Two computers: M4 Mac mini/Studio for home and M4 MBA/MBP for school

[Acronyc]

I use two Macs. I have an M4 Pro mini (base spec) for home and an M2 Air (16/256) for travel. I used to have an M1 Max 14-inch MBP as a single computer, but I never ended up taking it anywhere because of how expensive it was and it turned out to be a bit bulkier than I liked. It just sat tethered to my desk almost every day for over three years. I came to the realization that I didn't need a laptop at home, but still wanted one when I travel.

So, I sold my M1 Max MBP when the new mini came out and replaced it with the M4 Pro mini for home and the M2 Air for travel (I got a great deal on at the time, at least for Europe). For file syncing, I use a combination of iCloud and my NAS. I haven't had any issues so far and much prefer this setup.

It was also much cheaper. The combination of the M4 Pro mini and M2 Air was over 1,000 CHF less than just my M1 Max MBP cost me when new.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

That’s it, you said! Everything could have been done with only one external display with multiple windows, you do this only because it’s cool. Finally we got it, I’m glad to hear that.

To do my job, I need my energy rating program open, which needs one screen, the bigger the better, for the layout and data tab, I need AutoCAD on the second screen, and I still need somewhere for Safari for looking up all the minor technical details that are important. I can get away with two 28" screens, but it's much easier with three screens.

Some jobs just need more screen space.

 

[dmccloud]

That’s it, you said! Everything could have been done with only one external display with multiple windows, you do this only because it’s cool. Finally we got it, I’m glad to hear that.

You should really stop ascribing meaning to the words of others that doesn't exist. Very few people who do coding, development or streaming use just one display because it's inefficient to have to switch between multiple windows using alt-tab or Command-tab. Likewise, it would be dumb to use a single monitor when I am using both my Mac and Windows PC at the same time.

 

[dmccloud]

To do my job, I need my energy rating program open, which needs one screen, the bigger the better, for the layout and data tab, I need AutoCAD on the second screen, and I still need somewhere for Safari for looking up all the minor technical details that are important. I can get away with two 28" screens, but it's much easier with three screens.

Some jobs just need more screen space.

That guy will never understand, because it doesn't fit into his narrow worldview...

 

[ignatius345]

I'm not sure if anyone actually does this but here we go: Is it practical to do primary work on a desktop at home but take a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro to school? How do you manage version control of files? Do you manually copy things over?

During COVID, all classes moved online and this worked really well for me. I may have to attend classes in person and this obviously necessitates a laptop but I don't want to spend too much money on one machine like an M4 Max MBP as I may damage it or it may get stolen. I prefer to run 3-4 4K monitors at home so I would either have to buy an M4 Max machine or an M3 Pro mini (the latter can support 3 monitors).

I'm thinking of getting an M4 Pro MBP or M4 MBA for the classes and then a Mac mini or Studio for use when I get home. Is this setup feasible or does it present unnecessary complexity? Anyone actually do this and do you recommend it?

Been doing this for quite a few years now and love it. I used to do the "docked laptop" thing, but always found it kind of a PITA. Inevitably I'd go to grab the MacBook and find it was in the middle of a backup, or didn't want to eject the drive I had attached.

Now I just have an iMac sitting there 24/7. It houses all my media files, handles streaming video to my Apple TV, and is doing regular backups. All that frees my laptop to be a machine I can forget about in my backpack for a couple days if I want, but at the same time because of cloud syncing it has access to most everything that's on the iMac.

My current two machines are an M4 iMac and an M1 Air -- soon to upgraded to an M4 Air.

I'm syncing files with a combination of iCloud Drive (for my personal files) and Google Drive (for my work files) on separate user accounts.

Generally cloud syncing has gotten good enough that I rarely worry these days about things being in sync. I used to use Dropbox, but iCloud Drive has started to get a lot better recently. The recent addition of "pinned" files and folders with iCloud has it finally starting to catch up. It's generally very reliable for me these days.

I use Google Drive on my work account because that's what my employer set us up with. It's generally ok, but sometimes gets pretty balky, and most everyone on my work team (all Mac-based) has at some point had the Google Drive app melt down, and has had to resync everything. Not a great experience, but it does mesh well with Google Docs and Sheets, which we use a lot.

 

[ignatius345]

So you are a wall Street trader? Or only someone who wants three external display just because it’s cool?

