Thinking of ditching desktop—is it a mistake?

[badlydrawnboy]

I've been using Macs for more than 30 years, starting with the Apple IIc. I've always had a desktop, and then eventually, a desktop and a Macbook of some kind. For a long time I had an iMac Pro and a MacBook Air. This was a great combo of power and expandability with the iMac and portability with the Macbook Air.

Last year I bought a 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro. It's the best laptop I've ever owned. I find myself using it whenever I can, and I rarely sit down at the iMac Pro anymore. Recently, I built a home video setup because I'm doing a lot of YouTube, Instagram, live-streaming, etc. I found it easier to create the setup I want with the MacBook Pro, a mirrorless camera just above that, and an external monitor off to the side. (Right now that's a 27" NEC, but I have an Apple Studio Display on order). My iMac Pro is off to the side (see photo below), looking forlorn and abandoned because... well, it is.

For the first time in 30 years I'm considering ditching my desktop and doubling down on the MacBook Pro setup. I would trade in both my current MacBook Pro (M1 Pro and 16 GB) and the iMac Pro, and get a new MacBook Pro with an M1 Max and 32 GB of RAM and a 4 TB SSD, to give me a bit more power, headroom, and storage for video editing and intensive photography work.

As you can see in the photo, I already have an OWC Thunderbolt dock, 2 external keyboards, a mouse, a trackpad, and a Wacom tablet (not pictured)—all the peripherals I need, and I just need to plug in the one cable from the Thunderbolt dock into my MBP, which keeps the setup nice and tidy.

I'm really close to pulling the trigger on this, but I suppose I'm a bit gun shy, simply because I've had a desktop for so long. I came across Greg's Gadget's video on YouTube called "You Don't Need a Desktop Anymore", and it really resonated. The only comment that gave me pause was a guy pointing out that a desktop can provide redundancy, in case something happens to the MBP or it gets stolen or whatever. I need my computer for work and would not be able to deal with any downtime, so this is a concern. But keeping the iMac Pro around (which I could trade in for $1,250) just for redundancy seems a bit much.

What do you think?

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

If you need redundancy but don’t need the desktop then you could get a refurbished MBA from Apple just to have lying around but at that point it’s more a space savings mindset. You could even use it as a second monitor.

If you value space or minimalism then do the laptop route. If that doesn’t make financial sense for you or you don’t care about space savings then better to just keep what you have until you realize what your habits tend to favor.

The redundancy requirement kind of has you locked regardless.

 

[SnackyD]

I made the jump this year. Sold my big PC tower and bought a MBP with a dock. Everything works as intended and I am very happy. A cleaner, minimalist workstation makes me very happy. My room is dead silent now that I don't have a PC with multiple fans running. If I don't have my headphones on, I would hear every creak in the house at night.

It's amazing how ONE TB cable coming out of my MBP powers my dual monitors, DAC/AMP, multiple peripherals.

A quick disconnect of a single cable and into it's sleeve the MBP goes if I ever have to bring it anywhere. When I'm back home, I just plug the cable back in and everything boots back to the way everything was with the exception of some applications forgetting it's orientation on my external monitors. Takes 15 seconds to fix, no biggie.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

If you need redundancy but don’t need the desktop then you could get a refurbished MBA from Apple just to have lying around but at that point it’s more a space savings mindset. You could even use it as a second monitor.

If you value space or minimalism then do the laptop route. If that doesn’t make financial sense for you or you don’t care about space savings then better to just keep what you have until you realize what your habits tend to favor.

The redundancy requirement kind of has you locked regardless.

Truthfully, I can't think of more than one time in the last 10 years that I had an issue with one of my computers that was so serious that I wasn't able to keep working in some fashion. So, maybe I'm being overly cautious.
I guess one possibility would be to trade in my current MacBook Pro when I order the new one, but keep the iMac Pro around for a while longer until I'm ready to make the full leap. Then I can sell it used or something.

Come to think of it, I have an 11" iPad Pro that I could get a keyboard for and use as a backup if I had to. Or, I could get a new M1 iPad Pro for that purpose. I sometimes like to use the iPad to edit photos and draw with the Apple Pencil, and my daughter and wife use it too sometimes.

 

[jav6454]

I can't as I use my desktop for main games. But that's me, if you have no need for it, by all means.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Personally, I prefer a desktop Mac - iPad combo. Gives you best of both worlds, since an iPad IS better as a Mac in certain tasks.

