Technology & Social Media Which laptop would you get?

Hi all, I'm after a new laptop, budget up to $2,500-3k max.
I've narrowed it down to The HP Spectre x360 or Dell XPS 13.

Both are slim and sexy with i7 CPU's and 16GB RAM (they're 7th generation but not sure if they're U or HQ variants). I need mostly for video editing but want something which boots up Fast (< 20 secs). Both weigh less than 2kg.

I've googled and the HP often comes out winner (currently world's thinnest laptop) but it's also about $500+ dearer though some say the Dell has better graphics. The current Dell XPS has used the same shell for 3 years so they reckon they've got the best at the moment.

Any other tips or models I haven't thought about would be welcomed thanks.

 

I like Toshiba laptops, HP are pretty good as well. I wouldn't touch a Dell as a personal machine, I have supported them in a couple of jobs in the past and they just have more repairs and their support centre was painful. This is just my opinion.

 

MacBook

 

Why do you want to spend $3k on a laptop? Are you doing heavy graphics computational stuff on it? I use excel a lot.. that and some occasional video decoding is about the most use my machines ever get. I never spend more than $400 on a new laptop. Swap the HDD for an SSD and use a portable drive for storage. It will be super fast and you can upgrade every year for 5 years and still be better off $-wise (most laptops seem to die within 4-5 years)

edit: just noticed the bit on video editing.. professional or hobby?

 

Hi @Phase2 any brand you recommend for $400? Re swapping the HDD for an SSD, is that hard to do? (I'm not overly tech savvy).

Thanks

 

Nah, I just subscribe to places like e-store (since bought by harris technology), shoppingexpress.com.au, and keep an eye on MSY.com.au, jbhifi, HN, TGG etc. If there's something I'm looking for specifically (model number) I'll look it up on staticice.com.au.

The brands don't really tend to be that much different to each other. Reading reviews on particular model numbers might give you an indication of whether they had problems, but the internals are mostly all from independent manufacturers anyway. My view is that it doesn't really matter if you buy HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer (are they still around?) as long as you don't find stack of bad reviews for a particular model you should be ok.

Swapping 2.5"HDD for a 2.5" SSD in a laptop is pretty easy, it's a couple of screws and a plug. There will be plenty of how-to's on youtube. The 'hardest' bit will be re-installing your operating software. Windows 10 should be a fairly straight-forward re-install because it's registered to the laptop's motherboard not the hard-disk. You can also buy a USB powered case for about $15 to hold your old HDD so you can use it for portable storage.

 

Awesome thanks @Phase2 ill look into them

 

Depends what you want it for, if it's just work type stuff then I am with @Simon Hampel and say get the Surface Pro but if it's for Gaming, have you considered Alienware by Dell?

Alienware Gaming PC - Official Site for Alienware Australia | Dell Australia

 

Nvidia graphics for anything video editing, and NVME drives if possible (up to 5X SSD performance. Surface Pro's have been rubbish in the past. Mac's are OK for home use, not business.

Bit like buying a car... always get the biggest motor!

 

Never liked HP laptops. Got one for a previous girlfriend as a gift a few years back but it had so many problems but looked nice. Had a Toshiba a few years back, took it around the world with me for a couple of years, on beaches to dusty roads to motorcycle tracks, never missed a beat. It broke down when I was back in OZ and I swatted a persistent annoying fly on it really hard with a rolled up newspaper .
My last laptop was a Samsung and it worked pretty well.

If I was to buy a new laptop now and I might need to soon (currently use an asus hybrid tablet for mobile) I would be researching hard for at least 3 days on computer forums, read reviews, checkout high-end custom laptops and ask many questions on current technologies. A laptop can be an important tool for business, your life etc so it's worth spending some time and effort on it. You could also just buy a cheapie for less than $600 and throw it away after a year.

 

I prefer laptops with dedicated graphics. Assuming I read the specs for the correct models, both of those have the Intel 620 series integrated graphics. A lot of people think integrated graphics isn't a big issue, so it may not bother you.

I have a very quick look on the Dell website (I haven't checked any others) and found this: Alienware 13 | Dell Australia

I believe the biggest drawback for you (judging on the factors you've listed above) would be the weight, 2.6kgs. But it has the i7, 32gb RAM, GeForce GTX 1060 and an IPS screen.

 

I like the MacBook Pro, also you can buy the refurbished units which are 15% cheaper than new, and you get 2 year warranty with it.
Spec it up as much as possible so you get a few years out of it.

 

I purchased a surface pro after seeking advice here - no complaints. It's been used a lot - and carted around everywhere. Very reliable. Perfect for business use.

Cheers

Jamie

 

The same for me as well. So light and practical.

 

Macbook Air

 

We have both in i5 and there isn't a huge amount between them. I wouldn't bother with the high res screen unless you have amazing eyesight or specifically need it for video editing.

The xps is substantially smaller in footprint for the screen size.