Apple or Windows?

[Angad1404]

I am finally going for a laptop and need to decide the best one as per my use case.

 

1. Macbook Air - M1, 16Gb, 256 Gb. [ $1241/ ₹91,610(India) ]

Or 

2. Hp Pavillon Gaming Laptop - Ryzen 7 5600H, 16Gb, 512Gb, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, 4Gb Graphics, 144Hz. [ $1192/₹88,000]

 

My Usage includes :

1. Video Editing(FCP/Premier Pro)

2. Maybe Coding( since I am planning to learn it)

3. Graphical Work ( After effects, illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom)

4. Media Consumption.

5. I'm a student and I need my laptop to last 4-5 years. 

 

My Thoughts: Apple's Macbook is very light/portable, has better screen quality, better build quality, excellent battery life. It feels like a better option for Long term usage in terms of build quality.

 

HP's Pavillon Gaming Laptop has way better specs on PAPER, More storage, 

And can be upgraded.

 

I don't know the M1's real world perfomance that's why I am confused. Also if anyone suggests  the Macbook please tell me if the 8Gb variant is sufficient.

 

Thanks

This is the Hp laptop I'm talking about - 

Take a look at this HP Pavilion Ryzen 7 Octa Core 5800H - (16 GB/512 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050/144 Hz) 15-EC2076AX Gaming Laptop on Flipkart

https://dl.flipkart.com/s/LAbOBmuuuN

 

[Helpful Tech Witch]

Basic media consumption (like yt, movies, etc), web browsing and video editin (!) is what M1 is good at.

 

But if you are progrmming, you may wnt to have windows, depending on what you are doing

[Zando_]

The HP. Purely because of storage, good luck trying to get much done on video editing with a 256GB drive, unless you're only going to work off external SSDs. 

[LIGISTX]

For coding, Apple all the way. Linux subsystem for windows works, but Mac being Unix is huge. 

[RONOTHAN##]

16 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

For coding, Apple all the way. Linux subsystem for windows works, but Mac being Unix is huge. 

You can still load Linux on the HP and have it dual booted, full Unix while still being able to run Windows apps if need be. 

 

That being said, If you can spend a bit extra and get more than 256GB of storage, the M1 is probably your better option. For a main computer, 256GB just isn't enough, and dealing with tons of external drives is a big headache. 

[LIGISTX]

1 hour ago, RONOTHAN## said:

You can still load Linux on the HP and have it dual booted, full Unix while still being able to run Windows apps if need be. 

 

That being said, If you can spend a bit extra and get more than 256GB of storage, the M1 is probably your better option. For a main computer, 256GB just isn't enough, and dealing with tons of external drives is a big headache. 

I agree. But it’s nice to have it just natively there. I use my MacBook Air 99.999% of the time for managing my homelab vs my PC. PC has an ultrawide and a second vertical monitor next to it, and I still use my MacBook because it’s just a better experience.

[Angad1404]

8 hours ago, Zando Bob said:

The HP. Purely because of storage, good luck trying to get much done on video editing with a 256GB drive, unless you're only going to work off external SSDs. 

I don't have a huge problem to work with external drives, with that being cleared, which one would perform better at video editing or the other uses I mentioned?

[Angad1404]

8 hours ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

Basic media consumption (like yt, movies, etc), web browsing and video editin (!) is what M1 is good at.

 

But if you are progrmming, you may wnt to have windows, depending on what you are doing

As I said I may learn to code, but for now my immediate usage would include video editing and photo editing. Now, which one would perform better?

[PessimalManiac]

I would lean more towards the HP Pavilion gaming because if you work on really complex projects on Adobe suite even 16GB on an M1 will not be enough. I have designers at my workplace who easily end up using more than 16GB of RAM. M1 systems can hide the lack of 32Gb of RAM for a lot of tasks, but the latest LMG video about the 500 MP image is an extreme example of how sometimes there is no replacement for RAM. The HP leaves you options to upgrade both the RAM and SSD, and while you can work off of an external drive the overall experience won't be very good if you are planning on an HDD instead of an SSD. But if you do intend to use FCP, the choice is already made for you.

