What MacBook Pro Configuration for Graphic Design?

[LegendJxli]

So i just finished with Highschool. I want to go to Graphics Design Uni next year. In my years at Highschool i learned how to code etc. But i want to switch to Design. Now that my Laptop recently died i need a new one. I decided to go for a MacBook Pro 16“ as i love the big Trackpad, the better Battery and the better heat management.
I asked the uni what they require (specs). They said MacBook with M1 Chip, 16GB (better 32GB) RAM and 512GB (better 1TB) SSD.
I will plug in 2-3 external monitors. I guess for now 2 should be fine but maybe in a few months or years i want a 3rd (they most likely will be 4k monitors). As i often work with 5-8 open programms that i all use at the same time.
I will be working with normal things graphic designers do (photoshop, illustrator, xd, also webdevelopmemt and UI), besides that i will be cutting 4k videos for a sidejob. So it could easiely be the case that i just finished a Video and export it. Next to exporting i listen to music and work for uni (graphic things). Also i want to go a bit future proof due to the fact that i want to use this MacBook for about 6-7 years i would say, maybe even more. So i definitly dont want to get a new one in 3 years. Thats why its so hard for me to get the right specs. Can someone help me out or share their experience. Im just getting into graphics design. So idk how much performance all these adobe programms require. Im not rly on a budget but i dont want to waste my money. I see this as an investetment for my school carreer, my first job, etc.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Need to start with a budget first. Crazy to think you just got out of high school are are about to drop thousands of dollars on a laptop.

 

[LegendJxli]

Need to start with a budget first. Crazy to think you just got out of high school are are about to drop thousands of dollars on a laptop.

I already worked in previous summer breaks. Never spent much money and got some money for graduating. Thanks to my family. So as i said. I can pay for it. I see that as an investment into the future. But i dont want to spend more than i need for the next 7 years as graphic designer.

 

[jav6454]

For graphic design you always want the highest amount of memory you can afford. Right now, in the MBP line you can get 32GB or 64GB. Obviously I would advice you get the 32GB M1 Pro MBP. As per storage, well, that depends.

 

[tskwara]

For graphic design you always want the highest amount of memory you can afford. Right now, in the MBP line you can get 32GB or 64GB. Obviously I would advice you get the 32GB M1 Pro MBP. As per storage, well, that depends.

2021 14" MBP 16GB/1TB is what I recommend for you. I have this and a top spec Mac Studio. The MS is for building apps, and the MBP is easily for everything else, including graphic work in Affinity Suite apps. My son has the same and hammers it without issue.

 

[ian87w]

I will plug in 2-3 external monitors. I guess for now 2 should be fine but maybe in a few months or years i want a 3rd (they most likely will be 4k monitors). As i often work with 5-8 open programms that i all use at the same time.

That's the key. You would want the new Macbook Pros. Either 14" or 16" per your budget. Even the base 16/512 models would meet your requirements. Simple. If you have extra money, put in more RAM (eg. 32GB). You can add storage easily using external SSDs.

 

[Add-Delay]

Three monitors? No one I know in the industry does that, let alone a student. Even proper 2 monitor setups are unusual.

 

[gpat]

16" 1TB M1 Pro is what I'd advise for.
Or any of the other pre-cooked configurations, but don't bother with the Max.
I have the base 16" model, and it's one of the most substantial products Apple has offered in a very long time.

 

[thv]

Agree with M1 pro serving you well. I have the max, use PS FCP Illustrator AE etc. but I'm aware I could've gone down. I don't at all think it's needed to have 2 let alone 3-4 monitors for design, I know several professional designers with single monitors, but it's your money..

 

[LegendJxli]

Three monitors? No one I know in the industry does that, let alone a student. Even proper 2 monitor setups are unusual.

