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by scarface_74 1093 days ago
I hate to be that guy. But why do you want a laptop for that? While my above list of requirements is basically implying a MacBook, if I wanted a really performant computer with a good GPU either internal or external for a high end use case, I would get a non-Mac desktop.
2 comments

Because I don't want two devices? Your answer of "just buy another $1000+ computer" is a bit out of touch.
Why own a macbook when you could just have a non-Mac desktop instead?
Because a desktop isn’t portable?

When I go into either one of my corporate offices (rarely) or a client’s office, it’s nice to be able to just plug my laptop in the night before and not have to worry about a finding any place to plug it in during the day, going back and forth between conference rooms, etc.

I also go home to see my parents for a couple of weeks sometimes and work from there.

And I realize this is a very esoteric case. But I also do the whole “digital nomad” thing half the year.

> Because a desktop isn’t portable

It almost sounfs like you knew the answer to your question the entire time.

But once you’re asking about an external GPU, portability isn’t the most important thing is it?
I'm not sure what you're talking about. My external GPU enclosure is extremely portable. My everyday backpack fits a laptop with external GPU and a weekend's worth of luggage very comfortably.
Maybe they prefer macOS or need it for iOS development.

Also, there really isn't anything out there like a MacBook Air. Thin, light, fast, fanless (silent), and truly all day battery life.

Damn Apple. Macs have no single drawback except repairability, not even vendor lock-in (you can flash Asahi). That’s it. I’m going for a Mac except the Framework I previously planned for. Single digit battery life shouldn’t be thing in 2023.
No CUDA support
The lock-in for that is on Nvidia's side, not Apple's.
No it's not. macOS explicitly will not support external GPUs of any kind. It's not limited to Nvidia, although Nvidia is clearly the target.