So my house was broken into and my 8 year old gaming laptop was stolen this past Monday. Good news is that thanks to TexAgs' recommendation, all my documents, photos, music, etc. is backed up on CrashPlan. Bad news is that I loved that laptop and it did everything I wanted it to do. The fact that the battery only lasted an hour and it was big did not bother me. I had a Gateway P-7811FX that I purchased at BestBuy for about $1,400 8+ years ago. It had a 17" screen size, but I'd be willing to downsize to as small as 15" with the new one. While it was a gaming laptop, I did not game that much even though I may get back into some gaming with the new machine. I wanted a powerful laptop back then because I wanted to get more longevity out of it and I plan to do the same with my new purchase. Apple products do intrigue me, but I have a couple of question and am not sold on making the switch from a Windows machine. I was a huge fan of Windows 7 and recently switched to 10, but was considering switching back as I am not a fan of the current bugs and cloud features of 10. I like to run a lean, clean and powerful machine.

With that said, if I were to go Apple, can you easily remote desktop into an Apple from a Windows machine? I use Remote Desktop a TON on the road (using my work laptop). I also need HDMI ports as I use a hi-def projector regularly. I run a pretty diverse group of programs / applications, but I understand support for Apple has improved greatly over the years. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I also understand I should be able to run Windows on a Mac (bootcamp)? If so, it it reliable and does it work seamlessly?

With that said, I'm open to a Windows or Mac machine. Can you help me narrow it down? I usually build my own desktops, but I'm out of touch on notebooks and current technology.

Upfront notice: I can't provide you with opinions on gaming on a Mac.

I switched to Mac a few years ago and haven't found a compelling reason to switch back, although I do still work on Windows frequently. I won't bore you with the reasoning for my switch but I can provide some advice from a current owner/user's perspective on your questions.

• Windows support: Yes, a Mac can boot directly into Windows using Bootcamp. Originally I had this setup, but I abandoned it because it was too much of a pain to boot back and forth. If you plan on living a majority of your computing life solely in Windows, you're probably better off with a cheaper PC based laptop alternative. I prefer to use virtualization for my Windows needs and I've tried them all - here are some of my experiences:


• Bootcamp only: as mentioned above, I hated having to reboot into Mac or Windows constantly depending on what software I wanted to use.
• Mixed Bootcamp/VM using Bootcamp as an image: Licensing and driver issues were frustrating productivity killers. Windows licensing has some quirks recognizing a valid license matching the hardware configuration when switching between the two, so sometimes I would boot into Bootcamp and it would invalidate my license or visa versa when starting the Bootcamp partition as a VM. The only solution was a call to Microsoft to get the license re-instated.
• Virtualbox: Free, easy to use but support is spotty. If you use your Windows desktop for work and can't afford 'fiddle time', it's not the best option.
• Parallels: Usually ahead of the pack on driver support/emulation and graphics performance. However I ditched them after two versions and really lousy support. They may be better now, but I don't have a need to re-test it.
• VMWare Fusion: Solid and reliable but not the optimal solution for hardcore gaming. I like that I can take a VMWare VMDK image, copy it somewhere and boot it with the Windows version of VMWare or the Mac version without any changes at all.
• Both Fusion and Parallels have continuity options to ditch the Windows desktop and run the virtualized apps as if they are native to the Mac (icons show in the tray, etc.) even though they are still running in the virtual machine. I'm not a big fan of this mode, but a lot of people are.
• Remote desktop: There are multiple ways to handle this. The best two in my experience are using the native VNC capabilities of the Mac (built in) or using something like TeamViewer. VNC takes some knowledge and tweaking (some port forwarding may be necessary) but it runs like VNC on any Unix host. TeamViewer is an application and more plug-n-play.

I do a lot of IT consulting - interfacing with mixed platforms. I use Windows daily, but the Mac is my workhorse for the bulk of my operations, home and office. When I first was goaded into switching, I absolutely hated it. Learning new keyboard shortcuts and the way Mac OS handles things like software installation, etc. was extremely frustrating. Not hard - just different (to use an old Apple parlance). After about a month I settled in and haven't looked back.

Being locked in to the Mac ecosystem isn't as much of an issue as a lot of people make it out to be. You can install any apps you like, even from outside the App Store - there's just less gaming and Microsoft Office native applications (no Visio for the Mac for example - although Omnigraffle is pretty good alternative).

If you're into buying computers every year/couple of years (doesn't sound like it) Apple is pretty expensive to do that, although they do retain their value remarkably well. I have peers that do buy every year and resell their previous units easily and the resulting difference is less than $1000. However, I tend to only upgrade every 3 to 5 years so cost wise it's pretty much a wash compared to PCs where buying every year or two is almost a necessity. Macs also don't come with a bunch of bloatware that you have to remove or one-off drivers for video/keyboard/etc. that tend to cause issues when you have to upgrade the OS (obviously since Apple makes the OS and hardware). The hardware is surprisingly durable and Apple support is fantastic. I've had a few instances where I needed to take it in and they replaced whatever was required, no questions asked.

Of note: CrashPlan also has a Mac app, so you should be able to retrieve your backed up files easily.

Sorry for the novel. Let me know if you have other questions.

Thanks for the info. For what I do, a windows machine sounds like the most convenient option.

I think I'm going to get the new XPS 15. It isn't looking like the MacBook Pro is getting a refresh / re-design before spring of next year and I need a laptop soon since mine recently go stolen.

Didn't there used to be someone on the forum that worked for Dell and could help with some discounts?

I think that may have been nactownag who is no longer with Dell. Can't remember for sure.

One of the biggest considerations for people is price point. Once you figure that out it will give you a good place to start.

The whole PC vs. MAC battle is completely subjective .

Though I will say from a gaming perspective Windows is where it is at. Most games simply aren't Mac friendly no matter what people say. A lot are flat out incompatible.

I am actually thinking of selling my Msi gaming laptop I got last year. Model 1757. It's a beast but I no longer need it. Got it last year when I was contracting and living out of hotels. Bought exclusively for gaming and works perfectly. Got laid off though and now use my desktop exclusively since I no longer travel like I used to.

It's a model 1757 GE20 with 4th gen i7 4700 processor with Nvidia gtx 765m video card and a 1TB HD. Windows 7 and 17 inch screen.