MBP for Xcode, AutoCAD and Fusion. Coming from a windows PC.

[goldmac2006]

It will work.

You will be able to run development environments just fine.

However, if you planned on using LLMs to help you write/translate code, you won't be able to run the larger models locally.

So, when I create watchlists and price alerts for them, I’ll be doing that for that specific configuration. By the way, I also tried out the M4s at the Apple Store today. I decided to get the 14-inch MacBook Pro. I think it’s the perfect size for me, and I don’t like going too big in size with my Apple devices. No Pro Max iPhones, no 45/46/49mm Apple Watches, and definitely no huge chargers. No large 🧱 ones. I really am going to let go of the 16-inch ThinkPad clunker from my school once it’s time to retire it this summer. It’s slim, but the charging cable is so big! I need to buy a huge pencil pouch or cosmetic bag to hold my computer accessories. My laptop charger organizers don’t even fit in there.

Back to the topic. At the Apple Store, I tried out the MacBooks I’m interested in. I put on all the widgets, apps, and everything I demoed on those Macs. And guess what? Final Cut Pro is super fast on all the MacBooks I tried. The demo ones don’t have Xcode installed, so I still need your opinions on it even though I’ll still watch YouTube videos reviewing them. Here’s my favorite color: space black is a bit too dark for me. Silver is a 10/10. I even took pictures of About this Mac on all the MacBook Pros while I was playing around with them while waiting for the Vision Pro demo.

 

[picpicmac]

Final Cut Pro is super fast on all the MacBooks I tried.

Apple's software is optimized to run on MacOS.

In your title you claim to want to run AutoCAD. I don't use it, but there are long running discussions about AutoCAD for Mac being not the same as for Windows.

So if you want to run Windows software then you'll need to run Parallels or some other emulation software.

All of which eats up memory.

So if you like the MBP, and go for the M4, I still say go for 32GB and 1TB storage.

At which point people will bring up that you might as well go for the M4 Pro version, as it's only a little bit more money.

 

[goldmac2006]

Apple's software is optimized to run on MacOS.

In your title you claim to want to run AutoCAD. I don't use it, but there are long running discussions about AutoCAD for Mac being not the same as for Windows.

So if you want to run Windows software then you'll need to run Parallels or some other emulation software.

All of which eats up memory.

So if you like the MBP, and go for the M4, I still say go for 32GB and 1TB storage.

At which point people will bring up that you might as well go for the M4 Pro version, as it's only a little bit more money.

Y’all think third-party professional applications consume more RAM than Apple applications? I’ve noticed that AutoCAD occasionally causes kernel panics on my Windows laptop when performing intricate tasks like 3D modeling features and rendering. Parallels, which you all seem to like, is a good option. If there are deals on it, I’ll consider using it after I get my Mac. Since bootcamp isn’t available for Apple silicon as it’s deprecated, I’ll opt for the configuration with the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the picture above (with a silver finish on a 14-inch model). I’m considering either the M2 Pro, M3 Pro, M4, or M4 Pro chip.

By the way, how do you partition a disk on macOS for virtualization machines? Do you use Disk Utility or Terminal?

 

[EdwardC]

Make sure AutoCAD has what you need, the Mac version is not really the same thing as the Win version. I keep a ThinkPad and a HP desk pro around just for CAD use. YMMV......Ed

 

[goldmac2006]

Make sure AutoCAD has what you need, the Mac version is not really the same thing as the Win version. I keep a ThinkPad and a HP desk pro around just for CAD use. YMMV......Ed

Oh no, I totally forgot about that! I’ll look into it and also ask my mentor who taught me AutoCAD how it works on macOS. He has a 16-inch late 2019 SG MacBook Pro with an Intel processor. He runs SolidWorks on his Mac because it’s not available on macOS yet, haha. The last time he booted it on macOS was on macOS Catalina. Anyway, the ThinkPad X1 is a school-issued laptop, so if I transfer or graduate, I have to return it to the library within a month after graduation. But I’m going to ask a few people in my AutoCAD summer class if they used a Mac to get their drawings done. I’m using other programs that I mentioned in this thread about why I need a MacBook Pro, so feel free to check them out. God bless!

 

[EdwardC]

Oh no, I totally forgot about that! I’ll look into it and also ask my mentor who taught me AutoCAD how it works on macOS. He has a 16-inch late 2019 SG MacBook Pro with an Intel processor. He runs SolidWorks on his Mac because it’s not available on macOS yet, haha. The last time he booted it on macOS was on macOS Catalina. Anyway, the ThinkPad X1 is a school-issued laptop, so if I transfer or graduate, I have to return it to the library within a month after graduation. But I’m going to ask a few people in my AutoCAD summer class if they used a Mac to get their drawings done. I’m using other programs that I mentioned in this thread about why I need a MacBook Pro, so feel free to check them out. God bless!

It may not be an issue but it’s definitely worth looking into. I assume as a student you have the free license. If one of your classmates has a MacBook load it up and check it out. The interface is very different and will take some getting use to.

 

[goldmac2006]

It may not be an issue but it’s definitely worth looking into. I assume as a student you have the free license. If one of your classmates has a MacBook load it up and check it out. The interface is very different and will take some getting use to.

So, here’s the deal: I can use F360 and ACAD for free until a year after I graduate, unless I want to pay for them. If I do want more for it free, I can enroll in a graduate program.

Now, this is a bit different since I have to run it on an ARM-based DMG on a Mac. Oops, I forgot that my summer school AutoCAD class was online. But I did see a few Mac users when we did a freestyle drawing final project. Some were lazy, while others didn’t know how to screen record their PCs or Macs. I saw them using their Macs or iPads at home. Haha!

