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Dell XPS 15 vs Mabook pro

Last response: in Laptops & Notebooks
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So I'm trying to decide what laptop I am going to get for college and I have come down to these two. The dell XPS 15 (the 1699 one) or the macbook pro (the 1799 one). I am very familiar with both windows OS and Mac OS, as I grew up using windows at home and Macs at school. I really don't have a preference of one over the other, I just need a laptop with the best specs that will survive 4 years of college. I will also do some light gaming, probably a few hours a week in total. I would like to see your opinions on which would be the better one for college work and for multimedia entertainment. Also, if you could comment on the build quality of the two and how they compare, that would be great. Also if you can limit the discussion on these two and not provide other recommendations, that would be insanely helpful.

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I think im looking at the right models based on your prices-

My vote would be for the dell XPS 15" (the new *macbook pro looking* one i assume), although it has a *slightly* slower processor it has double the RAM (8 instead of 4). It also has a faster hard drive which is also larger. The graphics card is much better too. You should be able to do everything you want with ease.

The only thing is the build, mac book pros are quality builds, the new XPS 15" is definitely going for the same solid aluminum design but id be interested to see one hands on in a best buy or something.
Ive been dealing with this same comparison for my next laptop and i love the new XPS15.

I would definitely go with the Dell. In a year, you can double the performance by putting an SSD into it. I have an XPS M1530 from 2007 and I just put a 240GB SSD into it, I can tell you its a whole new machine!

How light is your gaming? Keep in mind that lots of games are not available for OSX so you might have to run boot camp.

You probably don't need more than 4GB of RAM for your uses so I wouldn't let that sway you. Especially considering that OSX uses less RAM than windows so it's not a apples to apples comparison.

The reasons to go with the Macbook pro are the trackpad and the quality of the build. If I were you I'd go to a brick and mortar store and see which one felt better. The differences in performance are minimal.

I'm not sure what you're going to be studying, but some programs (Excel for instance) are not nearly as good for OSX as they are for Windows and vice-versa.
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I would say get the Dell XPS 15. Not every softwares and games are compatible with Mac OS. The only good thing about the Macbook pro is thin, and its aluminium design. The specs are not great comparing to the Dell XPS 15, and its too expensive for its price. You can upgrade your Dell XPS 15 if you want, since some parts are removable. Unlike Macbook pros, you can't even remove the battery, its sticked to the laptop. Upgrades for the macbook pro? Don't even think about it. Macs cannot play games. So if your going with the macbook pro, theres hardly good games that can play with Mac OS. So overall, go with the XPS 15.

ipwn3r456 said:
I would say get the Dell XPS 15. Not every softwares and games are compatible with Mac OS. The only good thing about the Macbook pro is thin, and its aluminium design. The specs are not great comparing to the Dell XPS 15, and its too expensive for its price. You can upgrade your Dell XPS 15 if you want, since some parts are removable. Unlike Macbook pros, you can't even remove the battery, its sticked to the laptop. Upgrades for the macbook pro? Don't even think about it. Macs cannot play games. So if your going with the macbook pro, theres hardly good games that can play with Mac OS. So overall, go with the XPS 15.


Going to have to point out some misconceptions ;)  Mac hardware is x86 based now and indeed can play games. It is the OS which does not support the APIs native that most games are built with. You can dual boot windows and run games just fine on the mac book pro.

Other than that, the MBP is definately "overpriced". But if you can afford it, and dig the apple look, go for it. They make good laptops, and make you pay extra for the brand.

This is what I'm looking at right now. The dell only has a GT525 though which means the Macbook Pro will kill it for gaming with its 650GT. I'm having trouble finding a review that directly compares battery life between the two though.

Dark Comet said:
This is what I'm looking at right now. The dell only has a GT525 though which means the Macbook Pro will kill it for gaming with its 650GT. I'm having trouble finding a review that directly compares battery life between the two though.


What about the Dell XPS 17? It has the GT555m, which is not bad. The price is around $1000 US dollars.
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