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MBP 2017 vs Dell XPS 15

A

Alphonsus

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 1, 2017
56
11
Massachusett
So Dell has a sale on their Dell XPS 15 for the 16gb ram model. As some might know I am finding a computer for my senior and then the 4 years of college. Here are the 2 computers with the pricing and the specs:

Dell XPS 15:
Windows 10
7th gen i7-7700HQ(6M cache, 3.8GHZ)
16GB DDR4-2400MHz
512GB PCIe Solid State Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5
LCD 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge, Non-touch
Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
3 year McAfee Security Subscription
Total: $1718(includes tax)


Macbook Pro 2017:
MacOS
3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
256GB SSD storage
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650
Total: $1619*

*so for the MBP the price is a bit lower since my mom is a teacher so she has a 10% off, we are also going to New Hampshire to buy it so...no tax. Were going to New Hampshire since my mom is getting a Macbook Air and a Iphone 6s.
 
The Dell has more memory, a larger SSD, and a quad core CPU. Plus the 1050 is pretty nice graphic card if you do gaming.

But, the MBP is no slouch and price is good with your discount. But it is a smaller screen, dual core CPU, and smaller memory and SSD. But it is also smaller and lighter, so easier to carry.

Since this is for college, you should look at your major and see what type of software they run, and whether it is available natively on the Mac. You want to spend your time in school using software not working around issues.
 
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Yeah, I am a bit of a gamer, however I don't play the new titles and demanding games like overwatch.

For major I don't really know it depends on the school I get in :). If I get in MCPHS I will go into Pharmacy so basically any of the computer will work. On the other hand if I get into UMASS Amherst or Lowell I will go for Environmental Science. Not sure what I need though for Environmental Science. For the UMASSes its a full course where as in MCPHS you already have a set schedule of class which are based in science and math(no ela or history). However if I do go into environmental science I have many choices within the branch. I could/might go into environmental engineer, so not sure how well the MacOS will handle whatever engineering programs I may need. However this is a 4 year college so it might not be intensive, however I will be going for a graduate degree but by this time I will probably get a new computer after 4-5 years. For pharmacy its going to a PHD so I believe its 6 years
 
It does kind of depend on your particular needs, however you can always bootcamp windows on the Mac, can't do that the other way around. It also depends on what side of the lecture hall you want to sit on, hipster or rebels?

Either is likely going to be sufficient for you though, if you're lugging it around you will probably want to seriously consider the Mac as it'll be lighter and longer battery life. Also depending on your finances, the Mac can be a better investment. Worst case your computer breaks down half way through a year and you haven't got the money to get a new one or something, the Macs are considered reliable machines.

I'd vote a Mac personally. The Dell will be better for games and so on BUT there's something to be said about having a machine that can't do those things (It's way less of a distraction).
 
Can you deal with Windows? If so, the XPS is probably the better buy.

I can't stand Windows, so it's Mac for me
 
The Mercurian said:
Dell - in addition to the better spec per $ - you can upgrade the Dell later.

Windows is the only drawback. Maybe you can put linux on it
Click to expand...

You can definitely running Linux on it. My daughter dual boots her XPS 15. She is a PhD Oncology researcher, and in that field they all run Ubuntu, so many of the apps she and colleagues create are targeting Ubuntu.
 
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jerryk said:
You can definitely running Linux on it. My daughter dual boots her XPS 15. She is a PhD Oncology researcher, and in that field they all run Ubuntu so many of the apps she and colleagues create are targeting Ubuntu.
Click to expand...
Good to know actually!
 
The quad core in the Dell will go a long way in making sure the computer meets your needs for 5 years.

Also you can save some money and only get the 256 GB SSD. If you are careful, you can get the XPS with the smaller battery which means there is room to put in a 1TB hard drive so you can have lots of storage but still have an SSD for most of your needs.

The Dell is definitely the better buy in this scenario. It has more memory, more storage, quad core CPU, a larger screen, and a much better keyboard. The downside is that it is larger and weighs 4 pounds with the smaller battery versus 3 pounds. That is not much of a difference in my book.

