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Which laptop should I go with?

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kodecraft

Member
Everybody does web development nowadays, gah damn. Anyways, you really can't lose going either way. I'm on Win10 and the days of the Mac being better for creative/development is coming to and end more and more.

Unless you're tied to proprietary apps you can't live without on Mac. Plus, since you've never experienced life on a Mac go for it.
 
Is Macbook good for web development?

Not if you use virtualisation and have multiple VM's running. They are the standard issue in my work but a lot of the devs are going dell xps 15 as they so much more powerful for roughly the same cost.

My macbook pro is slow and i wouldn't recommend one for extensive web development
 

Tripon

Member
I should have noted the MacBook is speculation based on if they release the new models this week which I think there's a good chance. The core m3, m5, and m7 have been renamed to i5 and i7 with them being virtually the same aside from slightly higher clocks due to Kaby Lake.

It's just a branding thing to obfuscate what you're paying for. The old m chips/new y chips are still dual core chips and clocked lower than the u chips (which are also dual core).

If your'e still considering 2-in-1, look at the Dell's XPS 13 2-in-1.

Here's a review from Linus Tech Tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exUaDtl05U8&t=61s&index=4&list=PL8mG-RkN2uTz0x6Q2zGEvIhZpbPtalyiA
 

Oppo

Member
This human has been on both sides of the fence and know what's what.

Yeah, this human too.

24 years I've used nothing but System 7 / Mac OS / OS X / macOS.

Bought the XPS 15 a month ago and an pretty happy.

I think the comments about web dev are pretty accurate, but I am more into the Adobe CC / Unity space. This thing is almost as fast as a 5K iMac.
 

Kraftwerk

Member
I'm in the same boat.

I need to get a laptop for Fusion 360 modelling, photoshop and coding.

Can't decide if I should get a MacBook or the XPS
 

taybul

Member
You dont need it no, but compared to windows its a hell of a lot easier on a Mac (or just dual-boot to linux on your windows machine i guess).

How is it easier? Sure, Mac has the terminal, but both OSes can also run IDEs like Sublime, not to mention, you can run cygwin on Windows if you really need a unix shell. I've developed (not just web) on all 3 OSes (+unix) and no single one has a clear runaway advantage over the other.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Is there any reason to even run a Unix system when you can just remote into a Unix VPS?

If you're going to develop iOS apps, you have no choice but to go Mac. But otherwise, you're getting a better OS and specs with the HP.

Also worth considering: will you be working primarily from home or on the go? The Macbook form factor and battery life can certainly provide a benefit there. But realize you're going to get a sluggish machine by comparison.

I don't know what it is about OSX, but it feels like a bloated mess. My 2013 Macbook Pro feels incredibly sluggish given its specs.
 

kodecraft

Member
You dont need it no, but compared to windows its a hell of a lot easier on a Mac (or just dual-boot to linux on your windows machine i guess).

How? Especially if you're running Win10, which let's you use Bash terminal found on Linux now. Only thing is missing is Sketch.

Win10 is a beast.
 

Krakatoa

Member
How is it easier? Sure, Mac has the terminal, but both OSes can also run IDEs like Sublime, not to mention, you can run cygwin on Windows if you really need a unix shell. I've developed (not just web) on all 3 OSes (+unix) and no single one has a clear runaway advantage over the other.

You dont need Cygwin anymore for windows. Windows 10 comes with its on Linux (bash)subsystem.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/commandline/wsl/install_guide
 

Doc Holliday

SPOILER: Columbus finds America
If you're into graphic design and plan on using 3d, get a pc. More bang for the buck.

If youre an apple OS guy, get a Mac.
 

Kreed

Member
you don't need a Mac for web development or graphic design. Where do people get this from?

Macs were "the" machines to use in the graphic design industry years ago and that mentality hasn't died out yet despite PC/Windows improvements. No idea where Web Development is coming from outside of iPhone/IOS market dominance.
 

taybul

Member
Is there any reason to even run a Unix system when you can just remote into a Unix VPS?