Anyway, I need to find any Mac users who were in AutoCAD boot camp with me. Hard to get any contact info as the canvas got taken down , so I have to check through my club rosters for any familiar faces. Or, if anyone in my engineering club has a MacBook Pro, I’m the VP there.

Oh, and I have a new mentor who’s an Apple fan like me. He’s a freelance iOS developer with dual software engineering and data science master degrees and a computer science teacher. He was my supervisor from my NASA internship trip, representing the interns from my school. I’d love to know what his configuration is for his space gray MacBook Pro, I’m going to shoot an iMessage to him one day. He has an iPhone 14 Pro Max Space black, an Apple Watch Ultra, and AirPods Pro 2.

But wait, why do you have an M1 Mac mini running AutoCAD? Still works, right? I’m curious to hear your opinion on the specs, even though desktop Macs aren’t really my thing. My desk is too small for an iMac.

 

[diggy33]

By the way, how do you partition a disk on macOS for virtualization machines? Do you use Disk Utility or Terminal?

You do this within your app of choice for running the VM - you set the disk space you want to allocate for the VM, and the app handles the rest. Some things I'd consider when choosing the VM app you want to use - cost, support, and whether you can save snapshots of the VM. Just remember if you want to run Windows on your Mac, you're going to need a Windows activation key, so if you dont already have one to use, factor that cost in to the equation. UTM and VMWare Fusion are a couple of free options you can test, and I believe Parallels comes with a trial version. You'll also need to be sure to get the ARM version of Windows 11, and with that being said, it looks like AutoCAD for Windows doesnt support ARM processors, so you'd need to get the Mac version. Based upon their system requirements

 

[EdwardC]

So, here’s the deal: I can use F360 and ACAD for free until a year after I graduate, unless I want to pay for them. If I do want more for it free, I can enroll in a graduate program.

Now, this is a bit different since I have to run it on an ARM-based DMG on a Mac. Oops, I forgot that my summer school AutoCAD class was online. But I did see a few Mac users when we did a freestyle drawing final project. Some were lazy, while others didn’t know how to screen record their PCs or Macs. I saw them using their Macs or iPads at home. Haha!

Anyway, I need to find any Mac users who were in AutoCAD boot camp with me. Hard to get any contact info as the canvas got taken down , so I have to check through my club rosters for any familiar faces. Or, if anyone in my engineering club has a MacBook Pro, I’m the VP there.

Oh, and I have a new mentor who’s an Apple fan like me. He’s a freelance iOS developer with dual software engineering and data science master degrees and a computer science teacher. He was my supervisor from my NASA internship trip, representing the interns from my school. I’d love to know what his configuration is for his space gray MacBook Pro, I’m going to shoot an iMessage to him one day. He has an iPhone 14 Pro Max Space black, an Apple Watch Ultra, and AirPods Pro 2.

But wait, why do you have an M1 Mac mini running AutoCAD? Still works, right? I’m curious to hear your opinion on the specs, even though desktop Macs aren’t really my thing. My desk is too small for an iMac.

So I have a M1 Mini 16GB as well as a M2Pro Mini. AutoCAD for MacOS is ARM Native and is extremely fast. With that said I no longer use AutoCAD as I prefer a perpetual license. I use two alternatives, ARES Commander (Mac) and BricsCAD (Win). They both can be outright purchased. Thery also both have a 30 day free trial and are free for students. Even though BricsCAD is available for Mac it is not a good experience and is very buggy unlike it's Windows counterpart. Here is a screen shot of the ARES Commander interface for Mac which is very much like AutoCAD for Windows.

 

[goldmac2006]

You do this within your app of choice for running the VM - you set the disk space you want to allocate for the VM, and the app handles the rest. Some things I'd consider when choosing the VM app you want to use - cost, support, and whether you can save snapshots of the VM. Just remember if you want to run Windows on your Mac, you're going to need a Windows activation key, so if you dont already have one to use, factor that cost in to the equation. UTM and VMWare Fusion are a couple of free options you can test, and I believe Parallels comes with a trial version. You'll also need to be sure to get the ARM version of Windows 11, and with that being said, it looks like AutoCAD for Windows doesnt support ARM processors, so you'd need to get the Mac version. Based upon their system requirements

Oh no! If the app has a Mac version, I’d be happy to use it, especially if it’s only available for Apple silicon Macs. 💻 I might check out activation keys for Windows 11 Home or Pro installs and see if there are any deals after I get my Mac. But apart from AutoCAD and the apps I listed, I’m using Mac versions, so I don’t need to set up a virtual machine for Windows if I need it. The only reason I might need a virtual machine or an application with a virtual desktop for Windows is if I have to use apps that don’t exist on macOS yet, like Solidworks. I can use Xcode instead of visual studio, but I can install both apps on Mac. I can still download Chrome on Mac. 💻 However, I’ll switch to Safari primarily unless I need to use my screen reader software, which also has a Chrome extension and web app, in which case I’ll use Chrome.

So I have a M1 Mini 16GB as well as a M2Pro Mini. AutoCAD for MacOS is ARM Native and is extremely fast. With that said I no longer use AutoCAD as I prefer a perpetual license. I use two alternatives, ARES Commander (Mac) and BricsCAD (Win). They both can be outright purchased. Thery also both have a 30 day free trial and are free for students. Even though BricsCAD is available for Mac it is not a good experience and is very buggy unlike its Windows counterpart. Here is a screen shot of the ARES Commander interface for Mac which is very much like AutoCAD for Windows.

you can edit DWGs on both of these ACAD alternatives right? Seems a little bit similar to each
other. I am staying on AutoCAD, Fusion 360 and everything for the win.


Happened to meet with a 16-inch MBP late 2019 user on my first day back from school after winter break, she uses ShadowPC for Blender which is more gaming-oriented. Y'all think it is a great VM to use? Give me your opinions please.