 

I do see you mentioned Indian Rupee and though I should mention that I am a software engineer from India who owns a MacBook Air M1 16GB RAM variant. macOS vs Windows for programming is a relatively subjective thing and more importantly neither will get in the way of you learning. The former's POSIX environment only truly helps once you are at a certain level of experience and also know the POSIX environment rather well. Also using Linux + Window 10 will be a fairly good middle ground too and you'd learn far more about POSIX and UNIX when using Linux than you would while using macOS. Linux will make sure you eventually end up in the terminal fixing something and that is one thing that contributed immensely in my journey as a software developer.

 

Ohh and you can play games on that HP

[Commodus]

20 hours ago, Angad1404 said:

I am finally going for a laptop and need to decide the best one as per my use case.

 

1. Macbook Air - M1, 16Gb, 256 Gb. [ $1241/ ₹91,610(India) ]

Or 

2. Hp Pavillon Gaming Laptop - Ryzen 7 5600H, 16Gb, 512Gb, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, 4Gb Graphics, 144Hz. [ $1192/₹88,000]

 

My Usage includes :

1. Video Editing(FCP/Premier Pro)

2. Maybe Coding( since I am planning to learn it)

3. Graphical Work ( After effects, illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom)

4. Media Consumption.

5. I'm a student and I need my laptop to last 4-5 years. 

 

My Thoughts: Apple's Macbook is very light/portable, has better screen quality, better build quality, excellent battery life. It feels like a better option for Long term usage in terms of build quality.

 

HP's Pavillon Gaming Laptop has way better specs on PAPER, More storage, 

And can be upgraded.

 

I don't know the M1's real world perfomance that's why I am confused. Also if anyone suggests  the Macbook please tell me if the 8Gb variant is sufficient.

 

Thanks

This is the Hp laptop I'm talking about - 

Take a look at this HP Pavilion Ryzen 7 Octa Core 5800H - (16 GB/512 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050/144 Hz) 15-EC2076AX Gaming Laptop on Flipkart

https://dl.flipkart.com/s/LAbOBmuuuN

 

 

For video editing and other media work... Mac all the way, although I would strongly suggest either the 512GB model or an external SSD if you're going to be working with a lot of video. 8GB of RAM might be enough since Apple is more efficient about memory use these days, but if it were my money I'd configure a system with 16GB of RAM — like you said, you can't upgrade it later.

 

Coding, as others said, depends on what you're writing. The Mac will be great for web code and other more universal languages, and of course it's your only option if you want to write iOS or Mac apps. If you're using Visual Basic or writing Windows apps, though, the HP would be nicer.

 

My main concern about the HP system: it's a Pavilion. HP, like Dell, Lenovo and other major Windows PC vendors, is notorious for mediocre quality in lower-end lines, and Pavilion is HP's lower-cost line. I'd be tempted to get the Mac simply to get a better build. A theoretically faster laptop isn't much good to you if it's out for service.

[vkopanja]

I work as a developer and have both M1 Air and XMG Fusion 15.

 

For programming I strongly prefer my Fusion, because working with Java, the build times are still better on my WSL2 (using Ubuntu), and the system itself is just snappier and I'm more used to Windows.

 

M1 is a great device, and if you're not in a hurry, I'd recommend waiting on the new M1X devices (which I will probably also get once they do come out).

 

And as others have stated, if you're big into video editing, then I'd go for the M1, because they just work great for that, especially if you use Final Cut Pro.

[Angad1404]

1 hour ago, vkopanja said:

I work as a developer and have both M1 Air and XMG Fusion 15.

 

For programming I strongly prefer my Fusion, because working with Java, the build times are still better on my WSL2 (using Ubuntu), and the system itself is just snappier and I'm more used to Windows.

 

M1 is a great device, and if you're not in a hurry, I'd recommend waiting on the new M1X devices (which I will probably also get once they do come out).

