Dell Precision M3800 Workstation Outperforms Apple MacBook Pros

It’s no secret that performance counts when working with large files and complex multimedia applications. High-end video and graphics editing, rendering and other multimedia workloads are graphics, CPU and RAM intensive so require a high-end system that can deliver a quick and seamless experience. We’ve all heard that professional software like Adobe Premiere Pro is optimized, certified and designed to run on professional workstations but we wanted to put our systems to the test to prove it.

We commissioned a study with a third party, Principled Technologies, and compared our latest thin and light mobile workstation, the Dell Precision M3800 workstation with a Quad HD+ display, to a similarly configured 2013 Apple MacBook Pro laptop with Retina Display and a 2012 Apple MacBook Pro laptop with Retina Display with Adobe Premiere Pro.

They performed a series of benchmarks tests and we were quite pleased with the results. Overall, the Dell Precision M3800 workstation outperformed both the current and older generation Apple MacBook Pro systems on several key performance tests – at a price point of $2,249, which is 13.5 percent lower than the 2013 MacBook Pro. Key findings show:

  • M3800 performs Adobe Premiere Pro video-rendering tasks up to 43 percent faster than the new MacBook Pro (and up to 26 percent faster than 2012 model)
  • M3800 QHD+ touchscreen display has significantly higher resolution than both Retina displays, enabling clearer visualization of digital content 
  • M3800 launches Adobe Premiere Pro CC 26.6 faster than the old MacBook Pro and 11.7 percent faster than the new MacBook Pro
  • M3800 boot time was more than 11 percent faster than the 2013 MacBook Pro model, saving users valuable time at the beginning of a work session
  • M3800 offers Windows 8.1, allowing users to select, zoom, and edit their work right on the screen
  • M3800 offers three times the storage capacity of the 2012 MacBook Pro and 33 percent more than the 2013 MacBook Pro, useful for storing large multimedia files.

To see the full report visit http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Dell/Precision_M3800_MacBook_Pro_1113.pdf and check out the video below: 

Interested in boosting your productivity and performance of multimedia applications? Recently made the switch from Apple to Dell Precision workstations or considering making the move? Feedback on Dell’s first thin and light mobile workstation, the M3800, which blends beautiful design with uncompromising performance?  Post questions and stories in the comments section below. Looking forward to your feedback!

About the Author: Andy Rhodes