Macbook Pro for Application Development

[Falcon80]

Hi guys

I am looking to upgrade my 3 years old Macbook Air to probably one of the latest Macbook Pro thus would like to seek some advice especially from fellow software developer. I am a freelance software developer, largely working on iOS and Android native development. Currently I am looking at the 13" Macbook Pro Non Touch bar for best battery performance as I am constantly on the go but I am kind of worried about its performance. My Macbook Air (Mid 2012, i7, 8GB, 256 SSD) heats up pretty fast and slow down considerably when running Android emulator. I am hoping with the new upgrade, things can speed up quite a bit which helps in my productivity.

Hope to hear from you guys. Thanks in advance.

 

[Falcon80]

Bumping up to see if anyone has any advice on this.

 

[justywusty]

I definitely use up battery pretty quickly on my 2014 MBP 13" running Xcode...it's the compiles that do it as it's got to churn through the code to make it run. It will typically last a good 4-5 hours of coding and compiling depending.

 

[altaic]

I develop using my 15" MPBtb. Battery life isn't great, but then I frequently bring my computers to their knees. However, the brilliant thing about charging via USB-C is that relatively cheap power packs will give you extra juice on the go. Definitely looking forward to the day when manufacturers get off their butts and make decently high power output USB-C power packs.

 

[Falcon80]

I develop using my 15" MPBtb. Battery life isn't great, but then I frequently bring my computers to their knees. However, the brilliant thing about charging via USB-C is that relatively cheap power packs will give you extra juice on the go. Definitely looking forward to the day when manufacturers get off their butts and make decently high power output USB-C power packs.

Thanks for sharing. Never thought of getting power packs to extend the battery life for the Macbook. Definitely something to consider.

 

[justywusty]

I'll definitely be getting a power pack for my tb MBP once it arrives! Even to help slow the drain without needing to be plugged to the wall.

 

[Falcon80]

I'll definitely be getting a power pack for my tb MBP once it arrives! Even to help slow the drain without needing to be plugged to the wall.

I have not seen any at the moment at the Apple Store. Any recommendation on which to get?

 

[justywusty]

I've got an Anker for my iOS devices and it's super good. It holds a charge for months if I don't use it, as well, which is important in emergencies. There are some larger sized USB-C ones for laptops...just not sure if they're powerful enough for the new MBPs.

 

[altaic]

There are some larger sized USB-C ones for laptops...just not sure if they're powerful enough for the new MBPs.

As far as that goes, I've been wondering if two USB-C ports can be used at the same time for charging. I haven't worked up the courage (or stupidity) to just try it on my new MBP. Anyone know if Apple has guidelines or recommendations?

 

[justywusty]

It'll only ever use one for power.

 

[Voley]

I would look into TB macbooks, because non-tb uses much slower 15W 2.0 GHz processor. I develop myself (iOS) on 13'' 2010 and I'm waiting for mine maxed out 13 to arrive mid december. Going to be one hell of upgrade

 

[Yoshimura]

I would look into TB macbooks, because non-tb uses much slower 15W 2.0 GHz processor.

Much slower!?!?!? Benchmark for the 2.0GHz is 7,000 and 7,900 for the 3.3GHz. It's a 13% difference.
[doublepost=1480089023][/doublepost]

As far as that goes, I've been wondering if two USB-C ports can be used at the same time for charging. I haven't worked up the courage (or stupidity) to just try it on my new MBP. Anyone know if Apple has guidelines or recommendations?

Notes on charging your MacBook Pro:

• Your MacBook Pro draws power from only one power supply, even if more than one is attached—so using multiple power supplies will not speed up charging.
• If you connect multiple power supplies to your MacBook Pro, the one that provides the most power will be used, regardless of the order in which you connected them.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207256

 

[Voley]

Single core is 3400 vs 4200 for tb models, not sure how can there be only 13% between 2.0 and 3.3

 

[Yoshimura]

Single core is 3400 vs 4200 for tb models, not sure how can there be only 13% between 2.0 and 3.3

2.0 and 3.3 are base frequencies. Max frequency are respectively 3.1 and 3.6 (+16%)

Single-core benchmarks for the 2.0 and 3.3 are 3600 and 4000 (+11%) https://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks

2.0GHz, 16GB, 512GB is $1900
3.3GHz, 16GB, 512GB is $2500

So $600 more (+32%) for 13% more performance (unnoticeable) and 20% less battery life (very noticeable).

