RyderSK Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 @Juraj - yes I have seen that article and I am surprised that the M4800 only scored a 6.8. Are you sure ? I see 85perc. which is very good. Dell simply knows that it has created a great workstation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 This is true. I misread it. Checking though i see that the mbp scored an 89% Can't go wrong either way. Let's see what the student discount does for me. Maybe I'll check into 3.0 CPU... Now that would make DELL actually worth the extra weight in my bag! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Why do you put so much preference to the CPU ? All of them have Intel's Turbocore feature, which overclocks the actually used cores, so in case of single-core which most applications will use, all the available CPU's will overclock into high 3+ Ghz, delivering excellent performance, which will be indiscernible between variously high clocked models. Basically they're all top of the class (with exception for 6-core monsters, but those can't even be called laptops anymore). And in rendering, you're shaving of minutes from hours of rendering time, hardly the most noticeable and important quality for laptops. I would judge them far more on actual ergonomic qualities in use, as great deal of time (if not solely) you will be using it without full-scale monitor and keyboard. That adds up to awfully lot of time over the years and will make the biggest impact to your user experience. It's actually quite a tough choice, in your place I would make a spreadsheet outlining my planned use: Travelling done {form-factor: Slim/light like Macbook vs Sturdy Dell) Lighting conditions {glossy display of MBr is nicer but painful to work in many occasions, matte is duller, fuzzier but easy on eyes) Keyboard use {Numeric touchpad and deeper keyboards come handy if typing often without external keyboard} ...etc... And only then factor all things together and make educated decision. You're right in that you can't really go wrong, but it can be sub-optimal, which given budget and planned use gives the choice its certain weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 @juraj So I did your suggested research and the choices are interesting. The Boxx SLM 15 (without a warranty) is really cheaper than the mbpr. In my situation I have found a refurbished 2.8 gHz mpb and with the tax it is basically same price as BOXX. This is really ridiculous how expensive these machines are. Macbooks last forever though, but for the same price the Boxx is an option with the NVIDIA k2100m rather than the GTX 750m. The only downside is the power supply for the boxx is massive same as the dell. But at the end of the day the mbpr has 3 years support and boxx does not unless you shell out 500 USD for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 @juraj So I did your suggested research and the choices are interesting. The Boxx SLM 15 (without a warranty) is really cheaper than the mbpr. http://www.boxxtech.com/products/goboxx-15-slm?highlight=PROD127 http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro Are you sure about that ? At similar spec (minut GT750 vs K2100M), same i7 (2.5GHz baseclock), 256GB SSD/1TB HDD in Boxx vs 512GB SSD, MBR is 2500 dollars, while Boxx is 3500 dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Currently I am comparing the MBPR which is refurbished 2.8 GHZ, and 1TB HDD which comes to 2950 USD before sales tax which is 250 so price is 3250. The BOXX is 3350 (they don't charge sales tax) but this is without extended warranty which would skyrocket the price to 500 USD higher. They claim it is very well built though. The charger is huge as well or else I would have purchased now. Apple has the luxury of customizing these ultra book chassis a bit more and adjusting the 6 cell battery supply with a smaller more ergonomic brick. Also Apple gets a bit longer charge but has a marginally worse graphics card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 (edited) Ok, I see, you mean MBR which is 2.8 and 1TB SSD. The Boxx, is 256GB SSD + 1 TB HDD. Big difference. That I see price of 3200 dollars for new Macbook. If I spec the same in Boxx, minus 1TB SSD, it's 4200 dollars. Again 1000 dollars difference. (+500 if we were to get equally large 1TB SSD, and even more for warranty). The difference is always 1500+ dollars, no matter how I look at it. Are you looking at the right numbers, with right specs ? I don't see how tax is any different, depending on status you're buying it under. You can buy Apple through corporate reseller as well and avoid VAT if you're bussiness entity with option to do so or have someone who can. Edited January 22, 2015 by RyderSK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 True. Boxx told me it was dual 256 SSD + 1 TB SATA. The quote for that machine was above. So I guess its 512 SSD plus the 1TB SATA. I think you might be getting the international pricing (default when configuring) which is more from BOXX but I have a quote from a sales rep. But at the end of the day the cons are the lack of 3 year support that apple gives, the heavier power brick, yet it has a better graphics card. I am merely tempted by the (marginally) better graphics card. But you stated it doesn't really matter for my work. You have been very helpful in this analysis and I thank for all your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 ACtually what Boxx does is stripe the two 256 SSD drives so they are apparently faster than a single drive. Does this make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 It's regular raid 1. (twice the speed, twice the risk of data loss, half the capacity). If I were to choose between faster 256GB in laptop, and full 512GB SSD which is already very fast, and in no way a bottleneck for such system, I would rather go for the latter. Esp. if it's obviously for the same price, and there isn't further flexibility to avoid the scenario. The original point was, that for 3k price, the MBR had 1TB full SSD, which is pricier than 2x256GB, thus making better value for the former. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Ok that makes sense. Can't thank you enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 I order the MBPR; however, now I fear I overlooked a very vital aspect. Scaling! Will everything appear way smaller in the Autodesk, Adobe, and Rhino ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 (edited) Also, 3k 15" might be troublesome for applications that don't scale well, leading to DPI issues Also what are Autodesk ? Autodesk Maya has Qt core, more flexible UI and can be run under MacOS which runs basically upscaled. Autodesk 3dsMax, has archaic core, nonflexible UI with fixed fonts that looks horrible on high DPI displays, and run only under Windows, which while scaling itself well, the apps don't, making for horrible experience (you might need super glasses). So working in 3dsMax on these displays, might prove close to impossible. At the moment, one can simply wait if Autodesk will do something about it (hint: they likewiselly won't any soon, as with everything). You really don't follow the 'think twice, cut once' ... On other hand, it's not like there are many (or any?) high-end laptops without these display today. The gadget market is simply faster than software vendors. For some lols: Note: DPI scaling is not