Pretty sure there are other jobs besides "wall Street trader" that can benefit from multiple displays. Basically anything where one needs to look at a bunch of things happening without switching between windows. Whether or not it looks "cool" is purely subjective and irrelevant to the topic.

 

[Mity]

The National Weather Service...

Or Amazon...

Or any other white collar job where people use computers.

 

[Adelphos33]

When I was making this decision, I came to conclusion the 24" iMac, plus a laptop for travel, works best for me.

1) The 24" iMac cost as much as a monitor, keyboard and trackpad
2) I keep my laptop in a second bedroom / home office, and my iMac in my living room

I sync files lately through Dropbox

My iMac is my main Mac, with the laptop for use while traveling, outside, different rooms in the house, etc.

I love the simplicity of just sitting at my iMac and working without having to deal with plugging in a laptop

 

[dmccloud]

Here's some additional examples where multiple monitors are necessary...

Network Operations Control Center (ISPs):




Air Traffic Control:



TV Production:



When I was an ITS lead for a cable company/ISP/cellular provider, all leads had dual monitor setups. Given how many things we needed to use on a regular basis, multiple monitors was a necessity rather than a luxury.

 

[Chancha]

LOL what even is this. It is 2025 not 1999. An external display can be as cheap as $0, pick a few up in a recycle center. Or if you are inclined, a run of the mill 1080p is like $80 each.

There are so many legitimate * amateur * use cases of needing multiple displays that don't necessitates using high quality ones, the task just happen to be easier if more discrete panes are there to display everything at once, but one screen at a time vs scrambling everything across a single pane.

 

[wyrdness]

I can't really see the point in having 2 Macs. Have you considered using a displaylink dock for the additional screen? It's also very easy to switch virtual desktops in Mac using ctrl-right/left arrows, as it's unlikely that you're looking at all of the screens at once!

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I'm not sure if anyone actually does this but here we go: Is it practical to do primary work on a desktop at home but take a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro to school? How do you manage version control of files? Do you manually copy things over?

During COVID, all classes moved online and this worked really well for me. I may have to attend classes in person and this obviously necessitates a laptop but I don't want to spend too much money on one machine like an M4 Max MBP as I may damage it or it may get stolen. I prefer to run 3-4 4K monitors at home so I would either have to buy an M4 Max machine or an M3 Pro mini (the latter can support 3 monitors).

I'm thinking of getting an M4 Pro MBP or M4 MBA for the classes and then a Mac mini or Studio for use when I get home. Is this setup feasible or does it present unnecessary complexity? Anyone actually do this and do you recommend it?

This would actually be my ideal setup. My work is a mix of at home and out, and a Mac Studio at home with some more RAM, and a good chunk more GPU horsepower would be fantastic. My M3 Pro MacBook is great, and with a 13” iPad Air, is good for when I’m out (in addition to the monitor I plug into there).

It might take a year or two to make this a reality. I need to finish my accreditation, and get working first…

I already use iCloud to keep my files sorted between my MacBook Pro, iPhone, and iPad. It’s come in super handy when I’m out and I get a request for an urgent work document. I can just send them from my phone wherever I am.

 

[Mity]

I can't really see the point in having 2 Macs. Have you considered using a displaylink dock for the additional screen? It's also very easy to switch virtual desktops in Mac using ctrl-right/left arrows, as it's unlikely that you're looking at all of the screens at once!

I did look into this. The issue I came across was that it can make the USB-C port hot and utilize a non-insignificant portion of CPU, making the machine run hotter. I don't know in practice how much of these are issues, though.

 

[norbinhouston]

Two Macs is the way to go. That's why you bought into the eco system, right?

 

[Mity]

Two Macs is the way to go. That's why you bought into the eco system, right?

Not sure if you're being serious or condescending but I think having two computers is always a good idea, whether Mac or PC. I like to keep a computer dedicated for personal use like financial management, family photos, etc. that I don't ever take out of the house. Imagine losing your one laptop that contains all of your documents. Why risk not only theft of the device but also your personal information? Also, SSD failures happen! Not only do I have two computers but I have multiple Time Machine backups.

 

[xraydoc]

Your considerations are totally out of this world.

3 external monitors are not used neither by a Wall Street trader, please stop taking this as a reason for your doubts, simply admit your are a victim of Apple commercials and consider a better way to spend your money.