You should also keep an eye on the dell outlet and get it for $1409 + tax: http://outlet.us.dell.com/ArbOnline...xpGgnSXaSH70MzODQYud/h0Cub9k61Vq7i3OnsyuLnA==
 
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Alphonsus said:
So Dell has a sale on their Dell XPS 15 for the 16gb ram model. As some might know I am finding a computer for my senior and then the 4 years of college. Here are the 2 computers with the pricing and the specs:

Dell XPS 15:
Windows 10
7th gen i7-7700HQ(6M cache, 3.8GHZ)
16GB DDR4-2400MHz
512GB PCIe Solid State Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5
LCD 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge, Non-touch
Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
3 year McAfee Security Subscription
Total: $1718(includes tax)


Macbook Pro 2017:
MacOS
3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
256GB SSD storage
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650
Total: $1619*

*so for the MBP the price is a bit lower since my mom is a teacher so she has a 10% off, we are also going to New Hampshire to buy it so...no tax. Were going to New Hampshire since my mom is getting a Macbook Air and a Iphone 6s.
Click to expand...
The Dell kills the MBP on specs. The MBP is also cheaper because you compare it to the base model?

In this case I'd go for the dell.
 
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I'd go for the Mac, for OS X and reliability alone. Had a 2009 MBP that was still going strong in 2014 when I sold it. Only had to replace the battery once, very low maintenance.
 
Essaux said:
The Dell kills the MBP on specs. The MBP is also cheaper because you compare it to the base model?

In this case I'd go for the dell.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was judging what I get for money. My limit is $1500 so hope my parents will pay for the security and tax if I get Dell. Will be talking about it to them
 
Alphonsus said:
Yeah I was judging what I get for money. My limit is $1500 so hope my parents will pay for the security and tax if I get Dell. Will be talking about it to them
Click to expand...
Get the Dell. Worth the money, more than the MBP which has far lower specs. If you can't stand Windows 10, then you can always go for Ubuntu, or Elementary OS and the likes.

Not sure if macOS is worth that price difference. And this is coming from a guy who has all kinds of apple products ;)
 
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I agree the Dell is the better option and in my opinion, it's not even close! Unless $$$$ are the issue, get the Dell..
 
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The only reason to get MBP is for Mac OS. If not, then just get other laptops which are more worth the money.

I've used the Dell XPS before, for intensive daily Youtube video creation and it's is very powerful. So speed is definitely not going to be an issue.

Also, the huge draw for me in this comparison above is, you are getting 512GB storage vs 256GB on the MBP.
 
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teohyc said:
The only reason to get MBP is for Mac OS.
Click to expand...
Agreed, either because you don't want windows, or macOS has apps/services that you need that windows doesn't.

I do like Apple's approach and its ecosystem, but looking at it from a purely specs perspective. The dell has the MBP beat by a long shot.
 
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I do have a Dell XPS 15 9550 (the older model) and, prior to that, I had a 15-inch MacBook Pro with retina display (not the latest redesign, though).

The Dell XPS 15 is an excellent machine, and it has an amazing display (mine is the quad full HD, though, 3840x2160). However, it is not as well-built as a MacBook. The keyboard and trackpad are good, but nowhere as good as the ones in the Macs. The chassis is clearly not as well-built and it gets a little hot sometimes; plus, it gets dirt. The screen, although great, has more glare.

If you compare the configuration of both machines, the Dell XPS 15 is clearly superior to the 13-inch MacBook Pro as it has more memory, more storage, a faster processor, and a dedicated video card. However, the MacBook Pro feels much more solid.

Of course there are the obvious differences as well.

There is a clear difference in weight and portability.

The screen of the MacBook Pro is 13.3-inch and in a 16:10 format and the one in the Dell XPS 15 is 15.6-inch and in 16:9 format.