Unix is free, a VPS is not? If you don't have the spare hardware and don't mind the cost, a VPS is a nice to have. I have one myself.

Back on topic, what I love about my current 2010 MBP is the upgradability. It currently sports a 256GB SSD with 16GB of RAM, a far cry from its original parts and it still mostly runs fine. I'm not sure if newer MBPs (or even Windows laptops for that matter) have this kind of offering.

One other nicety about Macs that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet is the fact that this 7 yr old laptop can still run the latest OSX, if I chose to. I also don't have to worry about drivers or compatibility. My last Windows laptop couldn't run the latest OS at the time because there was no network driver support for it in the new OS so I tended to start having a bias towards Macs as the "unified" system controlling both hardware and software. So to me, non-Mac laptops have a shorter obsolescence timeframe for this reason, but again it's been over 7 years since my last Windows laptop so I'm hoping this is no longer the case.

I've been eyeing a fully loaded XPS 15 or 13 for a while since it looks like a great machine but am waiting to see what Apple comes up with for their 2017 MBP, but considering their offering last year, I'm not holding my breath.
 
The HP Spectre x360 is probably one of the best Windows 10 laptops out there, I would go with that option. Windows handles Web development just fine.

Unix is free, a VPS is not? If you don't have the spare hardware and don't mind the cost, a VPS is a nice to have. I have one myself.

Back on topic, what I love about my current 2010 MBP is the upgradability. It currently sports a 256GB SSD with 16GB of RAM, a far cry from its original parts and it still mostly runs fine. I'm not sure if newer MBPs (or even Windows laptops for that matter) have this kind of offering.

One other nicety about Macs that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet is the fact that this 7 yr old laptop can still run the latest OSX, if I chose to. I also don't have to worry about drivers or compatibility. My last Windows laptop couldn't run the latest OS at the time because there was no network driver support for it in the new OS so I tended to start having a bias towards Macs as the "unified" system controlling both hardware and software. So to me, non-Mac laptops have a shorter obsolescence timeframe for this reason, but again it's been over 7 years since my last Windows laptop so I'm hoping this is no longer the case.

I've been eyeing a fully loaded XPS 15 or 13 for a while since it looks like a great machine but am waiting to see what Apple comes up with for their 2017 MBP, but considering their offering last year, I'm not holding my breath.

Points well made but Microsoft is known to support software for over a decade. Your manufacturer may not have the drivers day 1 but at one point or another they will.
 

WaveLightGames

Neo Member
I have both a Mac laptop and high end Windows 10 laptop (several). Love Windows 10 and am reasonably happy with OSX. The big problem I have with my MacBook is that I use Xcode and that program creates huge cache files that fills up the hard drive really quickly. I regularly have to jump through hoops to delete these cache files and twice now, I've had to do a clean format to free up this space.

So if you do go for a MacBook, go for one with as big a hard drive as possible. If you go with a Windows 10, go with a hard drive with an m2 hard drive, if possible. The speed advantage is huge.
 

SwolBro

Banned
Besides this, I don't know where you get this idea that MacOS is somehow a superior operating system. That hasn't been the case for years. MacOS has become a bloated OS that is trying to fight the inevitible unification with iOS but refuses to, due to lost sales by consolidating the two OS.
As someone who uses both operating systems daily, Windows 10 is a better experience. OSX used to be better, but a string of bad decisions have really hurt OSX. It's not terrible, but a lot of design choices are questionable.

I wouldn't personally want to buy a computer with 256 GB storage and 8 GB ram in 2017. I think that would be a big mistake, but Apple are masters at making entry level product at prices you'll consider, but still end up making customers up for almost mandatory upgrades. By the time you deck out the Mac with acceptable specs, you're into a pricing territory, where it gets seriously expensive.

The Macbook has not become the Macbook Air. It will take before, we see it priced at 999 for a good configuration as it should be. It will take 1 or 2 more years. It's way way way to expensive for what it is currently.

Not sure what you're talking about here. I agree the XPS is a nice computer but Windows still sucks. lol and this whole "unification" thing hasn't materialized yet. Everyone, even linux, has tried to do the unification of mobile and laptop/desktop with no avail. Apple is very hesitant to converge and for good reason. No one has done it successfully and it doesn't look like anyone will for a long time.

