The 16” Competes Strongly With Gaming Mid-Tier Laptops

[sbarton]

I think the new 16" macbook pro is a stunning machine and I agonized about getting it vs the XPS 15 7590 to replace my 2013 mbp but in the end wound up with the 7590 mostly because of value. First, having to split the drive for bootcamp and leaving only 512gb for macos and windows each was a problem as having all of my storage internal and 1tb was a requirement, so that pushed me into the 2tb macbook model. Second, the XPS with OLED 1tb and 16gb ram was only $1500 out the door which is just stupid cheap. Build quality is superb even compared to the mbp or other windows machines. Plan is to use this for a couple of years and then look at whats available from Apple again as there are significant changes coming to laptops in the form of 7nm chips, amd, etc that will have an even bigger impact on mid-tier gaming. Good news is that for many, its getting a lot easier to switch OS's so not as inconvenient as it once was. My use-case beyond just general use and light gaming is Adobe CC and i can move my library back and forth between macos and windows easily.

Do have to say that another part of my decision was how apple treated bootcamp and basically left it to rot in some aspects for so long such as not being able to switch easily from windows back to MacOS when using hfs+ file system, or just releassing updated video drivers in a timely fashion. Also, the fact that they have torched every good opportunity for MacOS to have a good gaming ecosystem such as even giving meager support to cross platform graphics APIs. About to upgrade my Mac Pro 6,1 as well and will be going through the same process and will say that right now the Corsair One with 2080ti is looking pretty good compared to current mac alternatives although i am still pulling for a well spec'd desktop alternative from Apple - fingers crossed.

Neither one of these machines are gaming laptops and i think from what i've seen the MBP will edge the XPS by about 5% in many games in windows which is not bad and for sure the MBP is the better overall system if your needs can fit within it's footprint of cost/storage/etc. XPS is really nice though. OLED screen is stunning, and keyboard is very very good. I've done the standard undervolt and tweaks you can find info on to further optimize the thermals and its proven over the past couple of weeks to be a very capable machine and i'm happy with the choice.

There is a youtube channel called Tally Ho Tech that has several really good head-to-head comparisons between the 2 in terms of performance, build, thermals, gaming, etc.

Hope this helps anyone looking between the 2.

 

[Peter118]

@sbarton What's very annoying about the XPS 15 7590 is the low quality of the sound of the internal speakers compared to the 16" Macbook Pro. And also the trackpad of the Macbook Pro is much better. That's the only two things holding me back to buy a XPS 15 7590. The rest of the hardware is great and the price is very good. Still can't decide.......

What's your opinion about the speakers?

 

[maflynn]

What's very annoying about the XPS 15 7590 is the low quality of the sound of the internal speakers

The Mac has superb speakers and the 2016 model has improved upon that even more

 

[Peter118]

@maflynn I know, I own a 16''macbook Pro. (thinking you mean that one i.s.o. 2016 model )

The point is that I can still return the macbook Pro. I like the specs and the price of the XPS 15 7590 but i'm hesitating because of the sound quality.

 

[maflynn]

The point is that I can still return the macbook Pro. I like the specs and the price of the XPS 15 7590 but i'm hesitating because of the sound quality.

I got a Thinkpad X1 Extreme last January, because I got better components, at a lower price. Yet with that said, the speakers and trackpad are inferior to the MBP. I use external speakers while the laptop is on my desk and a mouse (I hate trackpads in general). I can't say what you ought to do, but if the XPS fits more of your needs then that might be the better choice

 

[Peter118]

@maflynn Thanks for the info. I still have 3 weeks before I have to make a final decision. It's a shame that I can not see/hear/test the XPS 15 in a shop. Only to order online direcly from Dell.

 

[sbarton]

@Peter118 Nothing will compare to the speakers in the mbp. If you intend to intend to listen to music over them a lot, then mbp is no contest. My use case for laptop speakers is just good clear audio with youtube and streaming video which i find the XPS to be totally adequate. I'm a bit of an audiophile when it comes to music and i always use a portable dac/amp with my headphones with either windows or mac just because i appreciate the improved fidelity. The headphone out on the XPS is as good as most windows laptops but also not as good as a macbook pro..but i think not many people would be able to tell the difference tbh.

Trackpad. I find it to be just as good as my macbook pro 15 from 2013. It is not gigantic like the new models but i'm not a big fan of those yet, but then i haven't had a laptop with one to appreciate what they bring to the experience. My buddy with a 2018 mbp hates it as he says the palm rejection is annoying when typing but i've heard others say that its not an issue.

Maybe just order one from Microcenter (where i got mine) or Amazon or something that has a good return policy and try it for a bit. If money is no object i think the mbp is the better choice but like i said for me was going to need to add maybe $1600 to the price which i can't really afford.

 

[Peter118]

@sbarton Thanks for the reply, appreciate it!

I like to watch movies and series from Netflix, prefering to listen the sound from the internal speakers. The sound from the Macbook pro 16" is really very good. But the specs, price and watching in 4k on the XPS 15 are a big plus. Very hard to decide.

I live in The Netherlands, so Microcenter and Amazon are no option for me.