Replacing Two Macs with One Macbook Pro

[usagora]

As both my late-2012 iMac and mid-2012 Macbook Air will be obsolete in terms of macOS after Mojave, I am looking to replace both of them. The more I ponder my options, I feel the most cost-effective and "tidy" way to replace both of them would be with a single Macbook Pro.

At home, I'd use the Macbook Pro in closed-lid "clam shell" mode with a stand-alone monitor (which allows me to go above 27"), keyboard, and mouse as an iMac replacement, and obviously I'd just unhook it and go as a Macbook Air replacement. I'd also use a "dock" such as this to expand my port options.

I'm not sure when I'll actually buy or what might be out by then, but if I were to buy today, I had my eye on the base-model 13-inch Macbook Pro (no Touch Bar) with the i5 but memory upgraded to 16GB and storage to 512 GB.

Anybody used a current Macbook Pro in "clam shell" mode running 24/7 (I never put my iMac to sleep...just the display), and how has that worked out for you? Any cooling issues or other problems? My concern would be that the display might be damaged by heat with constant use with the lid closed (including periods of intense use), but from what I've read online, I gather the cooling system is sufficient to prevent that. I'd definitely use a stand such as this and it would be out in the open (not under a shelf or anything like that).

 

[Raz0rEdge]

The latest MBP will definitely match the power of your old machines. But that might vary depending on your use of it. If you don't intend to let the computer sleep and and use the MBP in clam shell mode, then you will end up with damage to the LCD after prolonged time I imagine.

If you can leave the lid open that would mitigate that issue.

 

[ferrarr]

I would also suggest opening the lid, at least under heavy usage, anyway.

 

[usagora]

If you don't intend to let the computer sleep and and use the MBP in clam shell mode, then you will end up with damage to the LCD after prolonged time I imagine.

If you can leave the lid open that would mitigate that issue.

I would also suggest opening the lid, at least under heavy usage, anyway.

Hmm. I admit I'm a bit torn on this. I've heard folks say these things, and yet others say they run their MBP elusively in clam shell mode without any issues (see post # 4 on this thread here for example). And it does seem odd that Apple wouldn't give any disclaimers in their official documentation of clam shell mode (https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201834) if there were a possibility of display damage.

I don't want to have to worry about opening and closing the lid when I'm using it at home with an external monitor, so I guess I'll have to think longer about this before making any decisions. Have either of you actually seen damage happen, or is this conjecture?

 

[IWT]

I have no personal experience of this subject, but the following links might bring some enlightenment.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/clamshell-users-is-it-risky-over-the-long-term.2034556/
https://apple.stackexchange.com/que...e-lid-of-a-macbook-pro-when-using-an-external
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7945731

Ian

 

[usagora]

I have no personal experience of this subject, but the following links might bring some enlightenment.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/clamshell-users-is-it-risky-over-the-long-term.2034556/
https://apple.stackexchange.com/que...e-lid-of-a-macbook-pro-when-using-an-external
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7945731

Ian

Thanks, Ian. I've read some of those before. Seems like the weight of opinion from those who actually use the MBP this way is that there is no issue as long as you're not blocking the rear vents. It seems the ideal closed-lid setup would be in a stand like the one I linked in my OP but with the front of the lid in the stand so that the rear vents are facing up so they're not obstructed (and that heat is rising away from the machine) and the majority of the bottom of the machine is also unobstructed when in a vertical stand so that heat can dissipate.

 

[Head_Unit]

Can't the lid be left *somewhat* open to help? And, does someone make a very slow speed fan to push some air over the whole mess? OR maybe one of these https://turbofuture.com/computers/best-macbook-pro-cooling-pad-13-inch-top-5

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Can't the lid be left *somewhat* open to help? And, does someone make a very slow speed fan to push some air over the whole mess? OR maybe one of these https://turbofuture.com/computers/best-macbook-pro-cooling-pad-13-inch-top-5

To enable clamshell mode, I believe the lid has to be completely closed.

 

[usagora]

Can't the lid be left *somewhat* open to help? And, does someone make a very slow speed fan to push some air over the whole mess? OR maybe one of these https://turbofuture.com/computers/best-macbook-pro-cooling-pad-13-inch-top-5

The more I ponder this, the more confident I feel that it won't be an issue, especially considering that I plan on using a vertical stand such as this, except I will put the MBP in upside down so that the rear vents are facing upward. The vents will thus expel hot air up and away from the MBP, and the majority of the the MBP's surface area will be unobstructed to allow the heat to radiate off.

