Got a 13"rMBP but..

Hi all.

I recently switched(not fully switched) over to Mac and bought a 13" Retina and wife got a 11" Air. I love it and it does everything I need. I recently also bought a Dell XPS 15 since I still need Windows for certain programs for school, and I like the fact that the XPS is the hub for all our music, movies, and photos since both our macs only have 128gb.



I have been thinking should I exchange it for the 15" retina, and spend the $600. Exchange window closes this weekend.

OR

I hear the new Haswell chips will replace Ivy Bridge soon, so I assume they would be in the next gen retina. If this is the case, I would sell my 13 retina and puts the funds towards whatever is new at that point.

Thanks!

 

Then you have no reason to switch. Save the $600 to buy something you really need or put it toward a computer in the future.

 

won't we always want the latest and greatest

 

Well I exchanged it . For the entry 15" Retina.

Much happier with the larger display, also went ahead and purchased the Apple Care too.

 

There really is no need to have two computers especially when Macs can reasonably run Windows. Unless your Windows programs require over 100GB of space (assuming you have a 256GB SSD and split it 50/50), you can install Windows using Bootcamp and call it a day. You could even use Parallels Desktop and run Windows right within OS X. I do this all the time on my MBA so that I can access MATLAB (Windows specific macros) and run my macros. I have a total of 15 macros that all reference one another, each macro has over 10,000 lines of code, and half of them reference Excel spreadsheets that have over 3,000 data points. It all runs just as smooth as booting directly into Windows using Bootcamp.

 

Well, kornchild's point on Bootcamping is a valid approach to a solution to your problem OP. However, another option you may consider (assuming you only bought your Mac to use OSX) is to exchange the rMBP and install OSX on your XPS if you want to keep that OS. Have that sort of setup on my W520 (in VirtualBox) and it works pretty well (not 100% smooth, but very close).

 

Well a update on my so called "issue"

First I love the rMBP 15" , The Dell XPS 15 is a great pc and I am using it in our home office as a replacement for my desktop.

I bought it from Amazon Warehouse Deals for $800 shipped (specs below), so I didn't really break the bank. The condition is perfect looks new just had a small nic on the front that was barely noticeable(also to note the packaging was identical to what you buy from Dell outlet).

Had a small issue and XPS support took care of it, and confirmed the PC is under warranty till April of next year to. Part of me wants to keep it...And wife said yes too


Processor: Intel Core 3rd Generation i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.1 GHz - TPM)
Windows 8
Dell Outlet XPS 15 Laptop
500 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
6GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
8X DVD +/- RW Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M with 1GB GDDR5 VRAM

 

Windows running on a Mac through Bootcamp is going to be a lot smoother than OS X hacked onto a Windows system.

Call me old fashioned but I am not a fan of having multiple computers. I did it at one point having a Windows 7 nettop and my MacBook Air. I found it too difficult having to worry about moving files around, keeping two iTunes libraries organized, etc. I would rather have one central system and a mobile device like an iPad or Android tablet for real portable use (i.e. when all I want to do is surf the internet or check e-mail). It's a lot easier for me to sync to an iPad than it is to copy files to and from my NAS setup to my Mac or my nettop. I eventually sold my nettop and now just have my MacBook Air and an external monitor. The Air pretty much stays at home now but it is more than portable enough to take to the office. Otherwise my day-to-day internet activities are all handled by my iPad mini.

That is why I would return the Dell notebook, pocket the $800, and put Windows on the Mac. That way you only have one system to worry about, you won't have to continually copy files to and from each system, etc. Given the hardware in the RMBP, it will provide a better Windows experience than the Dell even with the dated drivers that Apple uses.

 

Eh, to each their own I suppose. I sync my important files between computers via Dropbox, while anything else stays local (games stay on the gaming desktop, for example). It's true that Windows + Bootcamp runs smoother than OSX + VM, though you'd also have to factor in costs and other considerations one might have to deal with to see which is ideal for a particular situation. However, imo I think it's up to OP to see where he goes with this.

 

Of course its up to the OP. However, that doesn't stop a Hackintosh setup from being non-ideal and I would never recommend it to anyone as a solution to using OS X. As for my situation, my files are way too big to work with a free Dropbox account (not to mention I wouldn't want to upload 10GB+ files only to download them again). It became a pain. It wasn't too much of an issue for documents or photos (those were all taken care of automatically) but rather having two iTunes libraries that match, dealing with copying large (10-20GB) media files over a network, etc. It was too much of a pain for me. Plus, if I was working on a Word document that was stored on my Mac's desktop, I would have to remember to copy it over to another folder that would automatically sync with my NAS. Too much of a pain for me.

 

Thanks Gents, I will be returning the XPS, no need for 2 15" laptops.