McBook Pro 15 or Dell XPS 15 ?

[sashbar]

I am looking for a laptop that I can use for editing and trying to choose between the above models.
Dell has better specs throughout for the same price as McBook, has similar aluminum case and boasts arguably better PPS display.

Dell has i7-4712HQ instead of McBook's i5, and 1TB HHD+32SSD instead of McBook's 500SSD etc.

On the other hand McBook is a proven and reliable machine. The Dell's Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) touch display is gorgeous, but PS can not be automatically scaled for this resolution, so I would need to switch between resolutions using some editing programms.

I could not care less about the Apple hype and prestige, and for some probably ungrounded reason I can not help thinking that McBook is a "toy" 'puter and iOS is somehow limited, even though my iPad is working flawlessly.

Dell runs this dreaded Win 8,1 which can be soon upgraded to Win 10 for free. And btw, my current Win 7 laptop has been working flawlessly and trouble free for the last 4 years.

I also need to factor in some Win software that I will need to buy for iOS, that is another $300 -$500.

I have never owned an Apple laptop before, had a McBook Pro for several weeks and it was nice, but I did not feel it was something extra special compared to Win7 on a powerful machine.

Any thoughts?
What would you choose and why?
Is i5 chip sufficient enough for Lightroom, Photoshop etc ?
Does iOS still have a significant advantage over Win ?

 

[Gary A.]

All my stuff is Apple ... (even my watch ... joking) ... For me the integration and seamlessness is nice. Integration and seamlessness isn't necessary ... just nice. I've been Apple for quite a few years and I've had much better luck with their products than Dell, et al. (But my Sony Laptop could hang with my MBP.) I readily accept paying a bit more for the same specs knowing/having the reassurance of the sound Apple OS.

I'm running CS6 w/i7 ... not even a hiccup. Can't speak to the i5.

 

[sashbar]

Thanks Gary. Looks like you are the only McBook owner here
Any XPS users?
Any opinions??

 

[Dave442]

I am also using a MacBook now after years of being the only PC user in the house. For when you have to work on a laptop it is nice to use. I only have the i5 chip and 8mb memory, but it runs LR just fine, I think the SSD helps with the Catalog. I also have Parallels running with Windows XP for three old programs that I need with me when traveling.

 

[snerd]

Never had a Mac. Only use Dell. Last one for almost 10 years! Currently using Dell XPS Studio for last 4 years. Never a problem with either one. The only reason I've thought about the Macs is the Retina display, but with Dell and others coming our with the HD+ monitors, that reason is slowly fading. Yes, the price on the Macs, less power, RAM, speed and storage for more money is a factor too, for me anyway. But their marketing is really savvy............ they almost make me think I NEED one lol!!

 

[pepperberry farm]

I recently replaced an old Mac with a new Mac - I switched from a Windows machine about ten years ago and have never regretted the decision to do so...

That being said, if you have the opportunity to move to Apple, take it... I do not use any Adobe pp software, so cannot comment on how well it runs on my Mac, but the i5 processor (2.6Ghz) and 16 Gb of RAM seem to be able to handle anything I throw at it....

 

[sk66]

I use Mac (MBP15 retina currently). I prefer the OS in every aspect.
But you do pay more for the hardware...

One negative of Mac displays is that the LUT's can't be calibrated, you can only profile w/ a custom ICC. IMO, HD+ displays are way over hyped...as is 10bit color.

 

[sashbar]

Thanks for your comments guys. After long consideration I bought MacBook Pro. i7 Quad, 2,5 Ghz, 16 RAM and all bells and whistles.
After so many years with PCs it feels a bit weird, but the quality is obvious.

 

[pepperberry farm]

Thanks for your comments guys. After long consideration I bought MacBook Pro. i7 Quad, 2,5 Ghz, 16 RAM and all bells and whistles.
After so many years with PCs it feels a bit weird, but the quality is obvious.

congrats!

there are a couple of good manuals that can help with the transition; it took me a while to learn the conventions of OSX, but practice and actually using it made it all worth it....