Dell Precision m3800 or Apple MacBook Pro 15?

[Shayashkar ProjectRock]

hello community i have a question.
i am a animation student and has been working in maya for quite a some time.
i am looking for laptop which is both portable and powerful.

i have come across dilemma if to buy a MacBook Pro 15(GT 750m graphics) or to go with Dell Precision m3800. which system is better in performance and power.

as i mostly work with maya, zbrush, after effects, photoshop and others adobe softwares as well
would you be kind enough to suggest me a better workstation, plus i dont have a PC so this preety much my whole system.

Macbook pro
http/www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/

Dell Precision m3800
http/www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-m3800-workstation/pd

 

[Teemi]

I don't think you can go wrong with either. I personally prefer windows and from personal experience Dell's business line has good quality control and good hardware. You will probably get a little more bang for the buck if you choose a windows laptop. It really comes down to which operating system you prefer. Windows still have support for more software compared to macs if you want to use the laptop for everything and not just graphics work.

 

[velo3100]

The macbook pro just wins by a small margin. If all the software works with the mac then get it. But if it is not then get the dell.

 

[Teemi]

The macbook pro just wins by a small margin. If all the software is works with the mac then get it. But if it is not then get the dell.

In what ways does it win?

 

[velo3100]

It wins because of its graphics card. It is slightly faster but not by much. Like I said in the previous post, it depends on the os you like as they will both do want well.

 

[Teemi]

Ic, I thought the dell was better because you can get a higher resolution screen that's also bigger, but that's also a minor advantage.

 

[Shayashkar ProjectRock]

thank you every for the answers...i was doing research and found mac is slightly better compared to dell but i think dell has more support for the software i use................i guess i'm going with the dell...thank you everybody who posted on this really appreciate you answers.............greetings from Nepal.

 

[Dont Buy Dell]

DON’T BUY DELL – FAULTY PRODUCTS AND TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!
4 months ago, I paid $5000 for a brand new Dell 3800 laptop and 3 weeks ago it failed. Sure, these things do occasionally happen and I was only slightly perturbed when I called Dell support, and I was almost relieved when I was told that, as per my “next business day” service option, a technician would promptly arrive and replace the motherboard.
3 business days later, the first technician arrived and proceeded to try and remove the back cover. However, he was so inept that he completely stripped two of the screws – not just one, but two! “Not to worry”, he assured me. He would simply break the back cover to gain access. But, he would have to wait until Dell could send a replacement cover.
6 business days - he returned to wrench the back cover free from the screws he destroyed and finally replaced the motherboard. However, this “new” motherboard didn’t work properly. The laptop started, but when he tried to turn it off, the keyboard stayed illuminated, the screen froze and there was no way of restarting. Then this supposed Dell technician actually asked me “Does this model normally do that?!?” Trying not to choke on my complete bewilderment, I said “No”.
So, while I waited for yet another “new” motherboard, I decided to call Dell to lodge a complaint. I was told to put this in writing and send it to customer service, which I did, and I promptly received an automated reply stating that I would receive a response within 8 business hours… But, I never heard anything.
9 business days - a second technician arrived to install yet another motherboard, which, thankfully, he managed to do without breaking anything else. However, Dell had sent the wrong screws to replace the ones stripped by the first technician.
So, I sent another mail to customer service and, once again, got the automated “We will respond within 8 business hours”.
12 business days – I finally heard from customer service. But, not to say sorry for the terrible service I’d been receiving and not to say that my replacement screws were on the way, but just to say that my service job would be closed within 24 hours. I replied rather promptly to ask what had become of my missing screws??
To my surprise, this person had absolutely no knowledge of my screwed screws and asked me to supply photographic proof, which I duly did.
20 business days – and still no reply…..
Paying $5000 for a laptop that fails after just 4 months is bad enough, but to get this kind of terrible service is simply insulting. Unless you have a penchant for wasting money and time – DON”T BUY DELL!!!

 

[Getoiu]

DON’T BUY DELL – FAULTY PRODUCTS AND TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!
4 months ago, I paid $5000 for a brand new Dell 3800 laptop and 3 weeks ago it failed. Sure, these things do occasionally happen and I was only slightly perturbed when I called Dell support, and I was almost relieved when I was told that, as per my “next business day” service option, a technician would promptly arrive and replace the motherboard.
3 business days later, the first technician arrived and proceeded to try and remove the back cover. However, he was so inept that he completely stripped two of the screws – not just one, but two! “Not to worry”, he assured me. He would simply break the back cover to gain access. But, he would have to wait until Dell could send a replacement cover.
6 business days - he returned to wrench the back cover free from the screws he destroyed and finally replaced the motherboard. However, this “new” motherboard didn’t work properly. The laptop started, but when he tried to turn it off, the keyboard stayed illuminated, the screen froze and there was no way of restarting. Then this supposed Dell technician actually asked me “Does this model normally do that?!?” Trying not to choke on my complete bewilderment, I said “No”.
So, while I waited for yet another “new” motherboard, I decided to call Dell to lodge a complaint. I was told to put this in writing and send it to customer service, which I did, and I promptly received an automated reply stating that I would receive a response within 8 business hours… But, I never heard anything.
9 business days - a second technician arrived to install yet another motherboard, which, thankfully, he managed to do without breaking anything else. However, Dell had sent the wrong screws to replace the ones stripped by the first technician.
So, I sent another mail to customer service and, once again, got the automated “We will respond within 8 business hours”.
12 business days – I finally heard from customer service. But, not to say sorry for the terrible service I’d been receiving and not to say that my replacement screws were on the way, but just to say that my service job would be closed within 24 hours. I replied rather promptly to ask what had become of my missing screws??
To my surprise, this person had absolutely no knowledge of my screwed screws and asked me to supply photographic proof, which I duly did.
20 business days – and still no reply…..
Paying $5000 for a laptop that fails after just 4 months is bad enough, but to get this kind of terrible service is simply insulting. Unless you have a penchant for wasting money and time – DON”T BUY DELL!!!

I've got the Dell and while it's powerful enough to run hard tasks don't forget that the Windows is what makes it sluggish. In 2-3 months you'll need to re-install all the software all over again (which for some will be really time consuming). I'm writing this from it and it's a pain to write. It's just sluggish. It actually stops from time to time. This is the 5'th time I'll re-install the WIndows (after I tried 7 as well) for 7 months. I had it repaired twice. The touch pad is useless and it's quickly developing a faulty sticky buttons. The display has been changed and now again I've got 7 dead pixels and they refuse to change it ! I'm also using external Wireless adapter because the internal is a joke (the drivers has been updated several times but stil doesn't work properly) and the plastics are so thin that you if you hold the laptop in your lap and lean your hands on it you can hear the fan scratching the top cover. It will also cause the touchpad to stick/block. The screen is beautiful to watch but a pain to work on ! 4k resolution scales the software to insane proportions.

In our uni many people bought that model instead of Mac and have the same faults.
I've been Windows user my entire life and have no clue how to work with MacBook but will change it after I finish my semester !

If you're serious in what you're doing you wouldn't want to do any kind of hard processing on a laptop so don't pay too much for such ! Invest in a decent PC !