Comments on: Apple MacBook Pro 13 vs. Dell Studio XPS 13

By: Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:45:53 +0000

Erm. One question. . . what would you say would happen if Apple had as large a share of the PC Market as say, Dell? Would you say their service would suffer? What about being a bigger target to hackers? Do you suppose their quality would suffer?

By: Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:27:32 +0000

*laughs* I feel you. That’s really what makes the MacBook Pro products unique anyway. Otherwise you might as well go with an HP Envy. But even so there are still downsides to the Mac OS (gaming, compatibility with a lot of software, and so-on) which are minimal when you consider you can still get quality software for most things, and you can still run Windows on it if you have to. Still? Do I want to pay, really, the hundreds of dollars extra to wear their logo and use their OS? Which was the deciding factor for me (well really I didn’t have enough cash to pay for a Mac even if I had wanted).

By: Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:16:34 +0000

Yeah. The Unibody design on the MBP is actually better then anything else hands down, but I wouldn’t say the SXPS 16 is anywhere near bad either. As for getting to the guts of the SXPS 16 versus the MBP it may still lag behind a bit, but there is mainly one panel that accesses everything too. But I won’t lie, and you wouldn’t either if you saw the RGBLED, its a beautiful screen that is perfect especially for photo-editing.

By: BenDover

BenDover — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:13:02 +0000

All of the MacBook Pros currently use 16:10 displays, as a matter of fact, Apple was one of the first to offer 16:10 in a notebook. With the release of the new iMacs it’s speculated that the notebook line MAY also be redesigned to 16:9 aspect ratios.

As well, you forget one fact. MacOS X is FAR more efficient with system resources than Windows. Running both systems on the same hardware, MacOS X will perform better as it is lighter and can handle the resources more efficiently. I run Windows 7 on my MacBook Pro and it’s just awful slow, however MacOS X screams and never misses a beat.

By: Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:08:57 +0000

The problem with is it will hog more resources meaning it won’t be as speedy. (But if you’re going to do virtualization anyway the more memory the better.)

By: Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:04:15 +0000

Lol. You are probably right. Although from what I understand the MacBook Pro’s Unibody will have to be redesigned to fit the Arrandale chip. (Although I doubt this will be at an expense to its size unless they follow the trend and switch to the 16:9 aspect ratio versus the 4:3.) But still. In performance gains it only sounds like they’ll be offering the Arrandale mobile chips, and not the Clarksfield which is the Quad Cores i7 Processors. Still. I’m doing a comparison of NOW. At the moment the MBP’s are seriously underpowered compared to other product lines now supporting the Arrandale and Clarksfield mobile cpu’s. (OK. Maybe not ’seriously’ underpowered, but still behind.)

By: Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:41:42 +0000

Although I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore for the SXPS 13 as it has reached its EOL (End of Life)(Due to the fact it couldn’t support the new Intel i5 Processors[they are apparently making a new model to support it]) it is notable, although maybe not ideal, that you can always buy additional batteries which will allow you to extend your laptop’s life as long as you have additional batteries whereas you can’t do this with the MBP13.

Really though NEV. Sadly, comparing the SXPS 13 with the MBP 13 is a bit pointless as their uses vary. Whereas the MBP 13 is a beautiful blend of power + portability + battery life, the SXPS 13 was more aimed for those seeking more ‘power’ + portability, but with a more negligible battery life. So… really the deciding factor should be… what do you need or want out of it, and at what cost? And I’m done rambling.

By: BenDover

BenDover — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:29:40 +0000

We aren’t talking about the same model as this comparison. If you want an equal comparison to your Dell, wait a month for the i7 and i5 MacBook Pros.

By: Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:25:56 +0000

Although this probably isn’t an entirely fair comparison I have purchased the DELL Studio XPS 16(45) with an i7 720QM Intel Processor, 1GB ATI 4670 graphics card, 500GB @7,200 RPM, WLED 1920 x 1080 (1080p)16:9 Aspect Ratio, and 4GB DDR3. All of which would cost a grand total (not including tax) of $1,399.

By comparison a MacBook Pro 15-inch with a 2.8 Ghz Core 2 Duo, Nvidia 512Mb 9600 GT graphics card, 500GB @7,200 RPM, LED 1440 x 900 (900p) 4:3, and 4GB DDR3. All of which would cost a grand total (not including tax) of $2,349.

Yes. Nearly $1,000 less than a configured MacBook Pro with less powerful parts. (Less resolution, weaker GPU, weaker Processor, and only equal amounts RAM and Harddrive.) The things not mentioned though would be the MBP is somewhat smaller and slimmer, and the battery life is significantly longer, and Mac’s OS is generally more user friendly. But, yeah, I think you can see why I made the choice for SXPS 1645.

