Do you use your MBPr as your desktop?

[Hieveryone]

I just want to say that I've been using my 13" MBPr as desktop and it is *excellent*

At home I have a 20" Dell Monitor and a Twelve South Book Arc which I put it in.

I would say for general usage, you absolutely don't need an iMac or Mac Mini. The MBPr works really good.

The benefit of having 1 device that serves as a notebook and desktop is of course all your data is in one place. Not only that, it's the thinnest desktop you'll ever own!

Yjchua and I had discussed in another thread that it even feels snappier and faster when using it ask a desktop probably because the graphics do not have to power the pixel density of the retina display.

So, do you use your MBPr as a desktop? What's your setup like? Do you use a thunderbolt display or a Book Arc? Feel free to post a picture.

I'm very curious to know

 

[MCAsan]

2012 15" rMBP sitting in a Bookarc is my only computer. It connects to an ATD. Great combo. I will likely upgrade next year after I hear this fall about any new rMBP models, new monitors.......and the prices.

 

[Meister]

I sometimes hook up my rmbp to a 46" samsung screen which is mainly connected to my mini.

The rmbp is my main computer though.

 

[SVTmaniac]

Sure do, late 2013 15" rMBP 2.3 / 16 / 512 / 750M connected to Thunderbolt display, then I have a 2.3 quad core i7 mini with 16GB ram and 512GB SSD as a music server for my Sonos system and a media server for movies.

 

[coldwaves]

I just want to say that I've been using my 13" MBPr as desktop and it is *excellent*

At home I have a 20" Dell Monitor and a Twelve South Book Arc which I put it in.

I would say for general usage, you absolutely don't need an iMac or Mac Mini. The MBPr works really good.

The benefit of having 1 device that serves as a notebook and desktop is of course all your data is in one place. Not only that, it's the thinnest desktop you'll ever own!

Yjchua and I had discussed in another thread that it even feels snappier and faster when using it ask a desktop probably because the graphics do not have to power the pixel density of the retina display.

So, do you use your MBPr as a desktop? What's your setup like? Do you use a thunderbolt display or a Book Arc? Feel free to post a picture.

I'm very curious to know

I like to use MBP as a desktop too! I had a 24" cinema display at home and a old 20" cinema display in office. I just carry my laptop with me. It is definitely convenient for me to have everything in the same place. Also larger screen is nice to work with. Retina display is definitely much sharper and nicer compared to my cinema displays but if you don't look at the screen side by side and do the comparison, the cinema display is nice enough.

 

[Charadis]

Absolutely! I've used a 13" mid-2010 MacBook Pro as my desktop since mid-2011, and my new retina MacBook has become its successor (for the time being).

I'd drop by Best Buy just to play with the rMBP and MBA, dreaming how it would be like to own one. Now, I get to see that beautiful screen every day, while saving me several trips to Best Buy.

 

[ayeying]

Kinda... I don't have an external plugged in but I put it on a stand. I don't like it personally. Would've gotten a desktop instead if it never moves

 

[simonsi]

The benefit of having 1 device that serves as a notebook and desktop is of course all your data is in one place.

That is a big problem actually. If you use a separate desktop then much easier to keep synced multiple copies and use apps to share/work on the same data between both/all machines seamlessly.

Personally I find it much easier than docking/undocking if I have to go to a meeting and take the MBP with me....

 

[Hieveryone]

That is a big problem actually. If you use a separate desktop then much easier to keep synced multiple copies and use apps to share/work on the same data between both/all machines seamlessly.

Personally I find it much easier than docking/undocking if I have to go to a meeting and take the MBP with me....

I like having an all in one device. I'm a big fan of that. In fact I have started a thread on here discussing whether or not the late 2013 MBPr 15" with 2.6/16/1TB could replace an Xbox One.

We had concluded that the Xbox One is better for gaming graphics wise which to me is the most important thing when it comes to gaming which is why I'm sticking with my 13"

Point is, if I could use my MBPr as a TV, computer, and Xbox One, I would be the happiest man ever. I just love the idea of an all in one device.

 

[simonsi]

I like having an all in one device. I'm a big fan of that. In fact I have started a thread on here discussing whether or not the late 2013 MBPr 15" with 2.6/16/1TB could replace an Xbox One.

We had concluded that the Xbox One is better for gaming graphics wise which to me is the most important thing when it comes to gaming which is why I'm sticking with my 13"

Point is, if I could use my MBPr as a TV, computer, and Xbox One, I would be the happiest man ever. I just love the idea of an all in one device.

Its your single copy of your data I was commenting on...

 

[Hieveryone]

Sure do, late 2013 15" rMBP 2.3 / 16 / 512 / 750M connected to Thunderbolt display, then I have a 2.3 quad core i7 mini with 16GB ram and 512GB SSD as a music server for my Sonos system and a media server for movies.

That's a really nice setup you got there!!!

 

[Freyqq]

That is a big problem actually. If you use a separate desktop then much easier to keep synced multiple copies and use apps to share/work on the same data between both/all machines seamlessly.

Personally I find it much easier than docking/undocking if I have to go to a meeting and take the MBP with me....

It's not as much of a problem anymore these days. With dropbox, google drive, onedrive, etc, there is so much free online storage to keep your data synced.

----------

I like having an all in one device. I'm a big fan of that. In fact I have started a thread on here discussing whether or not the late 2013 MBPr 15" with 2.6/16/1TB could replace an Xbox One.

We had concluded that the Xbox One is better for gaming graphics wise which to me is the most important thing when it comes to gaming which is why I'm sticking with my 13"

Point is, if I could use my MBPr as a TV, computer, and Xbox One, I would be the happiest man ever. I just love the idea of an all in one device.