 

[Isamilis]

I have iMac, MacBook Air 13” and iPad. In last few years, I use MacBook Air and almost never use iMac (iMac is solely used by my children). When I got the iPad + keyboard early this year, I only use MacBook Air occasionally. In your case, you should be fine by having MacBook only, especially considering it’s powerful machine (14” M1 Pro).

 

[theluggage]

First, there's nothing wrong with the idea of just using a laptop, and post-Apple Silicon there's even less performance gap between laptops and desktops - if you need portability at all it's a no-brainer. You've already got a one-cable docking solution that drives all or your peripherals, so that's a non-issue. I'd just point out that - especially given that you've already bought a studio display - you could get the same processor and RAM with a M1 Max Studio for substantially less than a M1 Max MBP - but not if you need portability.

...I'm assuming that (a) you don't need M1 Ultra levels of power and (b) conversely, that you'd actually benefit from the upgrade to M1 Max/32GB. If your existing MacBook Pro ain't broke, don't fix it.

I need my computer for work and would not be able to deal with any downtime, so this is a concern. But keeping the iMac Pro around (which I could trade in for $1,250) just for redundancy seems a bit much.

If you can't risk downtime then yes, you need a back up computer. In the past I'd say that unless every day counted you could just walk into a store and get a new computer if and when the need arose - these days, although you can probably get some sort of Mac like that, you're less likely to find the model you actually want in stock so you might waste money on an emergency purchase. Also, if time is money, you're probably going to want to keep your backup computer synced up and ready to go.

So, the question is, how powerful does that back up computer have to be to solve the problem?

Maybe you just need an iPad or cheap Chromebook so you can keep up with email and read documents while you get a new computer.

If a base M1 Mini or Air (maybe refurb) would do the backup job, you could get one and still make a net gain from trading in the iMac Pro and the MacBook Pro. However, if you needed something with more storage, RAM or processing power (...even an Intel iMac Pro probably still outperforms a base M1) the price of even a "cheap" M1 Mac soon starts to mount up and you might as well keep one of your current machines.

If there's anything that you actually need Intel for - some old bit of software, or running x86 Windows - then keeping the iMac Pro might make more sense. But it doesn't sound like this is the case for you.

Otherwise, if you need a powerful backup machine I'd keep the M1 Max MBP - you know it's capable of doing the work, it's a more modern machine (now is probably the optimum time to sell an iMac Pro - before Intel Macs start to fade into history) and it occupies less space than an iMac.

Also, think about storage - 4TB embedded in a laptop means 4TB you need to keep regularly backed up and, maybe, means you need an extra "layer" of backups since you're now carrying that data around with you where it can be left behind, dropped, stolen etc. rather than leaving it sitting safely on your desk. With any Mac, that data is inaccessible if the computer dies - my feeling is that having much more than 1TB of non-removable storage in a Mac may be putting too many eggs in one basket.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

First, there's nothing wrong with the idea of just using a laptop, and post-Apple Silicon there's even less performance gap between laptops and desktops - if you need portability at all it's a no-brainer. You've already got a one-cable docking solution that drives all or your peripherals, so that's a non-issue. I'd just point out that - especially given that you've already bought a studio display - you could get the same processor and RAM with a M1 Max Studio for substantially less than a M1 Max MBP - but not if you need portability.

...I'm assuming that (a) you don't need M1 Ultra levels of power and (b) conversely, that you'd actually benefit from the upgrade to M1 Max/32GB. If your existing MacBook Pro ain't broke, don't fix it.



If you can't risk downtime then yes, you need a back up computer. In the past I'd say that unless every day counted you could just walk into a store and get a new computer if and when the need arose - these days, although you can probably get some sort of Mac like that, you're less likely to find the model you actually want in stock so you might waste money on an emergency purchase. Also, if time is money, you're probably going to want to keep your backup computer synced up and ready to go.

So, the question is, how powerful does that back up computer have to be to solve the problem?

Maybe you just need an iPad or cheap Chromebook so you can keep up with email and read documents while you get a new computer.

If a base M1 Mini or Air (maybe refurb) would do the backup job, you could get one and still make a net gain from trading in the iMac Pro and the MacBook Pro. However, if you needed something with more storage, RAM or processing power (...even an Intel iMac Pro probably still outperforms a base M1) the price of even a "cheap" M1 Mac soon starts to mount up and you might as well keep one of your current machines.

If there's anything that you actually need Intel for - some old bit of software, or running x86 Windows - then keeping the iMac Pro might make more sense. But it doesn't sound like this is the case for you.

