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General Discussion

Posted by Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh
Courses Plus Student 8,349 Points

Laptop for Web designers

Hello,

I am looking for a good laptop with display and resolution. Other than Mac Pro what are the options suitable for web & graphic designers. One of the laptops that strikes me is Dell XPS 15 9530. Please advice.

Thanks

3 Answers

James McGuire
James McGuire
1,165 Points
James McGuire
James McGuire
1,165 Points

Just remember that when you have money as a question, remember you probably will get a new one in a year or two. So don't go all out for something that locks you in.

Mike Bronner
Mike Bronner
16,395 Points
Mike Bronner
Mike Bronner
16,395 Points

Also, please take into consideration that each answer will be unique, so all we really can do here is chip in with what works for each of us.

In my case I wouldn't get anything other than a MacBook Pro. I have been in both worlds, started out on MSDOS, went on to Windows, had multiple laptops with XP and VISTA, then got a MacBook Pro, and have gone all the way Apple since. The enjoyment of my coding environment has never been better, and I don't have to worry about viruses or other gnarly bugs like BSODs.

However, I'm on a limited budget as well, and have bought all my Macs, with the exception of my Mac Mini workstation, used off of Craig's List or eBay. I do run a computer repair business, so I can get my way out of a jam, if something were to happen. My rule of thumb for buying used is to get 2-year-old hardware at half-price. That's the sweet-spot for me to where I can still get 3 years out of it. I expect to be able to use Mac hardware for 5 years (considering compatibility, not hardware failure). I have a MacBook Pro 2010 which I got off eBay for $750 and it works like a champ for web development and even graphic design.

If you do go that route, be sure to buy from a trusted seller, or make sure to take a look at the hardware you are getting (i.e. local Craig's List listing). Gazelle is one such seller that specializes in selling refurbished Apple hardware.

Best of luck! ~Mike

Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh
Courses Plus Student 8,349 Points

Does retina makes any difference to over all experience?

Glenn Foltz
Glenn Foltz
Courses Plus Student 8,178 Points

Great advice Mike!

Mike Bronner
Mike Bronner
16,395 Points

For me Retina display has not been a requirement, I don't find that I need it in web development so much. But as I am working more with graphics these days (SVGs and other precise imagery) I think it could be very useful -- but by no means necessary. My laptop hasn't had Retina, and I haven't found that I can't do work without it. My next laptop will have retina though ... I'll probably get that in 2014 or 2015.

Holger Liesegang
Holger Liesegang
50,595 Points
Holger Liesegang
Holger Liesegang
50,595 Points

Hi Arshdeep, you'll find that the retina display makes a really huge difference when trying to work focused for a long time (in my case mostly programming) with your MBP. After a few weeks working with a MBPr you don't want to work with another display any more because every other screen makes you think that your eyesight spontaneously has gone bad/blurry :-) Kind Regards Holger