Help, please. I am trying to decide between Surface Pro 3 and MacBook Pro.

[testudoAubreii]

Hello,

I am trying to decide between a Surface Pro 3 i7 @ 1.7/256GB/8GB and a 2015 13" MacBook Pro i5 @ 2.7/8GB/128GB and a 1TB SuperDrive.

I mostly use it for media consumption, mostly streaming and downloading TV shows and movies, general surfing, PS4 remote play/Steam In Home Streaming and web design/light development. I will be using Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver...plus multiple browsers and browser tabs.

I also really love Garageband (but don't really need it) and there is no real Windows equivalent. I love the form factor of the SP3, too. So, I am kind of stuck. And, the battery is a big deal, too. Which has the longest lasting battery?

I was wondering if you all had any input, suggestions, experience, advice or help in this matter.

All responses are greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance.

 

[NeutralIsGood]

I would go with the SP3. It's windows which i am familiar with, easier based on experience with the OS and hardware (an I7 is better than an I5) but..... The MacBook should suit your needs better with the super drive for your media.

 

[testudoAubreii]

I would go with the SP3. It's windows which i am familiar with, easier based on experience with the OS and hardware (an I7 is better than an I5) but..... The MacBook should suit your needs better with the super drive for your media.

Thank you for your reply. I was actually wondering about the CPU. Even though the MacBook Pro has an i5, it is a newer chip and clocked higher than the i7 in the SP3 (they are both dual core). Does that matter?

 

[Johnson Mike]

I would go with the SP3. It's windows which i am familiar with, easier based on experience with the OS and hardware (an I7 is better than an I5) but..... The MacBook should suit your needs better with the super drive for your media.

Thank you for your reply. I was actually wondering about the CPU. Even though the MacBook Pro has an i5, it is a newer chip and clocked higher than the i7 in the SP3 (they are both dual core). Does that matter?

Yup i7 does come with extra thread processing capabilities but as i5 is newer gen than i7 so there won't be much difference in performance.
According to me MacBook Pro will be much more better choice over Surfacebook because i) Mac OS X is smooth OS than Windows 10.
ii) MacBook Pro gives 15 hours of battery backup whereas Surfacebook doesn't even come close to 10 hours despite of 10 hours stated on Microsoft's website.

 

[Nikita79]

if you are caring about the CPU, of cause choosing the Latest Corei7 for it. I love using Windows more than Mac system.
But as you said, if you are a heavy user of media, most of the professions use mac I think...

 

[NeutralIsGood]

I would go with the SP3. It's windows which i am familiar with, easier based on experience with the OS and hardware (an I7 is better than an I5) but..... The MacBook should suit your needs better with the super drive for your media.

Thank you for your reply. I was actually wondering about the CPU. Even though the MacBook Pro has an i5, it is a newer chip and clocked higher than the i7 in the SP3 (they are both dual core). Does that matter?

Yes. I did some research over the 3rd to 6th generation I7s and there is nothing clocked at 1.7 Gigahertz. Perhaps you've got the clockspeed of the I3 version of SP3 and confused it with an I7.

As for the the MacBook. It's a good bundle with the super drive for your media content and anything else you need. Popular apps are ported there so unless you use less known programs, they might be hard but Google is always there.
The only thing you should concern is if you like the user interface of the mac but they aren't much different and in fact, the windows 8 SP3 might be a little confusing until you've got used to it.

Performance wise, both will perform similarly with differences noticeable when using heavy apps or gaming.

 

[velo3100]

For your needs go with the mac as all the software runs well on it as they are designed for media purposes.