Please help me decide purchasing my new MBP 16 (developer)

[Ncage1974]

I'l start out by saying i'm sorry. I've been in analysis/paralysis since the M1 Pro/Max have been announced. This unfortunately will probably be long and unorganized (but that is how my mind is right now) but i will try to organize it as well as possible.

So currently i have a late 2013 rMBP 13 (16GB or ram) which i bought back in 2013 when it first came out. If i remember correctly (but i might be wrong) I think the base memory config was 4GB but i opted for the max amount of memory to help "future proof" which i think it has because i probably would have upgraded much sooner if it didn't have 16GB (especially if it only had 4GB). This laptop just went out of support for the lasted MacOS mac versions (Big Sur is as far as i can go).

So i'm a developer and mostly work from home but at least right now my development isn't done on anything i have i have at home instead I VPN into work and do my development on my work computer. I have aspirations to do more development from home but you know how that goes it might and might not happen. I used to be a heavy VM (virtual machine user) but unfortunately apple kicked that in the butt with apple silicon. The story isn't that great anymore. Even with parallels your severely limited which linux distros you can run and the story for windows (WOA or Windows on Arm isn't that great right now). I don't know if the vm story will ever get better but if it does i would probably need at least 32 (if not 64). If i ever did more development or started to do work on my laptop then i probably would need at least 32 also. Our project at work used about 12 docker containers running and your generally running multiple instances of Visual Studio Code.

I bought a M1 Mac Mini with 16GB Last fall as my desktop replacement. Even though i'm not doing development work i'm still using quite a bit of memory. Sometimes 40-50 chrome tabs open, Microsoft Teams (Memory Hog), Zoom, Outlook, & Other office utilities. I guess the only time i got the dreaded your system is running low on memory error was one time Teams had some type of memory leak and was using about 30GB of memory (closing & reopening fixed that).

So then comes the question which configuration to get? The windows desktop I replaced with the Mac Mini had 64GB of ram though i ran multiple virtual machines usually all the time. So i know i want the 16'' 100%. I've not worried about the mobility difference & i do a lot of investing stuff where i'm looking at charts. Looking at charts on a small screen is horrible & price difference for 16'' isn't that much. The biggest question is RAM. I've ready so many things where people go back and forth on how much ram you should buy. Unfortunately if i do go 64GB i will need a M1 Max too which i really don't need. I think i might eventually run two monitors but that would be it.

I've made up my mind what i'm going to get about 50 times but i always get to checkout and FREEZE. Just two hours ago with 64GB Ram, 24-core m1 max, & 1TB SSD. Then I started over analyzing AppleCare+ and if something went wrong with my setup how much it would cost to fix it but thats going to add another 400 to a laptop that is already super expensive for me probably i wouldn't be *as* worried if it was one of the cheaper configurations. As you can see from my 2013 rMBP i don't upgrade that often. I've also thought just getting a mid-level config with 32GB Ram/M1 Pro/1TBSSD and i've also just considered just sticking with the base model.

A lot of you probably don't even flinch at spending this much on one. I do. Its super expensive for me. Previously my 2013 was the most i've ever spent at ~1800. Depend on which config i go with this could increase that to almost double. I've even thought about buying the base model & if it doesn't fit my need maybe selling it on ebay & buying one with higher specs on ebay for the difference.

Sorry guys i told you this was going to be unorganized & long but any help/advice would be greatly appreciated (might post elsewhere i'm trying to get all the help I can get).

 

[jabbr]

Are you set on the 16" screen? The 14" is $200 cheaper and the AppleCare is significantly less as well. If you have a good external monitor for development I think you'd be pretty well set for a while.

I'm using the unbinned M1 Pro w/ 16GB + 1TB, but I plan to sell and upgrade in a year or two. I'm currently only doing front end web development and mixing music and I'm pretty happy with this config.

 

[Ncage1974]

Are you set on the 16" screen? The 14" is $200 cheaper and the AppleCare is significantly less as well. If you have a good external monitor for development I think you'd be pretty well set for a while.