 

And as others have stated, if you're big into video editing, then I'd go for the M1, because they just work great for that, especially if you use Final Cut Pro.

I think I'll learn to code in the future, but my immediate use case would include mostly video editing and then some graphical work. I can use both Premier pro and Final cut depending on the device I will be working on. Also i'm not a professional video editor, i'm a student and have learn the basics of video editing. But i need a promising laptop since i'll be applying for video editing internships and freelancing.

 

I know that M1 performs pretty well when compared with Dell XPS(i7). But I don't know if it can beat HP considering that HP has a dedicated Graphic Card. I strongly prefer the MacBook in terms of build quality and screen quality. The HP has a plastic build with some keyboard flex and the screen doesn't look so accurate.

So if you can tell about the performance difference in these two laptops and if there isn't a very big difference then i think I'll go for MacBook. But if the HP performs much better than the MacBook, then ill go for it since it has also got more storage and ram than the MacBook.

 

[Darkseth]

Invest in 16gb Ram, if you go for the Macbook. It's really not much money, if you use it almost daily for more than 4-5 years. Don't buy something, that barely manages the 8gb Ram today.

Don't get me wrong, it's insane how far you can get with 8gb Ram on the M1 chips. But still, depending what you do, you can fill it.

 

For example, in case you do need Windows sometime, i did try Parallels 17 with Win11 ARM yesterday, and i'm surprised how good it works. Even some random small Application i'll use for learning accounting did work, after i changed emulation to "Safe emulation".

 

Let's ignore the fact, that the HP might probably be slightly faster in terms of pure Raw Power on exporting videos etc.

Battery efficiency and not having a Fan while working can be HUGE dealbreakers for some.

 

i'd chose the M1 Macbook too, as long all your stuff works there. This combination of Performance, power efficiency/batterylife and never hearing the Fan is such a great experience.

[vkopanja]

2 hours ago, Angad1404 said:

But if the HP performs much better than the MacBook, then ill go for it since it has also got more storage and ram than the MacBook.

If you're mainly into video editing, the dGPU from the HP won't make much difference, the M1 is a beast for video editing. And for development you don't need the dGPU, you just need something to output the picture.

 

22 minutes ago, Darkseth said:

Invest in 16gb Ram, if you go for the Macbook.

This. I've gotten the 8 GB version, and when I run all my projects (which are huge) it bogs down a bit. Next one I'm getting either 16 or 32 (MBP 16)

[PhilAstisxh]

From what I've read in the description, I would choose the Mac if I were you, they fit perfectly into the picture, I myself have the basic configuration of the M1 MacBook Air, and I like the performance, but also the battery life heavily impressed, plus an excellent keyboard, a very good trackpad, a very good monitor, and that working on it is just fun.
The 8G model is sufficient for me, but I don't know how intensively you use your applications, if you are an intensive user I would recommend the 16 G model.

And I am doing some light video and photo editing, coding, and watching Netflix.

I would buy the device again, mainly because of its battery life and elegance.

In the end, I think it depends on which device (Windows Notebook / Mac) you feel most comfortable with.

[Lukas Murdych]

On 9/22/2021 at 1:12 PM, Angad1404 said:

I am finally going for a laptop and need to decide the best one as per my use case.

 

1. Macbook Air - M1, 16Gb, 256 Gb. [ $1241/ ₹91,610(India) ]

Or 

2. Hp Pavillon Gaming Laptop - Ryzen 7 5600H, 16Gb, 512Gb, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, 4Gb Graphics, 144Hz. [ $1192/₹88,000]

 

My Usage includes :

1. Video Editing(FCP/Premier Pro)

2. Maybe Coding( since I am planning to learn it)

3. Graphical Work ( After effects, illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom)

4. Media Consumption.

5. I'm a student and I need my laptop to last 4-5 years. 

 

My Thoughts: Apple's Macbook is very light/portable, has better screen quality, better build quality, excellent battery life. It feels like a better option for Long term usage in terms of build quality.

