Help me decide, Middle/High Grade MBP 16", or Mid IMAC 27" and a 13" MBP with it.

[Berries-A-Million]

Trying to decide what to do here. I've done the loaded MBP route before in the past with a Caldigit TS3 plus dock, and it worked out well with my Dell 34" Ultrawide curved screen. But I am in the market again for some new computers, and this is what I am thinking.

Option 1

iMAC 27", i7, 8gb (upgrade myself to 32gb), 1tb SSD, top graphics card available
MBP 13", base model for portable use.

Option 2

MBP 16", 16gb, 1-2tb SSD, i7-i9 CPU, 5600M Graphics, with Caldigit TS3 plus dock to dock when at my desk.

What do you think would work out the best I would think the cost is pretty close to each other due to how expensive upgrades are on the MBP 16.

 

[Fishrrman]

This is easy.

There is nothing that beats having a nice desktop for "desktop things"
and
Having a nice laptop for "laptop things".

'Nuff said about that...

 

[ght56]

How much do you need portability and how much do you need power in that portable form factor? If you do not need a lot of power (or screen real estate) when using the system away from your desk at home, go for option 1. The iMac's CPUs and 5700XT pack quite a punch and the 13 inch MacBook Pro is a lot nicer to lug around than the 16 inch.

If you do need power in your portability, then option 2 makes sense. That is the scenario I was in. I have a 16 inch and I like how it can function as a desktop replacement where I can have it running three external displays at my desk and then unplug it and take it over to the couch after work. (And when the pandemic slows down I will like taking it to the office and using it in clamshell during the workday there.) It's an expensive option but it works very well if you want desktop-class performance in something you can move between locations and sit on your lap. The powerful 5600M GPU is an absolute must IMO and I do recommend going for 32 or 64 GB of RAM.

The Caldigit only supples 87 watts whereas the 16-inch MacBook Pro's OEM charger is 96 watts. This system can easily use all 96 and in bursts it can use well over 110 watts. So, if using the Caldigit dock, I recommend also using the OEM charger. There is also a new Pluggable dock that uses a more modern TB chipset and will supply the full 96W.