By: sridhar

sridhar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:18:23 +0000

Apple macbook pro 13″ rocks to the core..Just recently bought one…the only disadv as far as i see is the price diff compd to dell..but if price is not a problem for u, then apple has no competitor.And MBP is the sexiest thing u wud ever find..working with snow leopard on it feels so smooth and gives u an outta world experience.. u can even run XP with almost same feel as on PC..proud to be an Apple macbook pro ownder!!

By: Apple Maggot

Apple Maggot — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:15:17 +0000

I bought a dell studio 16 for $1058 that has an i5 with 4 gigs of ddr3, an ati 4670 1 gig dedicated ram, 500 gig hdd, an esata port that doubles as a usb, two more usb ports, and hdmi and vga ports.

I also have an early 08 macbook pro 2.4 gig core2duo with 4 gigs ddr2 ram and an nvidia 8600m gt 256 mb gddr3 ram. It needs a vga adapter and has no hdmi port and only has two usb ports.

I play oblivion and do photo editing on both machines oblivion plays much better on the dell with a fairly consistent 15 fps faster, from what I’ve read the 9600m gt in the new 15″ macbook pro isnt as good as the ati 4670 even if the 9600 had a gig dedicated. The screen on the dell has a more letterbox shape which makes vertically oriented pictures smaller than on the macbook but the color on the dell is wonderful. At present when both machines run windows 7 the battery life is only about 10 minutes less on the dell when both comnputers do about the same amount of work. The dell is thicker and heavier but still feels good (except the track pad).

Overall the dell has better performance for my interests, so why do I feel like I should have waited a little longer and bought a new mac when they release something new? (are they really going to release an i5 macbook pro?)

Lastly comparing a graphics card running osx (few demanding games) to a graphics card running windows anything and saying the better one is the card in the mac is sophistry and wrong…until they make the same games for both operating systems anyway. You can say whatever you want about a graphics card mated with a cpu and os when it never has to perform the same function.

By: Loyal

Loyal — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:38:05 +0000

I purchased a Dell XPS 1330 about 2 years ago, and eversince then it’s been thunder and lightning, in the past 2 years i have had to replace the motherboard 3 times due to ever heating and as a result damaging the Nvidia graphics. To be on the safe side i even increased my warranty for another 3 years for the price of 300 euro. I must admit tho that they provide a wonderful Service in Bangalore. Recently for the 4th time my display went bust again due to overheating and guess what…They are replacing it with Dell Studio XPS 13 and trust me this laptop is lethal, fare play to them..

Coming to Apple, Apple have always held a reputation for providing the best design and hardware, however they do overcharge and i feel at times that i’m not even rich enough to afford an “apple”…

By: mascaren

mascaren — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:47:55 +0000

u cant write anything abt dell comp…sss

it’s sprcifications always changes…nobody can be sure

By: thomas

thomas — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:13:38 +0000

apple macbok pro 13 or dell studio xps16 for persnl/office use..no hardcore gaming etc..wt do u guys prefer…PLzz pas ur valuable comments…

By: thomas

thomas — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:55:44 +0000

sir/madame,
i just started a job and i would like to buy a lap top. i ws planin to buy the apple mac book pro.13 inch..i am gtin a discount too..the thng is i need a lap top 4 office use as wel as for personal use..wat would u recomed n apple or ne other??

By: Sharath Shroff

Sharath Shroff — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:08:52 +0000

Apple does make a lot of great looking devices, but their pricing is often higher than Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. If you care about getting a good deal or saving money, then go with one of the PC manufacturers. You will get better specs at a cheaper price.

By: karf

karf — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:10:07 +0000

I would always stick with the macbook. its the best!( no offense dell, microsoft, etc.) apple makes sooooo much good stuff, like the ipod nano 5g, ipod touch, iphone, and theres something new called ipad, wich is pretty cool if you ask me. so remember kids, always stick with mac!

By: urbanLAN

urbanLAN — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:38:09 +0000

Daniel– thanks for adding a “constructive” comment. At least take the time to state a level headed view of why you choose Windows (since you said “PC”, given the marketing world’s perspective would rule out any flavor of open-source OS). Do us all a favor & troll elsewhere.

Ben Dover– from one IT guy to another, your comments are respected & most helpful. Thank you for keeping it on topic & informative.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:15:22 +0000

I am and will be PC. Screw you, Mac.

By: val

val — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:05:33 +0000

hey guys, i was looking at the 13″ macbook pro, but then i saw this article, and am thinking again. my question is, do i really need all these features dell offers? this would be a leisure/student laptop, nothing hardcore.