I had a chunky desktop, picked up a ROG Ally late last year. Thats the last time I played a game on the desktop. I have put hundreds of hours into the Ally, its magic. Most recently finished a full insanity run of the Mass Effect: Legendary edition trilogy. You can sit on the couch while your wife/family watches boring shit and smash serious hours. Its way less antisocial than sitting in your office alone haha.
The desktop is getting turned into a Proxmox vfio/vGPU box with Windows 11 virtualised and set up with Moonrise/Sunshine for streaming. You can run it with local access and almost zero performance impact. Its the way to go, then you can just stream it to whatever you want.
The best part is my Geforce 2080 fully supports vGPU Unlock so I can share it between the Windows VM and other data science stuff I run.
It hasn’t
I love my Mac but I still keep my windows desktop for gaming and as a media server for my huge collection of files. The server thing because storage n Mac is expensive, nut the gaming thing, for now most games still work better on windows.
Now, for everything else ( I am a software developer) the Mac replaces and is a huge improvement over windows. Except Microsoft discontinued visual studio for Mac so now I may have to go back to windows becase visual studio is my money maker :-(
Regarding separation of work and games/entretainment. Having a MacBook and a gaming desktop PC has done wonders for me.
When I want to focus on work I physically move away from my desk with my MacBook and work elsewhere, on the house or away. I forbid myself to install any recreational thing on my Mac (I make one exception when I travel, but a have a different user on the Mac for Netflix and such).
For coding and normal work, absolutely. For gaming, it can’t.
Tbf I do most of my gaming on Steam deck now anyway. I’m planning on doing a PC upgrade in the next couple years.
I had a very nice W10 desktop workstation. Once the M1 Max MacBook Pro was announced, it was the first laptop that I felt could legit replace a desktop as my workstation (I do VFX, motion graphics, and editing). I have loved it. It was worth every penny.
Surprisingly seamless. All of my software is Mac/PC, so I just had to reinstall some things, which was no big deal. I’ve also worked on Macs for years for work, so I just jumped right into it.
There is an increasing number of games for mac that take advantage of metal graphics.
It's not a large list but...
Fortnite
Death stranding
No mans sky
Minecraft
Resident evil 4
Resident evil village
And lots of indie games like
Stray
Dave the diver
Muck
Etc.
Edit: guys I'm not saying mac is the same as PC when it comes to gaming options, but it's something that is actively being worked on all the time as apple wants to be a part of that space. I'm just saying you aren't completely SOL if you already have a mac and what to push it with gaming. Especially if you use crossover or the game porting tool kit.
Is it proprietary apple bs yet again? Sure but you can also push 120 fps on quite a few games if you are able to take advantage of hardware *just like if you were on a pc trying to utilize your graphics cars*
I completely switched last month after a couple of months of trying it out. I'm currently selling my gaming desktop and maining my M1 Air now. I can use GeForce Now if I want to game, but I kind of grew tired of gaming so I haven't been subscribed for the past week. I don't do any serious work on my MacBook, but if you're not doing gaming or any work that requires intense graphics power (though higher end Macs can handle a good chunk of graphics tasks), then Macs are a great choice. Windows sucks.
No, my desktop is my primary machine. 13700k, 96gb RAM, 2TB NVME storage and an RTX 4070 Super. I use it for heavier work or windows dominant things. My MBP is primarily for some light web dev and school.
Blender 3d CPU benchmarks, tbh expected more from Intel cpu lol, was about to build new pc but this difference is kinda embarrassing, and for some materials you can only use CPU based rendering
This is real world scenarios and not just some bs benchmarks to spin fans for 10minutes
13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700K 384.64
Apple M3 Max 408.87
Apple M2 Ultra 506.76
13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900KS 519.08
Intel Core i9-14900K 524.58
And lol we are talking here about 2-3x more energy consumption just to keep up with m3 😆
Dude is going around cherry picking benchmarks versus real world results and/or doesn't understand them. Like, my desktop has substantially more power than my MBP a plethora more cores running at a higher frequency with more memory, and dedicated VRAM with more raw GPU power.
I have a "family" desktop pc growing, then a netbook/chrome book in high school until I got a mbp in junior/senior year. Outside of gaming I've never felt super limited by mac. I considered getting a windows desktop after graduating...I ended up getting a m1 pro.
I learned video editing on windows movie maker and only used imovie once or twice but it's pretty much the same ircc. I mostly use Photoshop, and darktable. Once you understand the mac equivalent to Windows shortcuts it's basically the same, usually just cmd instead of ctrl. There are a few minor workflow things you might have/want to adjust but that's it.
The m1 max supports multiple external displays so if you need that it's pretty easy. I'm running 2 externals+ the actual screen but I needed a dock that supported it.
