Should I BUY a MacBook for programming?

If you are a computer science student or just learning to code, this is my advice on buying a laptop for software development. As much as I like MacBook Pro's, this is why you probably shouldn't buy one for programming when you are just starting out.
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Пікірлер: 403

  • @postfinem9795
    @postfinem979511 ай бұрын

    I think learning to work around the limitations of low end hardware is really valuable for beginners. I got a nice $2k Thinkpad when I graduated high school, but before that I learned a lot with my old $400 dell laptop that I got in like fourth grade. Learning to work efficiently on whatever device you have access to can really help you to be more efficient once you can afford a better device.

  • @Longsleeveshirtless
    @Longsleeveshirtless4 ай бұрын

    liked and subscribed immediately after he said "I'm not going to make you wait till the end of the video". thanks for being a decent human

  • @adev_312
    @adev_312 Жыл бұрын

    Agreed. I have developed professionally on both Macbook and PC, and honestly there isn't that big of a difference. I have a Macbook M1 and I love it, but I would not spend $3000 on laptop if i was just starting. Also, if you are really into gaming and don't want to have two machines a PC might be a better option for you. You can do the exact same thing on either, so it just come down to personal preference and your financial situation.

  • @lucajacovig8159

    @lucajacovig8159

    Жыл бұрын

    if you're into gaming you just buy an ps5, xbox or Nintendo Swich, a Mac is needed if you do cross platform development for example.....and you need Safari to test things out , so..

  • @TheSoulCrisis

    @TheSoulCrisis

    Жыл бұрын

    @@lucajacovig8159 But Windows is needed if you do Windows development and cross-platform things can be built on PCs though (although not everything works as smoothly from what I hear). It just depends what applications and tools you'll need access to I suppose.

  • @simp-slayer

    @simp-slayer

    8 ай бұрын

    ​​@@TheSoulCrisisYou can't build for iOS without XCode, which is only available on Macs unfortunately. I've tried it on a VM but the performance is terrible.

  • @IllD.
    @IllD.2 жыл бұрын

    Binged most of your popular uploads, and I have to say this is a really good advice channel. No annoying sponsors or padding/filler to get the video to 10 mins and the advice you give is very direct & practical. Thanks a lot bro.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    Much appreciated!

  • @johnson554671
    @johnson55467111 ай бұрын

    I gave you a thumbs up in the first 30 seconds for being honest and giving the answer upfront, then getting to the details. I've always gotten by quite well with Windows machines and VirtualBox VM's running my IDE's.

  • @lucastephan8024
    @lucastephan802420 күн бұрын

    thanks a lot for starting the video saying your statement, KZreadrs are literally missing this essential step

  • @undocumentedcodesucks
    @undocumentedcodesucks Жыл бұрын

    Excellent take James. I got the M1 air a year ago and it's definitely a steal for just the general programming as such along with school work. It's an excellent buy for overall usage and portability, just the basic necessities and whatever one's needs be met. Going for other viable workspace options such as standing desk, quality ergonomic chair, monitors, keyboard, mouse, lightings, cable management, and even some plants for decoration is going to be so much more practical than whaling on a $2000 MacBook Pro in my personal experience, the rest of the money to buy for other spaces speaks volumes. Unfortunately, the ONLY regret I have is not spending the extra for 16gb of ram as for longevities sake its going to be worthwhile.

  • @rock_0075

    @rock_0075

    6 ай бұрын

    I heard that M1 chips had issues when compiling python code, not sure if its the case now but have heard about it as people having issues.

  • @corpsezombiee
    @corpsezombiee Жыл бұрын

    Last year I was attending a full stack web development bootcamp. The instructions to install ruby and ruby gems on mac was easy using a couple of curl bash commands. Even when learning PHP using homebrew to install and boot up a server is by far the fastest and easiest. I try to follow along on my windows PC and found it difficult to install and correctly set up WSL2 and connect my account with SSH for git/github. I grew up with windows 2021 was my first year owning a macbook air m1 and I never looked back and switching I still own a gaming PC but anything development related I use apple laptops. I know a lot of developers try to be humble and drive beginners to use windows and cheap laptop and that is okay but also misleading them to not save up for a apple computers specially since most the guides are written for unix base systems and using zsh and bash terminals are the go to in the modern era

  • @Showmatic
    @Showmatic2 жыл бұрын

    So, I had been using PC exclusively until I found out all the devs and most of the other employees with the company I'm interning with use Mac OSX. And while I could still technically use a Windows machine, the extra steps I'd have to go though to perform the same tasks was just not worth it to me. So, with the wife's blessing, I got myself a new 16" M1 MacBook Pro. And tbh, although there's still a bunch of things I hate about OSX, for coding, it has made my life a lot easier. So I will stick to coding on my Mac and everything else on my PC.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    that is also what eventually led me to switch to macos too.

  • @piccioneviaggiatore8654

    @piccioneviaggiatore8654

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@jamescross guess we’re all on the same boat 😂 I got the MBP 14 on launch and I couldn’t be happier with that. It changed my way of working, after almost 10 years of programming mainly on Windows machines.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    @Piccione Viaggiatore Each laptop including macbooks there's always been that one thing more that i wanted. Another port, bring back the card reader slot, better handled multiple layers when video editing. For me i feel like the 14" is that laptop I've wanted for a long time. I don't have that nagging upgrade itch, which feels strange but satisfying.

  • @laughingvampire7555

    @laughingvampire7555

    Жыл бұрын

    exactly, this is the biggest thing, lowering friction

  • @olsenRoyespen
    @olsenRoyespen2 жыл бұрын

    I am using a MacBook Pro early 2019 mod, however I am not just only programmkng, but also video editing and music recording/mixing/mastering. Great video!