I'm getting the 2.0!

http://arstechnica.com/video/2016/11/the-2016-13-and-15-inch-touch-bar-macbook-pros-reviewed/

 

[gork]

Can anyone tell me if 8GB ram is enough for app development (ios, android, and web + some simple math simulations)?

Edit: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/developers-how-is-the-8-gb.2016050/

 

[Tuslareb]

For what it's worth, I just did a compiling comparison between my late 2015 iMac (3,3 i5/fusion drive/24gb) and my new basic ntMBP (2.0 i5/8gb). Took a large swift/objc project and did a clean build on both machines. The iMac needed 31 seconds to build, the macbook pro took 19 seconds longer (50 seconds). However, after the initial build there isn't much difference.

 

[dr.z]

tMBP13 here. Skylake running very cool indeed, have yet to see it hit thermal ceiling. One thing to note with ntMBP there is just one fan, though in reviews appears to hold up under load.

Yet to see any power packs conforming to PD (power delivery) spec (up to 100W). So often you get just 15W, instead of 61W from standard adapter.

 

[hiker-]

If this is your main computer then I'd get any 15" model, mainly because of the 4 cores to reduce compile times.
Also the screen size is important for development in cases where you are not using an external monitor.

I would not worry much about battery life because it will be bad anyway if you run an ARM simulator, recompile frequently etc. What I'm trying to say is that it will be plugged in anyway most of the time when doing development work.

(I recently bought a 13" non-TB, i5, 16GB, 1TB, but that's not my work computer)

 

[Falcon80]

If this is your main computer then I'd get any 15" model, mainly because of the 4 cores to reduce compile times.
Also the screen size is important for development in cases where you are not using an external monitor.

I would not worry much about battery life because it will be bad anyway if you run an ARM simulator, recompile frequently etc. What I'm trying to say is that it will be plugged in anyway most of the time when doing development work.

(I recently bought a 13" non-TB, i5, 16GB, 1TB, but that's not my work computer)

Yes, this is going to be my main work machine and at the moment, I am doing development without connecting to any external monitor. I am constantly on the go and at times do not have access to a power source thus battery life is a concern to me. It should allow me to do at least 6 hours of native app development.

 

[iizmoo]

Yes, this is going to be my main work machine and at the moment, I am doing development without connecting to any external monitor. I am constantly on the go and at times do not have access to a power source thus battery life is a concern to me. It should allow me to do at least 6 hours of native app development.

If its your main, the quadcores is worth it. Just get a big battery pack if you can't plug in.

 

[Falcon80]

If its your main, the quadcores is worth it. Just get a big battery pack if you can't plug in.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[laerning]

What do you think about the performance comparing the i7 2.6 GHz and i7 2,7 GHz in the 15" MBP w/ TB considering the extra L3 Cache?

Is it worth the upgrade? And if so, what advantages would it bring with it?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Falcon80]

What do you think about the performance comparing the i7 2.6 GHz and i7 2,7 GHz in the 15" MBP w/ TB considering the extra L3 Cache?

Is it worth the upgrade? And if so, what advantages would it bring with it?

Thanks a lot.

Interested to know as well.

 

[Falcon80]

Thanks for all the inputs in this thread. I just placed an order for a MacBook Pro 15 2.7/16Gb/512/460 and is scheduled to arrive in 2-3 weeks time. I will share my personal review here from a perspective of an app developer once I get my hand on it.

 

[justywusty]

Thanks for all the inputs in this thread. I just placed an order for a MacBook Pro 15 2.7/16Gb/512/460 and is scheduled to arrive in 2-3 weeks time. I will share my personal review here from a perspective of an app developer once I get my hand on it.

Sweet! That's the exact build I got.