
Ask HN: Advise on buying a mac - ynarwal
Which laptop is better suited for programmers :
 1. Macbook air 
 2. 13 inch Macbook pro
 3. 15 inch Macbook pro<p>Cheers
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jwilliams
Really depends on the type of programming you do. For many cases, any of those
three will be more than enough.

If you're doing a lot of data crunching, data science, or other computation -
then you'll need more CPU/GPU/etc, which takes you down the 15" route.

I opted for a 13" Macbook Pro as I travel a lot, work away from my desk a lot
and generally have my computer with me anyway. If I was desk-bound I'd
consider at 15", although I'd also consider an iMac/cheap laptop as an
alternative combo.

I'm not a huge fan of the new Touchbar series. Actually think if Microsoft
keeps it up I'll consider a Surface next round.

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sathomasga
To add what's sure to be a minority view, I prefer the Air. But a couple of
caveats. First, as a web developer my programming is not CPU intensive.
Second, I have a laptop mainly so I can shuttle back and forth between home
and work, and at both locations I have external displays and keyboards. That
makes the laptop display (and touchbar) mostly irrelevant. Benefits of the Air
are price, portability (I bike, so light weight is great), and easy
connections with my Apple displays (MagSafe + Thunderbolt). Air also has
better keyboard and more flexible ports)

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wsc981
15 inch pro. And if you are not into gaming or 3D graphics, I would not get a
dedicated GPU. Might increase the lifetime of the machine a bit (less heat
inside).

By the way, the iGPU is good enough for games like Hearthstone, League of
Legends, etc...

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to_bpr
15 inch pro

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bonhardcomp
15 inch pro

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augbot
3