fully supported across the entire application and 3ds Max 2015 may exhibit display issues when using high resolution displays. Even without DPI scaling support, most are finding 4K with a maximum scaling of 150% is sufficient. Users may need to find their balance between resolution and scaling, which might come down to personal preference/tolerance. We are actively investigating this high density display issue at Autodesk as a high priority. Edited January 23, 2015 by RyderSK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 What a pain! I hear with windows it is an option to adjust the resolution down while working on an autodesk program. I assume this is the same for all windows based computers? Hopefully autodesk will adjust soon. Hopefully it's easier to work with rhino and adobe. All windows based pc's have this same problem correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 All windows based pc's have this same problem correct? It has nothing to do with Windows. It's not Windows-PC based issue at all. Windows 8.1 has perfect DPI scaling of itself, but if the applications themselves don't, there is nothing to do about it until the software houses fix it. The reason why on MBR by default every application runs fine, is because it's not running natively full 2880x1800px by default, but actually 1440px, upscaled. So basically the same solution to problem you can take to Windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amen Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 The Boxx machine is just a MSI WS60... why would anyone pay at least 1k more for it, only because it is from BOXX? Why not use a MSI GS60 Test: http://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-WS60-Workstation-Review.130230.0.html You can get a Schenker XMG P505, with 32gb ram, gtx 980m, 4k display, 500gb ssd + 3more hdd for 2700 € (Clevo P651SE barebone) Or go for the P35W V3 and P35X V3... I would really only see workstations being used for CAD. My two cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitris Tolios Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Because BOXX is marketed as a more "serious" and creative professional oriented brand. That's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Ahh shoot. The MSI looks like a great option that is identical to Boxx but with better cooling. I wish I knew about this yesterday as I just ordered the MBPRetina. I can always return it. I wonder about the longevity of this MSI and I see that the battery charge does not last long - about 2 hours when using demanding CPU programs. I am guessing in the next year to two years there will be some new options for portable solutions. What is unfortunate is that the MBPR when bootcamped will not switch GPU natively but rather manually. Thanks for the intel! Yes BOXX is very serious but have great support Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyderSK Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 but have great support What does this even mean today ? What sort of positive is this ? Compared to what ? The warranty on whole product or individual parts is by law, if it's faulty, it will get replaced regardless of where or from whom you bought it. Almost every vendor has additional policy today that is more than generous. This is non-issue. Technical support in terms of "did you try to turn it off and on?" ? Because of the hardware and software standardization today a first google search gives correct solution to almost any issue one can encounter. I understand the need for large-scale support in case of corporate clients (although I hardly believe someone like BOXX can even come close to capacity of giants like Dell, HP, IBM, Lenovo,etc...), but for individual workstations ? Buying Boxx is like overpaying for Toyota the amount of money you could have easily bought BMW with in meantime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 So then what is the BMW? Hopefully the MBPR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 you cant really go past a MBP you will not be taken seriously with a giant PC gaming laptop clients will automatically assume you spend most of your life playing the Worlds Of War Craft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Very true about those gaming machines What is annoying is that bootcamp apparently doesn't support switchable GPU. Although a tech an apple said you can manually achieve this- that is not the case. So it sorta defeats the purpose of making the mac into a windows machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbroberg Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 So I've had the MBPR for a couple months now and yes its lightweight and cool looking (also everyone else has one); however it is just not strong enough for my needs. While bootcamped it does not support switchable GPU and gets around 1.5-2 maybe 3 hours battery life if I'm on Rhino etc or other 3d programs. Furthermore the fan throttles the whole time and it get hot as heck. Finally my programs crash if I'm running a large 'Indesign' project, or Rhino. VRay crashes it with big scenes quite easily as well. So my verdict is that I am returning this thing or selling it to someone who uses it for the mac side. For that it is a beast. I mean its the best laptop they make with 16GB ram, 1TB flash, etc... I think I'm going with that HP or back to the Precision. Lightweight is not a replacement for performance. MBPR is definitely a great option for speed in ultra portable but if you plan on running multiple processor hungry programs it simply can't perform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismorley Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) Erik, I'm sorry to hear of your issues with your Apple product and having to go through the hassle of returning or selling it. We haven't had complaints of throttling in the GoBOXX 15 SLM, and we've been selling it for at least 6 months. However, you are correct about size vs portability as it relates to power and performance. There are limitations as to what you can shove into a really thin laptop. Just as an FYI, we offer a faster processor than MSI does (2.8/4.0 vs 2.6/3.6). I can't go into specific details publicly right now, but I can tell you we are going to be releasing a notebook in the next couple of weeks that is a bit thicker but allows for much more powerful configurations. Please feel free to reach out to me so I can put you in touch with the right person to discuss this product in more detail if you're interested. Chris Morley Sr. Product Marketing Manager BOXX Technologies cmorley AT boxxtech DOT com 512-852-3314 Edited March 26, 2015 by chrismorley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artmaknev Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 There is one more alternative high end laptop company (Malibal) I bought my laptop from there about 1 year ago... what caught my attention was the exhaust vents in the back (one for gpu and one for cpu), this thing can render and keep cool, but it does get noisy! I got the 32GB ram and QuadroK3000 option, 256GB mSata for boot and 512GB SSD for data. So far its performs extremely well under any load, but this thing runs out of juice really fast, like 50 minutes tops battery is completely drained... http://www.malibal.com/notebooks/lotus-p150sm/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now