Is it wise to buy Macbook Pro M2 Pro and use it as desktop mac?

[chonkvandelay]

I currently have iMac 2020 and working with it all day. I also have Macbook Air M1 for portable needs outside. I want to upgrade my mac setup now but considering some options. Since my budget is limited, I don't want to make mistake.

1) Studio Display + new Mac Mini m2 pro. (Sell iMac and keep Macbook Air)
2) Studio Display + Macbook Pro 14 M2 Pro. (Sell iMac and Macbook Air.)

The question is, will I get same performance with Macbook Pro 14 if I use it with Studio Display all day long? I will use it 6 days of week as desktop. I mainly coding and editing, rendering Final Cut Pro videos.

Should I go with Mac Mini to replace my iMac or buy Macbook Pro for all my needs together? As far as I know, when I connect my Macbook Pro to display and shut screen off, I can use it like mac mini? Right?

Does any of you using a setup like this?

 

[chrfr]

I currently have iMac 2020 and working with it all day. I also have Macbook Air for portable needs outside. I want to upgrade my mac setup now but considering some options. Since my budget is limited, I don't want to make mistake.

1) Studio Display + new Mac Mini m2 pro. (Sell iMac and keep Macbook Air)
2) Studio Display + Macbook Pro 14 M2 Pro. (Sell iMac and Macbook Air.)

The question is, will I get same performance with Macbook Pro 14 if I use it with Studio Display all day long? I will use it 6 days of week as desktop. I mainly coding and editing, rendering Final Cut Pro videos.

Should I go with Mac Mini to replace my iMac or buy Macbook Pro for all my needs together? As far as I know, when I connect my Macbook Pro to display and shut screen off, I can use it like mac mini? Right?

Does any of you using a setup like this?

If your Air is an M1 I'd keep that and get a mini for the desktop.

 

[rjboris]

My 2 cents: Yes, clamshell mode is great. I have two MBP (m1 max and m2 13") that i use in that mode. All the power of my earlier PCs but with the flexibility of portability. I have several sites with monitors and keyboards. Plug and play. Just great.

 

[chonkvandelay]

My 2 cents: Yes, clamshell mode is great. I have two MBP (m1 max and m2 13") that i use in that mode. All the power of my earlier PCs but with the flexibility of portability. I have several sites with monitors and keyboards. Plug and play. Just great.

Oh, "Clamshell Mode" was the name I was thinking. Thank you.

So if I use it like this, will it hurt battery or psu of Macbook since it will be on all day long? My iMac is on all day and never had issues since. Will Macbook's with clamshell mode capable of running like this everyday? Thanks for reply.

 

[rjboris]

I never turn mine off when on site. Only when I travel. Never heard a fan because of overheating. Nor have I had any problem with battery life when using the machines as strictly laptops.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Is it wise to buy Macbook Pro M2 Pro and use it as desktop mac?"

One can do so, but I wouldn't consider it to be "wise" (particularly if you already have another laptop).

For desktop use, get a "desktop" Mac, either a Studio or an m2pro Mini.
Either of these will do fine for FCP videos.

For the fastest SSD speeds, get an m2pro Mini with a 1tb SSD (or larger).

 

[Ludatyk]

If I were in your position… I’ll go with option #2.

You can always take the MBP on the go, which would eliminate the need for the MBA And there’s nothing wrong with using the MBP as desktop Mac.

Plenty of users go with the MBP as a desktop solution… me, included.

 

[A.R.E.A.M.]

people all over the world use a laptop as a desktop, so if you want to have that power in a laptop you can take with you, then do that.

i custom built a desktop pc, only to sell it and get the flagship 16 inch mbp 38 core 96gb/8tb variant. i use davinci resolve studio and have a ts4 dock. im an android and PC fanboy but the kind of power, efficiency, and convenience apple silicon gives you is tough to beat right now. since i travel and work outside of my home in a studio, i want that power to go with me. if i worked from home, id just get a desktop computer.

but to answer directly, you wont hurt the laptop in clamshell mode and running it daily. ive had this laptop since it first launched and other than a couple of firmware updates where the machine had to reboot, the machine has not been off.

 

[Rix__Mix]

You definitely can and it won't hurt.

