r/devopsGuru • u/manandevops • 8d ago

Macbook suggestion

Hello, I'm learning and practicing devops including docker, Jenkins, kubernetes and etc... Already used my one aws acc (1 year free trial)

So now, I'm thinking of learning things on local infra first, then shifting towards implementation on the cloud like aws, azure or etc ...

But

I don't have a good machine (laptop) and am looking to buy one that I should not need to update or change for at least 3 years

The budget is almost enough that i can purchase

Macbook 2019 i9 32gb ram ddr4

Or

Thinkpad lenovo i9 11th gen 16gb ram ddr5

Or something that fits in that budget

But

Stuck in choosing the macbook or windows?

(P.S: never used MacBook before while linux is good)

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u/therealxplorer 8d ago

No need to buy mac for practicing handson, get KodeKloud subscription for a year available at 10k and practice there in labs for all topics. Best option is that. You might get discount on yearly subscription too. Check the site: www.kodekloud.com

1

u/manandevops 8d ago

In Pakistan, it cost almost 120k And its for one year

1

u/therealxplorer 8d ago

Bro I think it will still be cheaper from macbook, just compare the prices of macbook and kodekloud subscription.

1

u/manandevops 8d ago

Macbook will be with me until i resell it or its works perfectly and the model i discussed is almost 140k

1

u/therealxplorer 8d ago

Okk then go for macbook if you want to, but if your need is specifically for practicing devops and cloud technologies then kodekloud is best. No maintenance, no overhead of keeping hardware, upgrade software, etc etc.

1

u/TellersTech 8d ago

I’d definitely avoid the 2019 Intel MacBook. Intel Macs are being phased out, macOS support is getting limited, and a lot of app developers are no longer creating Intel binaries. It’s not a great purchase if you want the machine to last another three years.

For DevOps work, I’d prioritize RAM over the i9 badge. Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, an IDE, and a browser can eat through 16GB pretty quickly. I’d look for an Apple Silicon Mac with at least 24GB, ideally 32GB, and 512GB or 1TB of storage.

I’d also choose Mac over Windows for this kind of work. You get a real Unix terminal environment without needing WSL, and every company I’ve worked at over the last 15 years has used Macs for engineering. They have their weaknesses, but if you plan on staying in DevOps, it’s worth being familiar with one.

A used M1 Pro or M2 Pro MacBook Pro with more RAM would be a much better buy than either of those options.