JHåland

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Why I returned a Dell XPS 15 - 2017 model

I have researched for a new laptop computer for a while, maybe two months. As usual I don't make any hasty decisions for my tools. For years I've been using a MacBook Pro 2011 laptop, it's still in use, but it's time to let it go.

I use Cinema 4D, and the future of 3D renders seems to go ta a GPU accelerated, or a combination with GPU+CPU. My need for a future proof computer is important and that's why the new Macs are useless, to old specs and not future proof. My next computer needs to have some sort of CUDA cores, that's a NVidia technology, and are not on the Macs. On the new Macs they've also gotten rid of that MagSafe, that has been a really smart safety function (been used so many times, not on purpose), and the touch bar seems useless to me.

So I found a work horse, that has everything I need for the future and more. A Dell XPS 15, 4k screen, 32 GB ram and other high specs. But sadly without a MagSafe function, but I can live without that.

I'm used to a MacBook pro and it's build quality and I were shocked how crappy the touch pad were. The Dell XPS 15 picked up fingers that weren't even touching the pad, and often it didn't recognize that I were using the pad at all and I had to drag and drag to get it started. The XPS also has a touch screen that work really well, and since that were so great it demonstrated clearly my frustration with how useless the touch pad were. This irritated more and more.

The material of the computer of it's felt really cheap plasticy. I knew it were plastic, but it's worse then expected from all the review I've read. Not exactly Mac quality.

And the worst problem. Cinema 4D, my main program for work, on Windows 10 in 4K resolution, it's so blurry. Yes, everything is so soft and impossible to look at it's hurting my eyes. It turned out that the way windows is "zooming" doesn't work with C4D and the program isn't ready for 4K yet. A Windows 10 problem, I've seen it on MacOS and it looks good on retina-screen. There's also so many functions native in Windows 10 that isn't ready for 4k resolution either, so the whole OS has a design flaw. I would recommend not to buy a Windows 10 with an 4k screens yet.

Happily I could return the computer without any problem.

Now I just need to find a new laptop.