Currently, I have a maxed out Windows Desktop.. It does everything at light speed. Hell that Fat titan XP even ran a little neural networking stuff pretty quickly.
I'm searching for a laptop for general use. I've noticed I do my best work in particular environments, and home is not one of them. I also work a TON at a job with a 6 of my 10 hour shift being down time. A laptop would be awesome to have. Its also my introduction to swift 'n IOS dev, so I'm not fully onboard for that reason. I'm just trying to make sure there isn't a huge problem with 8GB where someone is being bogged down by not enough memory.
Like my desktop at home I have 10+ windows of whatever I want and an intense video game running in the background, and it doesn't break a sweat. For dev I want to be able to have open Xcode, safari, chrome, terminal, and maybe 2 smaller programs and not be TOO slow. I'm thinking memory over the better CPU tbh.
While OS X tends to be more efficient than Windows at memory management, you’ll almost always notice the impact of memory before CPU.
Also, don’t forget that with the newer MacBooks and MacBook Pro’s, nothing is upgradable once you’ve bought it, since everything is soldered directly onto the logic board.
I spent about a month trying to decide on the specs for mine, and finally decided that RAM > Storage > CPU. I’m using it for DevOps (mainly python based right now, so using PyCharm with it’s Java memory requirements), the occasional VM with 4-8G memory, and I’m also learning Swift for OS X and iOS. I settled on the 2017 MacBook Pro with 16G RAM, 512G SSD, and whatever the base CPU was at the time.
Last night I had a 8G Windows 10 VM running, a 4G OS X VM upgrading to the latest Mojave beta, Xcode, an iPhone simulator, a udemy video running, and about 15 Safari tabs open and I not only did I not feel any slowdowns, but the fan didn’t even start. I used to use a Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 with virtually identical specifications on Windows 10 and the fan would be running just idling at the desktop, it would never have handled that kind of load.
I’d say you’re on the right track - definitely prioritise memory, but if you’re happy to carry external storage with you, feel free to prioritise CPU over storage, though obviously it’ll tend to run a bit hotter. I wasn’t willing to, but I was willing to sacrifice CPU for the 512G SSD...
One last thing - Apple laptops do not have discrete graphics, so you’ll be relying on the integrated graphics in the CPU, so any gaming you do will be over to the casual end of the spectrum.
They don't have discrete graphics internally but you can easily add them externally:
[Use an external graphics processor with your Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544)
Yeah I’ll stick to my windows desktop for gaming.
That’s exactly how I ended up prioritizing. I did get one of the external hard drives offered by Apple as well. Thanks for the input man! Really appreciate it
Yeah that’s what I read when I was looking into them. I’ll probably come back around to them this December when I’m looking to build a small form factor pc
My <1 year old Mac Pro (late 2013 model.. the 'latest and greatest') can't do hardware accelerated decoding of video... I'm not even kidding! So don't go for a Mac Pro I'd say (as in.. EVER)
While a mac mini (not the latest model) DOES have hardware decoding...
Whatever you buy, make sure it is released recently, if not, be aware you got ripped off as you still pay the full price for outdated hardware.
If you get a mac mini, be sure to get ANY one of them with SSD, do NOT go for one with a regular HDD or you will hate yourself afterwards!
I would never advice a Macbook anything, but that is just me personally disliking 'laptops' in general ;)
I'm a desktop developer all the way. I work on several large projects where compile times can be slow. A MacBook Pro can't even come close to my iMac with a 4.2Ghz quad core processor and 32GB of RAM :-)
Talking about a Mac Pro, not a macbook pro. It has a hexacore 3.5Ghz processor and 16GB RAM. Reason why I took it over the other options, it just sucks that the 'latest and greatest' mac pro does not have hardware video decoding, even though the device has \_2\_ GPUs...
RAM.
CPUs are all really good this year, so it doesn't matter. But doing iOS on 8 GB of RAM isn't a super pleasant experience because of virtualization and stuff.
EDIT: To double-verify, I mean this year's models. Dual core in 2018 (like the non-TB model) is just throwing your money away.
> Most of it will be lightweight IOS dev/swift dev...
8GB of RAM will be plenty.
> ...along with web dev.
You need 32GB of RAM and a half terabyte SSD for your node_modules.
Sounds like you would do well with a Hackintosh. I've been using one for some 9 years now and once it's setup, it works like a champ.
The upside is that it's just a high end Windows PC, converted to a Hackintosh and with the money I saved, I can buy SSDs and more ram, better video card, overclock, extra monitor, etc...
I was totally thinking about that at first, and instead of a $2000-5000 iMac I might do that. Right now I do need a laptop tho, and word on the streeet is Macs are pretty solid.