I use three 27" displays on my home Mac. I see nothing weird about that at all. One center landscape display for main work, one side portrait display for PDFs & research reference, one landscape side display for mail, calendar, Discord, iMessage, my Zoom Workplace chatbox, etc.

 

[xraydoc]

Not sure if you're being serious or condescending but I think having two computers is always a good idea, whether Mac or PC. I like to keep a computer dedicated for personal use like financial management, family photos, etc. that I don't ever take out of the house. Imagine losing your one laptop that contains all of your documents. Why risk not only theft of the device but also your personal information? Also, SSD failures happen! Not only do I have two computers but I have multiple Time Machine backups.

I had been using my 14" MacBook Pro M3 Max as my only Mac for the last year. Just had my M4 Max Studio delivered a few days ago, which is awesome. Since I no longer really need such a powerful laptop (now that I've got the desktop machine), I may trade it in for an M4 MacBook Air. The swap through Apple's trade-in program would be nearly net zero. Yes, I'd be losing a bit to bump up the RAM and it would be a slower machine, but the weight savings & thinness might push me to do it.

 

[Abazigal]

Not sure if you're being serious or condescending but I think having two computers is always a good idea, whether Mac or PC. I like to keep a computer dedicated for personal use like financial management, family photos, etc. that I don't ever take out of the house. Imagine losing your one laptop that contains all of your documents. Why risk not only theft of the device but also your personal information? Also, SSD failures happen! Not only do I have two computers but I have multiple Time Machine backups.

I think it depends on why you got both.

Like when I switch to the Mac, I started with the 27" iMac. It had a huge, gorgeous display, and decent specs all around. I was also living with my parents, and do shared it with my dad. I would later get a MBA (2012 model), and it was portable, but I couldn't imagine using it as my only computer. So my iMac did the heavy lifting at home, while my MBA was the light, portable computer I could bring out of the house with me.

But if you are getting them just for personal use, I struggle to see the point of buying say, both an M4 MBA and M4 Mac mini. Both are going to be connected to an external display, both have the same specs, and you can just get a hub to get around the lack of ports for your laptop.

I get the idea of always having a backup, and that's what cloud storage is for. But by and large, I find apple silicon good enough that it makes the value proposition of an apple silicon desktop a lot less appealing these days.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I think it depends on why you got both.

Like when I switch to the Mac, I started with the 27" iMac. It had a huge, gorgeous display, and decent specs all around. I was also living with my parents, and do shared it with my dad. I would later get a MBA (2012 model), and it was portable, but I couldn't imagine using it as my only computer. So my iMac did the heavy lifting at home, while my MBA was the light, portable computer I could bring out of the house with me.

But if you are getting them just for personal use, I struggle to see the point of buying say, both an M4 MBA and M4 Mac mini. Both are going to be connected to an external display, both have the same specs, and you can just get a hub to get around the lack of ports for your laptop.

I get the idea of always having a backup, and that's what cloud storage is for. But by and large, I find apple silicon good enough that it makes the value proposition of an apple silicon desktop a lot less appealing these days.

I agree with you that the capabilities of Apple Silicon laptops make having a desktop much less necessary. It doesn't negate the convenience factor though. I'd love a Mac Studio so when I'm at home I just need to sit down and start working, there's nothing to set up, and conversely, I don't have to unplug everything from my MacBook in order to work away from home.

Alas, I can't afford one, so I just have to be satisfied with the fantastic performance and battery life of my M3 Pro, and get comfortable with constantly plugging and unplugging cables. 😆

Maybe one day I'll get a dock.

 

[Mity]

I think it depends on why you got both.

Like when I switch to the Mac, I started with the 27" iMac. It had a huge, gorgeous display, and decent specs all around. I was also living with my parents, and do shared it with my dad. I would later get a MBA (2012 model), and it was portable, but I couldn't imagine using it as my only computer. So my iMac did the heavy lifting at home, while my MBA was the light, portable computer I could bring out of the house with me.

But if you are getting them just for personal use, I struggle to see the point of buying say, both an M4 MBA and M4 Mac mini. Both are going to be connected to an external display, both have the same specs, and you can just get a hub to get around the lack of ports for your laptop.

I get the idea of always having a backup, and that's what cloud storage is for. But by and large, I find apple silicon good enough that it makes the value proposition of an apple silicon desktop a lot less appealing these days.