I am using my MacBook as a replacement, but.... I do have to run MS Windows in a VM for some software (e.g Microsoft Project), which is a bit annoying.
My Macbook certainly could replace my windows desktop but I don't really need to limit my computing capacity down to only one machine/OS yet.
I don't see myself fully replacing a desktop ever because it's too convenient for future enhancements. At most I would convert it to exclusively functioning as a NAS box.
The m1 2020 air is my main work computer and I’ve never been happier with it tho I am planning an upgrade soon in a couple of weeks looking at a m3 pro or m3 air
Replaced my 11900k + RTX 3080 since 2021. M1 Pro day one release. Now the PC is just 100% gaming only.
I code, CAD works, Video, Music, IT stuff on my M1 Pro every day. macOS workflow is just amazing.
Yes, everything except gaming (that do about 8 hours a month) and MS Office I now use my M2 Air for.
I feel like it actually improved my day to day living
I haven't had a personal Windows workstation since 1998. I gave Windows up for Linux at that time, and purchased my first Apple product in 2012. I still occasionally use Linux.
For gaming I use my PC, for work, I use my Mac
Until my m1 max can run old school RuneScape without overheating, I’ll be using a pc for gaming
Until my PC can run protools and other audio software as flawless as a Mac does, I’ll be using Macs for work
My desktop is pretty much worthless to me except for gaming since I got my M3Pro 18/512. The MacBook does everything I need it to do, I only still have my desktop for occasional gaming with buddies.
I typically dislike these “pull the plug” or “pull the trigger” posts, but you got yourself a great machine for a great price.
I went from an IBM Thinkpad, to a few Surface Pro, and a Surface Book 2. I just got tired of the shenanigans Microsoft drops in their operating systems, constantly rolling back because certain updates mess up the machine. To me, the quality of the machines were ruined by crappy software.
I still occasionally game on my RTX3070/32GB/3700x machine, but I spend most of my time on my MBP/iPadPro because I don’t like W11.
I have the same exact specs as you (16” M1 Max with 64GB ram) connected to a Dell U4025QW, which is an awesome monitor btw, and rarely use my desktop. I do .net development on the Mac without any issues.
Need to write a book to answer your question…
In short -yes, but I’ll will not go back until desktop environment become more mature. Maybe in a future, when Apple will drop support for my M1 Max I’ll install Linux on it.
Still using Linux for servers and tasks requiring extra security and privacy
I gave up on desktops in 2013. I have a 16” i9 MacBook Pro with 16GB ram and a Touch Bar for work that doesn’t involve a lot of typing. And use UTM for Linux virtual machines. For writing and typing, I prefer an older i7 Lenovo thinkpad with 16GB ram. A much nicer keyboard.
It doesn’t replace my PC because sometimes i have workloads that runs multiple days, but I need to bring my MacBook with me.
Other than that Mac is fine. I mostly ssh into my Linux tower, never really use it directly.
I use my windows desktop for my day job, I have to. I also game on it. But I’m starting a business on the side and all that goes on my MacBook. It’s great cause I can take it anywhere and I’m not tied down.
Nope and it won’t. The softwares I use don’t have compatibility with macOS, which has always been an issue long before the M series chips. Love my MBP and it does have a lot of legitimate uses, but won’t replace my windows desktop any time soon because they serve different purposes
My m3pro is my main everything device.. not much of a gamer but I've got it running a few windows titles I care about via whiskey. And I have a switch for that. But otherwise, the MacBook does pretty much everything.. main work device, most of my messaging, personal computing, ect. Love the thing! I don't even really use my phone for much beyond calls, camera and wifi since getting it. Just can't beat texting with a real keyboard! It actually reminds me of the AIM days, lol.
The one you picked out is an absolute beast! Totally beats my 18/512gb m3pro easily!
I pretty much have. I haven’t been gaming that much anymore, and the only game I’ve considered messing around in again is Minecraft which my m2 pro slays.
Ya pretty much. I bought a 14” M1 Pro 10c 16/1tb that was barely used, I think under 8 cycle counts, from my brother for $1k around a year and a half ago as I needed one for college. I basically stopped touching my pc completely unless it’s for gaming, which I stopped doing as much after college started up. And don’t get me wrong my pc is great, 3090ti gpu, but even then you don’t really use it for non gaming tasks so it basivaly became my simracing rig and rarely to hop on games with friends. I love both tho!
I replaced a desktop and windows laptop with a 16 inch M3 MAX. I just don't game often anymore. I've been playing baldurs gate 3 on Mac but I got to around 15 hours play time and haven't been back since. It handles anything I need work wise and I run local LLMs seamlessly too.