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks. I now do all my editing on a macbook too. Sold my desktop. It's worked out well.

  • @lethiaa

    @lethiaa

    16 күн бұрын

    thank you so much! i am also doing music and studying computer science. i will buy a mac as well! thankssss

  • @Kinggenton
    @Kinggenton Жыл бұрын

    As a student no stick to windows, as a professional who develops production level code running on Linux. Mac has been a blessing in disguise. Setting up for developmental environment and your production environment is so easy man. Windows use to introduce problems and issues. So if you use Linux as servers to run your code I believe Mac OS waaayyyy better

  • @GetGwapThisYear
    @GetGwapThisYear2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks dude, perfect timing 👍

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    my pleasure!

  • @abdallahalmanasrah6343
    @abdallahalmanasrah6343 Жыл бұрын

    I just love your content and the way you make your videos. It makes me feel that your trying to help someone out and not just making a video to make money off of it (which is not a bad thing! but some people's content is just garbage and fake and it feels they made the video just for money rather than benefiting people AND making money at the same time). Liked and subscribed.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    thanks for the feedback Abdallah! I appreciate it.

  • @lowkeygaming4716
    @lowkeygaming4716 Жыл бұрын

    I've been a PC user ever since then moved to Linux before when I studied programming and I like the Unix and bash more for coding, it feels more natural to code in it unfortunately there's a lot of daily stuff that is quite complicated to use in Linux. Currently I use Windows but coding in WSL and it's so complicated to make stuff work than what it should be. So I decided to save money to finally get a macbook because of the M1 performance and it's closer to Linux experience than windows.

  • @lethiaa

    @lethiaa

    16 күн бұрын

    finally, someone who is having the same situation. thanks mate. i will go for mac as well.

  • @lowkeygaming4716

    @lowkeygaming4716

    14 күн бұрын

    ​​@@lethiaa 1yr later and I still didn't regret my decision. The build quality of mac is really good. Window management in windows is still better for me but Mac being a unix based OS suits my needs. It is also still as fast as when it's new unlike windows laptops that feels sluggish just after a year of using it.

  • @FatherPhi
    @FatherPhi2 жыл бұрын

    Not worth to buy, totally worth getting one from your employer 😊

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    Which is an important point. Depending on where you live, lots of employers provide a laptop.

  • @cattgascoyne3242

    @cattgascoyne3242

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jamescross thanks a lot

  • @yb-pq8ry

    @yb-pq8ry

    Жыл бұрын

    Employer always provide me a Lenovo😔

  • @tauqeerdarve4101

    @tauqeerdarve4101

    Жыл бұрын

    @@yb-pq8ry Lenovo is awesome for programming.

  • @pokegan52

    @pokegan52

    6 ай бұрын

    I would warn against this, if you build applications on your employers property they have grounds to own the rights of your builds.

  • @MrRonanX
    @MrRonanX Жыл бұрын

    I'm using Macbook Air M1 (16gb ram) professionally (iOS Development) and I'm very happy with it. It is very light and handles all the tasks quite fast. I have an unconscious desire to get Macbook M1 Max with 32 gb, but I just don't think that $3k is worth 2 more CPU cores

  • @alekscorona3095
    @alekscorona3095 Жыл бұрын

    I have a Windows laptop. Thank you for your honesty. I eventually plan on getting a MacBook further down my learning path.

  • @aboyd144
    @aboyd144 Жыл бұрын

    I appreciate you mentioning the iPad because that’s what I was considering using.

  • @nithishwarm880
    @nithishwarm8802 жыл бұрын

    I like ur lighting it look amazing man!

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    thanks!

  • @jromain123
    @jromain123 Жыл бұрын

    Currently, I have Macbook Air M1 and I'm in the beginning stages of learning software development. I am taking the self taught route. Thanks for the info; I feel a lot better about my Macbook.

  • @bansterref

    @bansterref

    Жыл бұрын

    How you like it and which set up?

  • @mattsantana

    @mattsantana

    Жыл бұрын

    same! got my macbook pro and just started self taught. started Odin Project

  • @ruccimello3484

    @ruccimello3484

    6 ай бұрын

    Hows is the self teaching going

  • @IkigaiLofiBeats
    @IkigaiLofiBeats Жыл бұрын

    I am currently using a Asus Rog Zephyrus with 32 GB of Ram and two 1TB ssd nvme with windows and wsl - mainly developing in WSL and Tmux with Neovim as a full LSP but dual boot wit Pop OS when I really need linux . Did not make the whole switch because still I need to play with my kids. I've gotten my hands on a Macbook air m1 and the experience is full imerisible into the OS and everything is at your fingertips.

  • @Tahir_Musharraf
    @Tahir_Musharraf Жыл бұрын

    I’m using hp elitebook 8470p (12gb ram, coir i5 2nd gen) for web development. I mostly use my laptop for react js, php apis and for webflow. It’s working fine for me😊

  • @pluto_5109

    @pluto_5109

    Жыл бұрын

    Hey, first year college student here, I feel like I'm intersted in many areas of cs, how do I decide which one I should start doing seriously?, Also any resources or yt channels would be helpful for courses like ML and AI, and also web dev, I started doing web dev initially did projects on html, css, js and then didn't go further to js frameworks.. by then got interested in the math of ML, so jumped into it, I feel like I'm doing bits of every career option, is this right?

