Advice for web design config

[pookitoo]

Hello ,

I don't know what to do, i'll try to explain my problem :

I love mobility !
I managed to work properly with a 11-inch MacBook Air (keyboard + mouse) and an external display, especially for learning and start webdesign.

But now that I begin to have an advanced level and a lot of customers, I felt some problems: among other the screen size: 11 inch on travel is small !!!!! And a slight lack of performance when I start wanting to do some advanced design (especially with lots of browser open tabs and some software simultaneously MAMP, affinity designer, affinity photo, sketch etc ...)

I had a big crush on the new Retina MacBook, 12 inches gives me a little more screen comfort on the move (retina + 12 inches) and the lack of ports does not bother me. But for performance, it quickly lag when I open lots of browser tabs and other software. (and I want to learn Swift therefore Xcode, and i've heard the compile time take me time to each change).

So I thought to these configurations:

- rMacbook + mac mini (with portability and El Capitan I tell myself that maybe it will catch the hang of performance + Xcode server)

- rMacbook + 5K Imac (portability + a lot of performance in my office but it makes me work comfortably at one place)

- Retina Macbook Pro (slightly less portability but more power and similar comfort wherever I go)

and this article affect me a lot :
http://deskhunt.com/the-minimalist-coder-desk

What do you think ? Can you give me some feedback if you had already asked this question to yourself before ?

(sorry for my poor English, i understand English very well but I am very bad at writing, i'm French)

 

[D.T.]

15" rMBP, 16GB RAM, 2.5 (or faster) i7/QC plus external display(s), 27" or maybe dual 24" (I prefer two smaller vs. one larger), KB, TP or mouse - possibly some simplified docking option like a HengeDock.

Plenty of performance for dev work (including VMs, multiple concurrent servers/services), photo/design work, portable, beautiful display combined with the efficiency of a "desktop" setup. No need to replicate work, setups, configs across multiple machines - and for [extra] storage, you can simply run an external drive on the dock (for project archives, etc.)

 

[pookitoo]

15" rMBP, 16GB RAM, 2.5 (or faster) i7/QC plus external display(s), 27" or maybe dual 24" (I prefer two smaller vs. one larger), KB, TP or mouse - possibly some simplified docking option like a HengeDock.

Plenty of performance for dev work (including VMs, multiple concurrent servers/services), photo/design work, portable, beautiful display combined with the efficiency of a "desktop" setup. No need to replicate work, setups, configs across multiple machines - and for [extra] storage, you can simply run an external drive on the dock (for project archives, etc.)

Thank for your reply, but 15 " is too big for mobility, i walk a lot between my client and other things i have to do, i work in bed, in different room in my house, at coffee shop, in train etc ... and 15 " is really too big and cumbersome !

But you understand very well the need (Vms etc ..) and the quad core is a really comfortable setup !!

 

[D.T.]

Well, you're not (currently) going to get a quad proc in a 13" MBP, that's only in the 15". Same goes for a discrete GPU (15" only option), though that might not be as critical. MBAs don't have a 16GB option, and are even more CPU limited.

I don't think a 15" is any less "movable" having lugged a cMBP 15", a cMBP 13" and a MBA 13", and around the house (including the bed), it's just not a big issue for me. I mean, a nice bag/backpack, and you're talking about a little weight difference on your back or shoulder.

The only place I've ever been really size/space limited is in a plane (which may be about the same as your train scenario).

As a professional dev/architect, the power consideration for me is more important vs. the small size trade-off. In fact, I'm headed back to a rMBP 15" from my current QC Mini setup.

 

[SpinalTap]

Thinking outside of the box; instead of considering a monitor for portable use, why not buy a portable LED projector - such as this Optoma ML750. Your screen can then be as large/small as you wish...

http://www.optoma.co.uk/projectordetails.aspx?PTypeDB=Business&PC=ML750e

 

[Macsonic]

Most of the web developers I've worked with uses 15" MBPros. While their working and opening several windows and apps, 15" is just right for them to navigate around. And the internal components are more "spread out" unlike with the 13" or 12" that the components are more compressed.

 

[pookitoo]

Thinking outside of the box; instead of considering a monitor for portable use, why not buy a portable LED projector - such as this Optoma ML750. Your screen can then be as large/small as you wish...

http://www.optoma.co.uk/projectordetails.aspx?PTypeDB=Business&PC=ML750e

I'm not a big fan of projector (you need a dark room, for web design you don't have true color etc ...

