Windows laptop with Mac like hardware

So I have this dilemma where I really like using linux with a minimal setup where I know what each process and task my system does and have flexibility to do pretty much my imaginations desire. But for that I'd need to get a windows laptop. I'd like a xps but I've heard the hardware quality isn't even near a MacBook. A friend if mines display just randomly stopped working and Dell refused to fix it under warranty. I really like Macbooks battery life and hardware. Anyone else facing this dilemma? It so what would you go for?