Windows Equivalent to the New MBP?

[Hrothgar]

I'm ready to upgrade my late 2011 MBP. The new MBP is my first choice, because most of my gadgets are Apple. But people are telling me that I can get a Windows based unit that will perform just as well for much less money. I've looked, and it seems that the closest I can find is a Dell XPS 15" 2-in-1 for about $2000.
Are there other Windows laptops that have the similar specs to the new MBP?

 

[Ma2k5]

I'm ready to upgrade my late 2011 MBP. The new MBP is my first choice, because most of my gadgets are Apple. But people are telling me that I can get a Windows based unit that will perform just as well for much less money. I've looked, and it seems that the closest I can find is a Dell XPS 15" 2-in-1 for about $2000.
Are there other Windows laptops that have the similar specs to the new MBP?

XPS 15 is the closest. There is some HP Zbook/Lenovo PXX options that are available (or available soon).

Additionally, there are laptops such as the Razer Blade 15, Gigabyte Aero 15x, MSI GS65 which are of a similar foot print albeit more gamer orientated with their very powerful GPU's.

 

[Audit13]

As for "performance", people will have different definitions. What is the intended use of the replacement laptop?

If your apps only run on macOS, get a Macbook.

 

[maflynn]

I can find is a Dell XPS 15" 2-in-1 for about $2000.

Dell has a non 2-in-1 for less money. You have two choices with the XPS line, FHD display or 4k. Even with the 4k, the Dell is cheaper then the MBP.

 

[Hrothgar]

Thanks. Lately, I haven't used the laptop much. When I do, it's mostly Internet and MS Office products. If I went the Windows route, I'd try to use the laptop as my work computer with a docking station to connect to my office network. I assume it would be better than the 6 year old Dell desktop I'm using now.

 

[nordique]

XPS and Matebook Pro X would be my suggestions. Both very great machines

Some people swear by the Lenovo Yoga and X1 series as well, others the hp spectre but I’m not a fan of hp. I think k the spectre is great though, but I’d go with the XPS over it.

Microsoft has a surface book but those are as if not more expensive than the MacBooks

For most people that I know, it’s between Dell and Lenovo. The 15” XPS is an elegant tank and you can even get a configuration with a SATA drive bay

 

[chars1ub0w]

Have the i9 processor on my Dell XPS 15" model 9570 (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 4K screen, Nvidia 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5). About a week old. Running Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. Cost is $2899 + extended warranty. I should also have the i9 on a MacBook Pro 15" 2018 (32GB, 2TB SSD, not 4K screen though and less powerful Radeon graphics) in a few weeks. Cost $4039 + tax + AppleCare. $3319 for the 1TB version.
Yes, the Dell is $420 cheaper. Probably similar performance.

 

[FelixDerKater]

Is the XPS throttling?

 

[dumastudetto]

Is the XPS throttling?

It does:

 

[chars1ub0w]

Is the XPS throttling?

All 15" laptops in the 4lbs class - read: light and thin - must throttle as the unlocked CPU can draw much more power than the nominal TDP rating. The question is how much throttling is acceptable for YOUR application.

Single core-wise, my i9 XPS 15" manages to keep a turbo of around 4.4GHz @ 92-93C in my own testing.
See enclosed image.

[doublepost=1532108255][/doublepost]And on my own single threaded test application (running python3) which takes about 1 to 2 hours to run, the XPS 15" is pretty decent as the following graph shows. All these machines I have handy lying around at home except I borrowed a friend's MacBook Pro 15 (2017) for testing - I don't own that one - but hopefully I will have an i9 MacBook Pro 15 (2018) of my own in a few weeks. From top to bottom:

mb 12 early 2016 m7-6Y75 1.3-3.1GHz 4MB Skylake
15 mbp i7-3740QM 2.7-3.7GHz 6MB Ivy Bridge
imac i7-3770 3.4-3.9 8mb Ivy Bridge
15 mbp i7-7820HQ 2.9-3.9GHz 8MB Kaby Lake
dell xps13 9360 2.7-3.5GHz 4MB Kaby Lake
dell xps15 9570 i9-8950HK 2.9-4.8GHz 12MB Coffee Lake

 

[invisibleshoes]

Shop around for deals. I grabbed a XPS 15 9350/1050 GTX/4K Touchscreen last week (through Adorama).

 

[curtvaughan]

XPS 15 is the closest. There is some HP Zbook/Lenovo PXX options that are available (or available soon).

Additionally, there are laptops such as the Razer Blade 15, Gigabyte Aero 15x, MSI GS65 which are of a similar foot print albeit more gamer orientated with their very powerful GPU's.

You can also get the Dell XPS13 Developer Edition which comes preinstalled with Ubuntu Linux, and is about $150 cheaper than the Windows version. Even if you would prefer another Linux distro, it's simple enough to install another distro via USB thumb drive, as it's pretty much guaranteed to work with Linux in general without driver problems, etc. I'd be wary of the new XPS15's with the 6 core i9 chip, as they have similar throttling issues as the MBP with the same chip.
[doublepost=1532721463][/doublepost]

All 15" laptops in the 4lbs class - read: light and thin - must throttle as the unlocked CPU can draw much more power than the nominal TDP rating. The question is how much throttling is acceptable for YOUR application.

Single core-wise, my i9 XPS 15" manages to keep a turbo of around 4.4GHz @ 92-93C in my own testing.
View attachment 771761

Have you experienced throttling issues with your XPS15?

 

[chars1ub0w]

You can also get the Dell XPS13 Developer Edition which comes preinstalled with Ubuntu Linux, and is about $150 cheaper than the Windows version. Even if you would prefer another Linux distro, it's simple enough to install another distro via USB thumb drive, as it's pretty much guaranteed to work with Linux in general without driver problems, etc. I'd be wary of the new XPS15's with the 6 core i9 chip, as they have similar throttling issues as the MBP with the same chip.
[doublepost=1532721463][/doublepost]

Have you experienced throttling issues with your XPS15?

