Replacing my MacBook Pro?

[skaertus]

I have a 15-inch MacBook Pro with retina display which I bought back in 2013 when I visited the US. It is the 2.4 GHz version with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD.

Now I am in the US again and I can replace my Mac for something else. The Mac is still fine, but some things could be better. As I use Bootcamp, I partitioned the SSD and 128 GB is starting to be a little bit small. The RAM is not enough for running Parallels seamlessly. And the video card somewhat struggles when running Yosemite on a resolution that resembles 1920x1200 (my favorite setup).

Not thinking in buying another Mac here. I realized I really need Windows and that Windows 10 is perfectly good for anything that I want. I need Office all the time and Office for Mac is still crap after all these years.

I was interested in the Dell XPS 13, the Dell XPS 15 and the Surface Book. There is also an Alienware which is a beast. All of them seem to be very nice, but I don't know if any of them is worth to replace my Mac. I mean, they are fine, but do the specs justify it? And I also pay a lot of attention to the screen quality, the keyboard and the trackpad.

Alternatively, I could just use my MacBook Pro with Bootcamp, with all its limitations mainly deriving from poor driver support. Especially the absence of multi-touch trackpad under Bootcamp (just for the record, I tried Trackpad++ and I found it both crappy and annoying). The Mac trackpad under Bootcamp is terrible and one of the main annoyances of using Windows on the Mac.

I was going to give my MacBook Pro to my father. Alternatively, if I don't buy one for me, I would buy some crappy USD 500 PC laptop for him.

Any suggestions? Opinions? Should I go ahead? Not the time to replace the Mac yet?

 

[giantpandaman2]

Any of the three would be fine. I'd stay away from Alienware. They don't have the best track record when it comes to not having issues. I'd pick whichever one is easier to get fixed when you're back home. I don't know much about either Dell or Microsoft's international hardware presence.

All else being equal...since you seem fine with a 15" laptop I'd pick the XPS 15. Between the XPS 13/SB I'd pick the SB. It's just more capable if you need a touchscreen/tablet. Then again, it does cost a bit more...

 

[skaertus]

Any of the three would be fine. I'd stay away from Alienware. They don't have the best track record when it comes to not having issues. I'd pick whichever one is easier to get fixed when you're back home. I don't know much about either Dell or Microsoft's international hardware presence.

All else being equal...since you seem fine with a 15" laptop I'd pick the XPS 15. Between the XPS 13/SB I'd pick the SB. It's just more capable if you need a touchscreen/tablet. Then again, it does cost a bit more...

Thank you for the feedback.

I will not have guarantee out of the US, but Dell does have good support in Brazil should I need it. However, considering my past experience with technical support in Brazil, and the prices they charge, it is often better to discard the laptop and buy a new one.

I am fine with a 15-inch laptop. I used to prefer 13-inch ones, but I intend to use this laptop mostly at home, so mobility is not 100% essential to me at this point.

I am open to other laptop suggestions as well.

 

[Stuka87]

I think the XPS 15 would be your best bet if you want to switch to a Windows laptop. I don't think you would be happy with the performance hit that you would take with the Surface Book. Plus its high price for the amount of performance it offers is pretty meh. Yes its convertible, but very few work styles lend themselves to a touch screen. Its a nice machine, just horribly expensive for such a low power machine.

Your other option is to buy a much newer MBP, which has 16GB of RAM, plenty for running parallels.

 

[giantpandaman2]

I think the XPS 15 would be your best bet if you want to switch to a Windows laptop. I don't think you would be happy with the performance hit that you would take with the Surface Book. Plus its high price for the amount of performance it offers is pretty meh. Yes its convertible, but very few work styles lend themselves to a touch screen. Its a nice machine, just horribly expensive for such a low power machine.

Your other option is to buy a much newer MBP, which has 16GB of RAM, plenty for running parallels.

I'm pretty sure the SB has enough power for Skaertus' needs, but there is a fairly high price premium for the ability to go tablet/stylus.

If that's not necessary...I'd go with either XPS model. Both are very capable machines. On further thought, I'd go with a Dell Latitude notebook. I prefer the Latitudes as the business laptops tend to be more solidly built for the long term. Consumer laptops emphasize "sexiness" over hardiness. Given that Skaertus is bringing this back to Brazil...I'd go for hardiness. I realize that Dell markets the XPS as their top of the line notebooks that got to professionals, but those often go to executives who have IT departments to deal with crap. The Latitudes go to people who actually need to get stuff done and are less likely to get massive amounts of help.

 

[marcplante]

The Samsung ATIV9 machines are also very nice. My wife bought the 15" model last year after a lot of looking and loves it. The HD is small, but it is very easy to upgrade with another M2 SSD. 10 screws off the bottom and snap off the HD cover then release one screw. Samsung makes nice screens and the keyboard and touchpad are solid as well. It's a little pricey, but you're in a fairly expensive neighborhood anyhow.

