M3800 vs New XPS-15 vs MacBook Pro.......

I was about to pull the trigger on a new 15" MacBook Pro Retina, but the New Dell XPS-15 (9530) and the Dell M3800 have caught my attention.

The M3800 is only about $100 more than the XPS-15, and you can buy up to 5 year on-site support with the M3800, vs only up to 3 year on-site with the XPS-15.

So, what are the differences between the M3800 and the New XPS-15 (9530)? I read somewhere they were basically the same computers, but not sure how true that really is.

And for those with knowledge, is the XPS-15 and M3800 comparable in overall quality to the MacBook Pro?

Thank you

 

I'm pretty sure this has all been discussed at length in the M3800 and XPS-15 threads, so I would look there for detailed information, but the biggest differences between the two are the type of support offered with the machine and the GPU (the M3800 has a Quadro card with a slightly lower clock speed, but is more optimized for CAD and other professional software vs. the gaming-oriented card in the XPS).

 

The story about the exceptional build quality of those Macs is largely a myth. Yes, they are built better than those cheapo bottom-shelf consumer units, but, no, they are not any better, and in some respects clearly inferior to business-class PCs. In comparison with the Dell Precision line (and similar lines of other OEMs) in particular, the Macs have nothing on those. In addition, these PCs are typically engineered to perform, which is what you can expect them to do. This is not necessarily the case for the Apple products.

 

I've read the threads, and there's generalized talk about better components in the M3800, then there's talk the components are mostly the same except for the Graphics Card.

I was wondering, (and should have asked) if the Motherboard is the same? I imagine things like the display, memory, drives, etc. are the same, but the motherboard is the main component that I worry about.

 

Its the same most likely.

Sent from my HUAWEI Y300-0100 using Tapatalk

 

I'm hoping for something a little more precise than that

 

What are you going to use the computer for?

 

I'am in the same boat.. i follow the m3800 and xps15 threads since their beginning and as some kind of last resort i put some time into mbp research.

My finding so far is basicly to wait a little longer. All three machines have their quirks, louder on the xps-15 and mbp side, but then again the m3800 is the newest
of the bunch and targeted for business so i guess far less m3800 owners in the wild.

The MBP seems to have some issues with throttling, temperatures and yellowish tints on some screens. Besides that i hate the idea of a mingy 85w power supply to keep that
bad boy well fed. Mainly because that thing will have to work hard all workday long (multiple paralell VMs for development etc.) and some lighter gaming in the spare time.

On the XPS-15 front their are some faulty screens too, from dust to dead pixels and pressure points. Most concerns arise from the trackpad though, which i will use rarely i guess.
Temperatures seem to be mostly fine but lately there are reports about throttling issues with the GPU. Oh i almost forgot to mention the not so reassuring reports about battery life,
they diverge in every direction, from "quite good" to "disappointing".

The only reports from the M3800 i remember are of an pre-release machine of bokeh, cant really remember hearing anything bad about it, but its basicly the same as the XPS-15.
My guess is we will hear more about it in the coming month, possibly of similar issues. I may have pulled the trigger on a M3800 already if Dell would sell the configuration i want
in my country (germany). I even had a chat with a sales rep about it but she said its not possible at the moment and i should check available configurations on a weekly basis

So for now i decided to wait until next year to pull the trigger and i really hope for some reputable in-depth reviews of all the candidates by then.

 

I've read somewhere in the M3800 thread that a user quoting the words from a Dell online chat. In it, the Dell man said that M3800 has a better build quality, a different motherboard and of course the different graphic card.

I kind of buy it because as an an engineer in EE, I do understand that dies on the same wafer can have good ones, less good ones and failed ones. It is possible that Dell is using better chips on M3800 to live up with the 'Precision' name, and also many other components, such as capacitors, etc.

 

I am siding with your suggestion to wait. I too have been following the XPS15, M3800 and rMBP15 products closely, and they all seem to have plenty of pros & cons, ones of which really do matter. I too require a machine to run virtual machines while I focus on software development. I'm waiting for the M3800 owners to emerge and discuss their issues as well before I purchase my next development machine, but I am certain they will be similar to the XPS15 ones.

I'm currently on a MacBook Pro 13.3 (mid-2008) and need a bigger screen. I just can't give up the touchpad though.