 

[MacInWin]

Jonathan, I have a MBP 15" model and an external monitor. Rather than run in clamshell, I configured for two monitors. When I am at home, I put some open windows on the big external and do the "current" work mostly directly on the MBP itself, using the keyboard and a wireless mouse. Traveling, I close the windows that I have open on the external, or minimize them to the Dock, and use the internal keyboard and trackpad. Sometimes I take the mouse, but mostly I just use the trackpad. The beauty of doing it this way is that I have dual monitors in the office. Yes, I do have to give up deskspace for the MBP to be open and useable, but I suspect that an external keyboard, plus your stand, will take up just as much space. Just some food for thought for you.

 

[usagora]

Jonathan, I have a MBP 15" model and an external monitor. Rather than run in clamshell, I configured for two monitors. When I am at home, I put some open windows on the big external and do the "current" work mostly directly on the MBP itself, using the keyboard and a wireless mouse. Traveling, I close the windows that I have open on the external, or minimize them to the Dock, and use the internal keyboard and trackpad. Sometimes I take the mouse, but mostly I just use the trackpad. The beauty of doing it this way is that I have dual monitors in the office. Yes, I do have to give up deskspace for the MBP to be open and useable, but I suspect that an external keyboard, plus your stand, will take up just as much space. Just some food for thought for you.

Hi, Jake. Thanks for your input. The only thing is I've never gotten along with multiple-monitor setups. I much prefer to work off one large display. But like I said, I really don't think there will be any heat-related issue with the setup I described. And since I would be using an external keyboard in either case (since the 13" MBP would not be my primary screen), running clam shell mode with the vertical stand would save space in my case.

I'm not sure when all this will happen (will probably be at least several months before I make any purchase decisions), but I'll try to report back after some time to this thread to let you guys know whether I've run into any issues running the MPB this way.

 

[MacInWin]

It's your call, Jonathan, but my setup is that on the big monitor I keep Mail, Messages and Activity Monitor open, along with Calendar. Those are just there to keep me up to date and make it easy to respond. Activity Monitor I keep up so I can watch network activity. Most things I do don't require much network, so if I see a spike in Network activity I go looking for what happened. Whatever is my "main" work I do directly on the MBP screen, which at 15" is usually large enough. Every once in a while I'll move a Photoshop job to the big monitor, but most of the time my work is on the MBP directly. What is nice is that if I have to, let's say, go look something up on the 'net while I am working in Photoshop, I just drag PS to the big monitor, open a browser, dig out what I want and can even cut/paste from the browser to whatever. Yes, it can be done on one monitor, but it's just easier with two. And what is really amazing is to start a video on the big external, then be able to swap workspaces on the MBP itself and do something else while the video is still playing. I also can open a Powerpoint presentation and go into presentation mode and have the external be the "projector" version while working on it on the MBP as the controller.

As I said, just food for thought. If you don't like multi-monitor setups, that's ok. I didn't either, until I got one and worked with it a while. Took a bit of time to settle into how I wanted to work, but now I miss the external when I travel.

 

[usagora]

It's your call, Jonathan, but my setup is that on the big monitor I keep Mail, Messages and Activity Monitor open, along with Calendar. Those are just there to keep me up to date and make it easy to respond. Activity Monitor I keep up so I can watch network activity. Most things I do don't require much network, so if I see a spike in Network activity I go looking for what happened. Whatever is my "main" work I do directly on the MBP screen, which at 15" is usually large enough. Every once in a while I'll move a Photoshop job to the big monitor, but most of the time my work is on the MBP directly. What is nice is that if I have to, let's say, go look something up on the 'net while I am working in Photoshop, I just drag PS to the big monitor, open a browser, dig out what I want and can even cut/paste from the browser to whatever. Yes, it can be done on one monitor, but it's just easier with two. And what is really amazing is to start a video on the big external, then be able to swap workspaces on the MBP itself and do something else while the video is still playing. I also can open a Powerpoint presentation and go into presentation mode and have the external be the "projector" version while working on it on the MBP as the controller.

As I said, just food for thought. If you don't like multi-monitor setups, that's ok. I didn't either, until I got one and worked with it a while. Took a bit of time to settle into how I wanted to work, but now I miss the external when I travel.

And as I said, I appreciate your input. As we both know, others are reading this thread, and might not have thought about that before. I've indeed tried the multiple-monitor approach for a while (had a 21" monitor along with my 27" iMac), but I found it more distracting than helpful. But that's just me. With a large (say 32") monitor, there's plenty of screen real-estate to have a movie playing in the corner or other apps open on a single screen, and then I can use Spaces if things start to get crowded, and easily swipe between those virtual desktops. I also do a lot of graphic work, and I can't think of when I'd ever want to do that, or really much of anything for that matter, on a 13" screen when I've got a big beautiful display in front of me. But thankfully even if something changes with that, I'll already have everything I need to use the MBP as a second screen. It's not like the purchase decisions requires me to choose one setup over another. It's just a matter of closing the lid or not