 

HP's Pavillon Gaming Laptop has way better specs on PAPER, More storage, 

And can be upgraded.

 

I don't know the M1's real world perfomance that's why I am confused. Also if anyone suggests  the Macbook please tell me if the 8Gb variant is sufficient.

 

Thanks

This is the Hp laptop I'm talking about - 

Take a look at this HP Pavilion Ryzen 7 Octa Core 5800H - (16 GB/512 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050/144 Hz) 15-EC2076AX Gaming Laptop on Flipkart

https://dl.flipkart.com/s/LAbOBmuuuN

 

 

A great laptop that can last you a long time is the Lenovo Legion 5 pro-if you’re concerned about the screen and processing power, the 5pro should stomp on anything apple has to offer (500 nits of brightness, 16GB ram, RTX 3070) even though it’s more expensive.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-Legion-5-Pro-16-Gaming-Laptop-AMD-Ryzen-7-16GB-RAM-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3070-512GB-SSD-Windows-10-Home-Gray-82JQ008NUS/231609645

If you’re able to wait a couple months until Black Friday, that may be in your budget.

[Angad1404]

I know that lenovo legion 5 Pro is one hell of a laptop but it doesn't fit in my budget. So I guess I have almost decided that I'm going for the MacBook. Now I'm just curious about one thing that is the M1x/M2 

chipset MacBook Air coming this year? If yes, then I'll wait and go for it otherwise I'll consider the M1.

[Angad1404]

On 9/24/2021 at 1:28 AM, PhilAstisxh said:

From what I've read in the description, I would choose the Mac if I were you, they fit perfectly into the picture, I myself have the basic configuration of the M1 MacBook Air, and I like the performance, but also the battery life heavily impressed, plus an excellent keyboard, a very good trackpad, a very good monitor, and that working on it is just fun.
The 8G model is sufficient for me, but I don't know how intensively you use your applications, if you are an intensive user I would recommend the 16 G model.

And I am doing some light video and photo editing, coding, and watching Netflix.

I would buy the device again, mainly because of its battery life and elegance.

In the end, I think it depends on which device (Windows Notebook / Mac) you feel most comfortable with.

Okay so the M1 performs better than Hp right? If so then I'll consider the MacBook, Now I'm just confused if the M1x/M2 MacBook Air is coming this year or not.If yes then I'll wait some more time.

[Commodus]

9 hours ago, Angad1404 said:

I know that lenovo legion 5 Pro is one hell of a laptop but it doesn't fit in my budget. So I guess I have almost decided that I'm going for the MacBook. Now I'm just curious about one thing that is the M1x/M2 

chipset MacBook Air coming this year? If yes, then I'll wait and go for it otherwise I'll consider the M1.

There's reportedly a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1X coming in October. M2 and an updated Air might not show up until early 2022. Not sure how much of a premium the new Pro will carry over the Air.

[PhilAstisxh]

On 9/25/2021 at 9:21 AM, Angad1404 said:

Okay so the M1 performs better than Hp right? If so then I'll consider the MacBook, Now I'm just confused if the M1x/M2 MacBook Air is coming this year or not.If yes then I'll wait some more time.

I can't compare them, but I can say that applications designed for the arm processor are incredibly fast. The other applications run as expected, not as fast, but still fast. The only thing you might notice is that an application that is not directly adapted to the ARM, loads a little longer the first time it is started, and then there are no more problems. And there you have to add that Microsoft has been building ARM processors for a long time, NVIDIA wants to buy up the ARM company, so I think that in the future there will be more and more ARM, which in turn means that future applications will increase ARM will support / existing applications will be converted more and more to ARM.

[PhilAstisxh]

On 9/25/2021 at 9:21 AM, Angad1404 said:

Okay so the M1 performs better than Hp right? If so then I'll consider the MacBook, Now I'm just confused if the M1x/M2 MacBook Air is coming this year or not.If yes then I'll wait some more time.

And nobody nows what apple is going to do... Im happy with my base m1 MBA, its your decision if you want to wait, but you can always wait for the newest generation.