Which MacBook Pro for college?

[Danae02]

My daughter is going to college next year and will need a new computer. She has a MacBook Pro 15.5 from 2013 that’s still working for what she needs right now. As she will go into a STEM field, maybe engineering, she will likely need a Pro computer that will last all her college years and beyond and is able to run resource-intensive software. Wondering if we should wait until next year for the M2 pro, or if we should get her a new MacBook Pro M1 right now, to avoid the expected price hike for the new models. Given the life of her current computer that my husband passed on to her, I am tempted to say the M1 should be fine. I am not interested in the new M2 pro with touch bar. Thoughts?

 

[GrumpyCoder]

As she will go into a STEM field, maybe engineering, she will likely need a Pro computer that will last all her college years and beyond and is able to run resource-intensive software.

Let me stop you right there. Without knowing what software and what data, it's impossible to say which model is enough. It could be a MBA with M1 or maybe a MBP in the best configuration isn't going to cut it. Universities usually supply labs or clusters to run that software, so in theory she could use an iPad.

There's also the issue of macOS and now ARM based systems. She might have to use software she won't be able to run with a Mac at all. This depends entirely on who's teaching. I teach in the STEM field (computer science and math) at a university and I usually pick software that can be run on any platform and when that's not possible give students access to labs or cluster/cloud solutions. Some of my colleagues are all in on Windows or Linux. Those who teach mechanical engineering and design sometimes use SolidWorks, which is Windows only.

That being said, display size aside, she'll probably be fine with any Mac currently available for the majority of work she's doing. And in the specialized cases, the university should supply the required software/systems. However, if she really goes into 3D CAD work and that's what she's doing all day long, I wouldn't buy a Mac in the first place and look at a Windows laptop. It's much more convenient being able to work anytime, anywhere on a Laptop and the 3D CAD world is pretty much Windows only, at least for the professional industry tools.

Wondering if we should wait until next year for the M2 pro, or if we should get her a new MacBook Pro M1 right now, to avoid the expected price hike for the new models.

I assume you mean M2 Pro vs M1 Pro (in the 14") or normal M2 vs normal M1. It won't make much of a difference in performance. The regular M2 supports 24GB vs 16GB in the M1. That is the biggest difference and why I'd personally go for a M2 (but that's just me). If you're looking at the Pro or Max versions, that isn't an issue anyway.

 

[cdcastillo]

No way to know if she would need a "windows only" piece of software, but if that is the case and she needs/wants to run everything in her laptop, she would need an intel MBP. Because right now, the virtualization software does not run dependably on apple silicon.

I know I do need my 2020 intel MBP for this particular reason, I got it as soon as the M1 were announced.

There are other options (you can "rent" a windows terminal and access it over the internet, or a space on an amazon server, among other), but none as simple as bootcamp or a Fusion/parallel virtual machine.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:
"My daughter is going to college next year and will need a new computer. She has a MacBook Pro 15.5 from 2013 that’s still working for what she needs right now."

Next year?
As in, "fall of 2023"?

If that's the case, DON'T buy anything NOW.
Particularly since what she has still works.

Wait until next summer, and THEN decide.

A thought:
Whatever you get for her, bear in mind that SHE will have to "bear" it around for all her college years. A 16" display might turn the "bear'in'" into "a burden".

As an alternative, she could get a 13/14" model, AND perhaps a 27" display for her room...

 

[jav6454]

Let me stop you right there. Without knowing what software and what data, it's impossible to say which model is enough. It could be a MBA with M1 or maybe a MBP in the best configuration isn't going to cut it. Universities usually supply labs or clusters to run that software, so in theory she could use an iPad.

[...]

I assume you mean M2 Pro vs M1 Pro (in the 14") or normal M2 vs normal M1. It won't make much of a difference in performance. The regular M2 supports 24GB vs 16GB in the M1. That is the biggest difference and why I'd personally go for a M2 (but that's just me). If you're looking at the Pro or Max versions, that isn't an issue anyway.

That is the most important step to determine which or if a Mac is right. In STEM, there are so many programs that are needed (verging on required) to complete certain courses.

For instance, I graduated as an Electrical Engineer and two programs pop immediately to my head that I depended on: MATLAB and MultiSIM. Both which, if I recall correctly, do not have Mac versions.

As per support, ARM is flexible and will grow in support. When I graduated, my university was Exchange based and more Windows oriented but Macs could happily connect and work.

 

[Danae02]

Thank you so much everyone!! This was super helpful. I realized after reading all these thoughtful responses that we don’t really know what she will need and it is best to wait. I was thinking about getting a M1 pro now because I‘ve seen the long waits for these orders; however, if her old laptop will still serve her another year or year and a half or so, then we can make an educated choice based on what program she will get into. I didn’t know that there are programs that don‘t run on iOS, so that goes to tell you how little I know about what she really needs! Yes we are looking at Fall 2023, just trying to plan and not really realizing that a powerful MacBook Pro may not necessarily meet her needs. I will share this info with her as well. Thank you everyone again, this is such a great community to turn to for advice!

 

[SpotOnT]

Thank you so much everyone!! This was super helpful. I realized after reading all these thoughtful responses that we don’t really know what she will need and it is best to wait. I was thinking about getting a M1 pro now because I‘ve seen the long waits for these orders; however, if her old laptop will still serve her another year or year and a half or so, then we can make an educated choice based on what program she will get into. I didn’t know that there are programs that don‘t run on iOS, so that goes to tell you how little I know about what she really needs! Yes we are looking at Fall 2023, just trying to plan and not really realizing that a powerful MacBook Pro may not necessarily meet her needs. I will share this info with her as well. Thank you everyone again, this is such a great community to turn to for advice!

Looks like you are all sorted, but I just wanted to add that it is very possible that her University will have specific computer requirements for incoming students or may even provide students with a school laptop. Definitely worth waiting until you know more.

For instance, I graduated as an Electrical Engineer and two programs pop immediately to my head that I depended on: MATLAB and MultiSIM. Both which, if I recall correctly, do not have Mac versions.

MATLAB has run well on Mac since the 90's. They even have native AS support in beta right now. For MultiSIM, the only Mac option is using MultiSIM Live through a web browser. Not as nice as the Windows version for sure, but that might be what the school licenses out for student use. So it is very possible even students with a Windows PC will be using the same MultiSIM Live.

 

[jav6454]

MATLAB has run well on Mac since the 90's. They even have native AS support in beta right now. For MultiSIM, the only Mac option is using MultiSIM Live through a web browser. Not as nice as the Windows version for sure, but that might be what the school licenses out for student use. So it is very possible even students with a Windows PC will be using the same MultiSIM Live.

I didn't know MATLAB was available on Mac, when I looked for it I couldn't find a version, perhaps I didn't look hard for it. Yup, I believe there is an online version, but back in 2010 I don't think there was, lol.