Help, Interested in transitioning to a Windows laptop but which one?

[imlazyyy]

Hi, I'm a long time Apple user, but have used a Windows PC before. However, I have been impressed with Windows 10 usability and features and would like to have a secondary (but powerful, nonetheless) Windows device alongside my Apple products.

Currently, I have a MacBook Pro (2016) that I'm using for emails, online paperworks, papers for school, light media consumption, and Photoshop (important). Any suggestions on which Windows laptop I should go for? Right now, I'm looking at the Razer Blade Stealth or the Dell XPS 13 (non 2in1).

 

[xandros9]

There are a LOT depending on your tastes. I would only go Razer Blade or something fancy like that for gaming on the go.

Otherwise, here's my personal take on laptops, see if you have similar values. If not, then look elsewhere.

I'm a sucker for business-class computers. They're durable, easier-to-repair, can have a pointing stick, have parts available but may not be as aesthetically pleasing or slim. Lenovo's ThinkPad and Dell's Latitude lineups are examples.

I don't like big laptops so I would go 14" displays and lower, my current daily driver has a 12.5" display.

The simplest option that people would suggest here are the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. Those are kind of the opposite of what I look for in a PC so they're not for me. They're gorgeous, well-equipped, high-quality with a price-tag to match, sleek, impossible to repair and are the de facto devices to showcase Windows 10. These two are probably the best to go toe-to-toe with a recent MacBook Pro.

Other than the above, Dell has capable XPS laptops as you've seen and there's the Inspiron line if you want to go farther down-market.

I would generally go for 8 GB of RAM (4 minimum), an 128+ GB SSD, and a processor from the last five years or so.

 

[Drael646464]

As a photoshop user you'll want 8gb rather than the minimum for decent windows 4gb. Photoshop is ram hungry.

You might want something with tablet-y/stylus capabilities seeing as that's an area windows has over osx. Might pair with your media consumption/photoshop leanings.

Something like the surface book is a similar proposition for specs as the MacBook pro (same i7, same 16gb ram), and its transforming and has dedicated graphics GPU, touch support, and active stylus comes with.

So you can play with photoshop more, and consumer media in different ways. That and ink, will bring some of windows strengths for you to play with. As a different form factor with different inputs, it'll give you more than just another OS, but other ways to interact and use the laptop.

The full sized SD card slot could also be useful for either additional storage, or if you are photo taking from a optical zoom digital camera - to take stuff directly from your camera.

For consumption, of various kinds the convertibility can be handy, offering a bit more flexibility. The displayport is handy for external monitors.

If your a gamer, windows is also great at that - and those razer tablets are crazy beasts.

 

[Joshua Muldoon]

I think HP has some good Pavilions, this is my third so far from them, and it is a 15.6" laptop that is about 5 pounds, with a GTX 1050. Otherwise I also like Dell's XPS 15, which also has the option of a GTX 1050.