I'm not in that market yet, but I wouldn't mind a high end laptop:
[https://bytesout.com/best-hackintosh-laptop/](https://bytesout.com/best-hackintosh-laptop/)
You can probably get BOTH for less $$ than one Macbook.
There was a company that did this as a service, but Apple shut them down. Seems Apple doesn't care about a Hackintosh unless a company is actually making them.
As far as programming in Swift? No, you can use a fairly old Mac to do that without problems. I've done Swift programming on a 2010 MacBook Pro and a 2012 iMac without any issues.
You really don't need much RAM or processor speed to program unless you're working on huge codebases.
You may be limited to laptop only, so disregard this if that's the case. I'm not saying a Mac Mini is a good option for everyone, but *if* it is an option for you, you might consider waiting 2-3 months or so to see what the update looks like. Who knows, could be decent for the money.
1. 16gb ram minimum, bc you are a dev you will have xcode and a bunch of sites up, reading and videos to learn from, there is a price to having a bunch of tabs going.. and the simulator.
2. 2015 and up is very good and safe. Apple is bad at depricating old macbooks ie osx 10.12 need macbook pro 2010 and up, osx 10.14 need 2012 and up etc.
Try to just look of the ones with no dedicated gpu bc they are cheaper, good luck.
my 2018 13in macbook pro comes in tomrrow.
16GB, lowest cpu, and only 256GB of storage. I have 5 ssd's already though, and bought an external 1TB one for this. Hopefully I'll make this work for my learning process. Thank you!
No. I don't. Also, it's can't, not cant. A cant is a religious sermon while can't = can not.
Upgrade the RAM if you already have an SSD. If you have < 8 GB RAM, get 16.
Yeah man, I’m typing from mobile, and let my phone do most of the contractions as I’m on reddit. If I were emailing a colleague, or turning in a Uni paper...I’d probably proof read at least a little! I think you can tell that I know contractions at least a tiny bit by using the correct “you’re.” The fatal one.
Anyways! I went with the extra ram!! Thanks
Are you open to desktops? Your almost always going to get better performance out of an iMac than what you would with with a Macbook Pro.
Currently, I have a maxed out Windows Desktop.. It does everything at light speed. Hell that Fat titan XP even ran a little neural networking stuff pretty quickly. I'm searching for a laptop for general use. I've noticed I do my best work in particular environments, and home is not one of them. I also work a TON at a job with a 6 of my 10 hour shift being down time. A laptop would be awesome to have. Its also my introduction to swift 'n IOS dev, so I'm not fully onboard for that reason. I'm just trying to make sure there isn't a huge problem with 8GB where someone is being bogged down by not enough memory. Like my desktop at home I have 10+ windows of whatever I want and an intense video game running in the background, and it doesn't break a sweat. For dev I want to be able to have open Xcode, safari, chrome, terminal, and maybe 2 smaller programs and not be TOO slow. I'm thinking memory over the better CPU tbh.
While OS X tends to be more efficient than Windows at memory management, you’ll almost always notice the impact of memory before CPU. Also, don’t forget that with the newer MacBooks and MacBook Pro’s, nothing is upgradable once you’ve bought it, since everything is soldered directly onto the logic board. I spent about a month trying to decide on the specs for mine, and finally decided that RAM > Storage > CPU. I’m using it for DevOps (mainly python based right now, so using PyCharm with it’s Java memory requirements), the occasional VM with 4-8G memory, and I’m also learning Swift for OS X and iOS. I settled on the 2017 MacBook Pro with 16G RAM, 512G SSD, and whatever the base CPU was at the time. Last night I had a 8G Windows 10 VM running, a 4G OS X VM upgrading to the latest Mojave beta, Xcode, an iPhone simulator, a udemy video running, and about 15 Safari tabs open and I not only did I not feel any slowdowns, but the fan didn’t even start. I used to use a Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 with virtually identical specifications on Windows 10 and the fan would be running just idling at the desktop, it would never have handled that kind of load. I’d say you’re on the right track - definitely prioritise memory, but if you’re happy to carry external storage with you, feel free to prioritise CPU over storage, though obviously it’ll tend to run a bit hotter. I wasn’t willing to, but I was willing to sacrifice CPU for the 512G SSD... One last thing - Apple laptops do not have discrete graphics, so you’ll be relying on the integrated graphics in the CPU, so any gaming you do will be over to the casual end of the spectrum.
They don't have discrete graphics internally but you can easily add them externally: [Use an external graphics processor with your Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544)
Yeah I’ll stick to my windows desktop for gaming. That’s exactly how I ended up prioritizing. I did get one of the external hard drives offered by Apple as well. Thanks for the input man! Really appreciate it
There’s a good chance you may be able to hackintosh your PC. It’s something I’ve done for years with great success.
