I was in the market to buy a new laptop earlier this year and I came down to comparing to machines: the Dell XPS M1530 and the Apple MacBook Pro. I compared both of them to every aspect I could possibly come up with. Anyways both machines recently have received some upgrades so I thought I should update both comparison lists for those of you who might be looking for a new 15-inch notebook.
Update 4/20/08: Dell is now offering a 1440×900 LED and 1920×1080 Full HD displays.
I gave Apple a point for the Screen since they offer a non-glossy option which I truly prefer due to glare. Dell was expected to push out a LED screen over a month ago, however it hasn’t happened yet. The body of the MacBook Pro is cleaner, simpler, and lighter compared to the XPS 1530. In terms of Operating Systems, if you want OS X Leopard, chances are you won’t be able to get it working on a XPS; however it should a breeze to install Vista/XP on a MacBook Pro with Boot Camp. Leopard can use 4GB of RAM; however you’ll need 64-bit editions of Vista or XP to utilize all of it. Dell offers many more options for HDDs including a 64GB SSD which would be unusual for a 15-inch laptop. Dell also lets you turn your XPS into a Blu-ray player with an optional Blu-ray read/write drive which is great for watching high definition movies. I was irritated to find out that the XPS didn’t have gigabit Ethernet, which is great for transferring large files on a local network, especially when most new laptops have it. Apple won the keyboard war with its beautiful backlit keyboard with an ambient light sensor. However the XPS makes up with a Finger Print Sensor, which is great for bypassing typing passwords when people are around, and a better Web Camera. The XPS comes with a media remote control which tucks away into the express card slot while Apple now charges an additional $20 for their Front Row remote. The XPS M1530 can also be configured with a Sprint or Verizon mobile broadband card which will utilize the laptop’s antennas for better signal gain. I choose the 6-cell battery for the XPS since it was the best one which didn’t stick out. It offered only 2.5 hours of work time while the MacBook Pro gets about 3 hours.
If you didn’t already notice, there’s one major factor I left out on the chart: price. This part is what made me make my final decision which was to go with the Dell M1530. Dell offered a pretty good student discount in addition to their constant promotions. Apple also offers such discounts, but are incomparable to what Dell offers. With both configured to the highest similar specifications, the MacBook Pro was getting very close to $3000 while the Dell XPS was about $500 cheaper costing about $2500. In addition for those of you on a strict budget like I was, there’s more flexibility to remove unneeded components with the Dell to bring the price down. Anyways, that’s my two cents so please feel free to make comments.
Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Dell XPS M1530
@ John
I just wanted to also make a point about the laptop loudness comment you made. You said that the MBP is much quieter than the XPS. I have used both and I can say for sure that the MBP is pretty quite. The Dell is slightly louder, but still not noticeable. Both are fairly quite and won’t be a problem.
I also wanted to point out that the Macbook Pro heats up a LOT! It is not only mine that is an issue. Most of my friend’s ones also get quite hot after an hour or so of use. Most of them had to buy a notebook fan to go underneath the laptop. It wouldn’t be advisable to keep on your lap or you might get burned. Now moving onto the Dell, my unit has never heated up so far. It remains quite cool the majority of the time. Sometimes the palm rest warms up slightly, but not at all as bad as the Apple.
Oh yeah, about the dB loudness and audible, the rating on the website is 40 for audible and 50 for loud. Dell scored 50 when watching movies something like that.
Yeah and I agree with you that the MBP is one giant heat sink but hey, it also releases the internal heat much faster because the whole notebook is a giant aluminium block. Well actually you dont need a notebook fan. You should never place a notebook on your lap at any time unless you must cause there is no space to put your notebook.
Apple call them notebook cause they don’t want you to put it on your lap cuz if they call it laptops, people will put the notebook on their lap cause that what the name says, laptops.
Dersara I would advise you to call your college or what ever school you are going to and talk directly to your photography instructor, or other photo editing instructor and ask them what Is REQUIRED. I have a associates in Liberal Arts and am close to a associates in Graphic Design. And I know that Photoshop is MUCH more efficient on a MAC then a PC having used it on both a high end MBP and a high end Dell XPS. Plus on many of my colleges computers both MAC and DELL. I also would advise you to talk to your instructor about your Digital SLR Camera if you do not already have one. I personally like The Nikon D300 It has 54 point auto zoom, wireless control capabilities, and can take 6 frames per second. I have been through several Photography, and Photoshop classes they are part of the curriculum for a Graphic Designer at my college. Also just a side note originally when I was looking at what school to go to I thought about taking photography as my degree and OSU Okmulgee which is one of the highest rated photography schools In Oklahoma Requires that you have a MAC, and either a High End Canon or Nikon, the head of the photography department at OSU Okmulgee told me this. I have had no problems with noise levels while using my friends Mac Book Pro, and the Mac Labs at My school.