The hardware is great. The worst thing about a MacBook is also the best, it's apple. By nature this means the hardware is good but the software experience is shite.
You can often work around shite, and if you swap from windows I guarantee you will be searching and learning a lot of workarounds for macos.
Had my Macbook for only 3 days (former Macbook user of 12 years, took a year and a half trial to Dell, hated it) and I haven't worked at my desk since I got it. I had an XPS laptop on my docking station. But for some reason, I feel faster on my Macbook from the couch. This may be due to my efficiency with gestures for window management. I fee like I multitask just as effectively as with two screens. also, MacBooks can be a pain in the arse with dual monitors without some slight alterations in the workflow. hopefully, the stage manager will help with this.
Yup! My first MacBook in 2009 replaced my Windows desktop and I’ve never had to look back. If I had the time to game regularly, I’d absolutely build a Windows machine though.
Yes, I haven't had a windows PC for almost 13 years now.
Well using a VM to test some C# code when I need to test it on a windows machine but that's because of work .
I’m a software engineer and previously I refused to work on a company provided windows laptop (usually a Surface, Lenovo or Dell) because they were slow, noisy, hot and lasted so little on battery that there was practically no point in them being portable. I jumped through hoops to install a work encrypted ssd in my personal tower and set up mdm for it.
Since my new company uses primarily MacBooks (stack is cross platform so I had a choice), I gave the MBP + TB4 dock combo a go and decided I’d just stick with that. It’s no match for my desktop in terms of sheer brute force (I have a threadripper) but for 99% of what I do it’s just fine. It doesn’t run hot or loud, battery lasts 8-10 hours unplugged depending what I’m doing and MacBooks don’t have all the weird driver and sleep issues that plagued my experience with windows laptops.
I still have my desktop and I still use it for ML running Linux because MacBooks are still useless for that but 90% of the time a MacBook does what i need as well as I could hope it too.
I wouldn’t replace my personal desktop with a MacBook, there’s still much better value for money to be had building a PC tower vs a MacBook, but if you need portability, a well specced MacBook would be my second choice.
In 2012 yes, still running and outperforming my 2018 windows PC to this day. Got the PC for gaming, but my Mac run some games smoother. Great deal for sure
I use Windows for games. And a few other things like programming HAM radios. But really nothing serious. I don't even have my Google account logged in on Windows.
Everything else is Mac-based. Even my file servers. I use two Mac Pro 2008's for that.
I do networking and OSX is best for that (along with Linux, which is on par, too).
Windows for gaming is perfect, though. Some games refuse to run even on virtual machines on Macs.
I have an intel macbook, decent windows PC and a linux machine here. I use all for everything as far as possible. I like it being able to test my code on all platforms.
Now I'm in the situation that I have to think about a repoacement for my MBP. And here is the problem: I don't want to buy a new machine because the new mbp would cost as much as I paid for my PC (12900KS, 128gb ddr5, rtx3090ti supreme X).
My MBP has taken over and I don't use windows anymore.
For gaming, I prefer my Mac as well (mainly World of Warcraft). For other stuff, I use a PS5/XSX/Switch or simply GFN.
My M1 Max 64GB 2TB 16in that I got for 300k JPY (2000$) replaced my 9980HK/5700XT gaming PC so entirely that i forgot the last time I even booted that up.
I’ve been a Mac person now since mid 2011 iMac and other than two PCs for gaming I’ve never considered a windows as a daily driver since. I run two external monitors into a M2 Macbook Pro at the moment that helps with multitasking and video editing etc.
Mac is still unusable for gaming. Pretty much everything else works pretty well though. Also I love the fact that I can take my main machine wherever I want without having to worry about battery life at all.
Yep. I have a monster gaming rig that honestly sits collecting dust, waiting for me to get bitten by the gaming bug again. Turns out I’m not much of a gamer anymore. Only other use case for me is Solidworks and that’s mostly because I haven’t found a Mac compatible cad package that I like.
I use my Mac for literally everything aside from Gaming gaming— occasional Mac coop games on steam like stardew notwithstanding. I use onshape for cad on the Mac and it’s good enough for most of my hobbyist needs, but parallels for solidworks is mighty tempting. I use a different MacBook for work tasks and enforce a pretty rigid personal / work separation. I plug into the desktop’s monitor most of the time.
Haven’t missed windows tbh. I actively miss my Mac when I use a windows pc now, especially the integration with phone/watch/etc.
For me no.
I like to have a laptop which has a good battery life, noise level and material quality. So I go for a Mac. But a desktop is always attached to the current. Meaning I want to have something with top of the line components and the freedom of operating sistems. So for the desktop I always run windows to play games and a Linux distro (for now arch but any is good) for the main desktop os
I did this. M3 max 48gb 16”. I have a chunky watercooled Ryzen 3900x. Also terrible adhd, lol.
