Hi. My daughter is interested in digital art and will be doing a program through the New York Film Institute this Fall. We need to buy her a new computer for the program, we’re just not sure which one. This computer would mainly be ours since we need a new one, but she would borrow it for her artwork. We are trying to decide between the 2019 16” vs the 2020 13”. We figure she could use the larger screen for the artwork, so the ultimate question is, is the 2019 MBP better for artwork vs the newer, smaller model? Our needs other than the artwork are very minimal and could be done solely on an iPad. We’d rather not wait for a computer that hasn’t been released yet since we don’t know when that will happen.
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Which MB pro to get?
- Thread starter SHirsch999
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I would strongly recommend you get your daughter her own machine. Assuming you want a computer for home use and also one she can use in her art and film studies. Well, her needs will differ from yours. Also, a computer used for work is a very person item. What if she wants to work on a project while you are using a computer? The new iPad would serve well for home use.
Besides that recommendation, I would also suggest you find out more about the requirements for her artwork. What applications will she be running? Will she be working with video? If so, to what degree?
The key difference between the two, aside from the screen real estate, is the inclusion of a dedicated GPU in the larger mac, which will transfer into a much better performance when working with GPU intensive application. Otherwise they are both solid machines. The downside to the 16” is weight and size. If she has to take it with her to school everyday, it could be a factor. You could also get a 4K monitor or even the 5K UltraFine and connect to it at home. In which case, the smaller MacBook may be a better option (again, depending on what applications she plans on using).
Besides that recommendation, I would also suggest you find out more about the requirements for her artwork. What applications will she be running? Will she be working with video? If so, to what degree?
The key difference between the two, aside from the screen real estate, is the inclusion of a dedicated GPU in the larger mac, which will transfer into a much better performance when working with GPU intensive application. Otherwise they are both solid machines. The downside to the 16” is weight and size. If she has to take it with her to school everyday, it could be a factor. You could also get a 4K monitor or even the 5K UltraFine and connect to it at home. In which case, the smaller MacBook may be a better option (again, depending on what applications she plans on using).
I can definitely see her getting pissed off when you accidentally close her tabs or a unsaved program 😂 I’m with the post above, get her her own computer
Have you considered two lower spec 13 inches? The new 13 inch 2020s might be popping up as refurbs now, and that would give both you your own systems. You could pair each with inexpensive external displays if you need more screen space (you can get some very nice QHD displays for cheap.) The 16 inch screen is a major advantage, but you can about get two 13 inches for the price of a single 16, and if you are not doing intensive work, it sounds like major spec upgrades might not be necessary.
You could reach out to the New York Film Institute and see what the minimum specifications that they recommend for their program (if any). How old is your daughter (grade level)? I agree with the others, plan to have her have 100% use of the computer while she is taking the class (or any other classes that require computers). Having her have to "borrow" the computer can be a pain for both daughter and parents.
This will sound like heresy, but if impact on your household budget is a concern, you can also look at Windows based machines and compare specs and obtain a non-Apple machine for much less than the MBPs. The difference between Windows and Mac OS graphics programs/displays has gotten much smaller over the years.
This will sound like heresy, but if impact on your household budget is a concern, you can also look at Windows based machines and compare specs and obtain a non-Apple machine for much less than the MBPs. The difference between Windows and Mac OS graphics programs/displays has gotten much smaller over the years.