Yea i work with 1 main monitor and my laptop screen beside. I want to get 2 monitors so i can either have 3 with my laptop or 2 without…

 

[LegendJxli]

Agree with M1 pro serving you well. I have the max, use PS FCP Illustrator AE etc. but I'm aware I could've gone down. I don't at all think it's needed to have 2 let alone 3-4 monitors for design, I know several professional designers with single monitors, but it's your money..

You think the base model 14“ M1 Pro will be right? How much RAM you suggest? 16 or 32GB?

 

[rumz]

Three monitors? No one I know in the industry does that, let alone a student. Even proper 2 monitor setups are unusual.

I’m curious what a proper 2 monitor setup is. (I ask not out of snark… a few years back our design teams were given the option and all the designers decided they’d rather have 2 cheap screens rather than a single better quality one… I didn’t care for the display they were buying anyhow.) But they all wanted the real estate! And none of them terribly tech-savvy. Sigh.

 

[rumz]

You think the base model 14“ M1 Pro will be right? How much RAM you suggest? 16 or 32GB?

Better to have more than you need than to find 16gb isn’t cutting it for you… I’d go 32gb if it’s not too much.

Your original inquiry kinda boggles my mind. I guess when I first started doing anything in college with graphic design I was still using the Adobe apps on a PC, and then a PC Laptop for a few years until the Intel MacBook Pros were introduced (though I was using a Mac at my day job during school).

10 years ago I owned a circa 2011 MacBook Air and even though it was no doubt less powerful than the Intel Mac Pro I had at work, I found I could do design work on it just fine. (Granted this was 10 years ago… and it was straight “graphic design”— no video really). Today I think you’d be fine with the new MacBook Air w/ 1-2tb and 24gb of RAM, but it doesn’t give you the option to use 2 external displays, which is where you wind up moving to the newer 14-16” MBPs.

I can tell you that I used a 2012 Retina MacBook Pro as a graphic designer for 6 years and the only thing that made it unpleasant to use was software updates. There was an Adobe Suite update that required a more recent version of MacOS and someone on my team updated to it, requiring the rest of the team to do the same and man. Moving a couple OS versions forward just made everything so much slower. So yeah… honestly I appreciate that you’re trying to future-proof as much as possible. But hopefully you’ll actually have the means to update in 4-5 years if needs be since you’re going to be productive with what you have.

 

[gpat]

You think the base model 14“ M1 Pro will be right? How much RAM you suggest? 16 or 32GB?

It will serve you well as long as you're OK with the screen size.
You're better off buying a discounted base model then replacing it 3-4 years down the line with a new one.
Better investment right now rather than splurging with specs you don't need and that will be obsolete next year anyways.

 

[LegendJxli]

I was thinking about the LG 32UN880 and the LG DualUp as a second screen. As i love screen real estate and it just speeds up my workflow. I would love to get the studio display or xdr as a main monitor but it is just too expensive.

 

[LegendJxli]

Better to have more than you need than to find 16gb isn’t cutting it for you… I’d go 32gb if it’s not too much.

Your original inquiry kinda boggles my mind. I guess when I first started doing anything in college with graphic design I was still using the Adobe apps on a PC, and then a PC Laptop for a few years until the Intel MacBook Pros were introduced (though I was using a Mac at my day job during school).

10 years ago I owned a circa 2011 MacBook Air and even though it was no doubt less powerful than the Intel Mac Pro I had at work, I found I could do design work on it just fine. (Granted this was 10 years ago… and it was straight “graphic design”— no video really). Today I think you’d be fine with the new MacBook Air w/ 1-2tb and 24gb of RAM, but it doesn’t give you the option to use 2 external displays, which is where you wind up moving to the newer 14-16” MBPs.

I can tell you that I used a 2012 Retina MacBook Pro as a graphic designer for 6 years and the only thing that made it unpleasant to use was software updates. There was an Adobe Suite update that required a more recent version of MacOS and someone on my team updated to it, requiring the rest of the team to do the same and man. Moving a couple OS versions forward just made everything so much slower. So yeah… honestly I appreciate that you’re trying to future-proof as much as possible. But hopefully you’ll actually have the means to update in 4-5 years if needs be since you’re going to be productive with what you have.