I also have an XPS 13” 9360 model. I have Ubuntu 16.04 on that one. It’s only a 2017 model. Only i7-7500U. Maintains 3.4GHz on 4 threads.

The XPS 15 does well on single threaded tasks. I haven’t tested it extensively on my multithreaded code yet.

My MacBook Pro 15 i9 with 32GB RAM and 2TB ssd has arrived. I’ll pick it up on Monday.

 

[macjunk(ie)]

I'm ready to upgrade my late 2011 MBP. The new MBP is my first choice, because most of my gadgets are Apple. But people are telling me that I can get a Windows based unit that will perform just as well for much less money. I've looked, and it seems that the closest I can find is a Dell XPS 15" 2-in-1 for about $2000.
Are there other Windows laptops that have the similar specs to the new MBP?

There is none cause you cannot install OSX on any of the Windows machines. Be absolutely certain that you will be ok not having access to OSX and the ensuing integration with iOS

 

[maflynn]

There is none cause you cannot install OSX on any of the Windows machines. Be absolutely certain that you will be ok not having access to OSX and the ensuing integration with iOS

Actually you can install OSX on a windows machine, and in some cases its quite easy (depending on the hardware). There's a thriving hackintosh community dedicated to running macOS on PC hardware. I prefer not to do it, but it is possible.

XPS and Matebook Pro X would be my suggestions. Both very great machines

I have to say, I really enjoyed the build quality, design, and materials used by Razer. Their new 15" Razer Blade is an excellent machine, I've really enjoyed that machine. I sadly packed it up and returned it, because I do enjoy the macOS environment/ecosystem.

Shop around for deals. I grabbed a XPS 15 9350/1050 GTX/4K Touchscreen last week (through Adorama).

Nice, that's a fine looking machine and the 4k is gorgeous. Dell's customer support is #2, right behind Apple's

 

[SDColorado]

I have to say, I really enjoyed the build quality, design, and materials used by Razer. Their new 15" Razer Blade is an excellent machine, I've really enjoyed that machine. I sadly packed it up and returned it, because I do enjoy the macOS environment/ecosystem.

How did you find the heat with the Razer 15”? I was having a serious look at those, but the salesman talked me off ledge telling me that they have had several returned just over the past couple of weeks due to heat.

He instead guided me to the MSI, which looks like a quality machine, but man it’s heavy for its size

 

[maflynn]

How did you find the heat with the Razer 15”? I was having a serious look at those, but the salesman talked me off ledge telling me that they have had several returned just over the past couple of weeks due to heat.

He instead guided me to the MSI, which looks like a quality machine, but man it’s heavy for its size

MSI ran cooler based on what I found, but for the Razer, the temps were decent. I didn't like the fan noise, but those fan did the job. When pushing the CPU/GPU, I didn't throttle but it did get hot.

 

[SDColorado]

MSI ran cooler based on what I found, but for the Razer, the temps were decent. I didn't like the fan noise, but those fan did the job. When pushing the CPU/GPU, I didn't throttle but it did get hot.

I know I could get a good deal on one at Best Buy, they said they had like 4-5 open box ones due to returns. I just wasn’t sure how much an issue the heat was. I am not sure I would like the fan noise either though.

I liked the MSI overall, but it was a brick for its size and seemed to only have a grainy 1080 display option. Once your accustomed to the Retina Display, it’s hard to go back to 1080p.

I had a look at some 4K Lenovo units, I believe they were. Looked good, but only intel dedicated graphics.

Dell XPS 4K has a nice display, but not sure I can live with a bit of a sloppy build quality. I think this would annoy me as long as I owned it...

 

[lcseds]

Is that gap all the way from front to back then?

 

[762999]

you can get my impression of a new thinkpad here

 

[belvdr]

I know I could get a good deal on one at Best Buy, they said they had like 4-5 open box ones due to returns. I just wasn’t sure how much an issue the heat was. I am not sure I would like the fan noise either though.

I liked the MSI overall, but it was a brick for its size and seemed to only have a grainy 1080 display option. Once your accustomed to the Retina Display, it’s hard to go back to 1080p.

I had a look at some 4K Lenovo units, I believe they were. Looked good, but only intel dedicated graphics.

Dell XPS 4K has a nice display, but not sure I can live with a bit of a sloppy build quality. I think this would annoy me as long as I owned it...

I have looked at that picture many times and don't see what you're referring to.

 

[SDColorado]

I have looked at that picture many times and don't see what you're referring to.

It’s a gap along the front edge, I didn’t photograph the entire front edge because I was trying to emphasize the width of it. It’s wider than either the top or bottom aluminum pieces and uneven.

I should have taken a video instead maybe. It’s “bouncy” and annoying. You can just sit there and squeeze it shut and let it re-open. It’s just a poor design and I believe done by Dell due to the absence of a recess for opening the lid. But the result is cheesy and cheap.

Which is a shame, because I otherwise love the computer, but I am not sure I would ever unsee it.

I have checked them out in 3 different shops and they all appear relatively the same

Edit: MacBook Pro by contrast, you literary can’t slip a piece of paper in between the display and base when it’s closed. I tried with a thin piece . I could probably fit several between the XPS display and base. No play that I can notice if you squeeze the lid and base together on the MBP either They seem to fit solidly together.

Lenevo was similar to the MBP in fit and finish, but again, only integrated graphics.

I am still looking

Edit 2: I actually preferred the build quality (and graphics card) in the Surface Book 2 over the XPS 15. That may be a contender for me.