If you're a programmer, developer, content creator, hands down Mac is the choice (unless you prefer linux). The fact that it's underbelly is Unix is HUGE. Oh, and bloated? Da fuck? You really have the nerve to say MacOS is bloated compared to WINDOWS???? Come on dude.

Windows dominates business and gaming, that's it. Outside of that everything else is better on a Mac and since you can dual boot into Windows from a Mac, well... outside of pure hardware bang for the buck (and if you really want to game out of a laptop) there is NO other reason to get a windows machine in my opinion.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Unix is free, a VPS is not? If you don't have the spare hardware and don't mind the cost, a VPS is a nice to have. I have one myself.

Back on topic, what I love about my current 2010 MBP is the upgradability. It currently sports a 256GB SSD with 16GB of RAM, a far cry from its original parts and it still mostly runs fine. I'm not sure if newer MBPs (or even Windows laptops for that matter) have this kind of offering.

One other nicety about Macs that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet is the fact that this 7 yr old laptop can still run the latest OSX, if I chose to. I also don't have to worry about drivers or compatibility. My last Windows laptop couldn't run the latest OS at the time because there was no network driver support for it in the new OS so I tended to start having a bias towards Macs as the "unified" system controlling both hardware and software. So to me, non-Mac laptops have a shorter obsolescence timeframe for this reason, but again it's been over 7 years since my last Windows laptop so I'm hoping this is no longer the case.

I've been eyeing a fully loaded XPS 15 or 13 for a while since it looks like a great machine but am waiting to see what Apple comes up with for their 2017 MBP, but considering their offering last year, I'm not holding my breath.

I mean, if you're doing web dev and spend $1600 on a laptop, I assume you can spend $5/month on a DigitalOcean droplet.

New Macs are not upgradeable whatsoever. My MBP 2013 is stuck with a dinky 128GB flash drive...boy that was a mistake.
 
I have the x360 and nothing even comes close to how gorgeous it is. I get 9 hours on mine and 6 on full-throttle. Pretty powerful machine for its class.

If you want a convertible that's more powerful, though, I suggest you look into the Lenovo Yoga 720. Has a quad-core as well as a GTX 1050 (the x360 only has dual-core and a GeForce 940 MX). Of course, that's if you need it.
 

linkboy

Member
No matter what you buy, Mac or Windows (unless it's one of those $399 POS laptops at Walmart), you're going to get a good computer.

I would love to get an Apple laptop, but I loathe this trend of making laptops as thin as possible and not allowing you to upgrade your ram or hard drive or replace the battery.

It's the biggest reason why I sprung for a refurbished HP Elitebook 8760W. Sure, it's a bit older (and a bit huge), but for my uses, it'll suffice. I don't play a lot of computer games, but I wanted a laptop that had a decent amount of power, but would allow me to upgrade my hard drive and ram, as well as replace the battery. My current Sony Vaio is a POS that I've hated since I bought it, but it at least let me access the HDD and RAM (which I have maxed out at 8GB).
 
When i say bloated i also mean resource hog. Windows eats up computer resources, especially ram.

Windows eats ram? Or specific software running on Windows?

On my Core i7, SSD, 8 gig ram Macbook Pro the Chrome browser literally makes my fans sound like jet engines and crawls the laptop to a point of no return (dramatisation).
 
Windows eats ram? Or specific software running on Windows?

On my Core i7, SSD, 8 gig ram Macbook Pro the Chrome browser literally makes my fans sound like jet engines and crawls the laptop to a point of no return (dramatisation).

What's up with that by the way? It wasn't always like that. I had to change browsers because Chrome does the same thing now for my old MacBook.
 

Dinjooh

Member
You dont need it no, but compared to windows its a hell of a lot easier on a Mac (or just dual-boot to linux on your windows machine i guess).

What exactly is easier in regards to graphic design on a mac?

I'm very curious since I'm working on both Windows and Mac on a daily basis and have yet to find what's supposedly easier.
 