I thought about doing the same thing. However, I don't want to use my MBP14 2023 in a desktop situation and have to keep docking / undocking it. I'd rather have a dedicated device permanently on my desk, that's why I got the Mini M2 Pro.

It's been a very expensive month.

 

[xraydoc]

Oh, "Clamshell Mode" was the name I was thinking. Thank you.

So if I use it like this, will it hurt battery or psu of Macbook since it will be on all day long? My iMac is on all day and never had issues since. Will Macbook's with clamshell mode capable of running like this everyday? Thanks for reply.

This is what I do. A Mac mini with an M1 Pro didn't exist when I bought my machine, so I created my own...

14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro connected to two Apple Studio Displays and other typical desktop hardware (keyboard, mouse, external SSD, dock with ethernet, USB-A and USB-C ports, etc).

I will say though - I strongly advise using a piece of software called AlDente Pro to restrict the battery charge limit to 80% or so since it'll be plugged in for long periods of time. You can top it off on demand if you need to take the MacBook with you some place. But otherwise it'll keep the MacBook from keeping the battery at 100%. It'll significantly extend the life of the battery and reduce the chances of battery swelling and causing hardware damage. Best $10 you'll spend (or something like that; can't remember the cost of the full version).

 

[teh_hunterer]

The 14" MBP will be absolutely fine as a desktop. It runs so cool and so quiet you won't get the normal drawbacks of using a laptop as a desktop - the laptop being noticeably less powerful, and making a bunch of noise. Even when gaming on my 14" MBP in clamshell mode connected to a monitor, I can't hear the fans. It's crazy.

The real question is, how important is portability to you? Would you feel totally happy getting rid of your 2.8lbs Air and using a device that's 3.5lbs and a bit bigger? If so, you can easily get the 14" MBP and never look back.

If the relatively light weight and size of the M1 Air is important to you, it's a more difficult choice.

The only bad thing about using the laptop as a desktop is that it can be a bit annoying to rearrange the window sizes etc every time you dock and undock it to the monitor. I personally hate this enough that I find it worth it to have a desktop device. But it's expensive, at least up front, to think this way.

 

[zapmymac]

This is what I do. A Mac mini with an M1 Pro didn't exist when I bought my machine, so I created my own...

14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro connected to two Apple Studio Displays and other typical desktop hardware (keyboard, mouse, external SSD, dock with ethernet, USB-A and USB-C ports, etc).

I will say though - I strongly advise using a piece of software called AlDente Pro to restrict the battery charge limit to 80% or so since it'll be plugged in for long periods of time. You can top it off on demand if you need to take the MacBook with you some place. But otherwise it'll keep the MacBook from keeping the battery at 100%. It'll significantly extend the life of the battery and reduce the chances of battery swelling and causing hardware damage. Best $10 you'll spend (or something like that; can't remember the cost of the full version).

Am I correct, it’s a monthly sub? I googled aldente pro and it took me to sub page with that as the only option from Setapp

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I will say though - I strongly advise using a piece of software called AlDente Pro to restrict the battery charge limit to 80% or so since it'll be plugged in for long periods of time. You can top it off on demand if you need to take the MacBook with you some place. But otherwise it'll keep the MacBook from keeping the battery at 100%. It'll significantly extend the life of the battery and reduce the chances of battery swelling and causing hardware damage. Best $10 you'll spend (or something like that; can't remember the cost of the full version).

This is built into macOS now.

 

[xraydoc]

Am I correct, it’s a monthly sub? I googled aldente pro and it took me to sub page with that as the only option from Setapp

$21 lifetime license. There's a $10 annual license, which makes little sense unless you think you'll only use the app for a year or less. There's also a free version with fewer features.

AlDente

AlDente – Charge Limiter The ALL-IN-ONE charge Limiter App for MacBooks. Download Free Get AlDente Pro AlDente gives you the tools you need to extend the life of your MacBook battery. Why do I need this? Li-ion batteries (like the one in your MacBook) last the longest when operated between 20%...

apphousekitchen.com

This is built into macOS now.

Yes, but it's not quite the same. macOS attempts to learn how you use the machine and will charge it to 100% before it thinks you'll take it with you. While ok for some people, AlDente gives you full manual control over pausing, discharging and topping off the battery. IMHO it's worth the price.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Yes, but it's not quite the same. macOS attempts to learn how you use the machine and will charge it to 100% before it thinks you'll take it with you. While ok for some people, AlDente gives you full manual control over pausing, discharging and topping off the battery. IMHO it's worth the price.