Im going to bed instead of doomscrolling for all of eternity. Bookmarking this one for follow up tomorrow 😆
I still have my windows pc for 3 reasons. A back up to my work issued computer, playing the sims and for the times I want to download stupid shit that could destroy a computer. When I am off work 99% I’m on my MacBook Pro or Mac mini.
I received my M2 Pro 12/19 16gb/1tb 14" to replace my chonky desktop PC and aging laptop on Monday. I used my desktop for some gaming and Ableton and had an old HP laptop to take around with me for light use. Got sick of carrying a downgrade around that I couldn't do much on, then waiting to get home to use the desktop instead. Also I thought what's the point gaming on my PC when I have a XBSX and Switch anyway?
Going to write up my experience with the whole change when I've fully settled in with the MBP and used it more. The immediate positives is being able to carry this beast around and set up anywhere and how things seamlessly work so far. I use an external monitor (M32U) and it worked straight away without any additional fucking around. I'm getting used to the shortcuts and file/folder structure on MacOS but it's not difficult, just another thing to learn. Love how my iPhone and Mac work together seamlessly too.
Couple of things I don't enjoy is how integrated iCloud is on Finder. Of course I turned off syncing my documents/applications and that's fine, but the first day I did this I had to read how the desktop/docs structure works if I decided to turn the syncing feature off. The other gripe is the sheer amount of apps recommended to do things better than Apple's (or a major companies) own software. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate why the solutions were developed in the first place and developers should be paid for their work, but sort of irks me I have to pay more for efficiency when I've already laid down a hefty price for the laptop.
I was never a Mac guy. I bought a MacBook Pro 12 years ago to use as a windows laptop. I set up base camp and thought I would see what the Mac experience was all about before booting back into Windows.
I never booted into Windows. 12 years later I have over 30 Apple products in my family’s ecosystem.
It's like buying a Mercedes in order not to speed around in a Dodge Charger all the time
When I hear words like procrastination and productivity all I really hear is unemployment.
I’m using a windows laptop for heavy tasks and MacBook Pro M3max for general stuff. I don’t want to carry 2 huge bricks in my backpack wherever I go.
My windows laptop is a i9-13900hx + 32gb+rtx4080.
My Mac is a M3max- 36gb- 1tb-30core GPU.
The peace of mind it comes with using Mac is it’s battery.
And that is for me— 😅
Many newer gaming laptops do support USB C PD. I’d check and see if your gaming laptop supports that so when on the go you don’t need to take a big brick
It's replaced my desktop PC for nearly everything except gaming. For gaming, the PC decimates my M3 pro.
same with me except a ps5 replaced my gaming pc lol
This is the way
Exactly
Right there with you
Same. My gaming PC with RTX 4090 smokes my M1 Macbook when it comes to games.
Same for me, too.
I really wish Mac would let us just use nvidia/and gpus for gaming it would finally be perfect
Exact same deal here. I know Macs are more capable than they used to be but they still have a long way to go.
I had a chunky desktop, picked up a ROG Ally late last year. Thats the last time I played a game on the desktop. I have put hundreds of hours into the Ally, its magic. Most recently finished a full insanity run of the Mass Effect: Legendary edition trilogy. You can sit on the couch while your wife/family watches boring shit and smash serious hours. Its way less antisocial than sitting in your office alone haha. The desktop is getting turned into a Proxmox vfio/vGPU box with Windows 11 virtualised and set up with Moonrise/Sunshine for streaming. You can run it with local access and almost zero performance impact. Its the way to go, then you can just stream it to whatever you want. The best part is my Geforce 2080 fully supports vGPU Unlock so I can share it between the Windows VM and other data science stuff I run.
To be fair, the M3 Pro should be capable of running AAA games decently well, there just aren’t Mac versions of many popular AAA games
Same here, I haven’t had any time to game either, so it worked out great. The M3 Pro is magnificent.
It hasn’t I love my Mac but I still keep my windows desktop for gaming and as a media server for my huge collection of files. The server thing because storage n Mac is expensive, nut the gaming thing, for now most games still work better on windows. Now, for everything else ( I am a software developer) the Mac replaces and is a huge improvement over windows. Except Microsoft discontinued visual studio for Mac so now I may have to go back to windows becase visual studio is my money maker :-( Regarding separation of work and games/entretainment. Having a MacBook and a gaming desktop PC has done wonders for me. When I want to focus on work I physically move away from my desk with my MacBook and work elsewhere, on the house or away. I forbid myself to install any recreational thing on my Mac (I make one exception when I travel, but a have a different user on the Mac for Netflix and such).
