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Hello!
I'm planning to get my first mac-based computer. I'm planning to get the MacBook Pro 15" so I get either work at home and outside it. The main purpose and most of it usage would be for programming. Of-course I will also use it for watching videos, movies, surfing, maybe some games and even maybe Photoshop and some video editing.
There is the base model for the MacBook Pro 15" which comes with:
Now, there is also an upgraded model with:
My question is, for what purposes I mentioned above, would I be fine with the base model of MacBook Pro 15"?
There is also an option for the base 15" model to upgrade the CPU to:
The main difference that really affects my choice actually is the GPU, do i really need the 750M GPU? What do you think would be the best choice?
The base model will absolutely be fine for you. I would even look for a used one with lower specs to save money if you don't mind having a used one. I do all those things (minus the video editing, but I do a little 3D rendering) on a 2008 MBP with a core 2 duo, rotary HD, 256mb of video RAM and 4gb of memory. Macs run very well on lower specs than PCs.
Of course if you have the money to blow on the higher end computer, do it. It will last you longer, and it's always more fun to have a Ferrari than a Mustang :)
@pstephan1187 So I should go for the base model. Should I spend another 120$ and get the slightly better CPU (2.5GHz) since I'm planning to keep this PC about 3-4 years unless something major happens
@pstephan1187 haha well, I do have the money but I'd rather not spend it if not necessary. Also, in my country the prices are way higher than the US. On apple's website the base model 15in cost 2000$, in my country it costs 2900$. It's almost 50% more. Insane.
At this point, considering what you want to do with the computer, it's just a matter of which you value more: your money or power. That base model will last you 4 years easy if you take care of it. Like I said, I am using one that is 7 years old, and only just upgraded the memory to 8GB two days ago.
@pstephan1187 I see what you are trying to say. I actually do value both of them, I guess I will go with the base model. I just would like to know if there is the option in the future to install a GPU
You will need to ask an apple tech about being able to upgrade later... Depending on the product some things are upgradeable, some are not. But for the GPU, I can almost guarantee that will not be upgradeable. Unless you take it someone who does custom work.
In the latest MBP models, nothing is user-upgradable. You buy it, you're stuck with it.
I used to use a 15" MBP (late 2008) and now have a newer 13"... This could save you even more money! Don't count out the 13", it's definitely up to the task. I was skeptical at the smaller size before I bought it, but after using it for the past year or so I don't think I'd buy a 15 anymore... the 13 is the perfect size for coding on the go. The portability combined with the retina display makes it the winner in my opinion. As a bonus, the 13" (base model!) is able to run my 39" 4k display at maximum resolution, so if you feel it's too small for desktop-style at-home work take that into account as well.
I should also go for the 13". Very portable and excellent performance.
And as soon as you are home you can connect him with an external display!
@austenc @Moe In my country the only version that comes with a quad core CPU is the 15". If there was a quard core 13" in my country (maybe there simply isn't one, haven't checked that) I would most definitely go for the 13" with strong spec. Thanks for advice! I do plan to plug the Mac to a 24" or 32" displays.
On that note, can I somehow plug 2 screens to the macbook?
To be honest, I will stick with the 2011/2012 model, only if you bother to use a super resolution which I don't because I'm using an external monitor with high resolution so ...
Why those models? Because you can find cheap deal and upgrade then later. You can grab a 15" mid 2012 MBPro and then put 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD (just like I've done with mine actually).
@ludo237 Your advice is good, however, it's quite hard finding a used MBPro here. Most of the ones that are for sale are from 2006-2009. 256GB is enough for me. I've never used more than that. I will try finding a 2011/2012 model and see what is the procedure to upgrade it. We don't have an official Apple store in my country yet.
@kfirba If you can stick with the early 2011 / late 2012 I think it's the best MBPro out yet in terms of upgradability and performance/battery-drain.
Of course the newest MBPro has some cool redesign stuff but they are barely upgradable and this is not good in my opinion even because the cost is not worth it....
