Macbook Pro vs XPS 1530

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>So I'm going to be an engineering student this fall. I need a laptop that looks good, performs great, and is thin and lightweight. Given these conditions the two laptops I've found are Macbook Pro and the Dell XPS 1530. They both have similar features (though the MBP has a few more i.e. backlit keyboard, etc.), both perform good enough for me, and they are THIN.</p>

<p>I've been a Windows user all my life, but learning OS X is not a problem for me. The MBP will cost around $1500 while the 1530 will cost about $1200-1300. SO, which one should I get?</p>

<p>If you know of any other laptops let me know. I've considered all types of laptops including Thinkpads, Sager, etc. but they are all either very expensive or too thick and heavy (I'm looking for one as close to 1" as possible). I'm looking for a 15" (though 17" would also work given it is thin/light enough) notebook I can use for engineering (CAD), entertainment (videos), and some gaming (Crysis - medium settings, Gears of War, Warcraft III, etc.).</p>

2

<p>Go for the XPS, you don't want to deal with virtualization or dual boot for running CAD software and all those games.</p>

3

<p>XPS! It's ballin. <em>types on XPS 1530 :)</em></p>

4

<p>You will most likely be using programs that are windows-exclusive. Unless you don't mind shelling out VMware fusion for running windows within mac (or you can settle for dual-booting) you can get the MBP. IMO the XPS seems better, though the LED screen / backlit keyboards sound pretty cool.</p>

5

<p>whichever you like better. honestly, you won't be running much engineering software off your computer. most will be done in the lab.</p>