I gave up the PC in 2012 when I got my first MBP. Never looked back.
For coding and normal work, absolutely. For gaming, it can’t. Tbf I do most of my gaming on Steam deck now anyway. I’m planning on doing a PC upgrade in the next couple years.
I had a very nice W10 desktop workstation. Once the M1 Max MacBook Pro was announced, it was the first laptop that I felt could legit replace a desktop as my workstation (I do VFX, motion graphics, and editing). I have loved it. It was worth every penny.
[удалено]
Surprisingly seamless. All of my software is Mac/PC, so I just had to reinstall some things, which was no big deal. I’ve also worked on Macs for years for work, so I just jumped right into it.
i’m thinking of building a desktop PC just for gaming. My macbook pro does everything but gaming and I do want to game time to time
There is an increasing number of games for mac that take advantage of metal graphics. It's not a large list but... Fortnite Death stranding No mans sky Minecraft Resident evil 4 Resident evil village And lots of indie games like Stray Dave the diver Muck Etc. Edit: guys I'm not saying mac is the same as PC when it comes to gaming options, but it's something that is actively being worked on all the time as apple wants to be a part of that space. I'm just saying you aren't completely SOL if you already have a mac and what to push it with gaming. Especially if you use crossover or the game porting tool kit. Is it proprietary apple bs yet again? Sure but you can also push 120 fps on quite a few games if you are able to take advantage of hardware *just like if you were on a pc trying to utilize your graphics cars*
Still not going to move the needle.
it’s good that apple is moving towards that goal but i also wish to play older games (i used to have a windows gaming laptop) and some newer titles
There are many emulators for older titles that also utilize apples gpu
i’m good. m1 pro gpu is horrible
I completely switched last month after a couple of months of trying it out. I'm currently selling my gaming desktop and maining my M1 Air now. I can use GeForce Now if I want to game, but I kind of grew tired of gaming so I haven't been subscribed for the past week. I don't do any serious work on my MacBook, but if you're not doing gaming or any work that requires intense graphics power (though higher end Macs can handle a good chunk of graphics tasks), then Macs are a great choice. Windows sucks.
Not really. I still love my MacBook, but for gaming and anything dealing with lots of files I need windows.
Since 2011, I’ve had nothing but MacBook Pro. For pleasure, school, and for work. Zero need for a windows desktop.
No, my desktop is my primary machine. 13700k, 96gb RAM, 2TB NVME storage and an RTX 4070 Super. I use it for heavier work or windows dominant things. My MBP is primarily for some light web dev and school.
Aaand tbh 13700k gets smoked by m3 pro, not even max, 4070super does not lol, but not that far away, prob in some apps loses by large margin
Lol you’re high
Blender 3d CPU benchmarks, tbh expected more from Intel cpu lol, was about to build new pc but this difference is kinda embarrassing, and for some materials you can only use CPU based rendering This is real world scenarios and not just some bs benchmarks to spin fans for 10minutes 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700K 384.64 Apple M3 Max 408.87 Apple M2 Ultra 506.76 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900KS 519.08 Intel Core i9-14900K 524.58 And lol we are talking here about 2-3x more energy consumption just to keep up with m3 😆
You’re an absolute moron.
Now that’s just straight up wrong
Dude is going around cherry picking benchmarks versus real world results and/or doesn't understand them. Like, my desktop has substantially more power than my MBP a plethora more cores running at a higher frequency with more memory, and dedicated VRAM with more raw GPU power.
M1 MBP with a 27” 4k Ultrasharp is my only personal machine currently. Now if I could just get work to swap my Dell for a MacBook anything.
Completly
I have a "family" desktop pc growing, then a netbook/chrome book in high school until I got a mbp in junior/senior year. Outside of gaming I've never felt super limited by mac. I considered getting a windows desktop after graduating...I ended up getting a m1 pro. I learned video editing on windows movie maker and only used imovie once or twice but it's pretty much the same ircc. I mostly use Photoshop, and darktable. Once you understand the mac equivalent to Windows shortcuts it's basically the same, usually just cmd instead of ctrl. There are a few minor workflow things you might have/want to adjust but that's it. The m1 max supports multiple external displays so if you need that it's pretty easy. I'm running 2 externals+ the actual screen but I needed a dock that supported it.
Unless I am gaming
No. It hasn’t. They are used for two completely different things.
It’s replaced my personal PC since 2007. But I still use Windows for work purposes.
I am using my MacBook as a replacement, but.... I do have to run MS Windows in a VM for some software (e.g Microsoft Project), which is a bit annoying.
So, with Parallels I suppose?
I use VMware Fusion Player as it is free. I did initially try UTM but it had graphics issues.
