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

all three machines are excellent but built for different users...

MBP - for day to day users and gamers but many ppl still face problems regarding games not supported on OS hence end up installing windows on mac using bootcamp....in my openion this laptop is slightly overpriced and i would personally prefer a windows laptop. the best feature about MBP is its battery life.

Dell XPS 15 - again for gamers and day to day users but if you want a laptop specifically for gaming then check out dells Alienware series...

Dell Precision M3800- Its a workstation meant for professionals like architects, graphic designers, engineers etc. the graphic card used here is specially meant to run softwares like Autocad, maya, photoshop, 3dsmax, solidworks etc...(this laptop is also certified by companies like Adobe, Autodesk etc to run their software) The built quality of this laptop is meant for professionals for eg> all these softwares can also run on a MBP by installing windows on it (because 3ds max, revit etc dont run on OS) but MBP will heat up very quickly and reach higher temperatures wheres M3800 will perform much better and will give you longer working hours.

I am soon going to own a M3800 as i am an Architect. my suggestion is if you are a Gamer or any other user out of the three options Go for XPS and if a Professional looking for a steady yet sleek workstation Go for M3800.

 

Motherboard is the base same board, but a different SKU because at least one of the small parts differs; there's no NFC chip on the M3800, there is on the XPS 15, and sure enough there is an empty spot for the NFC chip on the M3800 board...

Personally, I'd boil it down even more simply:
If you need professional 3D graphics requiring the Quardro chip, get the M3800.
Everyone else, get whichever is cheaper in the config you want, the biggest difference being the middle-tier 256gb SSD+Disk configuration is only available on the M3800 and not on the XPS. US pricing is very similar and will start to vary by promotions soon as both models are out longer, so the better deal one week may not be the better deal the next.

 

I have an M3800 and a mid 2012 Retina Macbook Pro. If you're tied to Windows the M3800 is a great laptop, but it suffers from poor scaling behaviour in many windows programs and I have not found the screen to be the equal of that in the Mac. The touchpad on the Mac is (as they always are) in another league to the Dell one too. The current rMBP benefits from PCI-E based SSD storage if you want the last word in storage performance, whereas with the Dell you can (at significant cost to battery life) go for a dual drive option. You do get thunderbolt ports with the Mac too, if that is something you might want.

In terms of "build quality" and reliability I'd say they are likely to turn out to be pretty much equal, but only time can really tell. I've found both Macs and Dell Latitude/Precision laptops to last an easy 6 - 7 years of daily use when cared for, although the perceived quality of the rMBP is slightly higher due to one or two slightly cheap details on the Dell.

As for M3800 vs XPS15 that's a bit more straightforward. They are the same machine, so buy on spec, price, and any requirement you have for Quadro certified video drivers.

One real, massive problem with the Apple systems for me is the ty warranty coverage and service. The Precision came with 3 years NBD on site service, which I upgraded to 5 years with accidental damage cover for about £240 + VAT. Apple give you 1 year return to base warranty that you can upgrade to 3 years return to base for a similar cost. Not great, and really damned inconvenient to return the machine.

What I would say though is that the HiDPI experience in OS-X kicks the windows experience into the long grass, and was close to spot on from day one. It will be years and year, if ever, before Windows desktop apps all work properly with font scaling. As a user of Windows since version 1.0 sometimes using OS-X can be irritating, but oddly not nearly as much as the experience of trying to use Metro on Windows 8. If you don't play games and the applications you use are available on OS-X I'd very seriously consider making the switch.

As I said, I have both and use them pretty much interchangeably, so from my experience you can't go too wrong with either! If it was my money I'd be tempted to go for the Dell simply for the fantastic warranty and service options though - I'd want to know I would get at least 5 years use out of it at this price.

 

Has anyone compared the XPS 15 and M3800 side by side? Users have reported them having identical build while others have said the M3800 is slightly better due to having a finer attention to detail and getting the better silicon. Curious to see any side by side comparison pictures... As for Windows 8, I think it's a personal thing since I know many people who really love metro (and many who hate it). I don't mind it and prefer it to OS X.