  • @bhavisyaratna8404

    @bhavisyaratna8404

    9 ай бұрын

    @@pluto_5109 well it'd be fine if u were in school but now u r already in ur college, within 2 years u'll hv to sit for placements so it'd be a lot better if u master a particular field coz der is no use in being jack of all trades but master of none, i totally respect ur curiosity nd passion but thts the bitter truth

  • @AZ-wo5ob

    @AZ-wo5ob

    22 күн бұрын

    ​@@pluto_5109 Appreciate your enthusiasm, I'm also the same as you, by the way to which laptop you have settled with?

  • @goksenincakr2466
    @goksenincakr2466 Жыл бұрын

    I am usually using a desktop PC for programming. I am also gaming on another desktop PC. My main gaming build has an AIO water cooling that makes an extremely annoying humming noise. So, I use my second build for programming, which has a Ryzen 5600G and ITX case. I always had problems with laptops. My Acer Aspire V15 Nitro laptop's temp sensors started misbehaving and causing the CPU to scale down its frequency to the point that the laptop is no longer usable. My new Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon laptop had overheating problems from the day zero. So, I switched to Macbook pro, and I am happy. The only reason for using a mac notebook for me is the mobility advantage. If I didn't have to go mobile, I would not need a laptop.

  • @adamrexrode789
    @adamrexrode789 Жыл бұрын

    As a game developer for 10+ years, my personal experience has been to use a programming environment that most closely matches the primary target platform for the application being developed. Most companies expect some amount of cross-platform support when it comes to gaming and probably one of the most painful parts of that is working within any sort of virtualized/emulated environment in order to run and test your software. I absolutely love all of Apple's hardware, but with the most recent move to M1/M2 using ARM architecture, I cannot easily justify upgrading to one of those machines since there currently aren't any good solutions to provide an extremely performant x86/x64 working environment (at least none I'm aware of). If you are a student just beginning to set foot into programming, I would recommend doing a bit of research into your course requirements to see what the expectations are for your deliverable work to avoid wasting money on something that will not provide what you need. If you are learning on your own, take some time to research these platform/architecture limitations in regards to your own goals to also avoid wasting money. Personally though, if I didn't have the platform restrictions, I would most likely jump on one of the new M2 systems since they are surprisingly powerful and very well-built.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    thanks for sharing your thoughts

  • @m7mdawa

    @m7mdawa

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi there, I’m doing game development as a side hobby (Unity3d and Roblox Studio), and will be starting university (Computer Science BSc) next month. Would you recommend an M1 Pro, M2 or just a windows laptop(new i7 H series + RTX 3050/3060)?

  • @adamrexrode789

    @adamrexrode789

    Жыл бұрын

    @@m7mdawa It really depends on the platform you're targeting, but generally the gaming industry revolves around Windows and PC development. That's not to say there isn't any gaming on Apple devices; just that PC/Windows is much more prevalent in the gaming industry. If you are planning on focusing on a game development career, PC/Windows is probably a good place to start and a safe bet for most of what you will encounter during a career. As a hobby though, I think working in whatever environment you are most comfortable and happy with will lead to the best results.

  • @m7mdawa

    @m7mdawa

    Жыл бұрын

    @@adamrexrode789 I’m feeling a new MacBook Air M2 with 16/32 gb memory is reasonable. Thank you dearly.

  • @m7mdawa

    @m7mdawa

    Жыл бұрын

    @@adamrexrode789 I’m feeling a new MacBook Air M2 with 16/32 gb memory is reasonable. Thank you dearly.

  • @bagery
    @bagery2 жыл бұрын

    I purchased a brand new 2012 model MacBook Pro in 2016 (to keep dvd and cheaper upgrades haha), exchanged the hdd for ssd and updated ram to 16gb. So far so good for learning. I like to keep machines for 8 years. 🤞 I keep Vmware on for any Windows needs. Thinking about trying Parallels.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    Very nice!

  • @benishadnan4471

    @benishadnan4471

    9 ай бұрын

    Hey is it still working fine to code?

  • @bagery

    @bagery

    9 ай бұрын

    @@benishadnan4471 Yes, working fantastic. Just having trouble finding a good reputable battery that functions properly.

  • @mikep541
    @mikep54110 күн бұрын

    I am backend engineer and I use MacBook Air on M1 16\256. This laptop is fully appropriate to my tasks and it's quite enough for me. Thanks

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    9 күн бұрын

    thanks for sharing your experience.

  • @mikep541

    @mikep541

    9 күн бұрын

    @@jamescross Thank you too

  • @offroaders123
    @offroaders123 Жыл бұрын

    I've been loving Linux for about a year now, and now the terminal is my new home for productivity. I'm still running my Acer Chromebook N7 11 from my school, and I think I've been using it far beyond what it was meant for. Running Ubuntu on it instead, no Chrome OS. It only has 16 GB of eMMC, and 4 GB of RAM. Only about 1.5 GB free to install dependencies for new projects, so I have to only work on some things at a time. For how goofy this setup is, I love it a lot! Definitely in need of an upgrade.

  • @artiemorales637
    @artiemorales6372 жыл бұрын

    Just bought a MBA m1 and love the way everything looks/works. Totally worth getting rid of my Dell precision

  • @starvingrtist8714

    @starvingrtist8714

    Жыл бұрын

    MBA M1 is in my opinion the best deal ever for an Apple laptop. M1 Mac Mini would be the best deal for an Apple desktop.

