It seems a good portion of the HN crowd is obsessed with spending more money than necessary. I totally get the "Put money into things that matter" idea, but overpaying for outdated specs is not some honorable trait.

Because a computer is nothing more than a list of specs right? It's the same quality logic behind "My number is bigger than his, so therefore my computer is better."

> Because a computer is nothing more than a list of specs right?

What else would it be? If my computer is faster, cheaper, and lets me accomplish the same things in the same amount of time, how could it be worse?

> If my computer is faster, cheaper, and lets me accomplish the same things in the same amount of time, how could it be worse?

Seriously?

Let's just take the most obvious example then. One is a laptop, one is a desktop. There. One is "faster, cheaper and lets you accomplish the same things in the same amount of time" but one requires you to be tethered to a wall and the other doesn't.

If that example is too much of an extreme for you, how about a desktop replacement laptop? I can get a 11-pound beast that is "faster, cheaper, and lets me accomplish the same things in the same amount of time" than my MacBook Air. Good luck opening it and using it anywhere other than a full desk though.

A computer is not just a spec sheet, much like a car is not a spec sheet. If you don't value the differences that putting more into a car or computer brings, that's fine. However it makes you look pretty out of touch if you can't even see what others value in it.

>> If my computer is faster, cheaper, and lets me accomplish the same things in the same amount of time, how could it be worse?

Different people value different things.

Myself, I care less about specs than I do about weight, display quality and build quality -- I'll pay extra for those things too.

Other people might prioritize storage speed, and spend a fortune on the biggest possible SSD, even though the cost per GB might not be worth it to most other people.

If you are happy with a faster, cheaper computer, more power to you, because you're happy, and really, that's all that matters.

It's hard to put numbers on things like the trackpad on the Apple laptops, which are very large, accurate, have a great, durable, low-friction surface, a ton of useful gestures, and excellent heuristics to ignore palm brushes etc.

Build quality is generally not considered in terms of specs, it is hard to quantify. Also if we are talking Macs there is a lot around interoperability and software.

Oh. There are a thousand ways it could be worse.

Could you share some? I use a MBP at work, and if I'm not "doing it right", I'd like to know how I can get the most out of my machine.

It's all about getting the most of your time using the machine, unless you're doing CPU-intensive work (and why wouldn't you offload that to a server farm?). Convenience, reliability, usability, efficiency, etc.

After obsessing over pc parts since childhood, these days I don't give a shit about specs and am happier for it - unless I'm trying to play Counter-strike, even then I only wish I could use my PS3 and forget about it :)

My work MBP is fast enough for what I do. I don't need 16gig 2133 DDR3, or an i7. My problem, though, is that you're paying PC i7 level price for an i3/5, for example.

That's like saying by buying a Smart Car you're paying V6 price for a four cylinder engine. In other words, you couldn't be missing the point more.

I guess I just view things from a different perspective, not having the disposable income of the average HNer (where 2200 is a "rounding error", as seen in this thread)

A key counterpoint to the "put money into things that matter" idea is "but don't put unreasonable amounts of money into those things".

In other words, it doesn't rationalize spending $10,000 on a laptop if the $1,000 model is 99% as good.

I think it depends, obviously if it really were 99% as good it is a no brainer, a $4000 laptop that you value say 30% more could well be worth it. If you are bringing in 100k+ a year mostly using your laptop the $4000 figure is really quite insignificant in the long run.

I spent around $3500 for a maxed out 15" MPB in 2010. Matte screen, higher res, 256GB SSD, 8Gig RAM.

Just this year I downgraded to a 13" MBA after using a co-workers... $1500 later and I've never been happier. The old MBP feels like a brick. A buddies new retina MBP feel like a lighter brick, but still a brick.

I can't see myself ever going back to the larger form factor.

I recommend really thinking about what you want in a laptop and trying out a few options. Go ahead and spend a lot if it's the perfect match, but don't feel like it needs to be expensive in order to be a great machine.

I tried to like the air, but the fonts were just a bit too wee for my eyes for extended use. Maybe if the airs ever go retina then resized terminal fonts won't look completely awful, and I may give it a go again. A retina 13"-mbp could be pretty nice too though.

Still rockin' the mid-2009 15"-matte with an aftermarket ssd for now.

I'm running 14pt Monaco in iTerm. It's perfect for me, and it still feels like I have more than enough screen space.

Only thing I miss is the matte screen...

The native widget fonts are still pretty small though right?

Not really, but I doubt I'd mind if they were. You should take another pass on the MBAs at a Mac Store. Launch term, change some fonts, muck around a bit and see if it's acceptable. I was originally going to upgrade to the MBP retina, but changed my mind after using a 13" MBA for a few min.

iOS compiles could be snappier I guess, but everything else is fine. Its faster than my 2010 MBP anyways.

I might do that. Thanks.

Absolutely, my machine preceding this one was an 11" MBA. I still use it on-the-go frequently. It helps me to check that I have committed everything :D It was the best $1000 I've ever spent.

I almost went with the 11", but it just felt too small after playing around in the terminal for a bit (talk about weird looks from the Mac Store kids). Maybe in a couple years I'll give it a try again. Such an amazing little box.

Exactly how I rationalized spending $3k on the MBP retina. I commonly see people that think its crazy to spend a few grand on a computer but to me it's a device that supplies my income and where I spend the majority of my time.

The part about the car however, I do not agree with.

I'm an auto enthusiast and unfortunately I spend way too much on my car as well but it is something that I love to do and it provides me with a hobby to let me get away from all the time I spend on my $3,000 MBP.

Yeah, for me, the $3K is worth it. The only thing that gives me pause about the Retina MBP is the price and capacity of storage.

For example, if you're a photographer who likes to keep your entire library on your internal drive, you'll have mixed feelings about the Retina MBP's storage. I'm only shooting 12MP RAW, and my Aperture library is already >200GB with diligent pruning. I'd hate to imagine someone using something like a D800 and its 36MP RAW files only to find out they need an external drive after a few months of using the Retina.

In regards to cars, yeah, that comment gave me pause. I mean, when I was a teenager I was a skinflint on cars, but once you've got some funds... your computer can't kill you. Your car can.

This is not an advertisement for the latest car with fifty airbags. Rather, a suggestion to avoid being downright cheap with an automobile. Assuming risk is one of the costs of driving, and should be factored in to your purchasing decision.

Yep, same here. I put the most money into the things I spend the most time with. So far it's worked out pretty well.

Explain please. I was providing reinforcement for his statement.