I agree with you that the capabilities of Apple Silicon laptops make having a desktop much less necessary. It doesn't negate the convenience factor though. I'd love a Mac Studio so when I'm at home I just need to sit down and start working, there's nothing to set up, and conversely, I don't have to unplug everything from my MacBook in order to work away from home.

Alas, I can't afford one, so I just have to be satisfied with the fantastic performance and battery life of my M3 Pro, and get comfortable with constantly plugging and unplugging cables. 😆

Maybe one day I'll get a dock.

Yah, the Air + mini doesn't seem like a useful arrangement for power considerations but the Air + Studio shows why that would be helpful.

I also don't use iCloud for any sensitive information. I will NEVER put my tax returns and family photos in any cloud repository, always physical. That may not prevent data being lost in fires or other disasters but it will prevent data being lost to hackers.

 

[subjonas]

I like the desktop + laptop combo for myself. I work away from my desk almost all the time, and I need decent power, and screen real estate is never enough, so I have a 16” MBP. At my desk I have a Mac Mini, which mainly serves as my file/media hub. I automatically sync data between my MBP and Mini via cloud—personal stuff with iCloud and work stuff with Gdrive. All my data ends up on my Mini, and since it’s always sitting at my desk, it’s always versioning all my data onto my Time Machine drive, which gives me peace of mind. And I really appreciate having a desktop and laptop that are both always ready to be used without any setup or breakdown, fixing window arrangement, having to check if backups are in progress so I can eject disks, etc.
Since right now I rarely work at my desk, I’m ok with working on my lower-powered Mini on the rare occasion that I do, or setting up my higher-powered MBP at my desk if needed. But at some point I want to try to work at my desk more often since it’s more ideal with my big monitors. In that case I’d upgrade my Mini to a Studio which will be even quicker than my MBP. I’d keep the MBP for working on the go as well. It would be an (even more) expensive setup, but for me it would be worth it.

Regarding the narrow-minded and condescending posts in this thread, there’s always at least a few that pop up in every one. They’re insufferable (maybe trolling). It’s fine to offer up alternatives but it’s really obnoxious to jump to that first without answering the OP’s primary question (file sync issues, in case some of you forgot). Also it would likely make you look a lot less foolish if you ask questions to try to understand the OP’s situation instead of making incredibly broad assumptions and assuming everyone is like you. And that way if you do still end up offering up an alternative solution, it’s much more relevant and helpful. Bottom line (and this gets repeated ad nauseam but somehow still needs to be repeated): just remember everyone’s situations and needs and quirks and preferences are different.

 

[theorist9]

Not sure if you're being serious or condescending but I think having two computers is always a good idea, whether Mac or PC. I like to keep a computer dedicated for personal use like financial management, family photos, etc. that I don't ever take out of the house. Imagine losing your one laptop that contains all of your documents. Why risk not only theft of the device but also your personal information? Also, SSD failures happen! Not only do I have two computers but I have multiple Time Machine backups.

There are certainly people who benefit from two devices. When I next upgrade I'll probably go for a M4 Max Studio at home plus an MBA for mobile use, rather than a single M4 Max MBP.

I need a powerful desktop at home to do my heavy lifting (including driving three full-sized displays, which the MBA can't do). Plus an M4 Max MBP, when driven hard, can get noisy; the M4 Max Studio reportedly doesn't. And I like the idea of having a light and (relatively) inexpensive laptop for mobile use, since if something happens to it I'm losing a $1k MBA instead of a $4k MBP.

Having said that, I respectfully disagree with your reason for having two computers (protection against data loss), since if you had proper backups you could own just one comptuer, and none of what you are describing would be an issue. And everyone should have proper backups. [The very fact that you believe you need a 2nd computer to have your data properly backed up indicates you yourself believe the backups you have for your primary are insufficient.]

I personally have a directly-attached local drive that gets backed up nightly, and a remotely-stored drive I keep in a safety deposit box, which I refresh monthly (I actually have a pair of these, and swap them out, so there is always a drive in the safety deposit box); and I have my Desktop and Documents folders backed up via iCloud. That way I'm protected even in case of fire or theft, which your system of having a computer that's always at home may not, if the 2nd computer happens to be home as well.

If, on the other hand, you have a computer-based job, then it's a good idea to have a device backup so you don't lose income if the device needs repair. But that's a device functionality backup; i.e., its purpose is different from what you described.

