MacBook Pro and alternatives for music production

Nu_Vega

Commendable
Nov 11, 2016
2
0
1,510
Hi! I could use some advice here.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that a new MBP would be an ideal laptop if not for its connectivity issues, increased price and disputable touch bar. These are problems for me. These are problems for my budget, that's for sure. So here I am, wondering, if I should go with a new MBP or consider an alternative.

Basically I need a laptop for music production (rock, not a pro), some photo editing and mostly writing (that's why I'm slightly afraid of MBP's butterfly keyboard). My budget = 2400$ (overall, including all possible dongles). My main questions are:
1. Do I need 16GB memory for my tasks?
2. Do I need a dedicated graphic card?
3. Is it still so if I want to play Skyrim with mods=)?
4. Which alternative to MBP should I consider? Yeah, I know, Dell XPS... But it looks awful to me! Standalone Dell's logo is terrible. XPS is great on the inside. But I suspect its design will torture me for years if I have it... I like Razer Blade (in spite of its too gaming design and logo), but it's really hard to get Razer in my region. I think HP Spectre x360 is nice, what's your opinion, is it powerful enough in its top configuration?
5. Should I consider MBP-2015? I'll sound as a lunatic but the main reason why I'd prefer MBP-2016 is its new color, it's awesome! But I think I can bear usual silver...

As for my preferences:
1. The size of the notebook is a tough question. I'd prefer 13" as a nice travel mate, though I'm not sure it will be comfortable to use ProTools on 13"... So that's an open one.
2. Screen resolution doesn't matter much.
3. Battery life - at least 6 hours.
4. Storage - at least 256GB, though I'm more comfortable with 512GB option.
5. Oh, and I need it beautiful. Seriously, I'd be miserable with some kind of a ThinkPad.

I'd really appreciate your help, guys...
 
1.It's not a necessity.8GB will do the job fine
2.For your tasks no
3.It's not ideal but it can run Skyrim
4.HP Spectre is a nice alternative and yes it's comparable
5.I never recommend an older laptop but 2015 version has more ports,magsafe and a different keyboard.

The new MBP's (with touch bar) are starting to ship to users so you may want to wait and read some reviews before making your final decision
 

Nu_Vega

Commendable
Nov 11, 2016
2
0
1,510


Thanks, think I'll opt for an old Pro...