New Laptop/Platform Choice for Web Dev + Design

Nathaniel_T · July 6, 2016, 7:57pm

Hello Tek Syndicate Community,

I have tossed and turned over this dilemma for a long time now and wish to gain some advice from the experienced crowd.

It has come time to upgrade my portable “workstation” (HP dv7-3170ca) I bought back in college (2010) to something latest gen. On a daily basis I am doing a mixture of programming (PHP, Rails, SQL) and graphic design tasks. This has brought about a dependency, on the graphics side, on the Adobe Creative Suite. The web dev tools I use are mostly cross-platform including Sublime Text, NodeJS, GIT, XAMPP (apache, PHP, MySQL).

Working in Windows for what I do is just going fine for the most part, but I do prefer using UNIX-like commands locally that are the same as what I use on the web servers. I hardly ever touch Windows Command Line or PowerShell, instead ‘faking’ a terminal using GIT Bash.

For the past six months or so I have been toying with the idea of fully switching over to Linux for my work system. The problem there comes down to this dependency on the Adobe software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, and maintaining compatibility with files shared between colleagues. Dual booting into Windows/Linux seems like it would be rather inconvenient, shutting down just to edit a design or batch of images in the middle of programming. And running either OS in a VM, like I have for trying out some Linux distros, tends to limit performance not to mention still requiring file sharing between systems.

Ha ha, maybe I should just buy and run two separate computers!

I really don’t like the idea of the closed-off Apple ecosystem, or maybe I am just rebelling. However, is it time for me to bite the bullet and step into the Mac realm?

If I buy another Windows laptop:

I can potentially get newer, better hardware for a lower price point
Continue to use my copy of Adobe CS5
Continue to use the dev tools I am accustomed to
Possibly use the VM method or just stick it out in Windows with a ‘fake’ UNIX-style terminal

If I buy a Macbook Pro:

I feel like I am way over paying for essentially older hardware
I will also need to purchase a $700/year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud
Most of the dev tools will stay the same
But I get a native UNIX-style environment

Other considerations for new hardware…

Latest gen Intel i7 quad core (My current laptop and desktop PC have 1st gen and 3rd gen i7s respectively)
Quality screen not 4k and not lower than 1080p, true colors, 15" not less than 14"
Quality keyboard, there is a lot of typing involved
Good selection of ‘usable’ I/O ports, like USB and monitor connectivity, preferably without the need for extra dongles and adapters
Excellent cooling, my current laptop has few vents and gets really hot under regular operation
Quality construction, I take good care of my equipment, but it is used and travelled with daily
16GB RAM
512GB SSD or 250GB SSD + 1TB HDD (7200RPM)
Dedicated GPU, not really intending on hardcore gaming as this is a work machine, but not crappy either
Looks—outward appearance is appreciated but should not overrule build quality or the quality of components

Possible brands I have been looking at include (not HP, Toshiba, Acer…): Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Apple/Mac. I see Lenovo Thinkpads come up often in discussion, but I am not impressed with second-hand experiences from consumer-grade Lenovo owners I have come across; might be totally wrong about that though.

The time until the next upgrade is probably looking at three to four years as I have stretched this round too long at six years. Depends on how well business goes too.

Speaking of funds the budget is looking at $1,500 - $2,500 CAD; the $3,000+ CAD for the MacBook Pro 15 really squeezes the wallet.

Anyway, I am hoping for some suggestions on Part 1 – the dev + design environment dilemma and Part 2 – based on that dilemma suggestions for the new equipment.

Your feedback is appreciated! Thanks.

Zippy_Parmesian · July 6, 2016, 9:01pm

I'm going to get a lot resilience from this but I would get a MacBook if you are into web design. My father is a web designer and he uses one. It's a complete power house. They are expensive, but they're well worth it. As for being locked into an ecosystem, MS does the same thing. There are several tools out there that require OS X, Apple has amazing support, OS X is Unix based...

But that said if you want to get your feet wet, you can go this route:

https://us.msi.com/Laptop/GT80S-TITAN-SLI-6th-Gen-GTX-980-SLI.html#hero-overview

And run Linux in a dual boot or a VM. My only problem with this is it's not really a solution so much as a PITA. Yeah, its way more bang for your buck, hell I'd buy one because I personally only use Linux, but OS X is probably your best AIO solution.

That's how it is guys. This is the one aspect where OS X is actually the best operating system; productivity.

Nathaniel_T · July 8, 2016, 6:02am

This is the familiar story I heard through college too. Designers, developers, photographers, etc all use Macs. I am not sold on that idea, but it keeps on seeming like the majority says its true and the best way. Ugh, there's something about it that doesn't sit well with me; like throwing everything under the umbrella on one mega corporation.