In summary, if you just want to protect your data, then all you need is a proper backup system. That's more robust and protective than having a 2nd computer.

 

[Abazigal]

I like the desktop + laptop combo for myself. I work away from my desk almost all the time, and I need decent power, and screen real estate is never enough, so I have a 16” MBP. At my desk I have a Mac Mini, which mainly serves as my file/media hub. I automatically sync data between my MBP and Mini via cloud—personal stuff with iCloud and work stuff with Gdrive. All my data ends up on my Mini, and since it’s always sitting at my desk, it’s always versioning all my data onto my Time Machine drive, which gives me peace of mind. And I really appreciate having a desktop and laptop that are both always ready to be used without any setup or breakdown, fixing window arrangement, having to check if backups are in progress so I can eject disks, etc.

Were I living by myself, an iMac + iPad combination would likely suffice, but this also because my job issues me a windows laptop for work-related tasks. You do seem to have a fairly comprehensive process for managing your data. I just save everything in onedrive, and I find I generally don't really need to worry about having multiple backups or be able to revert to an earlier version of a particular document.

During the pandemic, my school switched to online classes, and that was where my 27" iMac shone. It's just nice having everything in one integrated package (webcam, speakers, huge display for displaying a zoom window + multiple other windows), and zoom was taking turns to fry the displays of my colleagues' tablet laptops one by one because of all the heat being generated.

My MBA rarely ever leaves home these days, so I could conceivably get away with getting the heavy lifting done at home on a desktop, then accessing them on my iPad when it's time for lessons. Sadly, it seems like the modern iMacs get only the M4 chips, while the Mac minis can be upgraded to the Mx chips for better performance. And there's that dilemma about what to do with the iMac display when it's time to upgrade. I am still facing the exact same issue now where my dad has more or less commandeered my 2017 27" iMac since he's spending more time at home now, it still more than suffices for his needs (watching YouTube and browsing the web), and there's no clear and affordable upgrade path for me.

Can someone tell me why no one else seems to be making affordable 5k integrated displays other than Apple, but 4k monitors seem so commonplace? Too niche a market?

 

[subjonas]

Were I living by myself, an iMac + iPad combination would likely suffice, but this also because my job issues me a windows laptop for work-related tasks. You do seem to have a fairly comprehensive process for managing your data. I just save everything in onedrive, and I find I generally don't really need to worry about having multiple backups or be able to revert to an earlier version of a particular document.

For sure everyone has different needs. Some cloud based apps have versioning built-in, and many people have no need for versioning at all. I do need versioning as I work on somewhat long-term complex projects. I also need versioning as a safeguard against data loss from buggy apps. Years ago one of my iOS note-taking apps somehow deleted the contents of one of my notes, and I was only able to retrieve (most of) the contents of the note by restoring an older version of an iPhone backup to my iPhone and then exporting the older version of the note.

During the pandemic, my school switched to online classes, and that was where my 27" iMac shone. It's just nice having everything in one integrated package (webcam, speakers, huge display for displaying a zoom window + multiple other windows), and zoom was taking turns to fry the displays of my colleagues' tablet laptops one by one because of all the heat being generated.

My MBA rarely ever leaves home these days, so I could conceivably get away with getting the heavy lifting done at home on a desktop, then accessing them on my iPad when it's time for lessons. Sadly, it seems like the modern iMacs get only the M4 chips, while the Mac minis can be upgraded to the Mx chips for better performance. And there's that dilemma about what to do with the iMac display when it's time to upgrade. I am still facing the exact same issue now where my dad has more or less commandeered my 2017 27" iMac since he's spending more time at home now, it still more than suffices for his needs (watching YouTube and browsing the web), and there's no clear and affordable upgrade path for me.

Can someone tell me why no one else seems to be making affordable 5k integrated displays other than Apple, but 4k monitors seem so commonplace? Too niche a market?

I definitely see the value of an AIO desktop, although yes there is the tradeoff of not being able to upgrade isolated components. I think you meant “Mac minis can be upgraded to the Mx Pro chips for better performance”, right? I actually thought the 24” iMac would receive a Pro chip after the Mini did, but maybe the iMac has too poor of thermals.

Not sure why other companies (and now neither Apple) don’t make a 5K AIO, but my guess is it’s a combination of 4K panels being cheaper to make/purchase and 4K being good enough for most AIO target buyers.