Otherwise, if you need a powerful backup machine I'd keep the M1 Max MBP - you know it's capable of doing the work, it's a more modern machine (now is probably the optimum time to sell an iMac Pro - before Intel Macs start to fade into history) and it occupies less space than an iMac.

Also, think about storage - 4TB embedded in a laptop means 4TB you need to keep regularly backed up and, maybe, means you need an extra "layer" of backups since you're now carrying that data around with you where it can be left behind, dropped, stolen etc. rather than leaving it sitting safely on your desk. With any Mac, that data is inaccessible if the computer dies - my feeling is that having much more than 1TB of non-removable storage in a Mac may be putting too many eggs in one basket.

This is super helpful, thanks.

You hit the nail on the head: in the old days, if a computer failed, I could go to the Apple Store and get a new one that would be pretty close to what I needed. Now, it's a 2-3 month wait!

If a failure did happen, I could use an iPad with a keyboard to handle email, Slack, etc. But I couldn't do my video production that way. I like the idea of a M1 Mac Mini as a backup in that situation. Maybe I could find another use for it as well. Another possibility would be to buy a used MacBook Pro on Swappa, which I could probably get within a few days, and use that until the replacement I order would arrive.

Re: 4 TB hard drive. I have an external 4 TB SSD drive that is currently connected to my iMac Pro, which stores my media (photos & video). The idea is that if I have the 4 TB internal drive on the new MacBook Pro, I can keep all of my media on that, and then use the external SSD as a backup. (I also use Backblaze as an offsite backup service.)

 

[richmlow]

I'm partial to a desktop computer system, especially for mission-critical work. Benefits include

1. No need to worry about battery life.
2. Thermal threshold is usually higher in desktop systems, which permit sustained heavy workload.
3. "Base of operations" on my nice desk.

Having said that, I also have a Macbook Pro (13"). I don't think that it ever hurts to have a backup computer.

Just like having a backup car....you don't think that you need one, until it breaks down at the most inconvenient time.

Good luck on your decision.


richmlow

 

[jav6454]

I'm partial to a desktop computer system, especially for mission-critical work. Benefits include

1. No need to worry about battery life.
2. Thermal threshold is usually higher in desktop systems, which permit sustained heavy workload.
3. "Base of operations" on my nice desk.

Having said that, I also have a Macbook Pro (13"). I don't think that it ever hurts to have a backup computer.

Just like having a backup car....you don't think that you need one, until it breaks down at the most inconvenient time.

Good luck on your decision.


richmlow

1. Yup, battery life and power consumption on a laptop puts the breaks on anything
2. Say it doesn't, it can be made better via AIOs, bigger air coolers or water cooling loops.
3. True, I love my base of operations.

That's my setup, M1 MBP and a desktop. Portability and master processing when needed.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

1. Yup, battery life and power consumption on a laptop puts the breaks on anything
2. Say it doesn't, it can be made better via AIOs, bigger air coolers or water cooling loops.
3. True, I love my base of operations.

That's my setup, M1 MBP and a desktop. Portability and master processing when needed.

This is the way I used to feel, but I'm questioning it now.

In the past, there was a big difference between desktop and laptop performance and energy management. Now, with Apple silicon, there is very little performance difference between a Mac Studio and a Macbook Pro, given the same processor, memory, and hard drive size. And the MacBook Pro is dead quiet 99% of the time.

When I'm at home, I put it on a stand and plug in one cable (to the Thunderbolt 3 Dock). Then I have immediate access to an external monitor, an external webcam (Fujifilm X-S10), lights (for video), an external hard drive (for backup and additional storage), and external speaker. It's every bit the "base of operations" that my iMac Pro was/is—but I find that I am using the MacBook Pro M1 Pro more.

Part of it is that the setup with the MacBook Pro on a stand and my external webcam directly above it works better for livestreaming, video podcasting, YouTube videos, etc. than putting a camera above my iMac Pro (it's too high then). But the other part is that all of the reasons that kept me from even considering not having a desktop don't seem to be present anymore.

On the MBP, I can get the same processor I'd have in a Mac Mini or a Mac Studio, I can get the same amount of memory, and I can get a lightning-fast 4 TB SSD (which, by some accounts, is even faster than the SSD in the Mac Studio, because of the architecture?). With a single cable plugged in I can have access to every peripheral that I had with my iMac Pro.

I think I know what I want to do... I've just had a desktop for so long, it's hard to imagine NOT having one!

