Razer Blade or Macbook Pro

[vhunter1991]

I'm going off to college next year, I will not be taking my desktop with (at least first year) so I won't have anything to play any games on until I decide to bring it. I'm completely torn between the two. I won't be for the most part playing games (obviously) and I need something that is good for a CS major and general college classes. I've been a long time Windows user ever since I can remember, I also have used macOS since my school uses it and my parents also have macs as well. So usability between the operating systems isn't a concern. In addition, another reason why I'm considering the MacBook is that I would like to gain more experience in other operating systems. Also price isn't really an issue. 

 

Sorry that my thoughts are all over the place, which one do you think is best for my situation. Thanks in advance to everyone that contributes.

[williamcll]

Neither, get something with a better price to performance like Asus and MSI

[Nocte]

For your use case scenario you will be mainly using Linux and a bit of Windows I believe. I would not recommend a Mac.

They are both kinda overpriced though .

[MaxBunny]

4 minutes ago, vhunter1991 said:

Also price isn't really an issue. 

Why not get the new surface pro then?

[DrMacintosh]

For Computer Science? A Mac is perfect. They have the largest compatibility with their ability to run macOS and Windows 10 (and linux with some tinkering) natively. You will never not be able to do something in any of your courses with a MacBook. 

 

If you want to do some gaming, and price isn't an issue...then a 15" with a Radeon Pro GPU will get you playing basically every game (not at native resolution of course) 

 

13" MacBook Pros are only equipped with dual core hyper-threaded CPUs and Iris Graphics. Enough for light gaming at 900p on low/medium settings. And of course 4K video editing in FinalCut Pro. Not sure how demanding your courses are but these are solid options. 

 

15" MacBok Pros run true quad cores, and have dGPUs. These are the best options both for versatility and long life spans. 

 

I am biased towards the Mac, but if I could upgrade to a 15" with a Radeon Pro 560 I would do it in a heartbeat just because it is nice to know I have all that GPU power even if I do not need it. 

[D13H4RD]

Of the two, the Mac without a question. 

 

At least that machine will work even when throttled. The Razer Blade, on the other hand, is a mega mess. 

[xriqn]

Both trash, go for an MSI laptop.

[D13H4RD]

6 minutes ago, xriqn said:

Both trash, go for an MSI laptop.

Eh, I wouldn't recommend just any MSI laptop. 

 

Only the GE Raider, GS75 and GT line I recommend. Everything else is pretty mediocre. 

 

Keep in mind, it's for coding and computer science. I doubt he wants a gaming machine anyway 

[xriqn]

1 minute ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

Eh, I wouldn't recommend any MSI laptop. 

 

Only the GE Raider, GS75 and GT line I recommend. Everything else is pretty mediocre. 

 

Keep in mind, it's for coding and computer science. I doubt he wants a gaming machine anyway 

My main computer science/coding rig is actually in my sig (The Oldie). It's just a modded 2006 dell inspiron 530 and runs a hell of alot more stable than a mac or any laptop out there, plus it's never broke in its 12 year life span. Recommending MSI due to the GT line, they're pretty good little laptops for the money and do anything you throw at them pretty much.

[D13H4RD]

Just now, xriqn said:

My main computer science/coding rig is actually in my sig (The Oldie). It's just a modded 2006 dell inspiron 530 and runs a hell of alot more stable than a mac or any laptop out there, plus it's never broke in its 12 year life span. Recommending MSI due to the GT line, they're pretty good little laptops for the money and do anything you throw at them pretty much.

The GT line is a very capable laptop and has excellent cooling. That's why I recommend them.

 

For the OP though, maybe it's a bit much because it is also quite big, and I'm unsure about his aesthetic preferences either.

 

Reason why I recommended the MacBook Pro was its platform. I think being proficient in multiple platforms is a pretty strong pillar for many CS students (as a CS student myself) and because you also need a Mac to code for iOS (yeah, it's unfair but nothing about Apple has really been fair, lately at least). It's not the best machine for everything but for a CS student, it's not that bad of an option.....provided you can splurge.

 

Personally, I would go for a 2015 model. The new models still don't do it for me and even though the 2015s still run on Haswell processors, they're still more than capable enough to run many applications.