* I brought my display to new office so need to buy display for home now. I’m excited I’ll be able to take my computer with me to both locations. I haven’t utilized a laptop in a long time. I do love desktop but for me now I need to transport and use in multiple locations.
You get more for the money with a non-laptop, but a laptop is… portable? Haha. When buying it myself I always get the desktop (more memory/power). For work I have laptops and that is nice. If you ever travel for work or to meet clients, laptop is lovely. Depends on your lifestyle
If you pick desktop, consider a standing desk! That has transformed my life! I got a white Rocelco and LOVE it. Can’t believe what a difference not being tethered to a chair made 💕
The Mac Studios are great; they’re basically Mac Pro’s without PCIE slots. I was looking at the configs yesterday (will have to upgrade my setup at some point for work); and it’s $800 cheaper than the equivalent Macbook pro
Even if you pay 200$ for 500gb of storage extra for the studio it's a difference of 1000$? So 1200$ difference for the base models. And that's the 14 inch laptop.
ohh i thought you were disagreeing with me. yeah, given how powerful the mac mini’s are; and how much cheaper they are, when i upgrade i might just get one and a nice lil monitor
I will point out though that the M4 Max in the laptop form factor tends to thermal throttle under load and the performance will suffer a bit. Depends how hard you plan on pushing the CPU and if that compromise is worth the portability. For me it was.
I love my Mac Studio. Don’t think they’d be to much difference between that or the laptop. Maybe the laptop would run warmer but not much to affect performance too much.
I’ve watch tonnes of YT videos on comparisons and I think there was very little difference. The way the M chips work means the fans are hardly needed. Luke Miani might have some good ones on YT.
I feel like it mostly comes down to portability. But I've always worked on a typical desktop. I don't know if working while traveling is a dream or a delusion I tell myself is totally going to happen.
I would stick to desktop if portability is not requirement but just hypothetical option.
Simple connectivity options and repairability are adding a lot to longevity of the device IMO.
I don't know your needs but it is worth double checking if you really need Studio. Mini offers a lot of power also
Also a bit of it is future proofing and my PC being very good. I know most people are going from older macbooks or bad window machines, but that's not the case for me. I even built my own PC, which will stay my dedicated gaming rig. I'm curious if I'll see a performance boost.
I process hundreds of giant .RAWs at all once regularly. Then I also do video editing (graphic heavy, though minimal 4k footage) and then my Photoshop files are heavier than the average user. Several gigs and hundreds of layers.
I think it is portability. As someone who did have MacBooks for awhile thinking I’d be on the go more. I wasn’t. The desktop option is nicer for a desktop setup. I won’t do anything intensive on the go either so a cheap portable option with a m4 Mac mini is perfect for my uses.
Also understand I'm very salty about moving to Mac, and I'm only doing it because I find Copilot to b on of the most nefarious, egregious pieces of spyware ever created.
Yeah but it’s a one switch off. Copilot is not. Windows is aggressive in forcing people to use it, which re affirms it being spyware to me. There’s no reason for it to not be optional unless you’re collecting data.
As someone who had to reluctantly upgrade to a studio, I highly recommend it. It’s the best Mac computer I’ve ever engaged with and my workflow changed dramatically (for the better.)
as someone on a macbook pro 2019, who works from home (video editing/digital art), i never use my macbook without a monitor. if im on the go i usually just default to my ipad, be it notes app or procreate. i know the new macbooks are better when it comes to cooling, but my macbook always runs hot!
Comments
That said, if I never left home, I’d go for the Studio without a doubt.
That said, I’d go on Apple’s website and spec each out the same and compare the costs.
M4 Max, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD
-Mac Studio $3300
-MacBook Pro $4300
I will point out though that the M4 Max in the laptop form factor tends to thermal throttle under load and the performance will suffer a bit. Depends how hard you plan on pushing the CPU and if that compromise is worth the portability. For me it was.
While you may save money by opting for the studio, you still need to purchase or repurpose other displays and peripherals.
I would bring it for art hangout seshes with friends but usually I create at home.
Simple connectivity options and repairability are adding a lot to longevity of the device IMO.
I don't know your needs but it is worth double checking if you really need Studio. Mini offers a lot of power also
I know the compute power is the same but even Apple can't defy physics and Studio will have better and quieter cooling in long run.
I would not risk hitting thermal ceiling for hypothetical mobility
I would love to learn more about your workflow and tools and how your final choice plays out. Just out of my sheer geek curiosity.
And Linux is not an option.
I don’t see Apple being as aggressive.
I haven’t moved my MacBook Pro from its stand in about a year and a half now 😅