MBP 2.2 i7 2011 vs DELL Precision M6600 2.2 i7 for Photoshop/Premiere

[den59]

Dear All,

I'm about to buy a new notebook which I should use next 3-4 years.
What I basically do is:
1) retouching in Photoshop (that could be some 100MP files scanned from 6x7cm medium format positives/negatives)
2) editing of AVCHD

I'm thinking between MBP 2011 15'' 2.2 and Dell Precision M6600.

DEll: 2.2 i7 / 8Gb 1333MHz / 2 Gb Nvidia 3000M / antiglare 1920x1080 17''
MBP: 2.2 i7 / 4Gb 1333Mhz / 1 GB ATI HD 6750M / antiglare 1600x... 15''

I was working on hakintosh for one year (desktop PC, 2.6Mhz i7,GTX260,6GB,...) and I love OS-X. But I travel a lot and so i need some mobile option.

Now, with that CS5.5 and MPE which supports only NVidia GPU with CUDA, I don't really know what to buy. If only MBP would be with NVidia Quadra and new i7 processor with thunderbolt, I would go for it. But considering that I would like to use that notebook for as long as possible, and I don't plan to go for 2K/4K editing anyway, especially on notebook, I really would like to have the best value for the money.

If for editing I can still chose between FCP and Premiere and hope that FCP X will be able to handle AVCHD without conversion to ProRes, for retouching photos i'm definetely with Photoshop and then it would probably be nice to use GPU and make things faster.

I would really appreciate any advises or comments on that.

p/s/ both cost the same in Europe.

Thank you in advance,
Regards,
Denis.

 

[RoyalFlushAK(s)]

MBP 15"
2.2GHz Quad-Core i7 / 4Gb 1333Mhz / 1 GB ATI HD 6750M / Hi-Res, Widescreen,antiglare/ 1680x1050
this one goes for $2349 plus $349 AppleCare for the next 3 year

I wouldn't get involved with Windows machine. That's no comparison between the plastic box or whatever windows laptops vs. the engineering design of an MBP unibody aluminum machined case. Plus the OS X vs. Windows 7. It’s like day and night.


RFlush

 

[head honcho 123]

Dear All,

I'm about to buy a new notebook which I should use next 3-4 years.
What I basically do is:
1) retouching in Photoshop (that could be some 100MP files scanned from 6x7cm medium format positives/negatives)
2) editing of AVCHD

I'm thinking between MBP 2011 15'' 2.2 and Dell Precision M6600.

DEll: 2.2 i7 / 8Gb 1333MHz / 2 Gb Nvidia 3000M / antiglare 1920x1080 17''
MBP: 2.2 i7 / 4Gb 1333Mhz / 1 GB ATI HD 6750M / antiglare 1600x... 15''

I was working on hakintosh for one year (desktop PC, 2.6Mhz i7,GTX260,6GB,...) and I love OS-X. But I travel a lot and so i need some mobile option.

Now, with that CS5.5 and MPE which supports only NVidia GPU with CUDA, I don't really know what to buy. If only MBP would be with NVidia Quadra and new i7 processor with thunderbolt, I would go for it. But considering that I would like to use that notebook for as long as possible, and I don't plan to go for 2K/4K editing anyway, especially on notebook, I really would like to have the best value for the money.

If for editing I can still chose between FCP and Premiere and hope that FCP X will be able to handle AVCHD without conversion to ProRes, for retouching photos i'm definetely with Photoshop and then it would probably be nice to use GPU and make things faster.

I would really appreciate any advises or comments on that.

p/s/ both cost the same in Europe.

Thank you in advance,
Regards,
Denis.

all i gotta say is that before u even compare the specs, you need to think about customer support.

if anything is wrong with your mac. apple is usually super quick about getting it fixed/replaced. and they have many retail locations all over US that you can stop into to get someone to look at it. unlike dell where your only option will be to mail it in.

been a mac user for all my life and i have to say apple's customer support is top notch.

 

[Durious]

all i gotta say is that before u even compare the specs, you need to think about customer support.

if anything is wrong with your mac. apple is usually super quick about getting it fixed/replaced. and they have many retail locations all over US that you can stop into to get someone to look at it. unlike dell where your only option will be to mail it in.

been a mac user for all my life and i have to say apple's customer support is top notch.

Dell has warranty options for on-site service within 24 hours, your only concern if is you want to speak to a native speaking person for phone support in terms of warranty... cause "complete care" is really good on dells part well except for the part they make you troubleshoot incorrect areas for hours on end..

But anyway I'd go with the Mac laptop, from a consumer reports perspective your likely to have fewer issues and all around it's not considered "cheap"... quality wins out I think

 

[den59]

Thank you for your advices.

I'm in Europe and I had DELL before and support was super quick, once the guy came and changed my motherboard with videocard since I had some problems. It took only few hours.

For sure, i do like os-x and mac more, but my main concern here is performance and speed, i want it to do the task i need to do from time to time (AVCHD + retouching). I'm sure that MBP 15'' 2.2 can definetely handle 100MP files to retouch, but with AVCHD it might be more complicated since Adobe's MPE requires CUDA and does not work on ATI, and FCP X... i have no clue how fast is it with AVCHD on MBP

 

[stevenpa]

Adobe software always seems to work better on Macs given you have enough memory. Get the MBP and add RAM (it's super cheap even in Europe). Or if you wanted get a 15' dell or another PC for half the price of MBP and pick up a desktop with a top of the line card that works for about the same price. Apple should really be giving a better card than given the price of the laptop.

PC service is quicker from what I've experienced in Europe although I'm not sure what country you live in. This is a mac forum so everyone will tell you get a Mac.

 

[2hvy4grvty]

I'm not sure if some of these Mac users have any clue what they're talking about when it comes to windows machine. In their minds, they have conjured up a bulky, black, plastic box filled with viruses and BSODs, which at the touch shatters into a million pieces. The customer support is filled with Voldemort's Death Eaters with the IQ of a prehistory Neanderthal.

Truth is, the workmanship on that Dell is probably a lot better than this here MBPs. As much as Apple users wish to live in a completely isolated world, where their bulletproof MBP has the lifespan of a Japanese woman, the business lines of most PC notebooks are superior to that of MBPs (consumer lines are garbage compared to it though). Furthermore, at least here in the states, if you're buying from their business line, you get superior customer service. You're not speaking with an India tech guy 4000 miles away; you're getting the highest level of customer service they can offer.

And if you're serious about a business machine, go with the Dell. MBP's greatest qualities (besides the obvious OS X experience, but Hackintoshes are easier than ever to build) are its size and design, combined with above average build and customer service. If you don't need size/design, go with the Dell. I'd consider a Thinkpad as well. Or an HP Elitebook. Their Dreamcolor IPS screens are on another level entirely.