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singularity0993

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 15, 2020
157
761
I'm planning to upgrade my computer when the next-gen Mac is released. I use my computer mainly for coding (including machine learning, which is quite GPU-intensive) and very slight gaming. My budget is around $4,000.

Currently I'm thinking about these possibilities:
1. (almost) maxed-out 16-inch M2 Max MBP. By "almost" I mean except the SSD, since 1TB is enough for me.
2. M2 MBA + some kind of Windows Desktop with Nvidia 40-series graphics card.
3. really high-end Windows gaming laptop. but I don't like Windows as my main OS so maybe we should avoid this option

Apparently an RTX graphics card is greatly superior to M-series SoC when it comes to machine learning and gaming, and is much cheaper. But I prefer a mobile workstation if possible, since I travel often. Which one would you choose?
 

Diablo360

macrumors 6502
Jun 8, 2009
250
101
I was in a similar situation and ended up going with a fully maxed out 16” M1 Max (except the SSD - 2tb). Mine replaced a 12 core Mac Pro and I haven’t regretted it. Another option would be a maxed out 14”, and then have a monitor and keyboard/mouse for desktop duty, that way you have a setup that’s suitable for travel and home
 

singularity0993

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 15, 2020
157
761
I was in a similar situation and ended up going with a fully maxed out 16” M1 Max (except the SSD - 2tb). Mine replaced a 12 core Mac Pro and I haven’t regretted it. Another option would be a maxed out 14”, and then have a monitor and keyboard/mouse for desktop duty, that way you have a setup that’s suitable for travel and home
What kind of work do you use your Mac for? I heard that the M1 Max is not worth it unless you’re doing video editing.
 
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