Solved! Need suggestions for buying new laptop macbook vs dell xps

[lokesh1729]

Hi everyone,

I am a software engineer. I am buying a new laptop for recording videos/screencasts, video editing, heavy browsing, software development ( assume using heavy IDEs like jetbrains, vscode, and running Docker, k8s, etc...) with an excellent battery backup of at least 8-10 hours.

I currently have MacBook pro 2015 model 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB graphics. But, the laptop gets stuck when I record using OBS studio. I cannot do heavy work on it.

So, I am buying a new laptop and considered few options. Can anyone tell me which is a good option?

Dell XPS 15

https://www.dell.com/en-in/shop/laptops-2-in-1-pcs/xps-15-laptop/spd/xps-15-9500-laptop/d560038win9s

10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-10750H (12MB Cache, up to 5.0 GHz, 6 cores),
Windows 10 Home 64-bit English, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6, 32GB DDR4-2933MHz, 2x16G, 1 TB SSD

There's a similar XPS 15 but with RAM 16 GB. I feel I need 32 GB RAM. I may be wrong

Apple 13-inch Macbook Pro M1

M1 chip with 8‑core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural, 16 GB RAM, 256GB SSD

https://www.apple.com/in/shop/buy-m...-m1-chip-with-8-core-cpu-and-7-core-gpu-256gb

Apple 16-inch Macbook Pro

2.6GHz 6-core 9th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz, 32GB DDR4 memory, AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory, 512GB SSD storage

I know that M1 Mac gives good battery backup, but my only concern is the performance. Especially with screen recording and running heavy applications like docker and IDEs, I am afraid if it gives a good performance. Can anyone tell me about it?

Also, M1 Mac supports only 16 GB RAM, I am not sure would I need 32?

If I go with Dell XPS vs Apple 16-inch MacBook, which one should I pick?

 

[hang-the-9]

The speeds between the two will be just abut the same, it all depends on the software you use. Some software runs better on a MAC, or only on a MAC, some runs faster on Windows or only on Windows.

 

[mrmike16]

I agree with hang-the-9. But I think that usually when it comes to software, Windows has more programs being developed for it than Mac OS. Then again, I haven't used an Apple product in years.

@aqibanjum - The OP was about the Dell XPS, not the Dell Inspiron, which is Dell's budget consumer laptop brand (And I agree with you that Inspirons are much less reliable than they used to be). I am sure (Edit-I'm not sure, since I have never owned an XPS, but I would think) the XPS's build is on a different level entirely than the Inspiron.

When it comes to comparing similar laptops, I'd try to get the best bang for buck. And since buying an Apple-branded computer involved paying for that brand, the Windows variant may be more worth it. Just make sure it is a reliable laptop (very important to look at reviews and see if there are too many similar issues reported) and that the programs you want to use, such as the OBS Studio that you mentioned, are fully compatible with Windows 10/11.

When it comes to Dell, though, be sure to check for hinge issues before buying. That's the most common problem I have seen among all Dell laptops (Inspiron, Vostro, and even XPS). Likewise, the most common issue I have seen on MacBooks (and I am hoping that they've solved this by now) is their batteries swelling up and cracking the touchpad after about 4-5 years of use.