Yes definitely hard set on a 16. Like i said above i do a lot of investment stuff on it and looking at a smaller screen is painful. I also was a lot of different streaming content which is where a bigger screen can shine.

 

[jabbr]

gotcha, well maybe you could skip the max and go M1 Pro + 32GB. I imagine that would serve you well for many years.

 

[StoneJack]

I already have MacMini M1, 8/512 like yours. On mobile side,
I was thinking about Macbook Pro 14 or 16, even prepared money. After considering my needs,
I bought new space grey 16/512 MBA M1 and with saved money bought space grey Airpods Max (Airpods Max are on delivery now, already using MBA).

 

[ddavid]

I'l start out by saying i'm sorry.………

Sorry guys i told you this was going to be unorganized & long but any help/advice would be greatly appreciated (might post elsewhere i'm trying to get all the help I can get).

Wow. I’d say a 16 M1 Pro with 32GB Ram and whatever storage you feel you’ll need (I went with 1TB) would be the sweet spot for configuration in your case, IF you think a MacBook is ideal for your developer needs.

 

[wilberforce]

You don't need to stress over this: Apple 14-day return period! It was made for people like you. Order the minimum you think you need, and try it out. (I suggest not less than 32GB RAM for your usage). You also have 60 days to decide on Applecare

One other thought: you sure you want a laptop? Because the new 27"+ iMacs will be coming out soon.

 

[LinkRS]

I'l start out by saying i'm sorry. I've been in analysis/paralysis since the M1 Pro/Max have been announced. This unfortunately will probably be long and unorganized (but that is how my mind is right now) but i will try to organize it as well as possible.

So currently i have a late 2013 rMBP 13 (16GB or ram) which i bought back in 2013 when it first came out. If i remember correctly (but i might be wrong) I think the base memory config was 4GB but i opted for the max amount of memory to help "future proof" which i think it has because i probably would have upgraded much sooner if it didn't have 16GB (especially if it only had 4GB). This laptop just went out of support for the lasted MacOS mac versions (Big Sur is as far as i can go).

So i'm a developer and mostly work from home but at least right now my development isn't done on anything i have i have at home instead I VPN into work and do my development on my work computer. I have aspirations to do more development from home but you know how that goes it might and might not happen. I used to be a heavy VM (virtual machine user) but unfortunately apple kicked that in the butt with apple silicon. The story isn't that great anymore. Even with parallels your severely limited which linux distros you can run and the story for windows (WOA or Windows on Arm isn't that great right now). I don't know if the vm story will ever get better but if it does i would probably need at least 32 (if not 64). If i ever did more development or started to do work on my laptop then i probably would need at least 32 also. Our project at work used about 12 docker containers running and your generally running multiple instances of Visual Studio Code.

I bought a M1 Mac Mini with 16GB Last fall as my desktop replacement. Even though i'm not doing development work i'm still using quite a bit of memory. Sometimes 40-50 chrome tabs open, Microsoft Teams (Memory Hog), Zoom, Outlook, & Other office utilities. I guess the only time i got the dreaded your system is running low on memory error was one time Teams had some type of memory leak and was using about 30GB of memory (closing & reopening fixed that).

So then comes the question which configuration to get? The windows desktop I replaced with the Mac Mini had 64GB of ram though i ran multiple virtual machines usually all the time. So i know i want the 16'' 100%. I've not worried about the mobility difference & i do a lot of investing stuff where i'm looking at charts. Looking at charts on a small screen is horrible & price difference for 16'' isn't that much. The biggest question is RAM. I've ready so many things where people go back and forth on how much ram you should buy. Unfortunately if i do go 64GB i will need a M1 Max too which i really don't need. I think i might eventually run two monitors but that would be it.

