Buying advice needed

[El_Capitan]

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some opinions thrown in here. Here’s the situation:

I currently have a MacBook Pro mid 2011 that I’ve put a new HDD (1TB), a new SSD (256GB) in. I’ve also maxed out the RAM to 16GB. It also has a new battery so no problems there either. I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Google apps, Microsoft Word and Excel, XCode and iMovie mainly. Most of the time I just use Mail and Safari on it though. It works really well and fast and I can do my work on it without any issues.

However:

• it can’t be upgraded to Catalina
• it doesn’t have a retina screen
• I’d love it to be more portable if possible

So I’m considering some upgrade options and I’m thinking maybe the 12” MacBook or the new MacBook Air?

How would these machines compare regarding speed and usability?

They would come with less RAM (sad but survivable) and less storage (non-issue). Speed is my main concern.

PS. I don’t mind the keyboard.

 

[4sallypat]

And I thought I was a dinosaur - my home "desktop" computer is what you have - 2012 MBP also maxed out in RAM and SSD.
Works like a champ, as it's my home office desktop mated to a 27" Thunderbolt display, external keyboard & mouse and Bose audio for movie watching as it has a built in optical DVD drive which I still use.
I don't use the built in display - its in clamshell mode....

I also have a 12" Macbook Retina that I use for portability which is much lighter and smaller than an Air.
For wireless work, it's fast and great for mobile / travelers / aircraft use.
Considering the CPU is an Intel M dual 1.3Ghz, I don't notice any speed issues but then I don't do video editing or play games...
The only thing I hate is that the USB-C port requires adapters in order to connect on wired LAN, USB devices, SuperDrive, etc...
My 12" Retina Mac has the first gen scissor keyboard which has been perfect since day 1 = 4 years now.
A new 12" Macbook can be had for a great deal now as they discontinued it. I am thinking of getting another just because I love it and it's priced so low.

The only machine I am considering trading up to is the new 16" MBP - I miss my very old 17" MBP from 2010.
Currently using a 2015 MBP 15" Retina (i7, 16GB, 512SSD) as my work computer but it is also is a desktop for 90% of the time connected to a 24" Apple Cinema LED display in a dual display mode.
It's super fast enough and has the RAM and storage I need but I still miss the larger display.

 

[El_Capitan]

Thanks, very helpful. And yes, I also don't play games on my Mac. But you did raise an interesting point - can a Macbook 12" be used in a clamshell mode without any adapters or even at all? Macbooks need to be plugged into power to work that way and there's onle one port there.

 

[4sallypat]

Thanks, very helpful. And yes, I also don't play games on my Mac. But you did raise an interesting point - can a Macbook 12" be used in a clamshell mode without any adapters or even at all? Macbooks need to be plugged into power to work that way and there's onle one port there.

The 12" Retina Macbook does not have the ability to connect to a Thunderbolt display.
I am not sure it will work in clamshell mode with an external display.

But they do accept adapter dongles that will convert the single USB C port into VGA, HDMI, Ethernet and USB2.
The VGA and HDMI adapters from Apple have a second USB C port so that you can use the laptop with a VGA or HDMI monitor and still charge at the same time.

I have all these adapter dongles which makes the cost of the laptop even higher...

 

[El_Capitan]

The 12" Retina Macbook does not have the ability to connect to a Thunderbolt display.
I am not sure it will work in clamshell mode with an external display.

But they do accept adapter dongles that will convert the single USB C port into VGA, HDMI, Ethernet and USB2.
The VGA and HDMI adapters from Apple have a second USB C port so that you can use the laptop with a VGA or HDMI monitor and still charge at the same time.

I have all these adapter dongles which makes the cost of the laptop even higher...

Looks like a Macbook Air 2019 would be a better option.

Does anyone know how does it compare regarding processor performance to Macbook Pros from previous years?