He told me the comment about the MAC and cameras being required. Not the noise level comment I just accidently hit submit too soon. Here is a link to B&H a huge photography store in New York City one of my photography instructors recommended it to me for buying a camera and lenses.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/535207-REG/Nikon__D300_SLR_Digital_Camera.html
I don’t know why Mac users must glorify their computers even when they’re being screwed over by Apple.
‘Apple call them notebook cause they don’t want you to put it on your lap’
What?! It’s a portable computer! What if I want to use it on the bus or while lying on the couch? I would protest against shoddily built, super expensive products rather than put up with their faults and recommend them to other people!
‘And I know that Photoshop is MUCH more efficient on a MAC then a PC’
Perhaps it was a spyware- virus-ridden PC? These days, processors run at speeds of a gabazillion Mhz, and with enough ram; to say that Photoshop is ‘MUCH’ more efficient is an exaggeration. Perhaps, there is a small difference. The curious can look up benchmarks on Google.
I did not mean to attack anyone, neither am I anti-Mac (I endorsed 13″ MacBooks in a previous post), some of the statements made are just plain misleading.
So I was to gun ho on my wording. I just get frustrated when advice is given, that may cause someone to buy a device that wont be accepted for use In their school. But I still hold that they are more efficient. Maybe not way more efficient but I do know that most Graphic Design and Photography Colleges require Macs, because I have checked. And it would be quite a bit cheaper to buy one laptop then two. I agree with you that Mac pricing is lousy, and I think there would be a lot more customers and software for Macs If there prices were closer to PCs.
And as for you saying that Macs are shoddily built look at the specs In my blog 2 statements above and the original specs for the 2 computers that started this blog. Many of the same components used on Dells are used on Apples so if you are going to down one you should down the other as well.
oops 8 statements above.
Guess its efficient cause OS X has those nifty Expose which makes it more flexible if you are working through multiple documents. Efficient isn’t necessarily means fast, if its fast, people will call it faster.
Apple states in their user guide that if the notebook gets hot, you should not place it on your lap, besides no one says that you cant place notebook on your lap. But maybe you don’t read much, cause no one in their right mind (referring to guys) would place any notebook on their lap and they can tell you why. Shoddily build? Wow, let me tell you that the MBP (SantaRosa) is one of the best notebook I ever owned, I used to use a Dell and this shoddily build MBP is much better then my Dell.
let me add *any notebook on their lap for a long period of time
can someone tell me if Dell XPS M1530 will be good enough to use Serato DJ software, i’m looking to get a laptop computer dedicated to use for DJing only, i know a lot of DJs uses MBP, for the money, can i depend on XPS.
Aris, the 2 rigs have almost the same specs. If its a hardware req issue, the m1530 wil definetely run unless its not available on windows.
Lol, you guys aren’t wearing pants when you use your MBP lol! On my bus to school, I often play crysis on my lap! All I wear is some relatively thin jeans and some underwear. There is no way someone can get burned by this heat. Sure its hotter than other laptops but far from unbearable. Unless you are EXTREMELY sensitive to heat. The only REAL place I feel that gets closest to the unbearable level is the plate above the keyboard that connects the screen to the body and the underneath area near the vents.
Do not over analyze computers. Go try them out. Buy the one you like. It’s easy.
from personal experience, I know that the Dell customer service is excellent, (assuming you reach a technician) but its true that there are more often quirks in dells than in Macs. its a factor to consider when purchasing them; the MBP is thinner and feels sturdier. and honestly, 1080 resolution is kind of ridiculous when considering that there are 60″ Televisions with the exact same resolution.
things like the webcam are really pretty petty (because .7 MP is a major difference; no webcam will display you in HD, keep it real =P)
on a side note, apple has ways to compensate for the price difference. I saw the other day, that they discount an additional $300 if you purchase a flash ipod. if I was offered a $200 32gb ipod touch, I know I’d take it.
on a side note, ‘not being able to afford a mac’ isn’t always applicable. with financial aid from a school, its possible to pick up a mac at 2/3 of the price slashed.
That is funny neverwrongtillnow. I have had more then one horrible experience with dell customer service, all to get a single part fixed on my Dell XPS laptop. I had to wait on the phone for 2-3 hours more then once. Each time I called Dell they sent me through a loop de loop of their customer service reps, just to get to one of their service maintenance departments that had any idea of what the problem with my computer was caused by. Once the problem was identified, it took close to a month before Dell sent anyone out to fix my laptop. So I was stuck with no computer to work on at home for quite some time. With apple care you can actually take your Apple to any Apple store get it fixed. Apple stores actually have maintenance people there to talk to you, and identify the problem, and most repairs are guaranteed in 3 days or less. Then you just come back and pick your Apple up, instead of 2 annoying LONG phone calls and close to a MONTH of waiting.
