From Dual Macs to One Powerhouse
For the last two years, I’ve had an M1 MacBook Pro and an M1 Mac Studio. Balancing two Macs seemed like the perfect setup until I found a better way.
I used the laptop for mobility (primarily when I went to my Monday morning coffee shop to write the first draft of a blog) and the desktop for most of my work at home. I enjoyed this setup because it allowed me to work at home and on the go.
Why the M4 Max MacBook Pro? Speed, Power, and Simplicity
I recently upgraded to a new M4 Max MacBook Pro with 48 megabytes of memory and a 2T of storage. Why the change?
The primary reason I upgraded is that the M4 Apple Silicon chip is much faster than the M1 Max I previously had. In a recent press release, Apple stated that it’s about two times faster than the CPU in the M1 Max, and the GPU is up to 1.9 times faster than the M1 Max.
I don’t need the additional CPU or graphic core speed for writing and publishing blogs and occasional photo and video editing. The M1 chips were more than adequate.
However, I also play strategic and tactical PC games in emulation, and for that, I need all the CPU speed I can get. My games load and run much quicker with the M4 Max than with the M1 Max. And, of course, everything is snappier.
One Mac to Rule Them All: Simplifying My Workflow
Another benefit of switching to a single MacBook Pro is that it simplifies things for me. Consolidating to a single Mac has also unexpectedly simplified my workflow. My desktop and laptop are the same machine.
When I’m mobile, I no longer find out that something on my desktop is not on my laptop. When I took my MacBook Pro to a coffee shop to work yesterday, it was fantastic having everything I have on my “desktop machine” on my mobile machine, with the identical layout. Also, I only need to maintain one computer for upgrades, new apps, etc.
Weighing the Downsides: What I’m Giving Up
However, there are also some negatives to making the change, although they weren’t a determining factor.
• I won’t have an extra Mac in case one of my Macs has to be repaired. But that’s been so rare in my years with a Mac that I consider that a minor risk, and I’m not too worried about it. I have an iPad Pro, so I can still finish all my essential writing and publishing work.
• The other negative is that I won’t be able to test developer betas on a second Mac. During the last few months, when Apple Intelligence was introduced, I had the latest developer beta loaded on my Mac laptop. Seeing and playing with new features as they are rolled out has been fun.
I won’t continue that practice with just one Mac. I can’t afford the OS on my work machine to get messed up and interfere with my work process. I can wait until public releases or, perhaps, risk installing a public beta, which tends to be much more stable than developer betas.
While these are real trade-offs, they pale compared to the advantages I’ve gained with this transition.
My New Configuration: A Streamlined Desktop Setup
I have a Twelve South BookArc, which vertically holds the MacBook Pro in clamshell mode off my desk. I set it back on my desk a few inches behind my 27” Apple Studio Display and slightly to the right. This keeps it out of the way and doesn’t waste additional desktop space.
The MacBook Pro is plugged into a Thunderbolt dock. One Thunderbolt cable transfers all data and keeps the MacBook Pro charged. I unhook one cable when I need to take it to another location. When I return home, I set the MacBook Pro on the BookArc and plug it in. It’s ready to function like a desktop with my 27″ Apple Display, my Apple keyboard, and a Logitech MX Master 3S mouse.
The Financial Side: Trading, Selling, and Buying Smart
This transaction involved several other elements, including buying the new MacBook Pro (directly from Apple with a 10% veteran discount).
• Trade-in M1 Pro to Apple. I’m trading in my old MacBook Pro to Apple for about $850. Apple sent me a box with a prepaid label, so the trade-in is simple. If you indicate you want to make a trade-in when you order your computer and input the information, it’s automatic. Apple charges you the total amount when they ship but will refund you the trade-in amount when they receive and process the item.
• Selling my Mac Studio. I’m selling my Mac studio to cashforyourmac.com for $1,250. That’s about $400 more than Apple offered in trade-in.
I’ve had great experiences selling Apple gear to Cash4YourMac in the past. Their estimate is often several hundred dollars more than Apple’s.
They have excellent customer service, and I’ve never had an issue with them. I’ve heard that some retailers will give a high purchase estimate and then almost always want to pay less when they get the item. I’ve never had that happen at cashforyourmac.com. They even paid me for a watch removed from the packaging during transit.
• Amazon purchase of OWC dock. To complete my setup, I also had to purchase an OWC 11-port Thunderbolt dock. It includes one host port with 96 watts of charging power, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, three USB-A ports, a gigabit ethernet port, a stereo input-output port, and other various ports. It cost $219 on Amazon.
A Fresh Start: Why I Skipped Migration Assistant
Instead of using Migration Assistant to move my apps and settings from my Mac studio to my new Mac PowerBook, I did a fresh install.
I’ve used Migration Assistant on my last several computers. After upgrading to Sequoia, I noticed some odd behavior: the image of a font folder would regularly appear on my desktop. I didn’t want to risk transferring that to my new Mac, so I did a fresh install.
It took longer to do a fresh install, but I’m happy with the results. All of my files and many of my preferences are in iCloud, so it was easy to sync them to my new computer. Then, I installed one app after another, entered license information, and set up preferences. I did this with my Mac Studio showing on the Studio Display to easily see and replicate my preferences on the new laptop.
Starting fresh felt like tidying up my digital life, shedding unnecessary baggage accumulated over the years. As I installed the new software, I discarded apps I hadn’t used in the last few years.
Your Turn: Should You Upgrade or Consolidate?
This upgrade wasn’t just about faster specs or shiny new tech—it was about simplifying my setup, enhancing productivity, and embracing a machine that can handle anything I throw at it.
Consolidating to one Mac has been a transformative experience, and I’m excited to see how it continues to improve my workflow.”
Have you considered upgrading your Mac or consolidating your devices? If you primarily use your Mac for basic word processing or photo and video editing, the Apple silicon chips are so fast that the upgrade is unlikely to be worth it. However, if you have advanced needs that are CPU—or graphics-intensive, the upgrade may well be worth the cost.