Xbox one/PS4 are certainly better at gaming, as it has a desktop-class GPU and CPU. However, rMBP with bootcamp can run any windows game ever made, and there are only a handful of games out so far for xbox one. rMBP can easily handle every game on the xbox 360 that has a PC version, as that console is ancient by today's hardware standards. So, it really isn't that bad for gaming right now. Long-term, xbox one/ps4 will definitely get better as more games come out for those platforms. But, each year, the rMBP's specs improve and the xbox one/ps4 stays the same.

 

[yjchua95]

My 15" rMBP may have the power of a desktop, but thermal-wise, it's still far behind it

Both my iMacs run pretty quietly even under heavy load and never throttle at all.

The same isn't true for my 15" rMBP. Sure, it never throttles too, but the fans ramp up like a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 revving up to full takeoff power.

So I only use the 15" rMBP when I need desktop power outdoors (like editing 4K video at the filming location).

Whenever I'm at home, all tasks are done through the desktops instead

And yes, I discussed with the OP that 13" rMBPs actually perform better in clamshell mode (i.e. only driving an external display and no internal display), because:

1. The external display runs at a far lower resolution compared to the internal display.

2. Even if the external display is a 2560x1440 display, it's still faster than driving the internal display, because OS X doesn't have to use up resources to scale the OS at 2x.

 

[leman]

I use my rMBP as my only computer, not sure what is meant by using it as my 'desktop'. I don't really have a need for desktops.

 

[tillsbury]

Yes, it was the only reason I switched to Mac in the first place. I always had a desktop and an occasional-use laptop for using sitting on the sofa, or travelling. The release of the MBPr was the specification I wanted in a computer, i.e. i7 with 16Gb, >HD graphics, and >512Gb SSD. I don't think there's an alternative out there yet in the Windows market, and even the ones that got close were more expensive.

I run it sitting on the desktop connected to a Dell 30" display through Displayport, mouse and keyboard connected to the display, probably 95% of the time. My desktop is always on, used almost continually throughout the day. In the evenings I can unplug everything and sit down on the laptop (with the aid of a Microsoft Bluetooth mouse). When on holiday I can continue to run my business unaffected, and I never need to sync data anywhere.

I have been holding out for a Henge dock, and/or a decent Thunderbird dock, for two years now. Still nothing. I am thinking of 3d printing a Henge-type dock.

 

[simonsi]

...and I never need to sync data anywhere

Sync, backup or both. But not neither.

 

[vlc]

I use my MBP for everything that is important - Work, photos, mail and such. I also have a gaming PC but it's just for gaming.

 

[mcmul]

I also have a gaming PC but it's just for gaming.

Ah, gaming is what one does on a gaming PC?

 

[s2mikey]

I use my 13" rMBP as my main computer. No monitor attached or any of that. Just a wireless mouse and that's it. Does the job perfectly and takes up no space which is so nice. Gone are the days of taking up a big chunk of the living room or where ever for the big clunky desktop setup!

 

[maflynn]

My 2012 rMBP is my main machine and I use it as a "desktop" I have some mobility needs but when I'm not out and about, its hooked up to my desk.

I wished Apple produced a dock so I could easily plug this in and not worry about mess of cables.

 

[sprezz]

never really saw the reason to have a desktop after getting my MBP. I do have one, as a server, gaming machine, hackintosh, but 95% of my actual work (coding, business stuff) is done on my laptop.

this might change when I can be a 100% independent software developer without having to be at the client's location.

 

[MCAsan]

The benefit of having 1 device that serves as a notebook and desktop is of course all your data is in one place.

Not. My photos are around 2TB, then there are the movies, the music....etc. I would not fit on a 3TB spinning drive...much less a 1TB SSD.

On my rMBP's SSD I have boot/OS/apps, and the minimum data for email and safari. I have no need to travel with data that can sit easily on a RAID pair at home where it is backed up. The rest of my SSD space is used for photo collection during 2-3 week trips. Once I get home and complete the culling and editing, the finished photos are move to the external drives to make room for the next trip.

 

[sprezz]

Not. My photos are around 2TB, then there are the movies, the music....etc. I would not fit on a 3TB spinning drive...much less a 1TB SSD.

On my rMBP's SSD I have boot/OS/apps, and the minimum data for email and safari. I have no need to travel with data that can sit easily on a RAID pair at home where it is backed up. The rest of my SSD space is used for photo collection during 2-3 week trips. Once I get home and complete the culling and editing, the finished photos are move to the external drives to make room for the next trip.

and what do you do when you want to edit some images you've "off-loaded" to your home server? do you have some sort of VPN set up for that scenario?

 

[maflynn]

Not. My photos are around 2TB, then there are the movies, the music....etc. I would not fit on a 3TB spinning drive...much less a 1TB SSD.

Same here, my photos require too much storage. That's the beauty of Aperture, I can have a small library on my rMBP and others on an external drive.

 

[MCAsan]

and what do you do when you want to edit some images you've "off-loaded" to your home server? do you have some sort of VPN set up for that scenario?

They are not off loaded to the external library until they are edited. If I want to redo the edit, create a new version or pint the image, I do that when I am at home and connected to my library and my Pixma Pro1 printer.

Given enough time, everyone will have libraries (photos, music, movies, documents) too large to transport inside laptops and very expensive for cloud storage. When Photos app was introduced at WWDC I laughed at the iCloud storage. They were not even talking/pricing storage over 1TB. I would want at least 3TB to get started. I can get several 4TB drives for less.

If I want to show my photos on the road, the Aperture library has the previews. Also I have many Aperture albums synched to my iPad photos area. I could carry thousands of images on my iPad as photo albums.