Good alternatives for MacBook Pro?

[amg2014]

Hello everyone. I think the title states it all. I primarily do moderate gaming, school stuff, etc. However, after hearing rumors about Apple's new MacBook Pro over the past few months, I've been getting concerned as to what Apple is planning to do. I could ramble about how I don't want MagSafe removed, but it's almost obvious already. I decided to prepare for the worst in October.

Long battery life, approximately 7-10 hours would be good for me. Storage doesn't really matter too much to me. The only problem is that there are so many PC vendors, and I want avoid vendors like Dell, and HP. What's your take on this?

 

[Zellio]

Xps 15 9550 kaby lake should have the battery life you want

You can always been an idiot like me and buy a 13" alienware for the oled

 

[argentum47]

Haven't used personally, but Razer Blade seems close enough to rMBP if you're avoiding Dell and HP.
Similar design to rMBP (hideous logo), better specs at a lower price point.

 

[tubeexperience]

The best all around laptop in the Windows world is the Dell XPS 15 9550.

 

[jerryk]

The best all around laptop in the Windows world is the Dell XPS 15 9550.

I think that is true. We have on in the family and it performs as well if not better than my rMBP 15 with dGPU and 512 GB. Screen is a little higher resolution, and graphics seems quicker. USB-C and USB 3 ports. Smaller in some dimensions, and a little lighter. Skylake processor.

But the thing that annoys me the most is that the you can open it up and replace the SSD and memory. Really Apple. WTH?

 

[Zellio]

May want to wait and see if they upgrade it to a 1060 or so.

I went ahead and got a 960m alienware oled since my gaming machine has a evga 1080 ftw....

 

[amg2014]

I'll admit, the Dell XPS is probably one of the closest. Has the quality of Dell improved well enough to justify the cost? And I doubt Apple would be putting a Nividia chip in it, since they seem to be heading over to AMD Radeons.

 

[tubeexperience]

I'll admit, the Dell XPS is probably one of the closest. Has the quality of Dell improved well enough to justify the cost? And I doubt Apple would be putting a Nividia chip in it, since they seem to be heading over to AMD Radeons.

Hardware wise, the Dell XPS is a better laptop than the MacBook Pro.

Of cause, a lot of people choose MacBook Pro because they like the macOS.

That's not to say that Windows isn't good: Windows 10 is pretty great.

It really comes down to personal preference.

 

[tom vilsack]

If you watch Lisa at youtube mobiletechreview she does a great review of the new Asus ROG Strix GL502VS.

 

[Spudlicious]

For the general user without a commitment to Mac OS a well-specced Windows computer is very persuasive, and Dell have set the pace with the XPS line. Why does the OP want to avoid lines like Dell and HP?

Actually I hope the OP settles on a Macbook, I hope millions of people do, because I want the brand to survive Apple's fatal indifference.

 

[btbam91]

The best all around laptop in the Windows world is the Dell XPS 15 9550.

This or a Surface Pro 4.

 

[eba]

Hardware wise, the Dell XPS is a better laptop than the MacBook Pro.

Of cause, a lot of people choose MacBook Pro because they like the macOS.

That's not to say that Windows isn't good: Windows 10 is pretty great.

It really comes down to personal preference.

I've owned a Dell XPS 15 9550 for several months, and I have the opposite experience.

Hardware-wise, the Dell is not nearly as solid as my rMBP. The screen is nice, but not rMBP nice. The keypad is a real pain -- not nearly the control of my Mac. And, for some reason, the battery repeatedly runs down while the computer is in sleep mode -- can't count how many times I've opened the lid only to find the battery dead.

I use it only because Windows 10 is a solid OS. Even after many years of using Macs, Windows remains a more logical OS for me -- the Mac file structure still makes no sense to me -- and Windows 10 is the best version by far.

I will buy another rMBP as soon as Apple gets its act together and releases a new one. My Dell is OK, and Windows 10 is great, but I'm looking forward to an upgraded version of Apple's hardware.

 

[tubeexperience]

I've owned a Dell XPS 15 9550 for several months, and I have the opposite experience.

Hardware-wise, the Dell is not nearly as solid as my rMBP. The screen is nice, but not rMBP nice. The keypad is a real pain -- not nearly the control of my Mac. And, for some reason, the battery repeatedly runs down while the computer is in sleep mode -- can't count how many times I've opened the lid only to find the battery dead.