  • @MrCostas32
    @MrCostas32 Жыл бұрын

    Switched to mac recently, best decision I have made

  • @markmoyo5370
    @markmoyo5370Ай бұрын

    Well spoken 👏

  • @sm-zt4ut
    @sm-zt4ut2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for putting the answer in the beginning of the video

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    Any time

  • @kodman1991
    @kodman1991 Жыл бұрын

    No jokes i actually found my laptop in metal recycling container. I installed extra ram and a SSD drive and now it works flawlessly with vs code for web development

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    that's awesome!

  • @dailychillvibe6012
    @dailychillvibe60125 күн бұрын

    Before knowing aws and setting up homeserver, I usually recommend my friend to go with window or anything beside MacBook if they have taken any assembly code classes. Because that x86_64 assembly code does not work on intel or m1 mac. But now I change, I fully commit and recommend getting macbook. You can build a lot of things with Mac these days.

  • @TheMaxZakh
    @TheMaxZakh Жыл бұрын

    I've been using a 7 year old Asus laptop that has held up surprisingly well, only considering updating for more RAM.

  • @RayhanSefat
    @RayhanSefat Жыл бұрын

    Huge shoutout!

  • @abdulazizbargush3190
    @abdulazizbargush3190 Жыл бұрын

    I've been using Macbook Pro 2017 professionally since 2019, and it's working perfectly. Although I'm upgrading this year, my sister is having it for her first year of college.

  • @user-kx6fg9xl4r

    @user-kx6fg9xl4r

    12 күн бұрын

    Is it also good in programming??2017pro I need to start with it advance please

  • @bobr2837
    @bobr2837 Жыл бұрын

    I saved $1000 and wanted to buy a M1 MBA but i’m only 18 and starting in programming so for now I’m gonna stick to my parents old Acer laptop. Maybe next year, when I get better experience I’ll invest in a better laptop but we’ll see. Thanks for the video! It helps even a year later ^^

  • @mohamedsajjadh8340

    @mohamedsajjadh8340

    3 ай бұрын

    what lap did u buy? :D

  • @dawidpiechowiak4969

    @dawidpiechowiak4969

    3 ай бұрын

    I'm in a similar situation because I’m 17 and I’m in programmer school (idk what is in English) but my parents old dell laptop is almost doesn't. I’ve worked at schools pc but I want to programming at home and I don’t know which laptop/pc to choose. What did you choose? (Sorry for my English because it’s not my first language and I’m still learning English )

  • @poplof2050
    @poplof20508 ай бұрын

    Thanks man... Your video save me👍

  • @trentsmith8427
    @trentsmith84272 жыл бұрын

    I am using a Toshiba Satellite laptop that I bought in the Summer of 2015! The battery sucks, so I just keep it plugged in all the time. I started using The Odin Project (Thanks :) and went the virtual machine route which is going great.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    nice

  • @hello2131991
    @hello21319912 жыл бұрын

    I use vim for coding, and using vim through wsl in windows suck, especially when docker is added into the mix. So I switched to macbook m1 pro (unix core so I can use vim natively) and will never look back.

  • @jeune.agneau
    @jeune.agneau2 жыл бұрын

    I have a 2020 MacBook Air. So far so good.

  • @eacardenase
    @eacardenase Жыл бұрын

    I'm a web developer and currently my laptop is a Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 (Ryzen 5 4600H, 8GB RAM, 256 SSD and 1TB HDD) and it's a pretty solid one. The thing is that I want to learn iOS development for fun (maybe in the future build some apps) and that's the reason why I'm considering buy a new Macbook Pro M1 (16GB RAM and 256/512GB SSD). But if you're just starting any computer would do the trick, my brother in law is just starting to learn and today I helped him setup an old laptop just for him to get started (a Toshiba laptop from 2013 with a 4th gen Intel Core i5 running Ubuntu).

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    great points

  • @shotray
    @shotray8 ай бұрын

    He is right, all IDEs will slowly move over to cloud. The backend compilation will happen directly on a VM or docker container.... Bdw... I use a Samsung s22 ultra with Nexdock wireless and compile codes on a ubuntu VM in AWS... Who am i to judge 😅

  • @Pinkqween
    @Pinkqween Жыл бұрын

    I personally use a window’s and about to by a MacBook on the side, if you’re a beginner there isn’t much a difference but for me I want to learn how to also make my own music for my games, websites, etc. Also if you are wanting to program for apple devices you will have an easier time, I do know for sure I had a iMac it just got too old to use also if you want something cheap I’d recommend linux

  • @alexbaranoff5499
    @alexbaranoff54992 жыл бұрын

    Used a Lenovo flex 6 to learn/college and now m1 Mac for iOS app development.

  • @nicksrandomness8116
    @nicksrandomness8116 Жыл бұрын

    Going to take out my 2016 HP , upgrade the ram and ssd to start my Networking class. Delete everything and install windows 10. Very interested in software to but I want the degree in hardware, then if I want to I could even land a web developer job with it.. who knows. Thanks for the info! MacBook pro would be cool but I already have a gaming computer plugged into Samsung Odyseyy G9 5120x1440. I need Mac experience but good call on waiting a bit.

  • @naehalmulazim
    @naehalmulazim8 ай бұрын

    I started with a 7 year old i3 2nd Gen with 2 GB of built-in RAM and was using it for over a year at work. Laptops from 10 years ago aren't going to be stumped by whatever you managed to code in your first or second year of programming. Unless the game is AI where you can just pay for Colab on cloud or something. Same for docker.

  • @warsmith1294
    @warsmith12946 ай бұрын

    I’m using a lenovo flex 5, I got it because I was going to college and I wanted a 2-in-1 because I thought it would be good for note taking. Turns out pen & paper or a tablet is usually much better for note taking and I never use the 2-in-1 feature. I dual-booted it with windows 11 and Linux mint and it works great for programming and daily tasks, but if I were to go back I would have gotten a $300-$500 thinkpad with 16gb.