And the Dell XPS 15 runs Windows 10, and the MacBook Pro runs macOS. You can run Windows 10 on the MacBook Pro via BootCamp (or in a virtual machine), but (1) you will have to buy Windows (and if you want to run it on Parallels or Fusion, you will have to buy one of these programs); (2) you may become short on storage (if you have a 256 GB SSD, you will have to split this between two operating systems); and (3) there are shortcomings (if you run via BootCamp, you will miss the trackpad gestures which are not supported; if you run via Parallels or Fusion, you will have a performance penalty.

My advice: just go to a store and test both machines. If you are fine with Dell's build quality, go for it. Otherwise, give it a second thought.
 
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I understand the general sense that the Dell PC has more oomph based on specs. That i7 and the graphics card are very compelling.

Apple should be punished for not budging on their profit margins on RAM and disk space. They should lose business, hopefully prompting them to compete harder. It would take a lot more to make this happen, I'm afraid.

No one else has mentioned the screen quality. You're comparing the Mac build with the XPS that has an FHD screen, not a Hi-DPI QHD one.

Screen quality is extremely important to me. I find the current generation of MBP screens are brighter and easier to use/read than most of their PC counterparts. It's hard for me to read on PCs as easy as I do on Macs, unless it is higher-quality 4K screens.

Windows to me is not the largest downside, considering Windows 10 has a lot of very good and tasteful defaults and is very stable. I wouldn't install Linux on it, (unless, specifically, that is your thing and you want to use Linux specifically.) I run Linux in VMs, and it's very reliable. But give credit where it's due: Windows 10 does HighDPI beautifully, is stable, runs any usable software out there (including Bash!), and is capable of going into sleep/low-power mode without needing constant reassurance.
 
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Dozer_Zaibatsu said:
Screen quality is extremely important to me. I find the current generation of MBP screens are brighter and easier to use/read than most of their PC counterparts. It's hard for me to read on PCs as easy as I do on Macs, unless it is higher-quality 4K screens.
Click to expand...
I'd opt for the 4k Dell screen and tbh, my experiences with Windows vs. OS X, is that If find Windows easier on my eyes. A couple of for instances.
In Excel, I typically have to increase the zoom up to 125 to 150% in OS X because for what ever reason its being rendered too small. In Windows, its fine. Likewise in the mail app the text is too small. All things being equal, with resolution and what not I find Windows easier on my old eyes YMMV and as such my experiences may not be typical but I do find its easier.

Dozer_Zaibatsu said:
I understand the general sense that the Dell PC has more oomph based on specs.
Click to expand...
At this point I find that the MBP wins over the dell in:

  • Looks, and I will not discount how that can affect purchase decisions - the MBP does look really nice. Gorgeous lines.
  • The Apple ecosystem, that is if you're already in the apple ecosystem, then the MBP isn't a bad decision.
  • Customer Support, I've not had bad experiences with dell in the past, but I've had better experiences with Apple

What I like about the Dell is not just that it beats out the MBP on spec, but the keyboard is better, the components are replaceable. I don't have to spend over 200 dollars and get a new top case because I needed to replace the battery.
 
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maflynn said:
I'd opt for the 4k Dell screen and tbh, my experiences with Windows vs. OS X, is that If find Windows easier on my eyes. A couple of for instances.
In Excel, I typically have to increase the zoom up to 125 to 150% in OS X because for what ever reason its being rendered too small. In Windows, its fine. Likewise in the mail app the text is too small. All things being equal, with resolution and what not I find Windows easier on my old eyes YMMV and as such my experiences may not be typical but I do find its easier.


At this point I find that the MBP wins over the dell in:

  • Looks, and I will not discount how that can affect purchase decisions - the MBP does look really nice. Gorgeous lines.
  • The Apple ecosystem, that is if you're already in the apple ecosystem, then the MBP isn't a bad decision.
  • Customer Support, I've not had bad experiences with dell in the past, but I've had better experiences with Apple

What I like about the Dell is not just that it beats out the MBP on spec, but the keyboard is better, the components are replaceable. I don't have to spend over 200 dollars and get a new top case because I needed to replace the battery.
Click to expand...
Maflynn...did you get your laptop? Is it the XPS 15?
 
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