Yes thats why i think of getting a nearly or even maxed out version… The other thing i was thinking of was just to get the base model 14“ with maybe 32Gb of Ram and 1TB of SSD and when in 2-3 years i know i need more power ill just buy a mac studio or smth. The problem for me is that i need a Laptop i cant work with a desktop pc at school and i will do all that graphic stuff on the laptop so i cant just sit there watch the teacher and do everything at home at my desktop… Its so hard to descide which config is the best…

 

[LegendJxli]

Yea ofc there will be newer macs every year but the m1 pro and max chips are so powerful that i think they will be powerful enough (if speced right) even in 6-8 years time

It will serve you well as long as you're OK with the screen size.
You're better off buying a discounted base model then replacing it 3-4 years down the line with a new one.
Better investment right now rather than splurging with specs you don't need and that will be obsolete next year anyways.

 

[gpat]

Yes thats why i think of getting a nearly or even maxed out version… The other thing i was thinking of was just to get the base model 14“ with maybe 32Gb of Ram and 1TB of SSD and when in 2-3 years i know i need more power ill just buy a mac studio or smth. The problem for me is that i need a Laptop i cant work with a desktop pc at school and i will do all that graphic stuff on the laptop so i cant just sit there watch the teacher and do everything at home at my desktop… Its so hard to descide which config is the best…

Let's say you buy a $3500 Pro instead of a $1999 one.
You're going to spend the next 3 years learning the programs, your school will provide you some light workflows because they will have to teach to your classmates as well, and they won't have a M1 Pro/Max to exploit, so no real benefit to you.
In 3 years, your $3500 Pro will be out of warranty, the battery will probably have to be replaced, and the performance is going to be worse than whatever product Apple will sell in 2025 even for $999.
You'll like to resell it, but the value will hardly be any higher than the base $1999 model. Just check used Intel mac prices... people which specced them with 64GB RAM/4TB SSD now essentially lost their money, they're getting pocket change for the options they've paid thousands of $.

You only have to buy whatever you need right now. And the M1 Pro with 16GB is plenty fast for your usage (you're still more powerful than the M1/M2 Air/iMac/Mini, as well as any Mac <2020).

You only need to concern yourself with two factors: screen size and storage.

If you'd like to have more screen estate on the go, you'll benefit from the 16".
If you'd like to have more storage breathing room without plugging in external drives, you'll benefit from the 1TB.

If you plan to rely on external SSD and screens, docked 90% of the time, you don't need any of those either.

 

[Pilot Jones]

I already worked in previous summer breaks. Never spent much money and got some money for graduating. Thanks to my family. So as i said. I can pay for it. I see that as an investment into the future. But i dont want to spend more than i need for the next 7 years as graphic designer.

For 7 years, I would spec out the CPU + RAM as much as I possibly could, especially with usage like graphic design. Those photoshop/illustrator layers start adding up quick LOL

Only place i would recommend saving money is storage and potentially screen size (since you can always connect to a larger display when needed). Apple's storage expansion prices are extortionate. Spec out your RAM and CPU and buy external storage as and when you need it. It will also be useful when collaborating with others to keep your projects a bit more mobile & fluid between different systems. Just don't forget to always have backups!

The alternative option is to buy a less powerful machine to understand your usage first and flip it with a small loss to re-invest into the exact sort of laptop you will know you'll need at the point in the future. Think of it like instead of buying 1 laptop for 7 years, you're have 2 laptops for 2 + 5 years for a small additional fee.