  • @harenpylla8389
    @harenpylla8389 Жыл бұрын

    I have been coding for 4 years now and I use a macbook pro m1 13'', I use it beacuse the terminal is amazing and xcode is available on macbook only. The only bad experience I have had with my macbook is the fact that java is not optimized for macos so my exprience on java was not great but everything else is a dream.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    thanks for sharing your experience

  • @AntonVesnin

    @AntonVesnin

    Жыл бұрын

    What exactly were the problems with java? I'm still learning java and considering buying a macbook m1. Were these problems when mac came out or are they still there?

  • @ainhoaitzacasero8460

    @ainhoaitzacasero8460

    Жыл бұрын

    @@AntonVesnin I have the same question

  • @LetrixAR
    @LetrixAR Жыл бұрын

    I don't know if I should get a Windows laptop (a lot of options) or a M1 MBA 16GB. I already have a powerful desktop PC which I use with Linux for coding and it works great but because of it, I've been without a working PC for a few days on different occasions. I would like to get a laptop that I can use just for work so I don't have to rely on my PC to be working. I would like a MB for the better laptop experience (Windows is good for laptops but not so much for coding, and Linux sucks), the stability, and for the iOS support. I currently do web and mobile development.

  • @evantao589
    @evantao589 Жыл бұрын

    I'm been a software developer for many years and I use an x1 carbon, I think it's the perfect balance between portability, size and performance. it's pricey however lenovo has massive sales very often.

  • @NoName-eu9bj

    @NoName-eu9bj

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Sir, i have one questions. For software developer should I use Macbook ? Or buy Windows ? Thank you :)

  • @bhavisyaratna8404

    @bhavisyaratna8404

    9 ай бұрын

    @@NoName-eu9bj windows but a high end laptop

  • @mariusz5938
    @mariusz5938 Жыл бұрын

    Prior to getting my first job I've learned with Lenovo Ideapad with i3, 4GB RAM (I've purchased 4 GB more), and 1GB memory of GPU (not related as I'm playing a lot of tanks). In 2018 - I'ts not so long time ago. My first Ideapad costed me less than 400$ and when I'm hearing some questions from wannabe coders on what computer to buy in order to LEARN coding (not mentioning development on a 13 GB of code, 25 different projects with many dependencies solution) I'm feeling like a gruuuumpy old man. Because If someone is planning to spend a lot of cash just to have a computer "To learn programming" - dude... Spend that cash on Udemy, Pluralsight and just quit your job while learning... Had anyone seen a driving license student learning on how to ride with a Mercedes AMG ? You don't need 90 % of Apple MacBook's capabilities ! Unless you like to throw your cash away, or just want to shine with an bitten apple then go for it. And as an answer for the video's author - I'm using stationary PC with i9, 16 GB of RAM and 1TB SSD win 11 Pro. And it's very good stuff for coding. No problems with multiple monitors so far ;D

  • @keithwalsham1514
    @keithwalsham1514 Жыл бұрын

    I’m a newbie to programming, I use a 2012 13” Mac Pro, I updated the drive to ssd, it’s still hanging in there.😊

  • @Ali-qj9yv

    @Ali-qj9yv

    Жыл бұрын

    mid 2009 at here with ssd and 8gb ram

  • @elite.1

    @elite.1

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Ali-qj9yv i want to get that one of 2012 pro for software development how do you see ? Pov : i have a a 512ssd

  • @user-yt2rg2vs7j
    @user-yt2rg2vs7j4 ай бұрын

    I'm using DELL XPS 15. Works well.

  • @chrisba3278
    @chrisba32782 жыл бұрын

    I have a 2017 Macbook Pro that I used for the past 5 years, but lately I’ve started to do most of my work on windows. Windows Subsystem for Linux changes the game combined with VSCode. However, the whole Windows 11 thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth so we will see.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    interesting. thanks for sharing

  • @jaydeegabrillo1840
    @jaydeegabrillo1840 Жыл бұрын

    I always wanted to try what it would be like coding on mac. I am a web developer and have been using only Windows 10 and 11, I also did react on a mobile project. I can say that it is not necessary if you are a web developer since most of your work will focus on, you guessed it, websites. But during my experience doing react, I can say that it would have been easier owning a mac to check if it's working on ios. Besides, why spend money for work when you can spend it on yourself! Just my opinion. Great coding!

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    i also learned on windows

  • @TheSoulCrisis

    @TheSoulCrisis

    Жыл бұрын

    I wouldn't mind the best of both worlds, Windows for general work and gaming while a Mac for development work. I wouldn't mind trying that in the future, so far I'm a Windows boi.

  • @saturn5036
    @saturn5036 Жыл бұрын

    I know that I wanna be a software engineer or starting a e-commerce business online and for that I need a computer and I’m already in the apple ecosystem with my iPhone, AirPods, and iPad, so might as well get a MacBook Pro 14 inch base model

  • @MultiHotrod27
    @MultiHotrod27 Жыл бұрын

    Honestly I’m using a iPad gen 8 with a mechanical keyboard to learn it’s nothing fancy but it works and I’m on free code camp so it’s very user friendly surprisingly, humble beginnings

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    best to use what you have to get started

  • @MultiHotrod27

    @MultiHotrod27

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jamescross yessir, thanks for also being a mentor like figure on this platform your words and advice goes a long way

  • @estech3382

    @estech3382

    Жыл бұрын

    I have it too Can you tell me how !