I totally respect YHO - but IMHO the cost doesn’t really play into it; it’s just adding complications that aren’t really useful. If you want to top of the battery, that’s simple with the built-in solution and that’s really the only “Exception” case that I’d ever need.

 

[Sami13496]

I can tell about my own experience. I have MBP 13 inch from 2019. I bougth that laptop because I thought I would carry it with me but turned out I use it as a desktop 99% of the time. It has been udable enough but here are few issues using it as desktop

It gets really hot so I cant really use it other than in clamshell mode with magic mouse and magic keyboard. Cant rest my palms on it in laptop mode. This is ofcourse a problem even without an external screen. This might not be an issue with new M-series MacBooks.

Occasionally when I take it somewhere on a battery I see the battery drains out quickly. Perhaps because it’s plugged to power via monitor via usb-c most of the time. On the other hand it’s alrealy few years old so battery isn’t new anyway.

But the biggest issue I’ve had is compability with 3rd party monitors. Problems with sleep mode etc. If you get lucky with monitor, or you use Apple monitor, that’s fine. If you get unlucky, that’s really annoying. I had this issue when the laptop goes to sleep, screen goes to sleep, but then it wakes up like after 20 secs and then again goes to sleep… wake up.. does this in a loop forever. I basically had to disconnect the screen every time if I wanted it sleeping well but then my open windows position and size got messed up. Or I had to shut it down to avoid it. Really annoying. Tried all the settings nothing worked. In the end Ventura update fixed that but had to deal with it long time.

Next time I buy desktop I buy desktop.

 

[dmccloud]

I can tell about my own experience. I have MBP 13 inch from 2019. I bougth that laptop because I thought I would carry it with me but turned out I use it as a desktop 99% of the time. It has been udable enough but here are few issues using it as desktop

It gets really hot so I cant really use it other than in clamshell mode with magic mouse and magic keyboard. Cant rest my palms on it in laptop mode. This is ofcourse a problem even without an external screen. This might not be an issue with new M-series MacBooks.

Occasionally when I take it somewhere on a battery I see the battery drains out quickly. Perhaps because it’s plugged to power via monitor via usb-c most of the time. On the other hand it’s alrealy few years old so battery isn’t new anyway.

But the biggest issue I’ve had is compability with 3rd party monitors. Problems with sleep mode etc. If you get lucky with monitor, or you use Apple monitor, that’s fine. If you get unlucky, that’s really annoying. I had this issue when the laptop goes to sleep, screen goes to sleep, but then it wakes up like after 20 secs and then again goes to sleep… wake up.. does this in a loop forever. I basically had to disconnect the screen every time if I wanted it sleeping well but then my open windows position and size got messed up. Or I had to shut it down to avoid it. Really annoying. Tried all the settings nothing worked. In the end Ventura update fixed that but had to deal with it long time.

Next time I buy desktop I buy desktop.

This is one instance where comparing an older Intel-based MBP to an Apple Silicon MBP is almost literally a case of comparing apples to oranges. Even if you only look at power consumption by the processor itself, the Intel draws significantly more power than Apple Silicon SoCs, so battery life will be shorter as a direct result. Apple Silicon also generates significantly less heat than Intel systems due to the lower wattages being used to run the system. I have run my 14" MBP through some burn-in testing, and other than the 6, T, and Y keys getting slightly warm, I've had no noticeable issues with heat at all.

 

[G5isAlive]

There is nothing "wrong" with either choice... as you can tell option 2, buying a laptop and using it as a desktop is certainly a popular choice.

But, when you buy a laptop, you are paying for a screen (and a very nice one in the case of MB Pro), and battery. Does anyone think Apple is giving those away? So a similar desktop is cheaper, and in the case of the Mini Pro 2, has more ports. And in this case you already have a good laptop for travel (MBA). So I would think about what YOU need, and maybe consider option 1, buy a Mac mini pro 2 and keep the MBA, a bit more. I find the MBA to a really good travel machine.

