Perfect MacBook Pro specs for developers?

8 points by dynamic99 11 years ago | 16 comments

What specs should I get for my 13" MacBook Pro?

How much ram? Is i7 necessary? Will the baseline 13" MacBook Pro suffice?

strick 11 years ago |

If you are the type to have remorse when a new model is introduced just after you buy, you may want to wait a week or so. The MacBook Pro is due for an upgrade pretty much any day now: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Retina_MacBook_Pro

FlyingAvatar 11 years ago | |

You might be waiting a while. Last I heard, they were delayed due to delays in Intel's next generation chip production:

http://techreport.com/news/26041/rumor-intel-broadwell-proce...

whalesalad 11 years ago |

Rarely will you find the CPU in any of the new Macbook's to be a bottleneck. I have a 2012 Macbook Air that's done it all like a total champ: python web dev, rails web dev, iOS development, scala/akka projects, etc... For a while I was running a full rails stack and Xcode + the simulator to tag-team dev on the client/server. I'm still impressed that this tiny little featherweight computer has been able to keep up with me.

Definitely max out the RAM first. AFAIK it's not possible to do that anymore since it's soldered onto the mainboard. I have a (work machine) 15" retina that is a year old with 16GB of RAM that I can't really exhaust. My personal 2012 Air has 8GB and even that is pretty sufficient for most tasks, but these days I'd go 16 in a heartbeat.

Processor wise, go with whatever you can in your budget. The chip is pretty much the same whether you go for a lower or higher clockspeed, so there aren't any hidden benefits to the top-of-the-line one. It'll just crunch numbers faster.

i5 vs i7 is really dual-core vs quad-core. I wanna say that is physical cores, so in reality you're looking at 4 and 8 logical cores thanks to hyper threading. It really depends on your workload. An i5 will be a little better on your battery, but an i7 will help if you're doing a lot of multithreaded programming.

dynamic99 11 years ago | |

My budget won't allow me to get an i7 processor unfortunately, unless I limit myself to only 8gb ram (vs 16 with the i5).

I'm coming from web development to ios development, so I'm not sure if I'm going to be taking advantage of hyperthreading.

nicolasd 11 years ago | |

in the 13" you can decide between i5 or i7 but both of them just have 2 cores!

stephenr 11 years ago |

Prioritise RAM over all else. It is impossible to upgrade later, and more is always better.

I would also make sure the SSD is big enough for what you want to hold internally for ~ 3 years - eg I use virtual machines a lot and ended up with an ExpressCard SSD for vm images as my SSD is only 128 gb. On new machines you don't have the ExpressCard option any more so it's buy upfront or get an aftermarket upgrade for the SSD if you want internal (read: portable, fast and and convenient) storage.

otoburb 11 years ago | |

Based on that advice, and if the OP has time, maybe it's best to wait for more M.2 PCIe SSDs to go mainstream (and cheaper) in an ultraportable/laptop chassis.

coreymgilmore 11 years ago |

I would always spring for the 15". The larger screen is hugely important to productivity. For example, split screen Sublime Text editing or having a browser and editor side by side. That, for me, is one of the most important aspects.

Other hardware consideration: faster is always better as is more RAM and a larger SSD. But, obviously, stay within your means. I personally use an i7 2.3 with 16GB of RAM.

Edit: If you intend on multi-monitor usage via the thunderbolt/display ports: the nVidia GPU is pretty necessary to push multiple big screens.

Last note: the refurbished MBPs are a great deal. You get the full 1-year warranty and a fully tested and clean laptop for a few $100 off the original sticker.

chrisBob 11 years ago | |

I have a 13" MBPR, and I just plan to use it with an external monitor all of the time. Even 15" seems small. I figured most people with laptops as their primary computer attach a display unless they are on the go, so the 15" might not make too much of a difference.

jason_slack 11 years ago |

I have a 2 year old 15 inch MacBook Pro (non-retina).

I have 16gm of RAM and recently upgraded to a 1TB SSD.

I removed the superdrive and added a 750gb hd. (had to, the superdrive port only supports up to SATA II!)

It flies. I dont miss not having a retina display, yet :-)

I also have an 11 inch MacBook Air, 4gb RAM, 128gb SSD that I use to take places so I dont have to lug the 15 inch around. I can still code etc just takes a bit longer.

Artemis2 11 years ago |

It mainly depends on which kind of software development you are doing. Take some time to find your specific needs: are you an user of virtual machines, CPU-heavy compilation processes, storage-expensive technologies...?

For basic web development, a (small) RAM and SSD upgrade would probably be enough for the next few years, but you might want to throw more in according to your needs.

fiscalnonsense 11 years ago |

Answering the first question - the keyboard... pro's type, a lot. It'd be fantastic if they had decent keyboards... full spherical keycaps and travel. None of this flats and scissors mush... I gots to type brackets and braces for a livin', yo.

For the second... depending on your eyes, get the retina display. For most people, its worth it. If you wear coke bottle thick glasses in 2014... maybe not worth it. Fitting more characters onto the screen and having the text rendered ever so properly is lovely for writing code with.

If you run VMs, the i7 is handy. Otherwise, the i5's are pretty rocking as is. I always go with multiple power adapters... but you can stock up slowly on sales and ebay if you're not already living la vida macbook.

pdxdebt 11 years ago |

Easy... maxed out everything. You never know how much power/capacity you're going to need at any given point, so get as much as the machine is capable of.

rubiquity 11 years ago |

My list:

- i5 or better

- 16GB of RAM or bust

- SSD, preferably 240GB or bigger

I actually prefer the 13 inch over the 15 inch for public/airplane use.

Gilliam 11 years ago | |

I prefer 13 inch too. Because most of my bags will not fit 15 inch. It's too big.

f15h 11 years ago |

You haven't really mentioned what you are going to develop. Without that, hard to give recommendations.