  • @robvp71
    @robvp71 Жыл бұрын

    Great video.. I own a Zenbook Zephyrus Duo (RTX3080, 32Gb RAM, 2Tb SSD).. not because I need it for development (Python / C++) but because I also want to learn Unreal, play the latest games and run machine learning code with CUDA support. If I would only use this laptop for Python / C++ this laptop would be a terrible waste of money and a simple $500 laptop would do just fine. In fact, if I have a day of pure coding I mostly pick up my Google Pixelbook which runs on ChromeOS but has everything I need. Focus on your requirements and then decide.. don't fall for all the extras you most likely don't need.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts with specific examples!

  • @hafsashaikh1299
    @hafsashaikh1299 Жыл бұрын

    I started coding a while ago I mostly do web development, little scripting mostly in python and explore some other technologies like AI & ML, cybersecurity etc I was Confused between MacBook Air M1 or MacBook Air M2, whatever I'll buy I'll upgrade it to 16gb ram and 512ssd. Which one should I buy M1 or M2 Air ???

  • @91lovemusic
    @91lovemusic Жыл бұрын

    Which laptop should i buy now 😕 I still confuse which laptop to buy. I want to use for graphic design, uiux, coding too

  • @wheelingsbravestmediallc
    @wheelingsbravestmediallcАй бұрын

    i got a dell latitude workstation for $170 on Amazon refurb. It's a $700 laptop. No GPU but everything else. Its a good coding notebook. I also have a late 2015 retina macbook pro it's macos 12 monterey and i'm having issues getting xcode installed. i had to download an old version and the download is sluggish for some reason over my 1 gig/ sec network it is turning the download into a 3 hr download. i have a desktop where i create youtube videos, essentially editing in 4k and 1080p and rendering in 4k. The PC is a work station and gaming PC and works well for Photoshop and Video Rendering / Editing like Da Vinci Resolve. I got the macbook pro for $250 refurbed on ebay. I took a gamble on the battery but its good. It did not come with an A/C adapter and I had to drop $30 on that at my local PC store instead of Amazon.

  • @ankursharma8973
    @ankursharma8973 Жыл бұрын

    to the point

  • @Jagilsdorf
    @Jagilsdorf Жыл бұрын

    I have an M1 and my girlfriend has an M2. So far, the only major problems were: Visual Studio (not visual studio code) is not available on the Mac. Dual booting Linux or Windows is not as simple as it (hopefully) will become. And, standard x86 vs ARM issues. I was hoping this video would talk more about CPU architecture, assembly language, dual booting, etc. This felt more like financial advice, which I’m sure most people needed to hear. These computers are awesome, but they are also trending. So, too many people will buy on emotion. However, I still wish I had more info on the true limitations that people who *already purchased*.

  • @workingonline5082
    @workingonline5082 Жыл бұрын

    Hi. Currently working as an entry level backend developer and my lead noticed during my screen sharing with him that my 2018 lenovo i3 took around 2 mins to reload an express project. He pushed me to go macbook pro. Im eying a 2016 model macbook due to budget consideration, will i be good at this decision?

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    My main work one provide by my company is 2015 or 16 I think. And it still works just fine.

  • @dragomiradrian8194
    @dragomiradrian81942 жыл бұрын

    you can buy any machine that can run okay a virtual machine, it will take longer to do stuff through a virtual machine, but technically you can use macOS and windows on a linux laptop with a virtual machine, I write this from a 2019 16 inch base model macbook pro tho

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    yup. use what you have to get started.

  • @thegreatsupremeleader4487
    @thegreatsupremeleader4487 Жыл бұрын

    I’m a masters cs student and i still use a MacBook Air 2015 with Ubuntu linux

  • @keyonlewis7574
    @keyonlewis75746 ай бұрын

    i doing app and web development. i plan to buy a mac but i would like to know if i could just install macOS on my desktop so i could just use xcode. ps. i am a react dev and a flutter and react native dev.

  • @pidge8964
    @pidge8964 Жыл бұрын

    I'm a third year computer science student interested in full-stack development. Currently on my second internship and I initially bought the M1 Air due to its affordability and portability, but after using it for 1 1/2 years I realize I would benefit from more RAM (i.e. at least 16GB) and a fan. I'm debating upgrading or just waiting until my next summer internship since the company will likely send me a powerful macbook model.

  • @giakhiempham4057

    @giakhiempham4057

    Жыл бұрын

    'and a fan' that means is your macbook air1 quite hot ?

  • @Furkan_kara

    @Furkan_kara

    Жыл бұрын

    Do you suggest 2019 macbook pro (16gb RAM 512GB ssd, 16 inc ) Do you think I can still use it for coding another 3-4 years?

  • @k.iskandar
    @k.iskandar2 жыл бұрын

    I was thinking of getting a Thinkpad Carbon X1. I'm too hooked with Windows ecosystem. I'm still able to do Web Dev and Machine Learning with ease.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    thinkpads are quite common in a lot of areas of software development

  • @udarue
    @udarue4 ай бұрын

    I am student working on PC and I have recently bought a MacBook 2020 i7 for $500 in ebay for programming outside home like library, and mostly because of my inner child dreams of having one of the apple products like ipad or mac. So buying it closed my gestalt and moreover, I have a device which I can take everywhere whether it's a university or other country, as I do travel at least once a year on summer vacation.

