Laptop Advice - MBP or Dell XPS??

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Going self employed and I need to buy myself a new laptop for what I do - I work in the Telecoms industry and have always had a laptop supplied by the company I work for!!

I currently have a Dell Precision M5520 as my work unit and I must say it has been excellent so I am looking at a similar spec - i7, 16gb Ram etc etc.

The XPS 15 has caught my eye as it's similar spec but a MBP has also caught my eye and I am now in a quandary as to what to buy - I have a healthy budget to play with but don't want to buy a lemon as I need to hit the floor running really when I start working for a new client in a few weeks.

Software wise I run SSH clients, good old RDP and the usual glut of Office Apps etc so nothing too tasking.

Is the Apple going to be a pain to get used to or should I stay Windows? And what would be the more reliable, dependable unit that would last me a few years?
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Comments

  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    welshboyo said:
    Is the Apple going to be a pain to get used to or should I stay Windows?
    Change in either direction will require a period of adaptation.

    Even if your usual software programs are available for both platforms, some details may be different. At a desktop level, Windows and OSX have the same things but put them in different places and give them different names.

    Simple tasks that you can currently do on automatic pilot suddenly become the clumsiest part of your computer usage. This will not look good in front of clients. 

    Since Mid-2014, on any MBP, certain hardware items that you might believe belongs inside the laptop shell has to be purchased separately as an accessory. e.g. An optical media drive. The FireWire socket has gone. (Probably, little hardship to a MS Windows-compatible user.

    Be seeing you.
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  • TwoSpellWizardTwoSpellWizard Frets: 238
    edited August 2018
    Yeah, if you're used to Windows there's no reason to change unless there's something you need you can only get on Mac.
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  • The screens on the latest XPS laptops are beautiful..

    I’d say stick with Windows, I use both and there was a day I used to hate Win over Mac but not so much now..

    Pros for switching... are you an iPhone/iPad user? Would you use GarageBand, iMovie, Pages, Numbers, Keynote?

    how does battery life compare between the 2 you are considering?
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  • As an Apple Person, I am not sure I would get a new MacBook pro, they don't seem to have been very well received. Lack of ports and poor keyboards. I haven't tried one though.
    I'm just a Maserati in a world of Kias.
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  • bingefellerbingefeller Frets: 5723
    The MacBook Pros look good on paper, but they are so expensive.  I'm not sure I would recommend them.
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  • fandangofandango Frets: 2204
    If you are happy with a used (but not abused) example of a MBP .... you might want to consider the one I have going spare:

    http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/133742/fs-apple-macbook-pro-15-retina-995#latest
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    I was advised to get an XPS 13. The argument was that it’s smaller and lighter, and cheaper. Of you do stuff which needs a larger screen then get a separate one to keep at home. Also an SSD is more reliable than a rotating disk.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • CarpeDiemCarpeDiem Frets: 275
    I've used Dell's for years and they have proven reliable. My only word of caution would be that the battery in my current laptop needed replacing after around 2 years, which was disappointing. I paid Dell to supply a replacement, but the experience of dealing with them was poor (eg over an hour on the 'phone to place the order, they got my address wrong and used my neighbour's, battery didn't arrive and I had to chase it up).
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26753
    I love my Mac for home use (photography & music mostly) but it's utter shit for excel if you need it to anything more complicated than basic arithmetic. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    I have a Precision 5510 for work - if you've got a 5520 at the mo then buy another. 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • welshboyowelshboyo Frets: 1808
    Cheers All, I think I will go XPS/Precision as it appears to be the better option and Dell have a few in refurb stock which cuts the cost down a little..
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  • welshboyo said:
    Cheers All, I think I will go XPS/Precision as it appears to be the better option and Dell have a few in refurb stock which cuts the cost down a little..
    Remember Dell Outlet prices are -VAT
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  • I've been using a dell xps 13 for the last two years. Never had any problems with it, or with windows 10.  A bigger screen would be nicer, but I manage. Performance wise I can't fault it.
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  • FX_MunkeeFX_Munkee Frets: 2477
    I've got a (work supplied) XPS and it's blisteringly fast, and generally a joy to use.
    Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame, you give love a bad name. Not to mention archery tuition.
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  • menamestommenamestom Frets: 4641

    I was going to get an XPS or MBP but ended up getting a Lenovo Ideapad 720s.  The XPS specs we’re not great for the money and talk of thermal issues put me off.  The Lenovo was quite a bit cheaper and is great, very quick, great battery, good graphics card, 512gb SSd, quad core processor,  Upgradable RAM etc. Windows has been flawless so far (a few months) so very happy.  The buggest reason to pay the extra for the XPS would be the screen, the Lenovo is good, but not the brightest amd does not have the wow factor of the XPS or MBP.  
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  • Axe_meisterAxe_meister Frets: 4612
    I work for Dell so a bit biased. If you want to connect anything more than a single USB device you will need yet another adapter.

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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    I have an XPS13 and have had a lot of Macs, still have a MBP 15 and an iMac.

    If you need interoperability with other devices then go PC, it is a much easier life.

    If primarily operating with creates then Mac edges it.
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    The Windows vs MacOS thing is a non-issue; if you need a Windows program then just run it in a VM (as I do on my systems with Linux as the host OS).

    On to Dell vs Mac - one consideration is the weight and you've also got to take into account the various accoutrements required for powering & connectivity; some laptops aren't physically thick enough to fit  the standard sockets on.

    The current release of Windows 10 includes an SSH client (run from a Powerhell command line), which has previously been a weakness (so you've had to use the clunky PuTTY program or something to get connected).

    I've always found the Windows 8/10 interface to be rather ugly, whereas the MacOS one looks like it was designed by people who had at least some graphics skills. OTOH, I've always needed a 3-button mouse, which Apple don't like (it took them years to grudgingly accept 2 buttons!) and using BTT on to get 3 buttons on my trackpad was never 100%.

    Connectivity and interoperability is fine for a Mac, except if you plug in a USB drive with one of the Windows proprietary formats (I think it was NTFS).

    When my Mac mini pooped last month, I was faced with the choice of what to do and I decided to go for Linux as my main OS, with a Windows VM to give me Office, Visio); Apple don't have a product to sell me at the moment, as the current Mac mini has been knobbled to make it non-upgradable. (I am going to see what Apple will do about my Mac mini's problem, because it is a known issue.)

    Here's a comparison review; they seem to be saying that the MBP is thinner and lighter, but the Dell's price is significantly lower (you could buy a USA Strat for the difference!).


    OTOH, the price may not be such a factor if it's for business use; if you are VAT registered then that's not relevant and if you depreciate it over 3 years against company profits, the real cost of ownership is way lower.

    The final thing is whether you will ever look at people with a Mac and wish you had one.




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  • menamestommenamestom Frets: 4641

    Just looked at the XPS 15 configurations, they look much better than when I was shopping, originally it went from 8GB RAM to 32 and the price jumped massively.

    The 16GB 512 SSD 8th Gen I7 at £1429 now looks good value and would be my pick, or £1639 for the 4K.
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  • fandangofandango Frets: 2204
    prowla said:




    Here's a comparison review; they seem to be saying that the MBP is thinner and lighter, but the Dell's price is significantly lower (you could buy a USA Strat for the difference!).





    It’s always worth checking the specs. I’ve read a couple of articles that suggest it’s an urban myth when you factor in what your money really buys.


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