 

[mollyc]

i am moving from an imac to a 16” mbp as soon as i can find one in stock (or, more likely, in a couple of months after ordering one from apple).

 

[Zensō]

I went the opposite direction and got rid of the MacBook Pro. I was using it plugged-in and docked nearly 100% of the time, so I replaced it with a Mac Studio. I’m extremely happy with the Studio, loving all of the built-in I/O, relatively quiet fans, and elimination of the various docks and dongles the MacBook needed. My mobile needs are fully covered by a 12.9” iPad Pro.

 

[jav6454]

This is the way I used to feel, but I'm questioning it now.

[...]

I think I know what I want to do... I've just had a desktop for so long, it's hard to imagine NOT having one!

There you have it. You know what you need. That's the difference. I for one, need my desktop, even with having an M1 machine.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

I went the opposite direction and got rid of the MacBook Pro. I was using it plugged-in and docked nearly 100% of the time, so I replaced it with a Mac Studio. I’m extremely happy with the Studio, loving all of the built-in I/O, relatively quiet fans, and elimination of the various docks and dongles the MacBook needed. My mobile needs are fully covered by a 12.9” iPad Pro.

I considered this direction as well, given how powerful iPads are getting.

In my case, I need a completely silent workspace. I can't live with fan noise, even low amounts. I do a lot of audio and video recording, and I'm also just very sensitive to it.

If I did stick with a desktop, it would probably be the (rumored) M2 (Pro) Mac Mini.

This isn't an irrevocable decision, of course. I could try using my MacBook Pro as my primary (or even sole) computer for a while. If it doesn't work out, then I can always pick up a Mac Mini + display—though it might take a while to get them!

 

[Zensō]

I considered this direction as well, given how powerful iPads are getting.

In my case, I need a completely silent workspace. I can't live with fan noise, even low amounts. I do a lot of audio and video recording, and I'm also just very sensitive to it.

If I did stick with a desktop, it would probably be the (rumored) M2 (Pro) Mac Mini.

This isn't an irrevocable decision, of course. I could try using my MacBook Pro as my primary (or even sole) computer for a while. If it doesn't work out, then I can always pick up a Mac Mini + display—though it might take a while to get them!

The Macbooks are much, much louder than the Studio. The Studio is essentially silent for all practical purposes (I use mine in a project studio on the desktop).

 

[badlydrawnboy]

The Macbooks are much, much louder than the Studio. The Studio is essentially silent for all practical purposes (I use mine in a project studio on the desktop).

Not my experience. My MacBook Pro is completely silent. No fan 99% of the time. I ordered a Studio and the fan is always on, albeit at a low amount.

If I was to do extremely intensive activities, the fan on the MacBook Pro would be louder than the Studio for those activities. But I rarely do them, and I'm more concerned with what the machines sound like for the 95% of my work day when I'm not doing them.

 

[Zensō]

Not my experience. My MacBook Pro is completely silent. No fan 99% of the time. I ordered a Studio and the fan is always on, albeit at a low amount.

If I was to do extremely intensive activities, the fan on the MacBook Pro would be louder than the Studio for those activities. But I rarely do them, and I'm more concerned with what the machines sound like for the 95% of my work day when I'm not doing them.

I run large music and video projects on my Macs all the time, in that scenario the MacBook Pro fans constantly kick on to the point of being almost unusable. Horses for courses...

 

[wordsworth]

After my G3 iMac grew too long in the tooth I moved on to a white Core 2 Duo MacBook, plugged into a desktop monitor, and continued to work like that with its successor desktop set-up, a 2015 13 inch MacBook Air. By then I already had an eleven inch Air and it continues to be used as a mobile platform when I'm away from the home office. (It's a lovely little machine.)

I'm not quite sure why but I'm beginning to hanker for a desktop Apple computer again.

I edit text for a living so my demands on any Apple machine aren't that great. At the moment I think a Mac Mini, M1 or M2, would suit me very well. I'd go for 16 GB of memory and maybe only 256 GB of storage (perhaps 512 GB) and eventually replace the MacBook Air(s), maybe with another M1 or M2 Air.

I spend more time at my desk than working away from it and so a very affordable Mac Mini option is currently a really attractive option for me.

