Mac Os - Windows

[bastibe]

Which manufacturers have quality hardware to run windows 10/11 without any problems on their laptops?

Microsoft, for example. The Surface line of products is excellent.

I've heard good things about e.g. VAIO and Framework, too. And of course there are good devices from Dell and Lenovo as well (but I have strong opinions about a few specific models I have used for work).

 

[rloewy]

Which manufacturers have quality hardware to run windows 10/11 without any problems on their laptops?

I have had very good experience with all kinds of Surface machines. I currently run a Surface Pro 8, we have Surface Go and Surface Laptops around here as well. They all seem to be very good.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Running Windows at work, and macOS at home, I don't see a huge difference in reliability. In both cases, it comes down to external hardware support.

Off the top of my head, I recently had an issue with the Paragon NTFS driver for macOS, triggering a kernel panic in a repeatable but avoidable scenario. One could argue that third-party driver crashes aren't Apple's fault, but one could also argue that Apple really should have native NTFS support.

On the Windows side, my work laptop has sleeping trouble. Sometimes USB doesn't reconnect, sometimes window positions on external monitors get scrambled. It all seems to be related to the (first-party) docking station. On my Surface tablet, which doesn't connect to much periphery at all, everything works fine.

I will say, however, that the amount of parasitic almost-ads that Microsoft pushes for things like Edge, Bing, and OneDrive, is highly annoying. Theoretically similar things exist in macOS, but they're generally disabled with a single clearly marked setting, and don't come back on every software update.

In terms of flexibility, it is mostly a wash, I would say. I can easily replace my entire start menu in Windows, with tools like Startallback. Such things are not possible on macOS. But then there's things like MonitorControl or SoundSource or BetterTouchTool that don't have a good Windows analog. On the other hand, there's AutoHotKey and MagicUtilities, so it's not like such things don't exist at all on Windows. It mostly just depends on what cool things third party developers build. Even the Unix shell is no longer a macOS-only feature, now that WSL exists.

(The reason I run macOS at home is simply to separate my work environment from play. It feels less like work if it looks a bit different, even though I'm using the same desk and periphery for both.)

Sleep has always been an issue for me and Windows, for as long as I can remember. Sometimes Windows decides not to sleep, other times it refuses to wake. My wife's old laptop sometimes wakes with the CPU in its lowest p-state, so it chugs along at 600mhz until a reboot. And yes, MS pushing their own stuff is obnoxious. My work PC reverts back to Edge to open PDFs after every monthly "quality update."

Microsoft, for example. The Surface line of products is excellent.

I've heard good things about e.g. VAIO and Framework, too. And of course there are good devices from Dell and Lenovo as well (but I have strong opinions about a few specific models I have used for work).

I've had terrible luck with any hardware made by MS, save for an old wired mouse and keyboard. I bet I've RMA'd over 50% of the MS gear I've owned, and some of the rest was rejected by their customer service because I could do something like "disable sleep and just shut down instead." At one time, I had MS everything, from Xbox to Surface to Windows Phone. Windows Phone was the best experience, until W10M, then it was like carrying a space heater in my pocket. I do agree that Windows has the challenge of needing to run lots of random hardware (though 11 dumps a ton of it due to strange hardware requirements), but I found that even MS can't make hardware that runs Windows any better. It's sometimes worse than their partners. I think MS really just lost its way on what Windows should be since about Windows 8. They were in a dominant position and missed the mobile window. I don't think they were prepared to have proper mobile devices take a lot of their user share.

 

[bdbits]

I will say, however, that the amount of parasitic almost-ads that Microsoft pushes for things like Edge, Bing, and OneDrive, is highly annoying. Theoretically similar things exist in macOS, but they're generally disabled with a single clearly marked setting, and don't come back on every software update.

You may already be aware, but you can reduce this quite a bit by going into Settings > Privacy & Security. There is a lot to wade through, the General page is one you will want to hit. I have most things disabled if I even suspect they send info back to Microsoft, and about all I ever see any more is pleas to use Edge and One-Drive

Which manufacturers have quality hardware to run windows 10/11 without any problems on their laptops?