LordOfChaos

Member
When i say bloated i also mean resource hog. Windows eats up computer resources, especially ram.

I dual boot Windows 10 and macOS on my 15" rMBP as well as a family members 2010 Macbook (C2D, 4GB, 320M, SSD)

On the high end machine they're indistinguishable. On the low end machine, Windows actually gives the Macbook new life, macOS got just as heavy after Snow Leopard, and then Windows went the other way and trimmed down to run on low end tablets with 8-10. This also happily helps older systems.


macOS could use another Snow Leopard like launch, no new features, just slim and trim the core OS.



p.s Windows Superfetch can make it look like it's using a lot of RAM, but this is useful, the RAM will be evicted immediately if it's needed, but it intelligently puts what you'll likely access next in RAM to speed it up. Still makes a big difference on HDD machines vs macOS.


Design wise I still like macOS, but in 2017 it's several years out of date to call Windows the bloated one. Same with Ubuntu, that used to be light but got fat recently.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
Not sure what you're talking about here. I agree the XPS is a nice computer but Windows still sucks. lol and this whole "unification" thing hasn't materialized yet. Everyone, even linux, has tried to do the unification of mobile and laptop/desktop with no avail. Apple is very hesitant to converge and for good reason. No one has done it successfully and it doesn't look like anyone will for a long time.

If you're a programmer, developer, content creator, hands down Mac is the choice (unless you prefer linux). The fact that it's underbelly is Unix is HUGE. Oh, and bloated? Da fuck? You really have the nerve to say MacOS is bloated compared to WINDOWS???? Come on dude.

Windows dominates business and gaming, that's it. Outside of that everything else is better on a Mac and since you can dual boot into Windows from a Mac, well... outside of pure hardware bang for the buck (and if you really want to game out of a laptop) there is NO other reason to get a windows machine in my opinion.
hello what year are you posting from?

lol at literally everything being better on a mac. rubbish.
 
Honestly, Mac and Windows are both the same and any normal person can get used to either. Frankly, after having gotten a high end ThinkPad for work, I'm questioning if I should even spend $1800 CAD(!) on another Mac for personal use.
 

WaveLightGames

Neo Member
If you're a programmer, developer, content creator, hands down Mac is the choice (unless you prefer linux). The fact that it's underbelly is Unix is HUGE. Oh, and bloated? Da fuck? You really have the nerve to say MacOS is bloated compared to WINDOWS???? Come on dude.

Windows dominates business and gaming, that's it. Outside of that everything else is better on a Mac and since you can dual boot into Windows from a Mac, well... outside of pure hardware bang for the buck (and if you really want to game out of a laptop) there is NO other reason to get a windows machine in my opinion.

I actually am a programmer. I'm the developer for the Demon's Rise games on iOS / Google Play and I have to disagree with you here. I've tried various options and in the end, the best development experience has been using Visual Studio on my PC, compiling the file into an xcode file using Unity 3D and then copying those files to my MacBook and opening in Xcode to final compile, test on a device and upload to Apple. The only reason I do the last step on a Mac is that Apple force you to ... there's no other way to upload the necessary files to Apple.

Every time I compile a project on Xcode, I lose about 10 GB of hard drive space on my MacBook and I have to delete these files after the compilation. These temporary files keep building up and eventually my computer fills up. I've never experienced anything like this on a PC computer (outside of a virus). Not technically a fault of the OS and really one for Xcode but it's big enough to make development on a Mac a painful experience. I've also worked with many other developers and have never met a full time developer that had positive things to say about development on xcode vs. Visual Studio.

Not trying to be confrontational ... just trying to give some feedback on your post from some real-life experience.
 

Oppo

Member
Another thing to consider on the Dell XPS for design - Adobe RGB compliance. The 4K screen is basically unheard of in the laptop space, with that colour accuracy.

Macs used to have big advantages for graphic design in colour accuracy, ligature support for fonts, special accents and so forth but they are pretty even just as of W10.
 

