Should I buy a $4000 laptop?

• 

  fredzfrog on 07/09/2016 - 01:15

  I wouldn't want my work having access to my personal files, security reasons or not.
  Get a new work laptop, and yourself a new personal laptop of the same charger, then you don't have to worry about having the wrong charger all the time!
  Why do you need such a high end spec'd laptop anyway? If your just using your laptop for being a terminal, just pump it full of ram and let the 'at work desktop' take care of all the hard processing.

• 

  Diji1 on 07/09/2016 - 01:16

  Install gentoo.

• 

  Haulien on 07/09/2016 - 03:34

  +4

  My question about your work is, how you're connecting in. SSH? telnet? Other? Might I suggest talking to your work's IT/security team and seeing if there's a way for you to connect in with your current MBP without using a VM. Public keys and whatnot are super easy to generate and manage. What makes the VM so special? Would Bootcamp (dual booting with windows and OS X) on your MBP work? You can wave away the overhead of a virtual machine with Bootcamp/dual booting.

  If there's absolutely no way to use your current then….

  Use the work issued laptop. Pair it with an iPad/Surface/similar for personal stuff. Try it for a month and if you can't make it work upgrade to something else.

  If you can't make do with your work issued laptop then buy a new one. When you're using it for personal stuff, what do you need? Do you prefer OS X, or prefer form over function? Get a new MBP. Like windows? Need lots of grunt (eg GTX 1080 for gaming)? Get the metabox. This stage is picking which you would prefer to use when not working.

  a VM isn't gonna care what the host OS is. Pick whichever OS you like using (or which ever OS suits your personal needs better. eg windows for gaming, OS X for photo/video editing, etc.).

  After you've settled on what hardware you need for personal use, then upgrade further to support your work needs (extra power for VM, etc)

  A few notes.

  The new MacBook Pro's can't be upgraded later, not even storage. If you decide to get a MBP then think about what hardware you'll need between now and when you might plan on acquiring another laptop. Might be a good idea to max it out.

  The Metabox can be upgraded later! Might be a challenge finding certain things like the GPUs but go with 32GB of ram, it's probably enough to last for a while. Feel the need for 64GB next year? upgrade it yourself. OK with a 256GB boot drive? no problem! Want to add 2TB later? go for it!

  • 

    jiberz on 07/09/2016 - 04:44

    I have a 17" gaming laptop. It is heavy and annoying to travel with but, I deal with it because I know it will sit on a desk for a weeks after I arrive. If you are constantly on the go, I would not recommend.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 07/09/2016 - 07:22

  3- just use the work issued laptop - least likely option as I don't want to lug around 2 laptops, especially when I'm on work trips and the stand laptops are low spec and generally suck.

  Are the standard work laptops worse than your current macbook + vm setup? If so, just live with the macbook + VM setup and reduce your productivity. Since your work is too cheap to buy high spec laptops, no reason for you to go buy your own for work use.

• 

  modsec802 on 07/09/2016 - 07:31

  -1

  Other - change employers

  'Windows' and 'Super Security Conscious' don't go together

  • 

    niner on 07/09/2016 - 10:50

    +1

    What a load of cockwash. So you're saying the banks and government departments that use Windows Enterprise aren't secure?
    Enough with the bashing of Windows when you clearly know nothing about it.

    • 

      kywst on 07/09/2016 - 12:34

      Can confirm that a certain major bank still uses XP and their internal security is frightfully flawed. Why brute down the front door when you can just break a Windows.

      • 

        niner on 07/09/2016 - 17:24

        Which bank?

      • 

        kywst on 07/09/2016 - 17:26

        @niner: Not that one … at least not to my knowledge. 3 left to guess but no more hints from me.

• 

  Kangal on 07/09/2016 - 07:39

  I think you should really contemplate on having two laptops; one personal and one from work.
  Okay, let's say the one they give you at work is a netbook, then yeah i get your point.

  I wouldn't mix the two into a single pc, take it from someone who's tried, and its not ideal.
  They're concerned about security, and you should be concerned about your personal files.

  If you lug around two light-and-thin devices, you will notice two things:
  - cheaper than a big powerful laptop
  - smaller, lighter than a big powerful laptop
  - more secure as data is physical separated
  - more battery life overall

  Just make sure of both laptops are the same, because:
  - same keyboard means better typing, more productivity
  - same touchpad mean better mousing, more productivity
  - same ports allows you to bring a single charger
  - get different colours, or even put vinyls to differentiate the two

  Another option would be to get use a decent specced machine for work.
  And use the "Guest" account for browsing the web for your personals.
  If you have a decent connection, you can offload all your data to the cloud or home server.
  And you can mate all that to a decent desktop computer at home, which you can further use for personals or gaming.

