MacBook Neo crushes XPS 13 in Cyberpunk 2077 gaming

The perennial rivalry between Apple and Windows has long defined the landscape of personal computing, but in the realm of entry-level notebooks, the competition is heating up with unexpected heat. Forget the old platform wars; today’s battleground is a tight race for the title of ‘most affordable entry-level notebook,’ with the MacBook Neo and the Dell XPS 13 vying for supremacy at just $699.

While this hardware arms race might seem purely technical, the real fun lies in how these machines handle everyday tasks. One surprising data point reveals a subtle advantage for the Mac when it comes to sheer processing speed: testing showed that the MacBook Neo managed to open an enormous 500-page Microsoft Word document in just over seven seconds. This was significantly faster than the Dell XPS 13, which took twelve seconds to complete the same feat.

This productivity edge is noteworthy, especially considering the internal architecture. The MacBook Neo achieves this speed not by relying on Apple’s proprietary M-series silicon, but instead features a repurposed phone chip in the A18 Pro. Although it lacks the full pedigree of M-series chips, this ‘mere’ phone chip still delivers impressive results.

The performance disparity extends beyond office tasks into basic system responsiveness. When assessing startup speed, the Dell XPS 13 races to the desktop in 24 seconds. In contrast, the MacBook Neo requires nearly twice that amount of time, clocking in at 40 seconds. While this difference might seem small, it underscores the unique way each operating system manages hardware resources.

When the spotlight shifts to more demanding applications, like gaming, the comparison offers a fascinating divergence. In loading up the massive world of Cyberpunk 2077, the MacBook Neo managed to load the game in under 41 seconds, beating the Dell XPS 13’s 55-second mark.

However, raw loading speed doesn’t always translate to smooth gameplay. When running fullscreen benchmarks, the machines showed different capabilities: the Dell XPS 13 averaged 16 frames per second (FPS), while the MacBook Neo averaged almost 20 FPS. While neither result screams ‘playable,’ it sets up an interesting debate about what constitutes a satisfactory gaming experience on budget hardware.

For those focused purely on visual fidelity and display quality, the Dell XPS 13 has some standout features. Its 13-inch OLED touch display supports the P3 color gamut and boasts a smooth 120 Hz refresh rate. This makes scrolling feel noticeably smoother than on the MacBook Neo’s screen.

Ultimately, choosing between these two contenders comes down to priorities. If rapid file access and handling large documents are paramount, the MacBook Neo shows an unexpected edge. But if you prioritize cutting-edge display technology and a smoother visual experience for general use, the Dell XPS 13’s screen specifications offer compelling advantages.