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I can't work on a laptop at all. My work machine is a MBP i7 w/ 32gb ram. I plug it into a thunderbolt dock tied to 2 28" ultrawides that is also chained to my

by swozey 8y ago

I can't work on a laptop at all. My work machine is a MBP i7 w/ 32gb ram. I plug it into a thunderbolt dock tied to 2 28" ultrawides that is also chained to my desktop (8 core, 32gb ryzen box) and I just flip over to the MBP when I need to work. Docks are obscenely expensive but the quality of life improvement is high. You're unfortunately very limited with the MBA, though. Perhaps see if you can replace it with a MBP? I DO like having my "work" machine be a powerful laptop in the event that I need to travel or some emergency arises where I HAVE to find a coffee shop and write a PR without monitors, as much as I won't enjoy the experience.

BuckRogers 8y ago
Both you and blakesterz sound like me. Like blakesterz I have a high end desktop with lowend laptop. I would have bought the new Macbook Air but wanted a 2-in-1 and went with a Samsung because of the quality of the S Pen being unmatched. I've loved it and upgrading to the 2019 Samsung 9 Pen very soon. With the 13.3" it's just really handy to take notes or use it as a tablet if it's more comfortable. My 2nd choice was definitely the MBA. Are you suggesting that there are limitations with a dock on a MBA vs MBP (outside of just performance)? I'm unaware of any issues there but would be interested to know. My desktop is a Ryzen 2700X with 32GB of RAM. I really would like to pickup a TB3 dock at a point but am currently using RDP to my work laptop. Which works well enough over the local network. What I wanted to respond to was your point about having your work machine be a powerful laptop so that you're prepared. I've been mulling over ditching the desktop for a Thinkpad X1 Extreme for the same reason. While I could remote into my desktop in a rare coffee shop scenario, it wouldn't work out if it were happening often.
- swozey 8y ago
  My hesitation about the MBA was I believe it's limited on how many monitors you can run but tbh I haven't looked at them in a few years. I deal with a lot of container work so I need 32gb ram so it's not really an option. Also I think throwing a dock in the mix gets around that problem anyway since the expensive ($200+) docks I'm talking about typically handle video on their own somehow. So, basically I'm spitballing and have no real answers to your questions, sorry. Just wanted to reply and tell you I'm probably wrong about there being MBA + dock issues.
  - BuckRogers 8y ago
    Thank you. I was wondering because I had a 2016 MBP and it did not play well with docks at all back then. On any level, due to 'Apple', not just with the monitors. I want to believe they've sorted out most issues now but have been wondering. I did find IGPs struggle with configuration like my triple monitor setup. I definitely wouldn't buy a MBA to dock it as a main machine. Maybe keep a dock there for lightweight tasks that benefit from the extra real estate. I used a Dell dock for years alongside my desktop, using 2 monitors to my laptop and 1 for my desktop. I'd like to get a TB3 dock and do that just as you are. And while unlikely at this point, given how much I like my Samsung, I may eventually have a Macbook Air. Which is not the best device but definitely a top tier throwaway easy-chair machine if not a little limited for the money, not having a 360 degree hinge.
    - swozey 8y ago
      I was excited to buy a nearly fully loaded mac mini a few weeks ago and an e-gpu so that I could get rid of my "gaming (honestly mostly youtube)" desktop and just dual boot windows when needed. I figured it'd be the perfect middle ground where if I wanted to game (2-3 times a month) I'd just boot to Windows. (I've quit hackintoshing after a decade, they're just a pain to keep functioning reliably). Unfortunately there's tons of issues with egpus in Bootcamp installed Windows. I didn't realize it'd be so drastically different from a vanilla install. I loved my old Samsung S9 laptop. That thing cost a small fortune but it was so powerful for its size.

by swozey 8y ago

BuckRogers 8y ago

Both you and blakesterz sound like me. Like blakesterz I have a high end desktop with lowend laptop. I would have bought the new Macbook Air but wanted a 2-in-1 and went with a Samsung because of the quality of the S Pen being unmatched. I've loved it and upgrading to the 2019 Samsung 9 Pen very soon. With the 13.3" it's just really handy to take notes or use it as a tablet if it's more comfortable. My 2nd choice was definitely the MBA. Are you suggesting that there are limitations with a dock on a MBA vs MBP (outside of just performance)? I'm unaware of any issues there but would be interested to know. My desktop is a Ryzen 2700X with 32GB of RAM. I really would like to pickup a TB3 dock at a point but am currently using RDP to my work laptop. Which works well enough over the local network. What I wanted to respond to was your point about having your work machine be a powerful laptop so that you're prepared. I've been mulling over ditching the desktop for a Thinkpad X1 Extreme for the same reason. While I could remote into my desktop in a rare coffee shop scenario, it wouldn't work out if it were happening often.

swozey 8y ago
My hesitation about the MBA was I believe it's limited on how many monitors you can run but tbh I haven't looked at them in a few years. I deal with a lot of container work so I need 32gb ram so it's not really an option. Also I think throwing a dock in the mix gets around that problem anyway since the expensive ($200+) docks I'm talking about typically handle video on their own somehow. So, basically I'm spitballing and have no real answers to your questions, sorry. Just wanted to reply and tell you I'm probably wrong about there being MBA + dock issues.
- BuckRogers 8y ago
  Thank you. I was wondering because I had a 2016 MBP and it did not play well with docks at all back then. On any level, due to 'Apple', not just with the monitors. I want to believe they've sorted out most issues now but have been wondering. I did find IGPs struggle with configuration like my triple monitor setup. I definitely wouldn't buy a MBA to dock it as a main machine. Maybe keep a dock there for lightweight tasks that benefit from the extra real estate. I used a Dell dock for years alongside my desktop, using 2 monitors to my laptop and 1 for my desktop. I'd like to get a TB3 dock and do that just as you are. And while unlikely at this point, given how much I like my Samsung, I may eventually have a Macbook Air. Which is not the best device but definitely a top tier throwaway easy-chair machine if not a little limited for the money, not having a 360 degree hinge.
  - swozey 8y ago
    I was excited to buy a nearly fully loaded mac mini a few weeks ago and an e-gpu so that I could get rid of my "gaming (honestly mostly youtube)" desktop and just dual boot windows when needed. I figured it'd be the perfect middle ground where if I wanted to game (2-3 times a month) I'd just boot to Windows. (I've quit hackintoshing after a decade, they're just a pain to keep functioning reliably). Unfortunately there's tons of issues with egpus in Bootcamp installed Windows. I didn't realize it'd be so drastically different from a vanilla install. I loved my old Samsung S9 laptop. That thing cost a small fortune but it was so powerful for its size.