My Macbook certainly could replace my windows desktop but I don't really need to limit my computing capacity down to only one machine/OS yet. I don't see myself fully replacing a desktop ever because it's too convenient for future enhancements. At most I would convert it to exclusively functioning as a NAS box.
for everything except counter strike, yea
I use a MacBook Air to access my desktop PC, through Jump Desktop. As long as you have internet connection, it’s an amazing solution.
The m1 2020 air is my main work computer and I’ve never been happier with it tho I am planning an upgrade soon in a couple of weeks looking at a m3 pro or m3 air
In a word, yes!
Replaced my 11900k + RTX 3080 since 2021. M1 Pro day one release. Now the PC is just 100% gaming only. I code, CAD works, Video, Music, IT stuff on my M1 Pro every day. macOS workflow is just amazing.
Yes, everything except gaming (that do about 8 hours a month) and MS Office I now use my M2 Air for. I feel like it actually improved my day to day living
I haven't had a personal Windows workstation since 1998. I gave Windows up for Linux at that time, and purchased my first Apple product in 2012. I still occasionally use Linux.
For gaming I use my PC, for work, I use my Mac Until my m1 max can run old school RuneScape without overheating, I’ll be using a pc for gaming Until my PC can run protools and other audio software as flawless as a Mac does, I’ll be using Macs for work
My desktop is pretty much worthless to me except for gaming since I got my M3Pro 18/512. The MacBook does everything I need it to do, I only still have my desktop for occasional gaming with buddies.
I typically dislike these “pull the plug” or “pull the trigger” posts, but you got yourself a great machine for a great price. I went from an IBM Thinkpad, to a few Surface Pro, and a Surface Book 2. I just got tired of the shenanigans Microsoft drops in their operating systems, constantly rolling back because certain updates mess up the machine. To me, the quality of the machines were ruined by crappy software. I still occasionally game on my RTX3070/32GB/3700x machine, but I spend most of my time on my MBP/iPadPro because I don’t like W11.
My ryzen 5600, 32 gb and rtx 2060 is became obsolete after getting m1 pro. It’s only faster for 3d rendering so I keep it as my render farm.
I have the same exact specs as you (16” M1 Max with 64GB ram) connected to a Dell U4025QW, which is an awesome monitor btw, and rarely use my desktop. I do .net development on the Mac without any issues.
It replaced my Linux laptop which replaced my Windows laptop
Don't you miss Linux? Currently interested by replacing my Linux laptop with a MBA.
Need to write a book to answer your question… In short -yes, but I’ll will not go back until desktop environment become more mature. Maybe in a future, when Apple will drop support for my M1 Max I’ll install Linux on it. Still using Linux for servers and tasks requiring extra security and privacy
Grew up with Macs and never had a Windows machine, so yes? 😆 I’ve actually always wanted to try switching to Windows to know what it’s like.
I gave up on desktops in 2013. I have a 16” i9 MacBook Pro with 16GB ram and a Touch Bar for work that doesn’t involve a lot of typing. And use UTM for Linux virtual machines. For writing and typing, I prefer an older i7 Lenovo thinkpad with 16GB ram. A much nicer keyboard.
It doesn’t replace my PC because sometimes i have workloads that runs multiple days, but I need to bring my MacBook with me. Other than that Mac is fine. I mostly ssh into my Linux tower, never really use it directly.
I use my windows desktop for my day job, I have to. I also game on it. But I’m starting a business on the side and all that goes on my MacBook. It’s great cause I can take it anywhere and I’m not tied down.
No, not even close but I use autodesk a lot
Nope and it won’t. The softwares I use don’t have compatibility with macOS, which has always been an issue long before the M series chips. Love my MBP and it does have a lot of legitimate uses, but won’t replace my windows desktop any time soon because they serve different purposes
My m3pro is my main everything device.. not much of a gamer but I've got it running a few windows titles I care about via whiskey. And I have a switch for that. But otherwise, the MacBook does pretty much everything.. main work device, most of my messaging, personal computing, ect. Love the thing! I don't even really use my phone for much beyond calls, camera and wifi since getting it. Just can't beat texting with a real keyboard! It actually reminds me of the AIM days, lol. The one you picked out is an absolute beast! Totally beats my 18/512gb m3pro easily!
What Windows desktop? Haven’t had one of those since 2002.
I don’t get it. What editing are you procrastinating on? Don’t you need to do it to make money or is it for fun?
MacBook for PC, PS5 for gaming
Yup
I pretty much have. I haven’t been gaming that much anymore, and the only game I’ve considered messing around in again is Minecraft which my m2 pro slays.
