream at the nerd behind the counter instead of screaming at people on the phone.  It just makes me feel better to see their face when I start getting mean with them.  Fourth and finally, I get some kickbacks on the reward zone points.  This doesn’t account for much, but might be the tipping point when all else fails to yield a winning decision.

The benefits of buying locally plus the increase in processor speed led me to the decision to pick the computer up at Best Buy.  So, I have it home, started it up, and am trying to figure out how to get everything setup like I want it.

FYI:  it took me 4 minutes on a Mac to lock up my first programs.  Yes, I hear the windows fans applauding loudly.  I want you to know that it quickly killed off those stalled programs and maintained perfect stability.