I tend to start out thinking big and then moving closer and closer to entry level stuff every time I buy computers. I was, however, indulging in flights of fancy about the Mac Studio (self-indulgence) but when I learned that there's likely to be fan noise, that quickly made me see sense. I like to work without any audio interference. Plus it would have been rather a waste of an impressive workhorse merely taking it for the occasional trot around the back garden.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

Thanks, everyone. I suppose the good news about the really long wait time for a new computer right now is that I have plenty of time to change my mind. I already ordered the upgraded MacBook Pro M1 Max, but it's not scheduled to arrive until 7/7–7/21. My Apple Studio Display arrives sometime in June, which will replace the NEC monitor pictured in my original post. So, I'll have a while to see what it's like to use my current MacBook Pro with the ASD in the configuration that I've set up. I will keep the M1 Max MacBook Pro order if I like it. If not, I can cancel it and then maybe get a new Mac Mini when it comes out and use the ASD with that, and just keep my M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

 

[Momof9]

now that its a few months later - what have you settled on....

 

[badlydrawnboy]

now that its a few months later - what have you settled on....

Good timing! Just got my new M1 Max 14" yesterday. Super happy with this setup. You can see what it looks like in the picture I posted earlier in the thread—except that on the left, I now have an Apple Studio Display (rather than the iMac Pro in the picture). I have a keyboard and mouse on that side too, as well as a Wacom tablet (not pictured). I'll be sitting over there when I'm editing photos or doing other stuff that benefits from a bigger screen. The right side is my audio/video production area.

One hiccup is that my current dock, OWC Thunderbolt 3, cannot power both the ASD and the 24" 4k NEC monitor on the right. I've ordered a CalDigit TS4 dock that can do that, and it was supposed to arrive on 7/13, but the delivery date got pushed back and there's no new estimate yet.

 

[Momof9]

I don't have a dock, that would be another expense for me.... I just bought the M1 Pro 14", might return it.... and go with the desktop Mac.... I am just not sure....

I currently have

2018 i5 Mac mini 32 gb ram
2 12.9" iPP - M1 and 2018
2 iPad mini's, 6 & 5
13 Max Pro iPhone
28" 4K monitor & 27" regular HD???
magic keyboard and trackpad

Plus the M1 Pro 14".... I was looking for a laptop that I could do some gaming on - Sims 4 for example.... In the meantime I am testing out amazon Luna gaming and xbox gaming on my M1 iPad - it is working pretty good, except for Sims 4.... My Mac mini is giving me some fits, getting hot, using up the ram and problem might be the ssd running out of space... I have multiple external hdd using usb hubs...

I use the mini during the day - web browsing etc. I do use it for graphic design (but not in awhile) mostly for quality control - bigger screen and hard drive management.... I do have a Wacom, but it was getting wonky. Plus I almost exclusively do all my designing on my iPP's. Right now, my desk fits the 2 monitors side by side and on both ends I have mounts that hold my iPP's on either side.... But if I add in the Macbook - it really clutters my workspace.... So I know I will have to redo my workspace a whole bunch if I keep the MB.....

 

[badlydrawnboy]

I don't have a dock, that would be another expense for me.... I just bought the M1 Pro 14", might return it.... and go with the desktop Mac.... I am just not sure....

I currently have

2018 i5 Mac mini 32 gb ram
2 12.9" iPP - M1 and 2018
2 iPad mini's, 6 & 5
13 Max Pro iPhone
28" 4K monitor & 27" regular HD???
magic keyboard and trackpad

Plus the M1 Pro 14".... I was looking for a laptop that I could do some gaming on - Sims 4 for example.... In the meantime I am testing out amazon Luna gaming and xbox gaming on my M1 iPad - it is working pretty good, except for Sims 4.... My Mac mini is giving me some fits, getting hot, using up the ram and problem might be the ssd running out of space... I have multiple external hdd using usb hubs...

I use the mini during the day - web browsing etc. I do use it for graphic design (but not in awhile) mostly for quality control - bigger screen and hard drive management.... I do have a Wacom, but it was getting wonky. Plus I almost exclusively do all my designing on my iPP's. Right now, my desk fits the 2 monitors side by side and on both ends I have mounts that hold my iPP's on either side.... But if I add in the Macbook - it really clutters my workspace.... So I know I will have to redo my workspace a whole bunch if I keep the MB.....

Yeah, mine was a big overhaul but it's working great for my needs. Having the MBP on the right underneath my Fujifilm X-S10 with the lights just above makes for a much better video setup than I could have with a Mini + ASD. But I prefer working in front of a nice big ASD when I'm doing photography work, word processing, etc.... pretty much anything but video/audio recording. Good luck!