Mac Studio + MBA vs Fully Loaded MBP 14”

[sammyman]

I’m considering buying a fully loaded MBP 14”. I also realize I could get a nice Mac Studio and a mba for the same price. Does it make more sense to have the best of both worlds (desktop and ultra portable), or to consolidate to one machine that can do it all (MBP)?

Anyone else considering the same buying decision?

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Did you factor in the cost of a external display and keyboard+mouse? Additionally, the MBP has an XDR w/ProMotion which is definitely a good experience.

It’s definitely a solid option but it may costs more than you think to do. Also have to ask yourself if you want two MacOS devices or just one.

 

[Basic75]

How often will you use the computer at home? How often will you use it on the way?

 

[sammyman]

How often will you use the computer at home? How often will you use it on the way?

It's more like at home 75% of the time, and in bed 25% of the time, lol. I like working at night sitting in bed.

 

[sammyman]

Did you factor in the cost of a external display and keyboard+mouse? Additionally, the MBP has an XDR w/ProMotion which is definitely a good experience.

It’s definitely a solid option but it may costs more than you think to do. Also have to ask yourself if you want two MacOS devices or just one.

True. I just found someone on Craigslist who had a fully loaded (almost fully loaded) 4tb mbp 14" with 64gb ram for a reasonable price. I decided it give it a try.

For some reason the Mac Studio is getting under my skin because of the way you can't upgrade the hard drives. It's just maddening. It's a solid machine for sure though.

 

[theluggage]

For some reason the Mac Studio is getting under my skin because of the way you can't upgrade the hard drives. It's just maddening. It's a solid machine for sure though.

I don't exactly disagree but that's true of all current Macs - and while it's a pain to carry an external drive around with a laptop there's no great problem leaving a HD attached to the Studio - you can even get some neat enclosures that match the Studio's size and stack with it.

Plus, at least the SSD in the Studio is socketed - so (a) it's repairable by an Apple tech if it fails (without needing a whole new logic board) and (b) it is vaguely possible that Apple will offer SSD upgrades down the road (just as they did for the Mac Pro). I wouldn't bet on that happening - but at least it's feasible whereas on the MacBook Pros the SSD is soldered in.

Of course, we're all eagerly awaiting Apple's DIY repair program to extend from iPhones to Macs... Not holding breath.

Still, I think for most people, it's a case of only buy the Studio if you really don't want a laptop. Unless you're going to roll out the barrel for a M1 Ultra, the Studio has no performance advantage - just better connectivity.

Did you factor in the cost of a external display and keyboard+mouse?

Good point - but then many existing desktop users already have those.

The flip side is how much connectivity you need - only 3 TB4 ports + HDMI on a MBP vs 4 TB4 ports + 2 USB-C 3.1g2 + 2 USB-A 3.1 + Ethernet + HDMI on the Studio.

So, for the MBP, you might end up needing a dock (which can get expensive if you need Thunderbolt rather than USB).