Need unbiased help

[fate0311]

Mechanical engineering student about to graduate. Looking for a workstation class solution so that I do not have to rely on an employer providing a laptop. Also I am sure as a newer employee I may not be able to snag a work laptop right away. I still however want to be able to utilize engineering programs such as CAD and Matlab among others when I am not in office, which means I need to pick something up.

Obviously the convenient solution would be to pick up a MBP and be able to boot it in both OS X and Windows. Problem is I consistently hear that I will regret it and that I am far better off on a windows machine.

Aside from the RAM capacity of 32GB versus up to 128 on a workstation laptop I am not seeing how they are superior to today’s spec’d out Macbook Pros. Specifically the 15” with the Vega 20, which arguably is Apples largest graphical card jump ever.

Could someone who is knowledgeable explain how, for example, a thinkpad with a Quadro graphics car is superior to the Vega 20. From what I have asked and researched myself has prove. To show the Vega 20 just about on par with reputable Quadro cards.

Also told drivers are not great for Bootcamp. Which I do not understand, and I just get the latest updates for whatever device I want once windows is loaded on the MBP?

I have a P52 with a 2.3 GHz 6-core i7, 32GB RAM with a Quadro P3200 Q-Max sitting in front of me. Ran a 2250 in cinabench.

I also have a 2019 15” MBP with a 2.4 GHz 8-core, 32GB RAM, and a Vega 20 sitting in front of me. Ran a 3200 in cinabench.

Despite then I when he core difference I’m still told I am better off with the P52. So again, what makes the MBP inferior?

 

[maflynn]

Looking for a workstation class solution so that I do not have to rely on an employer providing a laptop.

I recommend that you wait until you get a job and determine what your new employer will do. Some may have restrictions on allowing non-corporate computers on the network, some may have specific licensed applications that you cannot install on your personal machine and finally why spend your own money on a computer that will be used for work when your company will most likely provide one for you.

Let me add that you will get biased help as you are asking for help on a mac forum and of course the answers will be skewed toward macs. If you asked on windows central, you would get answers skewed towards PCs - just sayin

 

[jerryk]

Industries tend to have leading tools. If those tools in your area of potential employment are based on Windows and Nvidia GPUs you should look at system that run Windows and Nvidia GPU. These packages are a tool for work. Companies standardize on them. Any company that hires you will likely expect you to know how use them efficiently.

Bootcamp is a way to for a small fraction of Apple users to run Windows on their machines. As such it is not mainstream for graphics driver manufacturers and therefore is not a platform for which they optimize their drivers.

Regarding benchmarks, if you are going to Cinebench type apps then those benchmarks may matter. But if you are running CAD apps, then CAD benchmarks matter much more.

But all the benchmarks in the world are trumped by what the industry leading programs run best on. Because at the end the day a computer and OS are just something to run programs (tools) on.

 

[leman]

Could someone who is knowledgeable explain how, for example, a thinkpad with a Quadro graphics car is superior to the Vega 20. From what I have asked and researched myself has prove. To show the Vega 20 just about on par with reputable Quadro cards.

I do not think that the MBP is inferior to a laptop with similar size and weight with a Quadro card. The issue is less the relative performance (a Mac is quite competitive here), it's the fact that running a MBP under Bootcamp negates most of Mac's unique advantages. You only get rudimentary drivers which means horrible battery life, subpar performance, issues with bluetooth and WiFi etc. If your primary tools are exclusive to Windows, get a Windows-tailored solution.

 

[maflynn]

If those tools in your area of potential employment are based on Windows and Nvidia GPUs

Here's the kernel of truth.

It's premature to select a computer right after graduating since the OP doesn't have a job lined up and he could find himself with a MBP, but yet his new employer may require Nvidia. Like I said employers provide their employees with tools to get their job done and it doesn't make sense to me to spend upwards of 3,000 dollars of your own money when its probably going to be unnecessary - especially leaving college with possible student debt.

 

[Fishrrman]

Agree with maflynn above.

I think the software you're going to use will be the primary consideration.
If it's mostly Windows software -- probably best to buy a Windows machine to run it on.

If you like the Mac OS, but work dictates "Windows", I'd suggest two computers:
- Windows for the "work computer" (company may supply or subsidize one).
- Mac for "home and personal"

Actually, it's probably best to keep "work" and "personal" completely "separate", in any case.

My opinion only.

 

[psingh01]

My employer issues every employee a laptop on day 1. I wouldn't think of using my own for work even if it was better. I could if I wanted to, but then they'd install all their corporate spy software on it. No thanks! In addition, why should I subsidize their business?

Give me the tools to do the job. Give me crap tools and it can impact how I do the job. It just so happens that they issued me a MBP with butterfly keyboard. I missed a few days of work while the keyboard got replaced.