I use it only because Windows 10 is a solid OS. Even after many years of using Macs, Windows remains a more logical OS for me -- the Mac file structure still makes no sense to me -- and Windows 10 is the best version by far.

I will buy another rMBP as soon as Apple gets its act together and releases a new one. My Dell is OK, and Windows 10 is great, but I'm looking forward to an upgraded version of Apple's hardware.

When you said that the screen is "not as nice", do you have the FHD display or the 4K display?

The sleep/battery drain issue is an caused by Intel's driver and isn't a Dell specific issue.

 

[xb2003]

I've owned a Dell XPS 15 9550 for several months, and I have the opposite experience.

Hardware-wise, the Dell is not nearly as solid as my rMBP. The screen is nice, but not rMBP nice. The keypad is a real pain -- not nearly the control of my Mac. And, for some reason, the battery repeatedly runs down while the computer is in sleep mode -- can't count how many times I've opened the lid only to find the battery dead.

The XPS looks great on paper, but I find that many people who have actually owned them don't actually like them all that well. The screens do not look as nice, keyboard and track pad aren't that good, battery life is just ok, and they are overall just kinda cheaply built.

I didn't like my XPS 13 at all. And if you want to play games, you'd be wise to buy something bigger that can dissipate heat better. Unfortunately, these machines usually have poor battery life.

Check out xotixpc.com.

 

[tubeexperience]

The XPS looks great on paper, but I find that many people who have actually owned them don't actually like them all that well. The screens do not look as nice, keyboard and track pad aren't that good, battery life is just ok, and they are overall just kinda cheaply built.

I didn't like my XPS 13 at all. And if you want to play games, you'd be wise to buy something bigger that can dissipate heat better. Unfortunately, these machines usually have poor battery life.

Check out xotixpc.com.

I know a lot of people who like their Dell XPS laptops. What's your point?

 

[maflynn]

This or a Surface Pro 4.

Given the OP's desire to run games, I'd say the SP4 is not a good choice.

but I find that many people who have actually owned them don't actually like them

I've found the opposite and that many people seem to love their XPS.

I think for all the computers out there, I really like the XPS, its a nice price point, has great hardware, a wonderful design and so far in my circle of knowledge, the computer has a great reputation for quality

 

[whg]

Given the OP's desire to run games, I'd say the SP4 is not a good choice.


I've found the opposite and that many people seem to love their XPS.

I think for all the computers out there, I really like the XPS, its a nice price point, has great hardware, a wonderful design and so far in my circle of knowledge, the computer has a great reputation for quality

FWIW I was also shopping for a rMBP 15 replacement. Because I'm still waiting for Apple to turn around this part of their product line, I didn't want to spend to much and settled for the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15" 4k matte screen with the larger battery with about the same capacity as the rMBP 15 (there is no space for a second harddisk, only SSD). It has the same CPU and dGPU as the Dell XPS 15, is rather quiet even when gaming. The weight is similar to the Dell and rMBP15, but the footprint is a little bit larger, which is no problem for me (as long as it fits into my bag). It has all the Dell's connectors (plus one more USB 3.0 which I find very usefull with mouse and 2 external disk drives, for instance). The only negative point is the trackpad (coming from a Mac this is probably true for all Windows laptops). The Uniboby aluminum case and keyboard are top notch, the non-glossy screen is a real pleasure, too. With the current fully updated Windows 10 version I have no sleep or hibernation issues, but I'm sure Microsoft is working on this

 

[Spudlicious]

FWIW I was also shopping for a rMBP 15 replacement. Because I'm still waiting for Apple to turn around this part of their product line, I didn't want to spend to much and settled for the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15" 4k matte screen with the larger battery with about the same capacity as the rMBP 15 (there is no space for a second harddisk, only SSD). It has the same CPU and dGPU as the Dell XPS 15, is rather quiet even when gaming. The weight is similar to the Dell and rMBP15, but the footprint is a little bit larger, which is no problem for me (as long as it fits into my bag). It has all the Dell's connectors (plus one more USB 3.0 which I find very usefull with mouse and 2 external disk drives, for instance). The only negative point is the trackpad (coming from a Mac this is probably true for all Windows laptops). The Uniboby aluminum case and keyboard are top notch, the non-glossy screen is a real pleasure, too. With the current fully updated Windows 10 version I have no sleep or hibernation issues, but I'm sure Microsoft is working on this

The Macbook track pad is truly in a class of one, especially the later force touch version. Regarding Windows, which I do use a helluva lot, I still don't like or trust many Microsoft policies, and their nasty habit of having different versions (home, pro) infuriates me. Hibernate? Just wait until they force the next update on you....