  • @udarue

    @udarue

    4 ай бұрын

    I also have a Windows Laptop and I usually dropped my projects there for assignment interviews/works at the university, but it's quite heavy to take it with, including heavy charging cable and these all weight like 3-4 kilos. With Mac it's much easier that way :)

  • @user-lw2hd8tv7r
    @user-lw2hd8tv7r Жыл бұрын

    Tell me please, to study javascript, react in the future, docker, databases such as SQL Server, Postgres, and other web development technologies, will the MacBook Air m2 16/512 be enough? If I work for 12 hours will there be no problems with such a laptop due to passive cooling?

  • @kevinfreeman9652
    @kevinfreeman96522 жыл бұрын

    LOL at 1:10.... that's exactly how I feel sometimes when looking at my bank account. Thanks for all the great info you have been putting.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    You bet!

  • @Yuxi_lixiii.
    @Yuxi_lixiii.2 ай бұрын

    I have a MacBook for school and a lot of things and I’m a beginner, so I don’t really have any other option. Can you give some websites to code, not for learning code to type out the code

  • @PhillipMHarden
    @PhillipMHarden10 ай бұрын

    I use a MacBook Pro 16" but only because it came wit my school launch box. (So I'm paying for it through student loans basically). I'm not very educated in computer hardware. Which desktops are popular among web developers? Is my MacBook Pro sufficient?

  • @CodeWithBehram7497
    @CodeWithBehram7497 Жыл бұрын

    I am using HP Probook 4530s for Web Developments Project and also for Linux Administration and yeah i have upgraded a bit the ssd and the ram.

  • @haseebsyed7787
    @haseebsyed7787 Жыл бұрын

    I'm a second year in college doing my computer science degree and currently i'm using a asus Vivobook, the battery is trash and it only has 12 gb ram which isn't bad but i def ran into some problem while i was coding using Visual studios such as making a mobile app, it took me 10 min just to run the emulator and then another 5 min to run the program. I found my old 2012 macbook pro and I upgraded the ram, battery and ssd and already I saw a difference in run time. Even though it's an old macbook pro with an old CPU it has more GHZ then my current my Asus laptop. I do reccomend anyone that has an old macbook to upgrade the parts. Its not going be the best laptop ever, But for how it peforms and how it works, I think it will last me a while

  • @simp-slayer
    @simp-slayer8 ай бұрын

    Once you go Mac, you never go back! After I got a 16" M1 Pro from my work, Windows feels like it's far behind Mac OS. Though there are some things in MacOS that are infuriating(looking at you file explorer). I would just hate to give it back when I quit (soon 😅). In my university days I used an Asus laptop on which I dual booted Windows and Linux and it was more than enough. Nowadays I use a dual-booted desktop PC and an office provided Macbook. Also I should mention that if you're going to be doing any iOS related development then Mac is pretty much your only option.

  • @victorh8863
    @victorh886312 күн бұрын

    #1 decision in buying any computer is price. Tech specs really have little to do with the final decision making. Aesthetics are probably the second most important decision.

  • @TheItchybutthole
    @TheItchybutthole2 жыл бұрын

    Have used mac as personal machine for years along beefy windows desktops(mostly for gaming) and I will never pick windows as dev machine. I'm not saying they are bad or that mac os is better by any means. It simply comes down to preference. I love spending less time configuring my environment and being able to use the terminal. Everyone always bring up linux in windows but the thing is I don't want to set that up. I also tried buying a high spec windows laptop with an rtx 3070 and as soon as I heard the airplane half a foot to my left start taking off I was like YEA RIGHT! Portable gaming for what? I'm not starting that thing up with people around me lol.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    i hear you. my m1 macbook pro is so quiet.

  • @suhaawad850
    @suhaawad850 Жыл бұрын

    I graduated with a bachelor in CS. And my 4 years in college I’ve been using my dads old Toshiba laptop. I have a good understanding of programming mostly the basics, but now it’s been a year and a half since I graduated and I haven’t practiced programming in quite a while. So I want to buy my own laptop. A lot of people suggested MacBook Pro. But I don’t know the difference between the M1 and M2. I really don’t know that much about MacBooks and weather I should buy a MacBook or an HP laptop. I really would appreciate your help.

  • @flame_of_the_west8909

    @flame_of_the_west8909

    Жыл бұрын

    Did you finally get anything? What did you get?

  • @ryanburgess3762
    @ryanburgess3762 Жыл бұрын

    I'm using a custom built desktop. However I am in the market for a laptop as my 6+ year old HP envy x360 is starting to give out.

  • @onlyfavorite5754
    @onlyfavorite5754 Жыл бұрын

    So what is the best laptop for coding that I should buy ?

  • @arfwdd
    @arfwdd Жыл бұрын

    Let me know, right now i'm intrested in cyber security and thinking buying MBA M1 am i make a right decision? Or taking windows laptop like asus rog g14 or thinkpad x13

  • @stachowi
    @stachowi2 жыл бұрын

    Macbook Pro M1 Pro... i bought because it's unix-based and the hardware and design are a pleasure to use. My last Macbook pro lasted 10 years (i actually still use it for some projects).

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    mine have lasted a long time too. my kids were still using my first one from 2011 until last year when the youngest broke the keyboard. never had a windows laptop last that long.

  • @JasonEspin
    @JasonEspin Жыл бұрын

    I've been a software engineer since 2009. Dell XPS is hands down the best set of machines to develop on.

  • @NoName-eu9bj

    @NoName-eu9bj

    Жыл бұрын

    Software engineer must using Macbook Sir ? Or buy Windows ? I need your reply Sir .. Thank you so much 😊

  • @lvrlvr3668

    @lvrlvr3668

    Жыл бұрын

    Hey is macbook pro 2012 ok for programming

  • @ethereal_mantis5755

    @ethereal_mantis5755

    5 ай бұрын

    Mac is a must if developing for apples

  • @2pfamilia
    @2pfamilia Жыл бұрын

    I'm a programmer for around 8 months, and I'm using a Lenovo Legion with Ryzen 5 5600H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD and Nvidia RTX 3060 and 165Hz display.. I spend around 1400€ on this machine and is totally worth it!!