MS is certainly getting more and more toward the point of locking people into their product system; I agree. But so far it seems like we have been able to slip by without too much interference (that we have noticed) to use our own choice of tools and features. From where I see it, Apple has just been putting the higher pressure on its customers to use their services and product families for much longer.

That said, I was at the point of having a Macbook in the checkout with my cursor hanging over the buy button just before posting this topic. I will probably end up going that route before long, if nothing else just because the upgrade situation will get desperate and decisions have to be made and lived with. There just has to be a better, 'open' solution for creative professionals that doesn't require excessive workarounds!

If only it wasn't for this profession's dependency on big name propriety software like Adobe then we could all just switch to Linux. :)

Zippy_Parmesian · July 8, 2016, 6:19am

Well if being under the thumb of a corporation bugs you then just become RMS, get an RPi, and install Gentoo LOL

I REALLY HATE to say it but that's the current way things are going. MS actually is worse in terms of privacy constraints. Apple doesn't really force to use their stuff, but using an icloyd account does add a lot of functionality. It really depends on how you set it up.

I swear, I never thought I'd see the day where I'd recommend a MacBook (me of all people, someone that's pro Linux and is working towards their certs) but unfortunately this is the way it seems.

If you are in for a headache, Linux is something I'd look into. Its very advanced for production and has a steep learning curve, but its worth it to know it. Once you do, you'll be good with pretty much anything.

MetalizeYourBrain · July 8, 2016, 11:52am

That's kinda difficult really, there's really often a big jump in resolutions so I guess you should not pay too much attention to the screen resolution and be set for 4K. As far as I know Razer laptops have the options of 3K display but the choice is really limited.

You might get just adequate cooling but excellent cooling has never been a thing on laptops, even with humongous 1000billion pounds ones, like the MSI Titan. The only one I know with excellent cooling for a laptop is this.

What I would choose if I were you are the MSI Workstation Laptops. Take a look at those and find the one that fits you the best. Also, I don't know if they're too expensive, but I would also try ones made customs by different companies (like Sager).

Nathaniel_T · July 8, 2016, 5:16pm

Totally, the word 'excellent' there was a dream really. With laptops getting slimmer by the day I am wary of how much active cooling there is in these small areas, and if passive whether that's really adequate for higher performance hardware packed into these machines. Higher end components are great unless they automatically get throttled by lacking case design.

I have had my eye on the MSI line since, while more bulky to carry around, they at least sound like they take cooling seriously paired with decent choices in hardware, especially nice with multiple storage options. Price to performance seems decent too.

Ctrl_Null · July 8, 2016, 5:45pm

will you be working at a company or doing this on your own?

around my area in LA its pretty much required that you own a mac. most of the interview's revolved around knowing mac/adobe interface. going to the meetups thats all you see. ive always used windows since i was a kid so i just bought a x1 carbon i7. thru a 500gb SD and dual boot to linux so i can keep up with some of other developers techniques. apple won the market for the front-end due to the command line.

Nathaniel_T · July 8, 2016, 6:42pm

Yes, I work for an interactive media company. Out of the 8 or so employees, three of us have been working on Windows machines. There is no "requirement" for us to use Macs; Adobe software, yes, since we have to share and work on project files. The development tools are also open to our choice though there are some recommended by the other team members. Early on some of the nifty compilation tools didn't work so well when trying to install and use them on Windows, but since we switched over to NodeJS-based tools it has become much more flexible cross-platform.

I do already use a Mac Mini provided by a second company I work for, that machine is devoted only to work done for that company though. So I am relatively comfortable working across the OSes, and as part of my second job I am working directly with Linux servers. During my last year at college I used Ubuntu as my main desktop environment and have just dabbled with it on and off since, not fully testing it in my daily workflow. So I have been tempted to run either straight Ubuntu, or other distro, or do the dual boot method. The flip flopping to just use Adobe programs during the day would not work for me though unfortunately. And as mentioned earlier VMs are great in testing but probably not so hot for daily used as 'primary' machines.

The question becomes, do I stick with Windows and the status quo just on new hardware or switch platform? Windows with idiosyncrasies running UNIX-like tools, or Mac with likely its own set of funky issues. Sigh. And then there was that news about Ubuntu being added to Windows. IDEK.

Nathaniel_T · July 8, 2016, 7:01pm

A funny side note is that I infact bought a MacBook Pro back at the start of college, tried it out for a week and took it back in exchange for the HP laptop I have now. I think I thought of it as A) too expensive and B) too trendy along with many of the arguments I still make against it, lol. Yet here I am.

I am still not sure if this is the right way for me, but I'll try it and see I guess. It will require another $790 / year for CC. Just have to try and make that money back.