Sanity Check

[LonestarOne]

I’m looking for a sanity check here.

I just ordered a 12” MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD.

My desktop has a 1TB fusion drive, plus a couple external disks, but I figure I can handle any requirements beyond 512GB by connecting to a personal cloud drive. The base configuration of 256GB seemed a bit small, however.

I went back and forth between the Pro and the Air a couple times before settling on the Pro.

I know I’m paying an Apple premium for the additional 8GB of RAM, but I don’t know how hard it will be to find compatible third-party memory in the current Covid environment.

My main requirement drivers are Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. (If the system can handle those, the other programs I use should be a breeze.)

Delivery is st for Nov 24-27, so I can revise the order if I decide to do something different.

Does this sound like a reasonable configuration?

 

[Cookie18]

Just so you know the new AS Macs cannot have their memory upgraded after purchase. It’s all on the chip.

 

[Boil]

I’m looking for a sanity check here.

I just ordered a 12” MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD.

My desktop has a 1TB fusion drive, plus a couple external disks, but I figure I can handle any requirements beyond 512GB by connecting to a personal cloud drive. The base configuration of 256GB seemed a bit small, however.

I went back and forth between the Pro and the Air a couple times before settling on the Pro.

I know I’m paying an Apple premium for the additional 8GB of RAM, but I don’t know how hard it will be to find compatible third-party memory in the current Covid environment.

My main requirement drivers are Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. (If the system can handle those, the other programs I use should be a breeze.)

Delivery is st for Nov 24-27, so I can revise the order if I decide to do something different.

Does this sound like a reasonable configuration?

Pro has a fan, Air does not; so the Pro should stay cooler and allow more boost headroom...?

And I want to say the 13" MBP has a better screen than the 13" Air...?

512GB would be the minimum SSD I would go with...

It will be super hard to find third-party RAM, but only because the new Apple Silicon Macs have zero user upgradability...

FCP should be good to go out the gate, seeing as how it can be ordered as pre-loaded software...

Apple stated Photoshop should be available for Apple Silicon Macs early next year (2021)...?

Aside from waiting until next year for the 14" MBP or the 16" MBP (which should both have four USB4 ports), sounds like a fine config...!!!

 

[Andropov]

And I want to say the 13" MBP has a better screen than the 13" Air...?

100 nits brighter IIRC.

 

[ght56]

Yes, I think you made the best decision between the Pro and Air. The Pro's sustained performance will be useful for your situation and you're using apps where sustained multicore performance is important. The 16 GB RAM makes more sense than 8. The only thing is if the 512 SSD is on the small side for you. You have less IO than you get with other Pros, although you do get USB4, which should be useful in the future. You can always do a dock +/or external SSD, but going 1 TB now IMO is a lot more convenient.

Do note this unit appears only capable of driving a single display, if that is an issue, although this is not completely clear.

 

[LonestarOne]

Do note this unit appears only capable of driving a single display, if that is an issue, although this is not completely clear.

You mean a single external display, correct? According to the Apple website, it will support up to a 6K external monitor. (Nothing about knocking over an armored car to pay for the monitor, though.)

 

[russell_314]

I’m looking for a sanity check here.

I just ordered a 12” MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD.

My desktop has a 1TB fusion drive, plus a couple external disks, but I figure I can handle any requirements beyond 512GB by connecting to a personal cloud drive. The base configuration of 256GB seemed a bit small, however.

I went back and forth between the Pro and the Air a couple times before settling on the Pro.

I know I’m paying an Apple premium for the additional 8GB of RAM, but I don’t know how hard it will be to find compatible third-party memory in the current Covid environment.

My main requirement drivers are Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. (If the system can handle those, the other programs I use should be a breeze.)

Delivery is st for Nov 24-27, so I can revise the order if I decide to do something different.

Does this sound like a reasonable configuration?

12" MacBook Pro? You mean 13"?

Also if it's the M1 version there is no "compatible third-party memory". It's an SOC so everything is together. What you order is what you get.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Pro has a fan, Air does not; so the Pro should stay cooler and allow more boost headroom...?

The Air will thermal throttle while the Pro will boost the CPU fan. This is no different from the standard PC.

All CPUs have a maximum thermal limit and the CPU will shut down rather than let heat destroy itself. A gimped, thermally throttled CPU is more useful than one that has failed.

Earlier iPhones would often shut down on hot days/direct sunlight exposure.

 

[russell_314]

The Air will thermal throttle while the Pro will boost the CPU fan. This is no different from the standard PC.

All CPUs have a maximum thermal limit and the CPU will shut down rather than let heat destroy itself. A gimped, thermally throttled CPU is more useful than one that has failed.

Earlier iPhones would often shut down on hot days/direct sunlight exposure.

I've had my 7 Plus shut down when left on the dashboard of my car. I don't know if newer iPhones will do it and not going to test mine to find out

 

[ght56]

You mean a single external display, correct? According to the Apple website, it will support up to a 6K external monitor. (Nothing about knocking over an armored car to pay for the monitor, though.)

Correct, a single external. The literature suggests it can drive one display up to a 6K XDR, but that it does not have the ability to drive two externals, regardless of the resolution.