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    sounds like a cool setup

  • @JenuelDev
    @JenuelDev2 күн бұрын

    I am planning to buy a MacBook because of compatibility issue. Specially working with different OS.

  • @arrowc4554
    @arrowc45544 ай бұрын

    Like the upfront honesty, here's my like

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    4 ай бұрын

    thanks

  • @markmiranda3364
    @markmiranda3364 Жыл бұрын

    I am an industrial Product Engineer Designer. I use solidworks and Rhino, but I use Python for coding.. PC and Mac. since mac cant use SW natively.

  • @teeI0ck
    @teeI0ck4 ай бұрын

    i'm using the "HP Dev One" but i'm switching to the "Framework 16" in 2024

  • @AFellowGentleman
    @AFellowGentleman Жыл бұрын

    I work as a professional software dev. I recently decided to ask for a MBP when I switched jobs. I kind of regret it to be honest. The reason is I have to re-learn a lot of keyboard shortcuts, and the Swedish Mac keyboard is even worse than the standard PC keyboard when it comes to writhing characters like {. To write this I need to press shift+option+8. That's ok on the laptop apple keyboard, but really sucks on any external keyboard I connect to the Mac. And of course some keys are flipped when you use a USB keyboard and you need to fix that with manual re-mappings. And what do people recommend me? Use an US keyboard! Well, then I have to learn to type on that as well. So as nice as a Mac is, if I could go back in time, I would just order a Think Pad. No need to re-learn anything. I already struggle to be productive, I don't need another distraction when learning new languages for example.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

  • @rashadarbab2769
    @rashadarbab2769 Жыл бұрын

    at the price point apple silicon will beat out any other chip. Also as a software dev for work the only reasonable os you can use is either linux or mac. unfortunately linux isn't as popular and so some simple apps like excel isn't available on it. Windows honestly isn't a reasonable solution theres no native terminal and my time coding on windows id spend half of it dealing with some issue where it cant install a package or some other obscure windows error and unfortunately there just isnt a lot os support online for windows youll see plenty of stack overflow posts using mac or linux and the solution is to just copy a line and paste it into your terminal but with windows it just isnt that easy.

  • @haroldobasi2545
    @haroldobasi2545 Жыл бұрын

    I agree with some points in this video, however based on my experience I also think that a Mac is generally better for programming vs windows for the following reasons: Firstly windows limits your options as a software engineer, you can’t develop iOS applications only android, however you have both the option to develop android and iOS applications on mac, for some devs who are not into mobile this may not be a huge factor but I think it’s just nice to always have options as a dev, even with cross platform frameworks like flutter / react native, you still cannot test apps on iOS simulator or deploy, you are once again stuck with windows Secondly, Mac OS is based on UNIX which Linux is also based on, and most severs (I think about 70%) run some sort of Linux/UNIX OS, and if anyone is going to go into devops/cloud (like I tried to do), I noticed it could be a bit inconvenient and slightly annoying having to switch between using the windows commands on my local machine, and the Linux commands on a sever, if I had a mac I wouldn’t have this inconvenience, again this probably won’t bother other people the way it bothers me but it’s still worth mentioning Thirdly I’ve noticed a lot of tutorials online tend to take a mac book first approach, this might be wrong but it’s just a personal observation, also I’ve had real difficulties installing certain things on windows (like docker), and these same difficulties are virtually non existent on mac, even tho wsl is a thing I still think max is better streamlined, again this is a personal observation might not be true Lastly I think if your sole goal is software development in general, a Mac is just a batter overall option, especially if you’re well in the Apple ecosystem, however like mentioned in the video, I don’t think a Mac will necessarily make you a better developer, a lot of people still use windows no problem, but for me at least a Mac is an absolute must have if you can afford to get one

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    Жыл бұрын

    thanks for sharing your thoughts

  • @hudaalsweadi1974
    @hudaalsweadi1974 Жыл бұрын

    So I truly want to pay for a laptop but I don't know which is better I will shortly learn to code plus I'm learnig trending recently, I like gaming also, and for sure I need it for college do you recommend a MacBook or a PC

  • @16abo0odee
    @16abo0odee2 жыл бұрын

    In my 2nd year of CS. Im using a windows desktop. Im getting an air not because I need it, but because I want to start with ios development, and the flexibility of using a personal computer anywhere is great.

  • @jamescross

    @jamescross

    2 жыл бұрын

    good reasons to get one.

  • @nil27
    @nil27 Жыл бұрын

    I'm need a Mac for iOS dev. Should I get the M2 air or a pro 16 or even a Mac mini?

  • @anon3118
    @anon3118 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks. I “had” to buy a MacBook for a code boot camp. I have a 2015 13 inch pro. It’s honestly a high quality product but the speakers are busted and there’s a couple dead pixels…while I could get a new MacBook, the cost isn’t justified. I could get an amazing gaming laptop for the same price AND SF6 😂💀

  • @achintya-7
    @achintya-72 жыл бұрын

    Nitro 7 coz I want to play games as well as code. Though ill suggest to install more ram if its 8gb

  • @stephanenpng3912
    @stephanenpng3912 Жыл бұрын

    I use a macbook air i5 8go I should take more RAM, I got some problem when I’m coding on react + browser with 3, 4 tabs I will change for the new MacBook pro M2