 

[LegendJxli]

Let's say you buy a $3500 Pro instead of a $1999 one.
You're going to spend the next 3 years learning the programs, your school will provide you some light workflows because they will have to teach to your classmates as well, and they won't have a M1 Pro/Max to exploit, so no real benefit to you.
In 3 years, your $3500 Pro will be out of warranty, the battery will probably have to be replaced, and the performance is going to be worse than whatever product Apple will sell in 2025 even for $999.
You'll like to resell it, but the value will hardly be any higher than the base $1999 model. Just check used Intel mac prices... people which specced them with 64GB RAM/4TB SSD now essentially lost their money.

You only have to buy whatever you need right now. And the M1 Pro with 16GB is plenty fast for your usage (you're still more powerful than the M1/M2 Air/iMac/Mini, as well as any Mac <2020).

You only need to concern yourself with two factors: screen size and storage.

If you'd like to have more screen estate on the go, you'll benefit from the 16".
If you'd like to have more storage breathing room without plugging in external drives, you'll benefit from the 1TB.

If you plan to rely on external SSD and screens, docked 90% of the time, you don't need any of those either.

Yea thats a bit what i thought. But i think that the Uni is rly going to push us. Not just do light work (ofc the first 2-3 semester will be lighter) but i watched some projects from 3rd and 4th semester they are quite heavy. But maybe i should get a desktop pc them or upgrade my laptop…

 

[LegendJxli]

For 7 years, I would spec out the CPU + RAM as much as I possibly could, especially with usage like graphic design. Those photoshop/illustrator layers start adding up quick LOL

Only place i would recommend saving money is storage and potentially screen size (since you can always connect to a larger display when needed). Apple's storage expansion prices are extortionate. Spec out your RAM and CPU and buy external storage as and when you need it. It will also be useful when collaborating with others to keep your projects a bit more mobile & fluid between different systems. Just don't forget to always have backups!

The alternative option is to buy a less powerful machine to understand your usage first and flip it with a small loss to re-invest into the exact sort of laptop you will know you'll need at the point in the future. Think of it like instead of buying 1 laptop for 7 years, you're have 2 laptops for 2 + 5 years for a small additional fee.

Yea i thought of getting the 24 Core with 64GB of RAM and either 1 or 2 TB of SSD… But idk if im going to spend that much money i could just go with the 32 core GPU. And idk if i need that power now. And someone above said right maybe its better to get the base 14“ or 16“ and upgrade in 2 years…

 

[Add-Delay]

I’m curious what a proper 2 monitor setup is. (I ask not out of snark… a few years back our design teams were given the option and all the designers decided they’d rather have 2 cheap screens rather than a single better quality one… I didn’t care for the display they were buying anyhow.) But they all wanted the real estate! And none of them terribly tech-savvy. Sigh.

"Proper" probably was not the right word, but two external monitors rather than MacBook display + single external monitor as a dual display. I know video guys and programmers that run dual external displays but graphic designers? It's all MacBook Pro + 1 external display, or a 27" iMac.

 

[gpat]

Yea thats a bit what i thought. But i think that the Uni is rly going to push us. Not just do light work (ofc the first 2-3 semester will be lighter) but i watched some projects from 3rd and 4th semester they are quite heavy. But maybe i should get a desktop pc them or upgrade my laptop…

Are the 2nd year students required to have a M1 Max to perform their work?
What hardware are they using to practice?
Look at them and you'll have your answer.

 

[rumz]

Yea thats a bit what i thought. But i think that the Uni is rly going to push us. Not just do light work (ofc the first 2-3 semester will be lighter) but i watched some projects from 3rd and 4th semester they are quite heavy. But maybe i should get a desktop pc them or upgrade my laptop…

What does “heavy” mean? I still think if you didn’t want to have multiple displays that an Air could do the job

 

[LegendJxli]

"Proper" probably was not the right word, but two external monitors rather than MacBook display + single external monitor as a dual display. I know video guys and programmers that run dual external displays but graphic designers? It's all MacBook Pro + 1 external display, or a 27" iMac.

Im a guy who like to work with more screen real estate… i learned programming in Highschool and want to switch to design. Thats why im used to 2 or more monitors and dont want to go back.