@ludo237 I totally agree on that. It's kind of frustrating buying such an expensive PC while knowing you probably won't be able to upgrade it in the future so you will have to sell it and then add a nice amount of money in order to get one. But if the PC will last for 4 years or more, I will feel good with it.
Today I'm using a PC which I tend to upgrade almost every year (I used to be a heavy gamer as-well so..) If I look at a 4-years timeline, I spent more than I'm going to spend on that MBPro.
Well, hopefully I will find a 2011-2012 MBPro which is upgradable here.
@kfirba also, if you can't really buy a MBPro you can build an Hackintosh. And by the way you should forget the terms "Games" and Macbook because they don't fit together :D
@ludo237 Well known fact, that's why I still have this personal beast ;). What do you mean by Hackintosh?
@kfirba A simple PC with OSx installed.
I've got a 2010 15" macbook and it has 8gb ram which I upgraded i5 processor 500gb HD Works like a treat I can run Photoshop no problem Games no problem developing site with a breeze
I bought from eBay about 18 month ago and has served me well so far and still going strong so I would highly recommend a 2nd hand one to get you started.
I have a mid-2009 Macbook Pro 13" with the 2.26Ghz Core2Duo and was considering getting a new one after all this time but went the upgrade route just to see how much it would improve the system. My upgrades:
The results have been an eye opener! With the OS and Apps running from the SSD this thing screams! I typically have PHPStorm, Atom Editor, Homestead, and Chrome with at least half a dozen tabs open and the system feels brand new. It boots in about 15 seconds, Apps open immediately, everything is smooth!
There is a lot of life to be had in an older Macbook Pro if you can find one at a decent starting price and the cost of Ram and an SSD has come down immensely so the upgrades are affordable too. Of course the hard part is finding a good used Macbook that the owner doesn't think is worth damn near new prices!!
I bought the top model (no upgrades selected) back in late-2013. I would suggest get the one with the second GPU (other will overheat a lot if you have moving jQuery/JavaScript on the page).
Im working with a late 2014 with 256 SSD and 8 GB of RAM and its perfect.
You cant compare a Macbook 8 GB with a Windows Notebook with 16 GB.
Besides phpstorm / sublime text i have also open a bunch of programs like photoshop, illustrator, chrome,spotify,skype etc. and it`s working fine.
If you have the money and if it doesnt hurt go for the biggest model you can :) But if you dont make some video rendering you dont need the big one with the nvidia graphic card.
Not sure if they answered your monitor question but you can run duals and triple if you want. I bought a holder that holds the mac upright on its side that plugs in to the left side (power, usd, hdmi ports) and have a USB port that allows three in to one for keyboard and mouse. A hdmi splitter for two monitors that osx picks up as two right away.
@jekinney can i connect every display to the macbook via hdmi ? I thought i can only connect a Thunderbolt Display .. therefore i bought this 900 EUR Display ..
Works for me. You could also have bought an adapter for the thunder bolt to hdml, dvi etc
You connect the Thunderbolt Display via the thunderbolt port :) But then of course i will buy another Monitor or two if this works with hdmi :)
@jekinney Thanks for the monitor answer. So I can simply buy a HDMI splitter and connect 2 screen and OSX will automatically detect that as 2 different monitors, that's briliant.
I have a question about the battery, when working from home, should I always keep the MacBook connected to the power? Or it is going to kill the battery eventually?
Batteries like to be run down fully and charged back up. But I would leave it on 100% for most of the time (when you can) so it's just running on mains.
I've done that and it still lasts 6-7 hours heavy load
@bashy I've read on Apple's website and other people's questions and they say that if I keep my PC mostly connected to the AC Power it's good to let the battery "exercise" about once a week to let it actually down, they didn't really mention where to, but I guess somewhere around 40% is just enough exercising time :).
Also, you mentioned somewhere above that if I plan to run animations with jQuery/Javascript the MacBook is going to overheat, isn't it a bit weird? Following that it means that if I ever play an online game based on Javascript with lots of animations I'm going to suffer? If that is the case, I think there is something that should be done in regard :3
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