I need a Macbook for work and personal PHP (AMP)/C# (Maui / Unity)/Mobile dev.

[Azumac]

Never even touched an Apple device, so could use some help.

I recently started up a new job and I'm in need of an Apple device to program on, I use the following languages/programs:

* PHP (AMP stack of some sort - I use XAMPP on Windows, but I'm sure there's better on Mac)
* C# + Maui (Visual Studio / Rider)
* Unity 3d (So even more C#)
* Jetbrains IDEs
* iOS and Android emulators

I'm looking to get some sort of Macbook to work on, use as a daily driver (Youtube, web browsing, maybe occasional light games), and do personal programming on - ideally on the road, in bed, in hotel rooms, etc. - so a good battery life (6+ hours) is required.

I need decent security as well - so a fingerprint scanner would be really nice.

I'm in the US and my budget is $3k with taxes, shipping, etc..

Can anyone help me at all? I've done quite a bit of research but I'm still scratching my head, not to mention the fact that the new Macbook Pros are coming out in a few days. It's all so overwhelming.

Also I can't go to an Apple store to try anything out since I live in the middle of Kansas (The closest Apple store is something like 4 hours away, and the closest Best Buy is over an hour)

 

[tis100]

Here are the 3 options I recommend:

New, within budget option and acceptable specs: Early 2023 MacBook Pro mid tier 14" ($2,499.00) or 16" ($2,699.00) [ M2 Pro, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16 GB RAM, 1TB SSD]

New, slightly over budget, but ideal for workflow: Early 2023 Macbook Pro top tier 14" ($3,099.00) [ M2 Max, 12-Core CPU, 30-Core GPU, 32 GB RAM, 1TB SSD]

Refurbished, within budget and ideal for workflow: Late 2021 Macbook Pro 14" [ M1 Pro, 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 32 GB RAM, 1TB SSD] ($2809.00)

You may be able to shop around at 3rd party retailers and get a better deal on the Late 2021 Macbook Pro 14".

The new Macbook Pros get you an extra hour of battery life compared to the late 2021 models, but you're trading lower RAM if you want to stay in budget.

 

[Azumac]

Here are the 3 options I recommend:

New, within budget option and acceptable specs: Early 2023 MacBook Pro mid tier 14" ($2,499.00) or 16" ($2,699.00) [ M2 Pro, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16 GB RAM, 1TB SSD]

New, slightly over budget, but ideal for workflow: Early 2023 Macbook Pro top tier 14" ($3,099.00) [ M2 Max, 12-Core CPU, 30-Core GPU, 32 GB RAM, 1TB SSD]

Refurbished, within budget and ideal for workflow: Late 2021 Macbook Pro 14" [ M1 Pro, 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 32 GB RAM, 1TB SSD] ($2809.00)

You may be able to shop around at 3rd party retailers and get a better deal on the Late 2021 Macbook Pro 14".

The new Macbook Pros get you an extra hour of battery life compared to the late 2021 models, but you're trading lower RAM if you want to stay in budget.

I think I may go with the first option, 16" - has any reviewer been given a new model to run tests on? I'm curious how it performs in real life, how the battery life is in real life, etc.... Although the third option is tempting as well - 32gb of ram is a bit overkill I think, but I could probably use it...


A few more questions:

1. Is the extra support package worth it since I'm nowhere even close to an Apple store? Apple care or whatever it's called. Will they actually fix issues? Do they actually replace them if there's a problem with the hardware, or if I accidentally spill water on it? Cover shipping to them since I don't have an Apple store near by and all that?
2. How's MacOS's memory management and memory usage? I have a Windows 11 system with 32gb of ram and from a fresh boot I'm using something like 1/4th (8gb) of memory with almost exclusively windows stuff running, and sometimes it can take a bit for it to unload extra data from memory, put it on swap, etc.

 

[tis100]

I think I may go with the first option, 16" - has any reviewer been given a new model to run tests on? I'm curious how it performs in real life, how the battery life is in real life, etc.... Although the third option is tempting as well - 32gb of ram is a bit overkill I think, but I could probably use it...

The new 2023 Macbook Pro reviews haven't come out yet, but I expect them within the next week.

Is the extra support package worth it since I'm nowhere even close to an Apple store? Apple care or whatever it's called. Will they actually fix issues? Do they actually replace them if there's a problem with the hardware, or if I accidentally spill water on it? Cover shipping to them since I don't have an Apple store near by and all that?

If you get AppleCare+ they cover shipping (you'll receive a shipping box with label). Is it worth it? That depends on your habits. I've have never bought AppleCare nor have I had any hardware fail on me. The only thing I've replaced are the batteries at points well beyond what AppleCare would have covered. If you are moving around a lot or prone to dropping or spilling on your computer, perhaps it is worth it.

If you don't want to pay the 3 years upfront for AppleCare+ they also have a yearly subscription. You pay every so slightly more, but you can test it out and cancel anytime.

How's MacOS's memory management and memory usage? I have a Windows 11 system with 32gb of ram and from a fresh boot I'm using something like 1/4th (8gb) of memory with almost exclusively windows stuff running, and sometimes it can take a bit for it to unload extra data from memory, put it on swap, etc.

Just for reference, I currently have open: safari with 14 tabs, 1 large pdf in preview, a smallish Xcode project with simulator, Affinity Designer 2 with a simple design, VMware with 1 VM, mail, calendar and music.

Activity Monitor is telling me I was using 14.93GB and swapping over 1GB, but as I'm typing this MacOS cached some memory and it has settled down to 12.84GB used.

And I'm not doing anything graphically intensive like rendering a Unity scene. On the mac the RAM is shared between the CPU and GPU.

So, can you get away with using 16GB? Sure, but you must be conscious of your workflow and sometimes close apps or tabs to make room.