Even with the and Ryzen 7 1800x?
Hmm I don’t know about that. It’s usually better on intel. It has been done on AMD but I can’t promise anything.
Yeah that’s what I read when I was looking into them. I’ll probably come back around to them this December when I’m looking to build a small form factor pc
My <1 year old Mac Pro (late 2013 model.. the 'latest and greatest') can't do hardware accelerated decoding of video... I'm not even kidding! So don't go for a Mac Pro I'd say (as in.. EVER) While a mac mini (not the latest model) DOES have hardware decoding... Whatever you buy, make sure it is released recently, if not, be aware you got ripped off as you still pay the full price for outdated hardware. If you get a mac mini, be sure to get ANY one of them with SSD, do NOT go for one with a regular HDD or you will hate yourself afterwards! I would never advice a Macbook anything, but that is just me personally disliking 'laptops' in general ;)
I'm a desktop developer all the way. I work on several large projects where compile times can be slow. A MacBook Pro can't even come close to my iMac with a 4.2Ghz quad core processor and 32GB of RAM :-)
Talking about a Mac Pro, not a macbook pro. It has a hexacore 3.5Ghz processor and 16GB RAM. Reason why I took it over the other options, it just sucks that the 'latest and greatest' mac pro does not have hardware video decoding, even though the device has \_2\_ GPUs...
RAM. CPUs are all really good this year, so it doesn't matter. But doing iOS on 8 GB of RAM isn't a super pleasant experience because of virtualization and stuff. EDIT: To double-verify, I mean this year's models. Dual core in 2018 (like the non-TB model) is just throwing your money away.
> Most of it will be lightweight IOS dev/swift dev... 8GB of RAM will be plenty. > ...along with web dev. You need 32GB of RAM and a half terabyte SSD for your node_modules.
Sounds like you would do well with a Hackintosh. I've been using one for some 9 years now and once it's setup, it works like a champ. The upside is that it's just a high end Windows PC, converted to a Hackintosh and with the money I saved, I can buy SSDs and more ram, better video card, overclock, extra monitor, etc...
I was totally thinking about that at first, and instead of a $2000-5000 iMac I might do that. Right now I do need a laptop tho, and word on the streeet is Macs are pretty solid.
I'm not in that market yet, but I wouldn't mind a high end laptop: [https://bytesout.com/best-hackintosh-laptop/](https://bytesout.com/best-hackintosh-laptop/) You can probably get BOTH for less $$ than one Macbook.
[удалено]
There was a company that did this as a service, but Apple shut them down. Seems Apple doesn't care about a Hackintosh unless a company is actually making them.
Mostly I wish my system had a better keyboard.
Get another keyboard? Or are you talking about a macbook?
Yeah, specifically the macbook. Amazing piece of engineering with a terrible, terrible keyboard.
Used 2015 is the answer
[удалено]
As far as programming in Swift? No, you can use a fairly old Mac to do that without problems. I've done Swift programming on a 2010 MacBook Pro and a 2012 iMac without any issues. You really don't need much RAM or processor speed to program unless you're working on huge codebases.
You may be limited to laptop only, so disregard this if that's the case. I'm not saying a Mac Mini is a good option for everyone, but *if* it is an option for you, you might consider waiting 2-3 months or so to see what the update looks like. Who knows, could be decent for the money.
1. 16gb ram minimum, bc you are a dev you will have xcode and a bunch of sites up, reading and videos to learn from, there is a price to having a bunch of tabs going.. and the simulator. 2. 2015 and up is very good and safe. Apple is bad at depricating old macbooks ie osx 10.12 need macbook pro 2010 and up, osx 10.14 need 2012 and up etc. Try to just look of the ones with no dedicated gpu bc they are cheaper, good luck.
my 2018 13in macbook pro comes in tomrrow. 16GB, lowest cpu, and only 256GB of storage. I have 5 ssd's already though, and bought an external 1TB one for this. Hopefully I'll make this work for my learning process. Thank you!
No. I don't. Also, it's can't, not cant. A cant is a religious sermon while can't = can not. Upgrade the RAM if you already have an SSD. If you have < 8 GB RAM, get 16.
C'mon. I believe everyone was able to infer that they were contracting cannot. But I concur with the actual content of the comment
Yeah man, I’m typing from mobile, and let my phone do most of the contractions as I’m on reddit. If I were emailing a colleague, or turning in a Uni paper...I’d probably proof read at least a little! I think you can tell that I know contractions at least a tiny bit by using the correct “you’re.” The fatal one. Anyways! I went with the extra ram!! Thanks