No MacBook Pro for Me

At least not for a while. While I was price-comparing last night, I looked at the 15" Dell with the discounts available to me, and it was such a good deal that I went ahead and bought one. Until yesterday what was keeping me from upgrading my computer was the fact that I was building the house, and I was trying to scrape up enough money to cover closing costs on the loan. It would be nice to be able to mess around with OS X, but that ability it's not worth $1000 to me. For comparison to the Mac, I used the ATI graphics card, but I prefer NVIDIA, since I'm probably going to stick Linux alongside Vista and XP on this thing. Yay for Windows ext3 drivers! Here's the rundown:

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E1505 Dual Core Intel Core Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB), Genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

Inspiron E1505	Intel Core Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB)	$2,623.00
LCD Panel	15.4 inch UltraSharp Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife
Memory	2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
Video Card	256MB NVIDIA GeForceGo 7300 TurboCache
Hard Drive	120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
Operating System (Office software not included)	Genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Network Card and Modem	Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Combo/DVD+RW Drives	FREE 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Sound Options	Integrated Audio
Wireless Networking Cards	Intel PRO 3945 and Dell 355 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed)	Microsoft Office Basic - Includes Word, Excel, and Outlook email
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed)	McAfee included with the Starter, Silver, Gold or Platinum Package.
Primary Battery	85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Hardware Warranty	3Yr Ltd Warr, At-Home Service, 30Day DOC, PC Training, 2Yr Antivirus Suite
Future Operating Systems	Windows Vista Capable
Operating System Re-Installation CD	Genuine Windows XP Media Center 2005 Edition re-installation CD
Media Center Enhancements	TV Tuner w/ Remote Control
SAVE $100 (After mail in rebate) w SILVER BUNDLE which includes 3Yr Limited Warranty, 3Yr At-Home Service, 3 Yr Hardware warranty support, 90 day PC Training, 30 day HelpDesk How-to Assistance, 2Yr McAfee Antivirus Security Suite (Pre - Installed)
Dell EPP/FSS Customers: Save 35% off select Inspiron systems!		- $918.05
Boeing employees receive additional 21% discount (before tax, shipping & handling)		- $358.04
Subtotal:		$1,346.91
Shipping and Handling:		$19.99
Shipping Discount:		- $19.99
Sales Tax:		$118.55
Total:		$1,465.46

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That price doesn't include the $100 rebate. Anybody else want one? The 21% off is good through July 28th.

Options 15"

Description E1505 Dual Core Date & Time: July 19,2006 1:16 AM CST SYSTEM COMPONENTS E1505 Dual Core Qty 1 Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB), Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 Unit Price $2,593.00 SAVE $100 (After mail in rebate) w SILVER BUNDLE Limited Time Offer! Dell EPP/FSS Customers: Save 35% off select Inspiron systems! Limited Time Offer! - $907.55 Catalog Number: 23 A4677SP1 Module Description Inspiron E1505 Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB) Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 LCD Panel 15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™ Memory 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM Video Card 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™ Hard Drive 120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive Network Card and Modem Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 Combo/DVD+RW Drives FREE 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability Sound Options Integrated Audio Wireless Networking Cards Intel® PRO 3945 and Dell 355 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) Microsoft Office Basic - Includes Word, Excel, and Outlook email Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) I chose McAfee included with the Starter, Silver, Gold or Platinum Package. Primary Battery 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery Hardware Warranty 3Yr Ltd Warr, At-Home Service, 30Day DOC, PC Training, 2Yr Antivirus Suite Dial-Up Internet Access 6 Months of America Online Membership Included Future Operating Systems Windows Vista™ Capable Operating System Re-Installation CD Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition re-installation CD Media Center Enhancements TV Tuner w/ Remote Control Dell Digital Entertainment Starter Entertainment Pack - Basic digital Music, Photo and Game experience TOTAL:$1,685.45

Additional Discounts and Coupons Boeing employees receive additional 21% discount! -$353.94 Thank you for choosing Dell! Free Ground Shipping on select new Dell Inspirons! Limited Time Only!

Total Price Sub-total $1,331.51 Shipping & Handling $19.99 Shipping & Handling Discount -$19.99 Tax $117.22 Total Price $1,448.73

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MacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo Part Number: Z0DL 120GB Serial ATA drive @ 5400 rpm AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo 2GB 667 DDR2 - 2x1GB SO-DIMMs MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) Estimated Ship: 1-3 business days

$2,667.00

$2,667.00

Cart Subtotal: $2,667.00

Options 17"

Description Inspiron E1705 Date & Time: July 19,2006 12:38 AM CST SYSTEM COMPONENTS Inspiron E1705 Qty 1 Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2600 (2.16GHz/667MHz FSB), Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 Unit Price $2,529.00 Dell EPP/FSS Customers: Save 20% off select Inspiron E1705 systems! Limited Time Offer! - $505.80 Catalog Number: 23 R4678A2 Module Description Inspiron E1705 Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2600 (2.16GHz/667MHz FSB) Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 LCD Panel 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™ Memory 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz Video Card 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory Hard Drive 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 Combo/DVD+RW Drives FREE!8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability Sound Options Integrated Audio Wireless Networking Cards Intel® PRO 3945 and Dell 355 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards Office Software (not included in Windows XP) Microsoft Works Suite 2006- Includes MICROSOFT WORD plus much more! Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) No Security Subscription Primary Battery 80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support Dial-Up Internet Access 6 Months of America Online Membership Included Future Operating Systems Windows Vista™ Capable Operating System Re-Installation CD Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition re-installation CD Dell Digital Entertainment Starter Entertainment Pack - Basic digital Music, Photo and Game experience TOTAL:$2,023.20

Additional Discounts and Coupons Boeing employees receive additional 21% discount! -$424.87 Thank you for choosing Dell! Free Ground Shipping on select new Dell Inspirons! Limited Time Only!

Total Price Sub-total $1,598.33 Shipping & Handling $19.99 Shipping & Handling Discount -$19.99 Tax $140.67 Total Price $1,739.00

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Cart Items	Quantity	Item Price	Item Total
MacBook Pro, 17-inch, 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo Part Number: Z0CP 2GB 667 DDR2 - 2x1GB SO-DIMMs SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) Accessory Kit Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo MacBook Pro 17-inch Glossy Widescreen Display 120GB Serial ATA drive @ 5400 rpm Estimated Ship: 1-3 business days		$2,851.00	$2,851.00

Cart Subtotal: $2,851.00