I often get asked to recommend a new computer. There's so many choices out there, so I can understand why it's a little overwhelming. Just walking into a Best Buy or a Costco or even an Apple store presents dozens of options to you. Laptop or desktop? Mac or PC? How fast? How big? How small? I'm primarily a PC user, so this article will focus on a PC.
For about a year now, the job of recommending a computer has been easy: the Dell XPS 13 laptop is the best Windows computer on the market. I think it's the best overall computer, but I know my Mac friends will debate me. I've been using one myself for the past several months, and continue to recommend it wholeheartedly.
There are many reasons why I think this. First, it's almost as well-constructed as a Mac. The body is all aluminum, with a palm rest of carbon fiber, which has a nicer feel than aluminum. I've never liked a trackpad on any Windows computer I've ever used, but this one is fantastic, and has gotten me to ditch a mouse full time.
The number one thing that most people will notice about the XPS 13 is the screen. It's beautiful. Not only is the color/contrast/brightness great, but the screen goes almost all the way to the edge of the laptop. The bezel (the plastic between the screen and the edge of the case) is only 5mm thin. The result is that the XPS 13 has a smaller footprint than the 13" MacBook Air with the same size screen. The overall weight is merely 2.8 lbs, so it's very easy to throw in a bag and carry anywhere. I regularly carry mine around the house, wherever I want to work.
All this space saving doesn't hurt the performance of the XPS 13. It comes with the latest Intel processors, which includes the best Intel graphics ever. An SSD will boot the OS and applications in seconds. The battery lasts a good 7-8 hours on average. The included wireless radios have the latest WiFi and bluetooth standards for the fastest connections. There's even a USB C port for compatibility with the latest connection standards (there are two USB 3 ports as well). [note: stay tuned to this blog for a post about USB C]
The aren't many drawbacks of the XPS 13. It's not going to be a gaming powerhouse. You really need a dedicated graphics card for that, and that increases the price, weight, and size of a laptop. Intel's latest CPUs have far better graphics processing than previous generations, so you'll be able to do some light gaming, but this isn't a computer for competitive gamers. Aside from that, the only other drawbacks are ones common to any laptop this size. There's no optical drive, but that lets you save space and you can get USB drives for under $40 if you want to use CDs or DVDs every once and a while.
The Dell XPS 13 starts at just $599, which is $300 less than the base MacBook Air. However, my recommendation is the model with a Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, which runs $929 on Amazon. You can certainly find less expensive computers, but they won't offer the same level of build quality, performance, and portability. The XPS 13 is just the best overall PC on the market. After a lifetime of dedication to desktops, it has turned me into a fan of laptops, trackpads (this one, at least), and mobile computing in general.
[note: stay tuned to a future article about docking solutions]