  You don't have to rush out and waste a lot of money, is what I'm getting at.
  If you let the members know what your work needs are they can be more helpful.

• 

  CroyzyCow on 07/09/2016 - 07:52

  Lol Metabox, where do you work? in your kitchen? That laptop is basically for in-house movement only and occasional outing if you're on a trip. Carrying a metabox is like carrying 2 macbook pros. I suggest you get the new Macbook Pro when it is released.

  • 

    nimnomnimy on 07/09/2016 - 23:09

    yeah the weight is a concern. 3.4kg
    I also worry about battery life

    • 

      klaw81 on 08/09/2016 - 11:51

      Bear in mind that although the new model MacBooks (when they are launched) will have newer CPUs, but are unlikely to be substantially more powerful. Given their design direction of late, they will undoubtedly focus on slim portability rather than outright power, and their current top-end model is already known to thermal throttle or power throttle when worked hard. I doubt even their most expensive model of the new version (definitely over $4k) will have a 64GB RAM option.

      Which Metabox model are you looking at?

      I suggest the Prime P650RP:
      i7-6700HQ
      15" IPS 4K screen
      GTX 1060 6GB
      64GB RAM
      512GB PCIe SSD
      Windows 7 or 10
      3 years of on-site warranty
      $3500 delivered

      That machine will totally destroy the current top-spec MacBook in any test without even breaking a sweat, and it's more than $600 cheaper. And it still has space for an optical drive and an extra SSD or HDD. You can get an even faster CPU for extra if you like. Total weight is 2.6kg with battery, which is only an extra 500 grams over the 15" MacBook.

      Remember that battery life and processing power are mutually exclusive. If you need the processing power, you need to supply power to the machine. You can't have both.

      • 

        nimnomnimy on 08/09/2016 - 23:46

        I was thinking Prime X 750DM2G because it uses the desktop processor 6700K which is both unlocked and more powerful than the extremely mobile processor.

        Specs otherwise exactly what you put

• 

  d3ft on 07/09/2016 - 10:16

  Can't your work just set up a desktop for you to remote in to using your laptop? I regularly remote into my work desktop using Citrix and it is pretty much like being there.

  • 

    nimnomnimy on 07/09/2016 - 23:04

    I do have this option but then you are restricted by network connectivity which is the worst when you travel

• 

  niner on 07/09/2016 - 10:47

  Buy a Dell Precision Workstation or Latitude from the dell outlet. Latitude 7000 are only ~$1000 and precision workstation 5000/7000 are $1800+ in as new or refurbished condition. Dell have better enterprise grade security than any macbook and is often used in banks and in the United states government departments. Panasonic toughbooks or HP elitebooks are also good if you're looking for indestructible laptops.

• 

  nimnomnimy on 13/09/2016 - 08:07

  I'm going to wait through October to see if a new MacBook Pro comes out, if it doesn't blow me away, I'm going to get a metabox.

  • 

    klaw81 on 13/09/2016 - 11:04

    Seems like a reasonable approach - if nothing else, Metabox pricing will probably reduce slightly over that time as competition between all the new Pascal-equipped notebooks heats up.

    My predictions for the new MacBook Pro:
    - upgrade to Kaby Lake i5 and i7 mobile CPUs
    - upgrade to later model AMD Polaris mobile GPU in the 15" model
    - thinner and lighter, with a much reduced screen bezel for a smaller footprint
    - the rumoured OLED touch control bar seems highly probable
    - soldered RAM, max 32GB
    - PCIe SSDs as standard
    - available in 13" and 15" sizes
    - Touch ID built into the trackpad

    Basically they're going to aim squarely at the luxury mobility prosumer/executive market. If you want extra processing power in your next laptop, I suspect you're going to be disappointed.

    • 

      nimnomnimy on 13/09/2016 - 22:29

      If it has a 32gb ram option and skylake processor, that will be enough for me

      • 

        klaw81 on 14/09/2016 - 07:08

        Really? Skylake alone isn't going to give you a major power bump; it's only about an extra 10%. I thought you wanted a major upgrade.

      • 

        nimnomnimy on 14/09/2016 - 23:18

        @klaw81: the weight is a factor, I'm trying to find the best balance of power and portability.

        The metabox weighs 2x MacBook pros

        There's also the niceties of Mac OS such as air drop, unlocking with my watch and all the interconnectedness with my other Mac devices