I've made up my mind what i'm going to get about 50 times but i always get to checkout and FREEZE. Just two hours ago with 64GB Ram, 24-core m1 max, & 1TB SSD. Then I started over analyzing AppleCare+ and if something went wrong with my setup how much it would cost to fix it but thats going to add another 400 to a laptop that is already super expensive for me probably i wouldn't be *as* worried if it was one of the cheaper configurations. As you can see from my 2013 rMBP i don't upgrade that often. I've also thought just getting a mid-level config with 32GB Ram/M1 Pro/1TBSSD and i've also just considered just sticking with the base model.

A lot of you probably don't even flinch at spending this much on one. I do. Its super expensive for me. Previously my 2013 was the most i've ever spent at ~1800. Depend on which config i go with this could increase that to almost double. I've even thought about buying the base model & if it doesn't fit my need maybe selling it on ebay & buying one with higher specs on ebay for the difference.

Sorry guys i told you this was going to be unorganized & long but any help/advice would be greatly appreciated (might post elsewhere i'm trying to get all the help I can get).

Howdy Ncage1974,

I just pulled the trigger on a 16" M1 Max with 1 TB SSD and 32-Core GPU, using my military discount, it was ~$3200 before shipping and taxes. I did NOT add AppleCare, but will before the 60 days are up. What is your reasoning with getting a new MacBook Pro? It would seem that since you are working remotely, the actual client you connect from does not need to be "insanely great" . All of your work is actually on the remote computer, and I assumes this includes your VMs and/or Docker containers as well? In that case, any large screen laptop should be fine, and you can save some $$$ if you look at a Windows-based system. I wouldn't recommend any M1-based Mac if you see a need for running local VMs at this point in time. Unless you are targeting macOS or iOS (or one of its derivatives), you don't need a Mac as your dev machine. If you are a web-developer, your host machine (of course) doesn't really matter again, and you could use a large-screen Windows laptop for that as well.

The problem with *any* Mac purchase consideration, is RAM. Apple has a fairly large mark-up on RAM upgrades, and with the new M1 Pro/Max it even gets tricky. If you want 64 GBs, you have to pay the upgrade price ($400) AND the upgrade price to an M1 Max (at least another $200) making it a $600 minimum upgrade price!. If you opt for the 32-core GPU Max, it is a total of $800! Then you also have the cost of SSD upgrades, but I won't dive into that .

Unless you are considering switching to doing your development work on your machine locally, vices remotely, getting the 16 GB base model will probably be just fine. Really you only will need the 32+GBs if you plan on running VMs or docker containers (which would have to be ARM based) locally, and Chrome is a RAM hog. Switch to a better browser or use Safari and that will help too. If you want to do Mac or iOS dev (which is what I am targeting), the 32 GBs will work nicely with that. I do have one Windows 11 ARM VM, but I only use 1 piece of software with it. Everything else is a mix of Rosetta and Universal applications.

Since you are price conscious, I would suggest you steer away from the 64GB option at this point. That is a steep investment, and nothing in your workload suggests you need that much RAM anyway. If you really want to run 12 Docker containers locally, then maybe you should look at 64 GBs?

You should also consider paying for AppleCare, if you purchase your Mac from Apple, you can postpone that purchase for up to 60 days after receiving it. With the cost of out-of-warranty repairs, and the fact that this is a gen1 product, I almost think AppleCare is a necessity. I will add it to mine after the new year.

To make a long post longer... I am currently running the following dev environment on mine:

Xcode (duh!)
VS Code (ARM)
Unreal Engine 4.27 (Rosetta)

Good luck!

BTW, the Liquid Retina XDR display is AWESOME!!!

Rich S.

 

[McScooby]

If it goes anything like iPhone/iPad/Watch rollouts before then gen 2/3 will obliterate gen 1, get what u think u need pro & 32GB, then trade-up in a few years. If u keep a machine for 10 years it’s roughly £200 per year, upgrading every couple prob runs at £300 per year. The analogy of the max chip doing things faster in less time would stand true here, by upgrading your productivity time decreases therefore it’s worth your money to do so.