@ neverwrong
I’d like to know what college you’re going to that gives you a 67% discount on Apple computers. I’m going to Stanford in the fall, and I did a price comparison for both the Dell XPS M1530 and MacBook Pro
My last post got cut off early. Continuing…
I price compared both the XPS M1530 and MacBook Pro (with educational discounts, mind you) with similar hardware (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, DVD burner, Bluetooth, Wireless N, 1440X900 LED screen, etc) and the price difference was about $900. Really, if the Mac was only like $100-$200 more expensive I would have gotten it instead, but $900 is not easy to swallow. AND on top of that, I already have a successful and stable installation of OS X 10.5.2 running in addition to Vista and Linux. So I think the argument of “Get the Mac for the OS” is nullified, EULAs aside (I still paid good $$ for my copy of Leopard). Unless you are, of course, the average computer user…
So I’m traditionally a pc user but I would like to switch to Mac. However i need to run PC only programs like Autodesk AutoCad and inventor among other things so my proffessor recomended I stick to a pc. I am a computer animation major btw. I was wonderinng whether it would be smart to listen to the professor and get the dell 1530, rather than sort of chance it with the Mac and Boot camp. I guess i’m just worried that for the price, i would be making a mistake in choosing the mac and boot camp to run the pc only programs.
basically is it risky to choose the macbook pro given the fact that i need pc programs for school…
For Autocad, if its not 3D Intensive you can dual boot OS using Fusion.
nice comparison! I have been looking into the 1530 now for about two hours of extensive net research as an alternative for my crappy quality mbp.
You are missing a few points:
1. the mbp has serious display issues. if you neet good colour quality, don’t go for the mbp. if you start reading the edid info out of your display and check on EXACTLY what apple builds into these things you will realise, that you are beeing ripped off. my display is a lg display (in a brand new mbp) and only supports 262k colours and only has a contrast of 400:1, instead of the promised millions of colours and 500:1 contrast. if you check up on the other 4 possible displays you can get shipped in your mbp you will see that all have worse technical data than apple claims. AND: you will have real problems keeping some colours apart. besides: it’s a rip off.
2. sound issues: the mbp has a serious issue with the sound chip which is mounted too near to the power translation input thingy. the result: I know three people personally by now who have a very disturbing whining noise. several exchange attempts have failed. and nearly every mbp has a loud cracking sound when you mute the system with earplugs. That hurts, seriously. so you can not use it for working on sound, either.
3. apple service vs dell service. this is self explainatory
4. just a small list of faults i have with my mbp:
dvd writer doesn’t work, “a” and “1” key hardly work, the display is not quite even in lighting quality, colour issues, sound issues, vga port is broke and the whole casing is not quite straight. and i look after my mbp better than my balls.
so: as long as apple still continues producing crap quality i will run os on pc hardware. the dell 1530 looks most promising and with dual boot you can work with another os just in case your main os froze or broke. you can install any OS on a 1530, there are many many good guides with promising results.
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Hmm, as much as I doubt that you are telling the truth, but there is no way your MBP has THAT much problems, its either you are a troll or just trying to make the MBP look bad. I know MBP has issues, but it doesn’t have THAT much issues especially from a single unit.
almost forget, if you say dell is better quality then apple, you are a nut.
I’m getting ready to go to school, and i have been looking into laptops. I’m going into landscape architecture, and they use a software called arch-view and arch-gis. I have had my heart set on a Mac book Pro for some time now, but than i found out the software is meant for PC. I was a little disappointed that i may not be able to get a MBP, but than a buddy of mine told me about boot camp. He said “It runs windows on the MBP so you can use PC software.” I got to thinking hey it may work out, but i was still worried so i called the company that makes the Arch software. (ESRI) I talked to a representative that told me the software is meant for a PC, but will work on a MBP. He than went on to say the software would not be guaranteed on the MBP. (RISKY) I have been up all night worrying (pretty stupid thing to worry about) I don’t want to spend 2700 dollars on a MBP and come to find out it won’t work. That is when i searched on Google to compare the MBP to Dell and i found this article/blog and read everyone’s opinion on MBP and the Dell XPS M1730. I know very little about the dell, but it is starting to look better every minute! I would like to know more about it if anyone would like to tell me. I’m putting my trust in whoever would like to write back that they’re knowledge will help in giving me knowledge so that i can decide. Thanks for your time!
P.S. If anyone knows of any other good Labtops that you may think will work for what i am doing. I am open to that as well!
Your software will have a 99% chance of running. My only concern is since its a 3D software, some features might not work like for example if the system requirement requires a Nvidia Quadro or some sort of non-gaming graphics card then some function wont work.
I managed to run SolidWorks through boot camp and so far only 1 function wont be working cause it requires a Nvidia Quadro GPU.
To make it simple for you, any program can work in BootCamp because Intel Mac uses the same processor and chipset as its competitors.