That's why I said it is an acceptable spec, but ideally you want 32GB to give you some breathing room for the future since ram in non-upgradable.

Apple really has perfected the art of the upsell.

 

[Azumac]

The new 2023 Macbook Pro reviews haven't come out yet, but I expect them within the next week.



If you get AppleCare+ they cover shipping (you'll receive a shipping box with label). Is it worth it? That depends on your habits. I've have never bought AppleCare nor have I had any hardware fail on me. The only thing I've replaced are the batteries at points well beyond what AppleCare would have covered. If you are moving around a lot or prone to dropping or spilling on your computer, perhaps it is worth it.

If you don't want to pay the 3 years upfront for AppleCare+ they also have a yearly subscription. You pay every so slightly more, but you can test it out and cancel anytime.



Just for reference, I currently have open: safari with 14 tabs, 1 large pdf in preview, a smallish Xcode project with simulator, Affinity Designer 2 with a simple design, VMware with 1 VM, mail, calendar and music.

Activity Monitor is telling me I was using 14.93GB and swapping over 1GB, but as I'm typing this MacOS cached some memory and it has settled down to 12.84GB used.

And I'm not doing anything graphically intensive like rendering a Unity scene. On the mac the RAM is shared between the CPU and GPU.

So, can you get away with using 16GB? Sure, but you must be conscious of your workflow and sometimes close apps or tabs to make room.

That's why I said it is an acceptable spec, but ideally you want 32GB to give you some breathing room for the future since ram in non-upgradable.

Apple really has perfected the art of the upsell.

Oof that memory usage... Yeah I guess I'll aim for getting 32gb and 1tb hdd. I looked at the refurbished store and saw:

Refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Max Chip with 10‑Core CPU and 32‑Core GPU​

It has 1tb ssd and 32gb of ram. Is it worth it getting a Max Chip for programming, emulation, etc. Not much gaming and Unity3d development will be limited to 2d stuff? Or should I get the

Refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Pro Chip with 10‑Core CPU and 16‑Core GPU​

For several hundred dollars cheaper (Same memory and ssd)

 

[tis100]

2d development is more CPU bound than GPU bound. You should be fine with the M1 Pro.

The advantage of the M1 Max is double the memory bandwidth (good for loading assets and projects more quickly) and more GPU cores (faster 3d rendering). But your assets and projects may not be big enough to notice the difference and if you aren't going to do much 3d work, then the extra GPU cores may not be worth it either.

Here are some build time benchmarks between the M1 Max and M1 Pro 10 core. The difference is negligible:

M1 Pro and M1 Max Xcode Build and Test Benchmarks on the Swift Package Index Blog – Swift Package Index

We’ve run real-world performance benchmarks with the new M1 MacBook Pro machines against M1 and Intel machines.

blog.swiftpackageindex.com

My recommendation is if you don't need the computer ASAP, wait until at least next week when the new M2 Macbook Pros actually comes out. Retailers like Adorama, B&H Photo, Best Buy or Expercom may give you a better discount for the M1 MacBook Pros than the Apple Refurbished Store for a brand new computer.

 

[Azumac]

2d development is more CPU bound than GPU bound. You should be fine with the M1 Pro.

The advantage of the M1 Max is double the memory bandwidth (good for loading assets and projects more quickly) and more GPU cores (faster 3d rendering). But your assets and projects may not be big enough to notice the difference and if you aren't going to do much 3d work, then the extra GPU cores may not be worth it either.

Here are some build time benchmarks between the M1 Max and M1 Pro 10 core. The difference is negligible:

M1 Pro and M1 Max Xcode Build and Test Benchmarks on the Swift Package Index Blog – Swift Package Index

We’ve run real-world performance benchmarks with the new M1 MacBook Pro machines against M1 and Intel machines.

blog.swiftpackageindex.com

My recommendation is if you don't need the computer ASAP, wait until at least next week when the new M2 Macbook Pros actually comes out. Retailers like Adorama, B&H Photo, Best Buy or Expercom may give you a better discount for the M1 MacBook Pros than the Apple Refurbished Store for a brand new computer.

Ah, okay that makes sense. And good idea, I'll hold off (As much as I don't want to heh)

Thanks for the help

 

[bradman83]

I would also add that a 2023 14” M2 Pro MBP configured with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD would also be an ideal option if the 3D graphics oomph of the Max isn’t required. That would come in at $2899 so slightly under the max budget.

I do 2D photo editing and design work on my 14” M1 Pro machine using Photoshop and Lightroom and I never run into any performance bottlenecks (even with only 16 GB of RAM).

 

[tis100]

I would also add that a 2023 14” M2 Pro MBP configured with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD would also be an ideal option if the 3D graphics oomph of the Max isn’t required. That would come in at $2899 so slightly under the max budget.

Interesting. When I was speccing out the machines a couple days ago, whenever I selected the 32GB option it would automatically bump the cpu to the max version. Apple must have fixed it.

However, if you add around 7% tax it's still $100s over budget and you get a smaller screen.

 

[tis100]

Just a heads up, Apple reduced the price of the MacBook Pro M1 on their refurbished store

Late 2021 16" MacBook Pro M1 10-Core CPU 16-Core GPU 32GB RAM 1TB SSD in Space Gray for $2,379.00.

The Early 2023 MacBook Pro M2 of a similar configuration is going for $3,099.00.

Which is a savings of $720 dollars and well below your budget of $3k.

Refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Pro Chip with 10‑Core CPU and 16‑Core GPU - Space Gray

The most powerful MacBook Pro ever is here. With the blazing-fast M1 Pro or M1 Max chip — the first Apple silicon designed for pros — you get groundbreaking performance and amazing battery life. Add to that a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, the best camera and audio ever in a Mac notebook...

www.apple.com