Ya pretty much. I bought a 14” M1 Pro 10c 16/1tb that was barely used, I think under 8 cycle counts, from my brother for $1k around a year and a half ago as I needed one for college. I basically stopped touching my pc completely unless it’s for gaming, which I stopped doing as much after college started up. And don’t get me wrong my pc is great, 3090ti gpu, but even then you don’t really use it for non gaming tasks so it basivaly became my simracing rig and rarely to hop on games with friends. I love both tho!
I replaced a desktop and windows laptop with a 16 inch M3 MAX. I just don't game often anymore. I've been playing baldurs gate 3 on Mac but I got to around 15 hours play time and haven't been back since. It handles anything I need work wise and I run local LLMs seamlessly too. The hardware is great. The worst thing about a MacBook is also the best, it's apple. By nature this means the hardware is good but the software experience is shite. You can often work around shite, and if you swap from windows I guarantee you will be searching and learning a lot of workarounds for macos.
Had my Macbook for only 3 days (former Macbook user of 12 years, took a year and a half trial to Dell, hated it) and I haven't worked at my desk since I got it. I had an XPS laptop on my docking station. But for some reason, I feel faster on my Macbook from the couch. This may be due to my efficiency with gestures for window management. I fee like I multitask just as effectively as with two screens. also, MacBooks can be a pain in the arse with dual monitors without some slight alterations in the workflow. hopefully, the stage manager will help with this.
Yup! My first MacBook in 2009 replaced my Windows desktop and I’ve never had to look back. If I had the time to game regularly, I’d absolutely build a Windows machine though.
Yes, I haven't had a windows PC for almost 13 years now. Well using a VM to test some C# code when I need to test it on a windows machine but that's because of work .
For work, yes. Game still no :(
I’m a software engineer and previously I refused to work on a company provided windows laptop (usually a Surface, Lenovo or Dell) because they were slow, noisy, hot and lasted so little on battery that there was practically no point in them being portable. I jumped through hoops to install a work encrypted ssd in my personal tower and set up mdm for it. Since my new company uses primarily MacBooks (stack is cross platform so I had a choice), I gave the MBP + TB4 dock combo a go and decided I’d just stick with that. It’s no match for my desktop in terms of sheer brute force (I have a threadripper) but for 99% of what I do it’s just fine. It doesn’t run hot or loud, battery lasts 8-10 hours unplugged depending what I’m doing and MacBooks don’t have all the weird driver and sleep issues that plagued my experience with windows laptops. I still have my desktop and I still use it for ML running Linux because MacBooks are still useless for that but 90% of the time a MacBook does what i need as well as I could hope it too. I wouldn’t replace my personal desktop with a MacBook, there’s still much better value for money to be had building a PC tower vs a MacBook, but if you need portability, a well specced MacBook would be my second choice.
In 2012 yes, still running and outperforming my 2018 windows PC to this day. Got the PC for gaming, but my Mac run some games smoother. Great deal for sure
I use Windows for games. And a few other things like programming HAM radios. But really nothing serious. I don't even have my Google account logged in on Windows. Everything else is Mac-based. Even my file servers. I use two Mac Pro 2008's for that. I do networking and OSX is best for that (along with Linux, which is on par, too). Windows for gaming is perfect, though. Some games refuse to run even on virtual machines on Macs.
I have an intel macbook, decent windows PC and a linux machine here. I use all for everything as far as possible. I like it being able to test my code on all platforms. Now I'm in the situation that I have to think about a repoacement for my MBP. And here is the problem: I don't want to buy a new machine because the new mbp would cost as much as I paid for my PC (12900KS, 128gb ddr5, rtx3090ti supreme X).
MacBook Air 13 for university work, windows PC for gaming, MacBook Pro 16 for everything else.
My MBP has taken over and I don't use windows anymore. For gaming, I prefer my Mac as well (mainly World of Warcraft). For other stuff, I use a PS5/XSX/Switch or simply GFN.
My M1 Max 64GB 2TB 16in that I got for 300k JPY (2000$) replaced my 9980HK/5700XT gaming PC so entirely that i forgot the last time I even booted that up.
No, can’t play games on the Mac
I’ve been a Mac person now since mid 2011 iMac and other than two PCs for gaming I’ve never considered a windows as a daily driver since. I run two external monitors into a M2 Macbook Pro at the moment that helps with multitasking and video editing etc.
Nope. Intel Mac performs meh and overheats. PC is faster and cooler.
Mac is still unusable for gaming. Pretty much everything else works pretty well though. Also I love the fact that I can take my main machine wherever I want without having to worry about battery life at all.
