I have been the (mostly) happy owner of a 2011 17" MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM, until a few weeks ago when I caught the GPU issue that's been plaguing MBP made around the same time. Long story short: Because I'm in California Apple will still fix it, but it would cost me over $600 to fix a 6 year old computer without correcting the defect, leaving it susceptible to a repeat performance. I'd consider that throwing good money after bad.
Honestly, I'd like another MacBook Pro, and don't mind paying a premium for the privilege, but I don't like a single laptop that Apple currently makes. I do a lot of virtualization, so if I want something to last me more than 2 years, expandability to 64GB is a must, and the idea of system RAM and the SSD soldered down makes me almost ill. So I'm trying to explore what non-Apple hardware might be a viable alternative.
I've done the OSX86 thing on a now-antique 4GB HP before, around the time of OS X Leopard, and found it primarily a headache. While I was using it, I ended up lugging around a mini USB hub with my Bluetooth, WiFi and audio adapter jangling from my USB port. This was not something I consider viable.
I'm taking for granted that I'll need a PS2 kext to handle my mouse and trackpad, but I'd like to stick to Apple supported chipsets and peripherals as much as possible, so I don't need to carry a "compatibility keychain" with me everywhere I go.
Can any of you suggest a laptop in the $2-3.5k range that meets the following specs:
MUST HAVES:
- Expandable to at least 64GB replaceable SODIMM RAM
- Replaceable SATA drive. (Bonus points if a 2TB SSD is included)
- 8+ CPU cores
- Fully supported modern GPU with Metal compatibility, and accelerated video decoding.
- Built-in peripherals (except PS2 keyboard & track pad) all compatible with High Sierra out of the box, including at least:
- Bluetooth >= 5
- WiFi >= 802.11ac
- audio (bonus: surround sound)
- webcam
- bonus: SD Card reader
- bonus: fingerprint scanner (not holding my breath)
- 15"-19" HiDPI screen.
Nice to have:
- Rugged durable body... not expecting "aluminum unibody", but I appreciate something well built.
- BluRay burner
- 8+ hour battery life (bonus: removable battery)
- 2nd drive bay for Time Machine backup drive.
- pie in the sky: intigrated Wacom digitizer tablet with place to hold stylus when not in use.
I get that most people here are trying to run OSX86 on the machine they already have, or get it running on a bargain laptop. What laptop can I get if I truly want an awesome purpose-built Mac laptop, and Apple doesn't make what I want? I won't say money is no object, but I don't mind paying for a quality product.
All advice appreciated?