TylerD

Member
I tried to get my fiance to go with a HP Spectre 360 but she really wanted a 15 inch HP Envy because it has a 10 key numpad. She really limited her options with the integrated numpad.

Other than the lack of stability of the screen due to the hinge design it looks like it will be pretty solid.

Envy 15t
128 GB SSD + 1 TB
8GB DDR4 ram, ill install additional ram if necessary
1080p
fastest kaby lake i7 that they offered for config

$953 shipped
 

xevis

Banned
Every time I compile a project on Xcode, I lose about 10 GB of hard drive space on my MacBook and I have to delete these files after the compilation. These temporary files keep building up and eventually my computer fills up. I've never experienced anything like this on a PC computer (outside of a virus). Not technically a fault of the OS and really one for Xcode but it's big enough to make development on a Mac a painful experience. I've also worked with many other developers and have never met a full time developer that had positive things to say about development on xcode vs. Visual Studio.

Not trying to be confrontational ... just trying to give some feedback on your post from some real-life experience.

Xcode is garbage but so is every IDE ever including and especially Visual Studio. The reason to use a Mac as a developer is for the UNIXy backend and the easy access to the GNU toolchain: GCC, GDB and friends; make, ctags, vim etc.; oh and macports!
 

taybul

Member
I actually am a programmer. I'm the developer for the Demon's Rise games on iOS / Google Play and I have to disagree with you here. I've tried various options and in the end, the best development experience has been using Visual Studio on my PC, compiling the file into an xcode file using Unity 3D and then copying those files to my MacBook and opening in Xcode to final compile, test on a device and upload to Apple. The only reason I do the last step on a Mac is that Apple force you to ... there's no other way to upload the necessary files to Apple.

Every time I compile a project on Xcode, I lose about 10 GB of hard drive space on my MacBook and I have to delete these files after the compilation. These temporary files keep building up and eventually my computer fills up. I've never experienced anything like this on a PC computer (outside of a virus). Not technically a fault of the OS and really one for Xcode but it's big enough to make development on a Mac a painful experience. I've also worked with many other developers and have never met a full time developer that had positive things to say about development on xcode vs. Visual Studio.

Not trying to be confrontational ... just trying to give some feedback on your post from some real-life experience.

Respectfully, from dev to dev, this sounds needlessly complicated. Why not just use VS on Mac if that's your IDE of choice? You can easily script your whole process and even clean up if necessary, or heck, create a custom build profile in VS that compiles using xcode from command-line.
 
I've got the MacBook and it's a lovely price of kit. Gets lots of comments too as its a slick looking machine. I'd hold out for the new version of the MacBook that you mentioned 😊 Can't fault it really and the OS is great
 

faridmon

Member
Another thing to consider on the Dell XPS for design - Adobe RGB compliance. The 4K screen is basically unheard of in the laptop space, with that colour accuracy.

Only 1 spec have that 4K screen and its definatly not in his/her price range
 

snacknuts

we all knew her
Considered a XPS 15?

Portable, bezel-less (a 15 in a 14-inch chasis), 5+ hours of battery
touchscreen
built quality that gets close to the unibody macs
powerful graphics (1050) and cpu ( good for video editing, and productivity)
best in class display
arguable the best bang for the buck

or the XPS 13 if the 15 is too big. They also made a convertible version of the 13, though it has weaker specs.


Besides this, I don't know where you get this idea that MacOS is somehow a superior operating system. That hasn't been the case for years. MacOS has become a bloated OS that is trying to fight the inevitible unification with iOS but refuses to, due to lost sales by consolidating the two OS.
As someone who uses both operating systems daily, Windows 10 is a better experience. OSX used to be better, but a string of bad decisions have really hurt OSX. It's not terrible, but a lot of design choices are questionable.

I wouldn't personally want to buy a computer with 256 GB storage and 8 GB ram in 2017. I think that would be a big mistake, but Apple are masters at making entry level product at prices you'll consider, but still end up making customers up for almost mandatory upgrades. By the time you deck out the Mac with acceptable specs, you're into a pricing territory, where it gets seriously expensive.

