Computer for Web Development

The previous post was written in April 2022. The first M-series processors were introduced in late 2020. At that time, M chips were fairly new and there weren’t many devices available with them. Today we’re on the 4th generation of M processors (M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max). Devices with M5 may appear on the market before the end of this year.

We also have the option of buying new devices packed with previous-generation processors at attractive prices. Currently on the Lantre website you can buy 16-inch MacBook Pros with M1 Pro and 32 GB RAM for around PLN 7,000 gross (sometimes there are promotions and they’re even cheaper). On Allegro there’s a 14-inch MacBook listed as new for around PLN 6,500. Such hardware is still very well suited for web development today, despite having a processor from a few years ago.

If you’re looking for a web dev computer and want a MacBook with the smallest budget possible, I would go with the previously mentioned MacBook Pro 16 or MacBook Pro 14 with a first-generation processor (M1 Pro) and 32 GB RAM. I wouldn’t buy the 16 GB or 24 GB RAM version.

The M1 Pro with 10-core has been around for a few years, but it’s still powerful. In Geekbench it scores around 2,400 for single-core and 12,500 for multi-core. The 14-inch version also came in an 8-core variant, which scores around 9,500 in multi-core. That’s also a good choice. We have over a dozen of these laptops at Droptica and they perform excellently to this day. You can still find unused, unopened laptops from this generation.

If you have more money to spend, here are a few more recommendations ordered by price. I check prices on Allegro, Pepper and Ceneo. I don’t look at manufacturer prices on Apple.com because you can buy these devices cheaper elsewhere.

MacBook Pro 14/16 with M2 Pro/32 GB+ RAM
MacBook Pro 14/16 with M3 Pro/36 GB+ RAM
MacBook Air M4/32 GB RAM (512 GB minimum for storage)
MacBook Pro 14/16 with M4 Pro/36 GB+ RAM

Only one MacBook Air appears on the list, because only the M4 version allows connecting 2 external monitors while the laptop lid is open. The M4 chip (without Pro or Max) also shows a significant performance improvement over the base chips of the previous generation, making this MacBook Air version a good choice for web development.

The price premium for the Max processor is unnecessary for web development — the Pro version is sufficient.

When buying a MacBook from a seller you don’t know (small company), ask in advance whether you can add Apple Care (an extended warranty from 1 to 3 years). You don’t have to buy it (though I do for peace of mind for all my MacBooks), but a positive answer to that question confirms that the MacBook has never been activated or hasn’t been imported from the US.

I’m intentionally not mentioning storage. That’s an individual decision — whether 512 GB is enough or 1 TB is needed depends on the projects you work on (mainly the size of databases, the number of projects, and the space needed for Docker).

If you don’t want a MacBook and need a laptop running Linux (or Windows — for some strange reason ;) ), I recommend these two options:

Framework Laptop 13
HP EliteBook G11 (or previous generations)

These recommendations are based on hardware I’ve actually used or currently use. Both with AMD processors and no dedicated graphics card.

I’ve had the Framework Laptop 13 for a few weeks and am currently using it with Omarchy Linux. I also tested it with Fedora and Ubuntu.

I’ve been recommending the HP EliteBook since the HP Dev One appeared. The Dev One was a Linux-focused modification of the EliteBook. Hardware-wise the EliteBook and HP Dev One are identical, and tests showed that this laptop works very well with Linux. We bought over a dozen of these at the company; they’ve been running smoothly for years.

It’s also worth considering a mini-PC desktop. I recently ordered one for testing (haven’t received it yet). I ordered the Beelink SER8 AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS 64 GB RAM/2 TB for $669 USD (PLN 2,439).

Geekbench scores for this processor are 2,500 for single-core and 12,500 for multi-core — similar to M1 Pro, but for much less money you get 64 GB RAM and a huge drive. If you don’t need mobility, such hardware is a very good option. Additionally, you could buy a used HP Dev One (EliteBook G7) for PLN 1,500–2,000 as a portable option when needed.

It’s also worth looking at laptops from StarLabs. They make hardware dedicated to Linux. I had one of their laptops 4–5 years ago — Linux worked very well on it. I haven’t tested their newest models.

There are also a few other Linux manufacturers. I mentioned them in a separate post. I’m not listing them here since I haven’t used their hardware.

In summary: if you want a MacBook, one with M1 Pro will do fine. If you want Linux, I’d go with the Framework Laptop. I recommend ordering Framework without storage and RAM, as they can be bought cheaper elsewhere.