Study says the most reliable Windows laptop is … a MacBook Pro?

By Mariella Moon Published April 24, 2013

soluto-macbook — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Looking for the best Windows computer money can buy? According to PC troubleshooting Web service Soluto, if you already have a MacBook Pro, you’re in good shape. Your Apple laptop might just be the best Windows PC there is. The firm recently analyzed data collected from 150,000 laptops and found that the 13-inch MacBook Pro (the mid-2012 model) provides the most stable Windows environment.

Soluto collected data via its program that runs in the background while a computer is being used. Every crash, hang, blue screen, and boot time were analyzed to come up with the Windows laptop ranking.

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While MacBooks come preloaded with Apple’s OS X operating system, you can easily install Windows on them by using a program called Boot Camp. It’s a pretty painless process, and you can follow our instructions on how to install Windows 8 on a Mac to make the install even easier. Because you install a clean copy of Windows (devoid of any manufacturer add-on) on a computer with good hardware, the operating system runs flawlessly. The MacBook is a pretty expensive computer, though, so those on a budget might prefer a more reasonably-priced alternative. This brings us to the next laptop on Soluto’s list: the $400 Acer Aspire E1-571. The difference in price between the MacBook Pro and Acer Aspire is vast, but Soluto’s data shows the Aspire is the next best thing in terms of a reliable, Windows-running laptop.

However, Geek.com’s Lee Matthews found out that Soluto didn’t take into account the amount of time Windows ran on a computer, so it’s entirely possible that the Acer laptop offers an even more stable environment than the MacBook Pro. After all, a MacBook owner would arguably spend more time using OS X on their computer.

Up next in Soluto’s list is the Dell XPS 13, followed by Lenovo’s ThinkPad Carbon X1 in the fourth spot – two computers we gave excellent scores to in our reviews and can confidently recommend.

Are you a Mac user running Windows? If so, do you think the pair holds up as the most reliable laptop and OS?

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Mariella loves working on both helpful and awe-inspiring science and technology stories. When she's not at her desk writing…

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