Macbook as primary computer

A

adammg

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I am a college student and need a laptop. I have owned a Mac Mini and sold it. My idea is to get a Macbook and use external, monitor, keyboard and mouse for when I am at home for my desktop. Kind of like using the Macbook as a CPU. I wish I could afford a iMac and Macbook but gotta be realistic.
Curious cause all Mac except the Mac Pro desktop use notebook hardware so thinking maybe this is kind of like the same concept. Is this a good idea? Is it safe to run a laptop like this for extended amounts of time? Anyone else done this?

P.S. - I will have some kind of powered mat with fans under it when its running in this mode.
 

eric


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at work i use a 15" HP laptop in the manner you describe. 12 hours a day, and when i'm not here, i leave it locked, not shutdown.

i'm sure the macbook can handle the same thing.

i'm not sure how much a fan "mat" will work as the macbook has no ans or slots on the bottom. i guess it couldn't hurt as long as it's not usb powered (in this case, it may be a wash - causing and trying to dissapate heat at the same time).

as far as having it for your primary machine... as long as gaming is low priority, you'll be fine.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro M1 • iPhone 14 Pro • iPad Pro • iMac Retina 27"
I use my MacBook as my primary machine and it's run in closed mode at least 50% of the time and it's fine.

At my office, I use an IBM ThinkPad and it's run in closed mode for almost 90% of the time.

I don't use a "fan base" for either, and they both work just fine.

I think you'll be okay.
 
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Well, I am a teacher (science) and don't trust the school's computers so I have a MacBook (started years ago with a Thinkpad) that i carry back and forth. It was to be used, like the old Thinkpad, as merely a secondary backup for my desktop at home....the MacBook has become my primary PC. I have fallen in love with this little thing. It handles all of the use/abuse I dish out and with few complaints. I am becoming more proficient in OSX and I expect to replace my desktops with iMacs ASAP. But, until then, my MacBook has become my primary. I don't think that you will go wrong. In addition I used an external monitor and keyboard for awhile....went back to the original configuration....it is so much better than anything I have lying about. In addition, I have small hands so the keyboard layout is no problem for me. I loved the old thinkpad keyboards and this is right up there with them.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
17" MacBook Pro
You will be fine using the MacBook in "Desktop Mode" for as long as you want. Apple wouldn't support it if it wasn't capable of it.

iMacs don't use laptop hardware, Minis do.
 

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