Major brands like Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, etc. are generally ok if you stick to the business, 'content creator', or gaming devices (i.e. avoid their cheapest lines). The consumer-oriented lines are cheaper for a reason, and are not nearly as well supported long-term in my experience. My workplace uses HP Elitebook laptops, and they are pretty decent. For me personally, I have built my own desktops in the past, but my current computer is an ASUS 'gaming' laptop and I have been pretty happy with it. Lenovo Thinkpads have long been considered excellent, as are the Microsoft Surface lines. In all these cases, you will spend a little more but save yourself a lot of aggravation in the ensuing years.

While generally happy with my laptop I am not really a mobile user and may go back to a custom desktop build, I am not sure. This is the ultimate way to go as you can pick your components, and I have a mess of things attached externally to the laptop leaving a mess of cables on my desk which is annoying. But to go this route, you'd need some technical knowledge (or know someone who has it who can help) to ensure a happy outcome.

 

[doobs]

Which manufacturers have quality hardware to run windows 10/11 without any problems on their laptops?

I've run nothing but Dell boxes, both desktop and laptop for over 10 years without an issue.

Saying that, I've bought all of them off the Dell refurb sites. Just remember there are two different Dell refurb sites for some reason.

If you are looking for something specific, you might have to wait. My last purchase was a SFF desktop with a video card that did opengl for running SolidWorks. IIRC, it was a month or so before what I wanted showed up and I got a smoking deal on it. Under $700.

Good luck

 

[gryphon1911]

I’ve had the best luck with Dell in the past 7 years or so for desktop/tower devices. They just seem to work and I can get the specs I want.

At work we use surface pro and surface book 3 devices. For the most part, they work well. I do agree about having dock issues quite a bit. I’ve had to replace 2 in the last 3 years. Thankfully not out of my own pocket.

I find that the surface devices are good. We do software development on them. The Pro are good for general business stuff, but I had to upgrade to a Surfacebook 3. The Pro could not handle the volumes of data that I need to push sometimes. It would work, but work slow. Also Teams is a resource hog. With it over a VPN, it would dramatically slow down my device to the point that trying to present anything would be futile.

As others have mentioned, if/when my tower decides to die or is not supported hardware, I’ll probably look into a gaming laptop to replace it or perhaps delve into the world of MacOS. I’ve had an overall positive experience with the iPhone and iPad.

Used to a mac at the church where I ran the media department. Wasn’t bad, only different but didn’t see much of a use of switching over when I’ve got a perfectly functioning Win11 machine.

 

[jansmith]

Surface Pro and Surface Book 3 seem to be decent options for work, although the dock issues can be a pain. Good thing you didn't have to shell out for replacements! As for software development, I can understand the need for a powerful machine like the Surfacebook 3. Teams can be a real resource hog sometimes, especially over a VPN. If you're considering a switch in the future, you might want to check out the Cheap Windows 10 Key Reddit sub. They often share helpful insights and tips for hardware and software choices. Personally, I've had a positive experience with Apple's iPhone and iPad, but sticking with a functioning Windows 11 machine makes sense if it's working well for you.

 

[wee-pics]

I've been working with Windows and Mac computers for more than 30 years now.
Besides working with texts and layout (PageMaker, Adobe Indesign) much of the time was spent with processing photos and music (mixing and mastering recordings). Many flyers and leaflets with photos included and several books went straight from my Mac to a local professional printer.

There are Windows PCs and my 21'' iMac in the household. The only thing I know for sure:
I would not exchange my Mac even for 5 Windows PCs. The reasons are manyfold.

Where I absolutely agree is that good and reliable quality has its price ... in both worlds.
Everyone should be happy according to his façon. What suits one needs not be best for others.

 

[vinterhund]

I have Ventura on my M1 Max MBP, and Windows 11 on my desktop rig. They're about equally stable imo.

I pretty much have only bug that is irritating me on MacOS, which is windows losing focus for no reason whatsoever. From googling I have gathered that it may have something to do with bluetooth, but I don't have the peace of mind to sit down and fix it.

As for Windows 11 it gets a lot of hate. But I have to say that today it's a lot better than when it was newer. I'd say that Win 10 is more stable in my experience, however, not by a lot anymore.