MBP or XPS 13

Hi there. I'm going to America for the Summer and I need to get a new laptop while I'm there. I've narrowed it down to one of these two:

Dell XPS 13 with Infinity Display
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
i5 Broadwell CPU
Windows 8/Soon to be Windows 10
integrated Intel HD Graphics 5500
$980 (€860)

Macbook Pro 2015
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
Dual core i5 (not sure if it's Broadwell or Haswell)
OS X
Integrated Intel Iris Graphics 6100
$1200 (€1050)

I'll be using it for basically everything from light browsing to office suites to creative work (Photoshop, Adobe CC, etc)

I know 8GB RAM probably isn't necessary for everyday use nowadays but I want the laptop to last at least 4-5 years so future-proofing is important.
Given that the XPS is an expensive windows machine the usual arguments between OS X and Windows barely apply. From what I can see both machines run like a dream with top notch hardware that wont struggle for years to come. The XPS has the advantage of being smaller, more mobile, and software compatibility with Windows.

Friends I've asked and staff in computer shops are adamant that I'd be better off with the Macbook Pro but then go on to give very hand wavy reasons for why it's the better machine. One person told me if compatibility was such a concern I can always install in via Bootcamp on the MBP. But that would require spending $1400 on an MBP with a larger SSD to partition and god knows what on a windows 10 license in the future which is getting much too expensive.

I guess the question I'm asking is: How much faith do people have in Windows 10? Would an extra $220/€190 on a virtually identical spec'd MBP be worth it for the benefits of OS X over Windows? What even are the benefits when both are premium machines?

I'm reasonably tech-savvy so "user friendliness" isn't so important. I can figure out how to use my laptop either way.

Lu Tze

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Hi there. I'm going to America for the Summer and I need to get a new laptop while I'm there. I've narrowed it down to one of these two:

Dell XPS 13 with Infinity Display
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
i5 Broadwell CPU
Windows 8/Soon to be Windows 10
integrated Intel HD Graphics 5500
$980 (€860)

Macbook Pro 2015
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
Dual core i5 (not sure if it's Broadwell or Haswell)
OS X
Integrated Intel Iris Graphics 6100
$1200 (€1050)

I'll be using it for basically everything from light browsing to office suites to creative work (Photoshop, Adobe CC, etc)

I know 8GB RAM probably isn't necessary for everyday use nowadays but I want the laptop to last at least 4-5 years so future-proofing is important.
Given that the XPS is an expensive windows machine the usual arguments between OS X and Windows barely apply. From what I can see both machines run like a dream with top notch hardware that wont struggle for years to come. The XPS has the advantage of being smaller, more mobile, and software compatibility with Windows.

Friends I've asked and staff in computer shops are adamant that I'd be better off with the Macbook Pro but then go on to give very hand wavy reasons for why it's the better machine. One person told me if compatibility was such a concern I can always install in via Bootcamp on the MBP. But that would require spending $1400 on an MBP with a larger SSD to partition and god knows what on a windows 10 license in the future which is getting much too expensive.

I guess the question I'm asking is: How much faith do people have in Windows 10? Would an extra $220/€190 on a virtually identical spec'd MBP be worth it for the benefits of OS X over Windows? What even are the benefits when both are premium machines?

I'm reasonably tech-savvy so "user friendliness" isn't so important. I can figure out how to use my laptop either way.

What do you use it for? Do you do a lot of photo editing? And what do you use currently?

If the main uses are office suites and internet I reckon you could look at cheaper laptops, so long as you stick an ssd in there they will fly.

Also not all i5 CPUs are the same, I'm pretty sure the xps has an ulv version, no sure about the pro, might have the normal version, better performance vs heavier on the battery

Lu Tze

Lu Tze wrote: »

What do you use it for? And what do you use currently?

I have a 4 year old Acer Aspire 5741 with Windows 7 now. It has 3GB of RAM and an i3 processor. It worked fine for 2 years before it naturally started to slow with age and now its virtually unusable. Crippled under its own bugs and bloated software updates. I've tried cleaning it up but it's just too old.

Previously used it for college work and light browsing along with occasional heavy work with Photoshop image editing and Dreamweaver web design.

K.O.Kiki

MBP 13".

Nolars

Deleted User wrote: »

I have a 4 year old Acer Aspire 5741 with Windows 7 now. It has 3GB of RAM and an i3 processor. It worked fine for 2 years before it naturally started to slow with age and now its virtually unusable. Crippled under its own bugs and bloated software updates. I've tried cleaning it up but it's just too old.

Previously used it for college work and light browsing along with occasional heavy work with Photoshop image editing and Dreamweaver web design.

ive a i3 thats 4 years old and running fine, add more ram and a ssd.

Alanstrainor

I'm in a similar position at the moment, and weighing up my options. I've narrowed it down to these two also. And I think I'm leaning towards the MBP. However, the fact that you cannot upgrade the RAM is annoying, and to buy the 16GB model from the factory is 200euro extra. But that shouldn't be a concern for most people.