 

[Sami13496]

This is one instance where comparing an older Intel-based MBP to an Apple Silicon MBP is almost literally a case of comparing apples to oranges. Even if you only look at power consumption by the processor itself, the Intel draws significantly more power than Apple Silicon SoCs, so battery life will be shorter as a direct result. Apple Silicon also generates significantly less heat than Intel systems due to the lower wattages being used to run the system. I have run my 14" MBP through some burn-in testing, and other than the 6, T, and Y keys getting slightly warm, I've had no noticeable issues with heat at all.

Fair enough. But the biggest issue I had was the odd behavior with third party displays. I doubt compatibility is better with M-series MacBooks? For me those display issues ruined otherwise good Apple-like experience. Of course is one uses Apple display it’s not a problem. Or if external display works fine. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[jshear]

I went from an iMac Pro 2017 Model to now a new MacBook Pro 14 inch with 2 Studio displays. Since this move I couldn't be happier. I wish I went to this type of set up earlier. I now have the luxury of a great set up at home and the portability of my MacBook Pro.


Cheers

Jeff

 

[Stiksi]

I currently have iMac 2020 and working with it all day. I also have Macbook Air M1 for portable needs outside. I want to upgrade my mac setup now but considering some options. Since my budget is limited, I don't want to make mistake.

1) Studio Display + new Mac Mini m2 pro. (Sell iMac and keep Macbook Air)
2) Studio Display + Macbook Pro 14 M2 Pro. (Sell iMac and Macbook Air.)

The question is, will I get same performance with Macbook Pro 14 if I use it with Studio Display all day long? I will use it 6 days of week as desktop. I mainly coding and editing, rendering Final Cut Pro videos.

Should I go with Mac Mini to replace my iMac or buy Macbook Pro for all my needs together? As far as I know, when I connect my Macbook Pro to display and shut screen off, I can use it like mac mini? Right?

Does any of you using a setup like this?

I think one thing to consider is longevity. A MBP is much more prone to develop issues than a mac mini, just because of the number of integrated parts, so you’ll probably get 2-4 years out of a laptop vs 4-10 years from a desktop and chances are, the laptop will spend some time in service during that time. If you only run one machine, is that downtime ok or can you arrange for a loaner easily?

 

[xraydoc]

Fair enough. But the biggest issue I had was the odd behavior with third party displays. I doubt compatibility is better with M-series MacBooks? For me those display issues ruined otherwise good Apple-like experience. Of course is one uses Apple display it’s not a problem. Or if external display works fine. Just something to keep in mind.

I've had no significant issues with third party displays, having used my two M1 Macs (M1 MBA, M1 Pro 14" MBP) on both Dell and LG 4K displays. Scaled resolutions worked properly (though the MBP M1 Pro had a couple more available than the regular M1). Performance is fine. No fan issues on the MBP like the Intel MacBooks had.

Currently using my 14" MBP on two Apple Studio Displays, so that is obviously not a problem.

 

[IncreasinglyFrustrated]

I went from an iMac Pro 2017 Model to now a new MacBook Pro 14 inch with 2 Studio displays. Since this move I couldn't be happier. I wish I went to this type of set up earlier. I now have the luxury of a great set up at home and the portability of my MacBook Pro.


Cheers

Jeff

Just did the exact same with a iMacPro 10-core/128/Vega64 -> 16" M2 Max 96GB.

Was able to:

- Ditch my eGPU (used to drive a Pro XDR)
- Ditch a UPS that was dedicated to the iMac Pro
- Use monitors over DisplayLink without hearing fans
- Reduce total power consumption by over 130 watts while adding 2 additional displays (8 total)

And now I can take my primary workstation with me anywhere. This is the way to work!

 

[mouthster]

There's something to be said about having a permanent desktop setup. I tried the laptop as desktop but so many times I would walk into my office smash on the space bar expecting my Studio Display to come on and realize I left my laptop upstairs. A minor inconvenience for sure but I would keep the M1 Air and get the Mini M2 Pro.

 

[ncm34]

My prior desktop MBP was a 15" Retina from 2013, which was in clamshell mode 80% of the time and primarily used for backend software development. The machine had no issues and I finally sold it in 2021 when I upgraded to Apple Silicon.

Its replacement is a 14" M1 Max, which has worked phenomenally as a desktop so far, but I typically have the lid open for an extended desktop as the XDR screen is just too good

I would have no hesitation to use these Apple Silicon machines in clamshell mode either.