 

[giantpandaman2]

The Samsung ATIV9 machines are also very nice. My wife bought the 15" model last year after a lot of looking and loves it. The HD is small, but it is very easy to upgrade with another M2 SSD. 10 screws off the bottom and snap off the HD cover then release one screw. Samsung makes nice screens and the keyboard and touchpad are solid as well. It's a little pricey, but you're in a fairly expensive neighborhood anyhow.

That Samsung machines are beautiful. Thankfully, the new models are a little cheaper than the older ones, but with the same top-notch build quality. I just wish they came with more battery life instead of trying to be so damn thin.

 

[marcplante]

They have 8-10 hour life afaik, ply the new ones have fast charge technology. You have to take off the cover to replace the battery, but it is just plugged in, so user servicable.

 

[giantpandaman2]

The ATIV Book 9 Spin has a tiny 39WH battery...probably 5-6 hours in light usage. Three if doing some power computing or if using its outdoor mode.

They just did a review on mobiletechreview. She liked it quite a bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziQ7PXLpOUc

 

[marcplante]

I'm talking about the 15 model. Bigger battery.

 

[giantpandaman2]

Ah, the 56 WH battery on the ATIV Pro 15" is comparable to the XPS 15--though the XPS can go up to an 86 WH. The Surface Book has a 70WH.

 

[tphss]

Dell XPS series is good. I have good experience with the Lenovo X1 Carbon which I would recommend (get the version without the touch menu button on top, standard mechanical buttons).

I had the same Macbook Retina you have, sold it last year, but I will probably buy another Macbook Retina (13" this time) this year.

 

[saratoga172]

I've got experience with all but the XPS 15.

The XPS 13 I've setup for a couple users at work. Wonderful little machines. One was a fully spec'd unit and the other was only a notch below the top level. The screen is gorgeous and the laptop has a premium feel to it. Great build quality. Battery life is steller (8-10 hours when testing) and it's got a lot of power for the size. The infinity display is amazing as well. Can't go wrong with this if it's what you want. Smaller than most 13 inch laptops.

Surface Book. I just finished setting up one of these this past week for one of our executives. It was the 512gb model. I wasn't initially impressed with it but after I spent more than 10 minutes with it it was really a treat to use. I was shocked at how light the tablet portion of it is. I did not expect that at all. The pen has some really amazing stuff in it. I really liked the One Note button they added and the sensitivity for writing/drawing is very nice. The system was very fast as expected. I didn't test batteyr life but from what I've read expect 6-10 hours depending on use with the keyboard base. Two things I'm not a fan of. Not sold on the gap when the lid is closed. Cost for what you get is a bit high imo.

Alienware. I've personally got an Alienware that I traded a MacBook Pro for. It's a 17 R2 and just under a year old. Specs are in my signature. Very powerful and the biggest benefit it has to the others is the graphics card. I don't game much on my laptop but it is nice to have the flexibility. It's the most powerful of the bunch and weighs twice as much as the other two combined. So if you want an Alienware, any size, be prepared to lug around a beast. They aren't known for being lightweight. My preference is for something lighter but I don't really mind this one. I don't have to carry it far when I bring it places. Battery life tops out around 5 hours with light use and 3ish with heavier. I haven't gamed more than 15-20 minutes (quick checks of characters) while on battery. I run a lot of VM's on it so it works well with that.

I haven't used the XPS 15 yet but have heard both good and bad. If you get a unit without issues they are wonderful machines. But there seems to be a poor QA process for them and a lot of issues are making it out into the wild. That is disappointing seeing as how that system fits many peoples wants to a T. That would be a nearly perfect system for me personally.

 

[HeXen]

You might check out the RazorBlade Pro, they copied a lot from Mac's, it's the only other laptop that ever caught my interest and I like the LCD trackpad. It just doesn't have very high resolution nor battery life.

I have the same 2013 Mac but am too spoiled with gestures, MagSafe..etc. I'd prefer to have Linux Mint Cinnamon as the OS but obviously it's not very doable on a mac and I'm not privy enough with Linux to set it all up. Last I tried, heat was a big issue, seems Linux nor Windows is very good at controlling the fans so I gave up.

I wish someone would make high quality laptops with Mint default.

 

[Pneumothorax]

I'm in the same boat as the OP and I've yet to find a win10 laptop that has just as good trackpad, keyboard, and battery life as my rMBP. I'm also hitting the 8gb ram limit with parallels. Really miss my 2011's mbp upgradability. Anyways, I've come close to getting 2015 rMBP 15 maxed out, but paying close to $3000 for that 4 year old m370x gpu is a major turn off for me.

 

[ultimatebob]

Funny... I went from a Dell XPS 15 to the MacBook Pro that I use now. The difference in build quality is amazing. While the Dell was a piece of plastic junk that fell apart and needed 3 in warranty repairs in its first year, the MacBook still looks brand new after almost 2 years of use.

I heard that the new XPS 15's are better made, though, but I still wouldn't get one. I'd get something like a Lenovo Thinkpad T series instead, since they are built like tanks just like the Macbook.

 

[tphss]

What did you end up getting?
I'm waiting for an update to the Macbook air. If the currnt Macbook 12" had a normal USB port I would buy it. Can't find another 12" laptop with that screen resolution, weight and battery life combo.