 

[jerryk]

When you said that the screen is "not as nice", do you have the FHD display or the 4K display?

The sleep/battery drain issue is an caused by Intel's driver and isn't a Dell specific issue.

To me, the 4K on the XPS 15 is better than the retina. Colors are good and the resolution is just a little bit better.

We have not experienced the sleep issue because we never sleep the units. Power off and reboot. With the fast PCI SSDs in these machines there is almost no penalty for shutting down and rebooting.

We do not use the unit for gaming, mostly day to day work related to scientific research.

But, if you want gaming neither the XPS or the rMBP are the way to go. There are much better Windows gaming laptops available.

 

[Fishrrman]

If it can't run the Mac OS, there really isn't "an alternative" for me.

Hmmmm....
How about the new "HacBook Elite" that's stirring up some waves...?

 

[mrex]

i already have zenbook (15") and probably get the new one too, but 13" (ux310uq, it is qhd ips display with nvidia 940mx dgpu). 15" feels large on my lap so i want to get abit smaller.

 

[Mediab0y]

If you watch Lisa at youtube mobiletechreview she does a great review of the new Asus ROG Strix GL502VS.

The ASus is one ugly ass machine. What are they thinking with that design?
[doublepost=1473514107][/doublepost]

The ASus is one ugly ass machine. What are they thinking with that design?

My bad I was thinking of a different Asus rig. This one is not bad very similar to Razer in its design. Razer is more refined design to me.

 

[lockerc18]

I've owned a Dell XPS 15 9550 for several months, and I have the opposite experience.

...

I use it only because Windows 10 is a solid OS. Even after many years of using Macs, Windows remains a more logical OS for me -- the Mac file structure still makes no sense to me -- and Windows 10 is the best version by far.

I got a Lenovo Yoga 900 because I needed to replace an older HP laptop and an iPad3. I thought, why not, two birds one stone and all that. I figured I could live with Windows 10 since I've used Windows since the very beginning.

I also have a 15" rMBP, fully spec'd out.

My opinion, after using the Yoga side by side with my rMBP since last year, is that Windows still sucks. The UI still sucks. The semantics of the system suck. Everything about it sucks. The hardware of the Yoga is interesting, especially the display, and that is very good. But the OS is not.

I have found that even for a mid-2012 rMBP, I still go back to that as my go-to system. OSX is by far a better OS than Windows. The display on my rMBP has image shadowing now, so I wonder if that will eventually die. But I have never had a single problem with this system. And I mean that literally. Not one hardware issue (just the concern with the display), and really, no issues with the OS. Firefox keeps puking for some reason, but I can't hold the OS accountable for that.

I don't regret getting the Yoga. It has served me well in lots of ways, particularly as a replacement for the iPad3. And the hardware has been reliable so far. But I will never get a Windows system again. All Apple has to do to keep me as a customer is to continue existing. And, keep up with technology, like using the latest processors. And stop changing the ports and cables and such. But it comes down to the OS, not the hardware. OSX is so much better.

It's the OS, stupid.

 

[eba]

When you said that the screen is "not as nice", do you have the FHD display or the 4K display?

The sleep/battery drain issue is an caused by Intel's driver and isn't a Dell specific issue.

I have the 4K display, and it's easily the Dell's best feature. Compared to the rMBP, it's a brighter screen, with more saturated colors. The rMBP image is more precise. One advantage of the Dell screen, though, is that it handles scaling better than my rMBP - though that's mostly due to the scaling features in Windows.

The battery issue is a real killer, though. When I see my Mac and my Dell sleeping side by side, I know the Mac will be the only one that works when I open it. I find myself using my Mac more often for that reason alone.

 

[Abaganov]

I'm in the same boat and also been eying the xps 15 , but things kind of changed for me about a week ago,
i was at the airpot and i saw someone uses it and the thing is just a horrible finger print magnet!

really guys, it looked so disgusting, for me as a clean freak its a huge deal breaker and i won't be able to use such a machine on a daily basis without going crazy.