The Macbook has not become the Macbook Air. It will take before, we see it priced at 999 for a good configuration as it should be. It will take 1 or 2 more years. It's way way way to expensive for what it is currently.

As someone who has been using OSX/macOS as my daily driver OS for almost ten years, I agree with everything posted here. I hate what Apple has been doing to recent iterations of OSX/macOS, mostly because I intensely hate using iOS and I don't appreciate Apple's efforts to make the Mac OS more iOS-like.
 

LordOfChaos

Member
As someone who has been using OSX/macOS as my daily driver OS for almost ten years, I agree with everything posted here. I hate what Apple has been doing to recent iterations of OSX/macOS, mostly because I intensely hate using iOS and I don't appreciate Apple's efforts to make the Mac OS more iOS-like.

Yeah, the XPS 15 is really the hardware I wish Apple had chosen so I could stick on macOS.

The 1050, the bezelless display, the 100% Adobe RGB coverage (that's better than the retina macbook pros which were the previous standard, they sit around 75% iirc).

It makes it a hard choice when a maxed out rmbp 15 you could buy for like 5000 dollars with a Radeon Pro 460 is beaten by the XPS 15s 1050 at well under half the cost. Granted the 460 was chosen for FCPX/OpenCL performance, but still, for everything else.
 

WaveLightGames

Neo Member
Respectfully, from dev to dev, this sounds needlessly complicated. Why not just use VS on Mac if that's your IDE of choice? You can easily script your whole process and even clean up if necessary, or heck, create a custom build profile in VS that compiles using xcode from command-line.

Main reason that I use Visual Studio on my PC is that the games project I use are huge (around 50GB each) and for $2500 I'm able to build a desktop PC powerful enough for what I need. The mac equivalent would be much more expensive.

I was able to build a custom windows 10 desktop that has the latest i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of M2.NVM SSD (Samsung) for around $2500 CAD. I don't think there is currently a Mac desktop or laptop with those kinds of specs available ... though I could be wrong as I haven't checked in a while.
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
Yeah, the XPS 15 is really the hardware I wish Apple had chosen so I could stick on macOS.

The 1050, the bezelless display, the 100% Adobe RGB coverage (that's better than the retina macbook pros which were the previous standard, they sit around 75% iirc).

It makes it a hard choice when a maxed out rmbp 15 you could buy for like 5000 dollars with a Radeon Pro 460 is beaten by the XPS 15s 1050 at well under half the cost. Granted the 460 was chosen for FCPX/OpenCL performance, but still, for everything else.

Alienware 13r3 1440p oled > than xps 15 imo. Over 200% srgb coverage, and a 1060, for the same price as xps 15. Got mine on sale for $1600. Dell always running Sales on everything though.
 
i would recommend the touch bar-less 2016 macbook pro over any hypothetical 12-inch macbook update unless that macbook update includes the pro keyboard. 12-inch macbook keyboard is legitimately awful, new macbook pro's is wonderful.
 

LordOfChaos

Member
Alienware 13r3 1440p oled > than xps 15 imo. Over 200% srgb coverage, and a 1060, for the same price as xps 15. Got mine on sale for $1600. Dell always running Sales on everything though.

Delta-E of 5, average is 1.98, closer to 0 is best.

As in it has a very wide range but is not accurate. So it's what it's built for, it's a gaming machine where you want colours to punch you in the nose, not a pro content creation machine like the XPS 15 and rMBP would more suit. The XPS 15 has both a 100% coverage AND is very accurate.
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
Delta-E of 5, average is 1.98, closer to 0 is best.

As in it has a very wide range but is not accurate. So it's what it's built for, it's a gaming machine where you want colours to punch you in the nose, not a pro content creation machine like the XPS 15 and rMBP would more suit. The XPS 15 has both a 100% coverage AND is very accurate.

Yeah but you can calibrate the display. I guess not sure how much you can bring down that delta, but I have no problem using it for photo editing and 13x19 prints.

OLEDs are going to vary as well so I wouldn't necessarily take that delta-e 5 as a standard. Colors seem very accurate to me.
 
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