Well, you're not (currently) going to get a quad proc in a 13" MBP, that's only in the 15". Same goes for a discrete GPU (15" only option), though that might not be as critical. MBAs don't have a 16GB option, and are even more CPU limited.

I don't think a 15" is any less "movable" having lugged a cMBP 15", a cMBP 13" and a MBA 13", and around the house (including the bed), it's just not a big issue for me. I mean, a nice bag/backpack, and you're talking about a little weight difference on your back or shoulder.

The only place I've ever been really size/space limited is in a plane (which may be about the same as your train scenario).

As a professional dev/architect, the power consideration for me is more important vs. the small size trade-off. In fact, I'm headed back to a rMBP 15" from my current QC Mini setup.

&

Most of the web developers I've worked with uses 15" MBPros. While their working and opening several windows and apps, 15" is just right for them to navigate around. And the internal components are more "spread out" unlike with the 13" or 12" that the components are more compressed.

Really, too big for me, and i think you are right with this advice, but i 've try a 15 inch and too heavy and too big for me ! The difference between the 12" rMacbook and the 13" rMacbook pro bothers me a little for portability, i can't imagine to have the 15" rMacbook pro !!

 

[D.T.]

The difference between the 12" rMacbook and the 13" rMacbook pro bothers me a little for portability, i can't imagine to have the 15" rMacbook pro !!

Oh yeah, if you're sensitive to the difference between a 12" nMB and a 13" rMBP then the 15" probably isn't for you. Plus, in re-reading your requirements, it sounds like you're more design and dev "lite". I mentioned VMs, but it sounds like you'd be working "native" with your listed toolset.

 

[pookitoo]

Yes for the dev "lite", but in my workflow :

10 or more open tabs in safari (1 in mozilla and 1 in google, just to check the design in this browser), MAMP because i'm working very often in Wordpress, Sublime text, affinity photo + affinity designer + sketch (sometimes i need to use Photoshop and after effect for GIF and other , pages and word for some docs from my customers, note and rappel, (+ little apps in background : dropbox, Dash, transmit, mail, feedly, skype, better touch etc ... Sometimes i use final cut and Logic Pro etc ...

And it's a bit too much for the 12" rMacbook, i need to close some apps to save performance. I do some design + PHP + js (html and css but it's obvious), and soon i want to do some IOS app (and i 've heard the compile time will be important in a little computer, and it can be frustrating with any change in the code)

I've try El capitan, and it feel more comfortable, but i'm little skeptical. (i've install Xcode server in a mac mini, not mine, and it's very easy to configure, but i'm not sure about performance).

I've try a 5k Imac, and it's a very very good computer but maybe too powerful for my need, and i'm a little traveler, and i think I can be frustrated to stay at my desktop for top working setup.

I am an undecided person !!! (I want a 13" or 14" rMacbook like the 12" rMacbook with the 15" rMacbook pro performance !

 

[D.T.]

XCode won't be a major hurdle. With the fast SSD storage in modern machines, things will compile quickly - I've had a number of friends/devs that did major XCode work on older MBAs with 4GB of RAM. One of my buddies that's big on maximum portability (like yourself), used an 11" MBA (BTO machine with 8GB RAM) on the road, and a nice 27" display at his home office.

If the pros are a little large, then you might be a good candidate for a BTO 13" MBA. For $1349 ($1229 on the refurb store) you can get a 13" MBA with a 2.2GHz i7 (dual core) and 8GB RAM. You're giving up the higher resolution display of the MBOne, but trading off for a better CPU.

Then add your external setup for home. Super portable, decently stout performance, more flexible than the MBO (in terms of ports), plus a nice desktop workstation.

Just my $0.02

 

[pookitoo]

Thank for your advice You take time to answer me and i really appreciate !
But no retina display with the MBA, and when you taste the retina, it's too hard to come back !
When i do my post, i was thinking some people say to me : stop with the 12 retina macbook and get a rMacbook Pro, or if you want a really good professional hardware, get the 5k Imac with the 12 rMacbook. Or i've test the rMacbook for iOS dev and web design : it's a good mac for that. Something like that