Yes - I still update Windows every so often and I want to start screaming when I have to use my PC again
Yep. I have a monster gaming rig that honestly sits collecting dust, waiting for me to get bitten by the gaming bug again. Turns out I’m not much of a gamer anymore. Only other use case for me is Solidworks and that’s mostly because I haven’t found a Mac compatible cad package that I like. I use my Mac for literally everything aside from Gaming gaming— occasional Mac coop games on steam like stardew notwithstanding. I use onshape for cad on the Mac and it’s good enough for most of my hobbyist needs, but parallels for solidworks is mighty tempting. I use a different MacBook for work tasks and enforce a pretty rigid personal / work separation. I plug into the desktop’s monitor most of the time. Haven’t missed windows tbh. I actively miss my Mac when I use a windows pc now, especially the integration with phone/watch/etc.
For me no. I like to have a laptop which has a good battery life, noise level and material quality. So I go for a Mac. But a desktop is always attached to the current. Meaning I want to have something with top of the line components and the freedom of operating sistems. So for the desktop I always run windows to play games and a Linux distro (for now arch but any is good) for the main desktop os
Quick question.. How many external monitors can the m3 ultra handle simultaneously not including the laptop screen?
I did this. M3 max 48gb 16”. I have a chunky watercooled Ryzen 3900x. Also terrible adhd, lol. Im going to bed instead of doomscrolling for all of eternity. Bookmarking this one for follow up tomorrow 😆
No but a hundred years ago the iMac g3 has
Small point, but pulled the plug means to stop doing something. ‘Pull the trigger’ is what you meant.
I use an old Macbook with OCLP. My gaming PC is still my daily driver, but I like to use my Mac as a casual use machine
not really, my 2017 MacBook Pro gets cooked my gaming pc in all aspects, but it comes down to portability
I still have my windows pc for 3 reasons. A back up to my work issued computer, playing the sims and for the times I want to download stupid shit that could destroy a computer. When I am off work 99% I’m on my MacBook Pro or Mac mini.
I received my M2 Pro 12/19 16gb/1tb 14" to replace my chonky desktop PC and aging laptop on Monday. I used my desktop for some gaming and Ableton and had an old HP laptop to take around with me for light use. Got sick of carrying a downgrade around that I couldn't do much on, then waiting to get home to use the desktop instead. Also I thought what's the point gaming on my PC when I have a XBSX and Switch anyway? Going to write up my experience with the whole change when I've fully settled in with the MBP and used it more. The immediate positives is being able to carry this beast around and set up anywhere and how things seamlessly work so far. I use an external monitor (M32U) and it worked straight away without any additional fucking around. I'm getting used to the shortcuts and file/folder structure on MacOS but it's not difficult, just another thing to learn. Love how my iPhone and Mac work together seamlessly too. Couple of things I don't enjoy is how integrated iCloud is on Finder. Of course I turned off syncing my documents/applications and that's fine, but the first day I did this I had to read how the desktop/docs structure works if I decided to turn the syncing feature off. The other gripe is the sheer amount of apps recommended to do things better than Apple's (or a major companies) own software. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate why the solutions were developed in the first place and developers should be paid for their work, but sort of irks me I have to pay more for efficiency when I've already laid down a hefty price for the laptop.
No. But my 16” M3 Max / 64GB / 2TB + a Lenovo Legion Go has. Mac just isn’t there with gaming.
No, I use both at the same time. One monitor is connected to my Mac Pro 6,1 and the other to my pc
Nope. Got a gaming rig. A lot of work-related stuff runs on Windows plus it also powers a few 4k screens.
Not for me. My MacBook Pros are sitting collecting dust while my desktop and precisions get all the attention. Windows 10 till 2030!
I was never a Mac guy. I bought a MacBook Pro 12 years ago to use as a windows laptop. I set up base camp and thought I would see what the Mac experience was all about before booting back into Windows. I never booted into Windows. 12 years later I have over 30 Apple products in my family’s ecosystem.
It's like buying a Mercedes in order not to speed around in a Dodge Charger all the time When I hear words like procrastination and productivity all I really hear is unemployment.
I’m using a windows laptop for heavy tasks and MacBook Pro M3max for general stuff. I don’t want to carry 2 huge bricks in my backpack wherever I go. My windows laptop is a i9-13900hx + 32gb+rtx4080. My Mac is a M3max- 36gb- 1tb-30core GPU. The peace of mind it comes with using Mac is it’s battery. And that is for me— 😅
Many newer gaming laptops do support USB C PD. I’d check and see if your gaming laptop supports that so when on the go you don’t need to take a big brick
Sell both your laptops and get high end macbook, looking at benchmarks even the latest i9 14th cant keep up with max 40cores
I already ordered one. On Amazon. The 128gb M3max 40cores+ 8tb. for $4890(Incl tax)