Hardware MacBook Pro limitation for using Affinity Suite above 5 years - what is the most important spec here?

[affi.usr]

I think about buying my first MacBook (for Affinity I think about Pro 16 model with 18GB RAM  and 512GB SSD) and I am looking for where invest my money wisely. Official suggestion for hardware are:

Quote

 

Hardware

• Mac Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini
• Mac with Apple silicon (M1/M2/M3) chip or Intel processor
• 8GB RAM recommended
• Up to 2.8GB of available hard drive space; more during installation
• 1280x768 display size or larger

 

 

It looks like any MacBook with M-series processors are compatible with Affinity Suite. From other hand I have Windows platform to compare, but I am more interested how something like MacBook Pro 16 with 18GB of memory and 512GB SSD based on M3 Pro can limit Affinity Suite?

I change 12-years old laptop which I use for Affinity Suite since the beginning (v1 earliest versions of software). It has 32GB and I afraid that 18GB can after few years be too less - but I can find answer what I have to choose for my projects with Affinity Suite to get the best for the less? When even more than 16GB RAM is needed for Affinity Suite? I still try improve my skill and I am afraid stucking too because hardware limitations.

M3 Pro still will be safe choice for above 5 years of using Affinity Suite? Is possible if my projects I can smoothly edit on current app version (Designer, Photo, Publisher) on this hardware that it will be possible after 10 years? I will be pay with 7 years installment so it is crucial for me get the best hardware for money without spending extra money for nothing.

Any suggestion and comments are appreciated as I am moving from Windows to MacOS. The most used software on my new platform will be Affinity Suite case: graphics for web design / photo - included bunch processing editing mixed with brochures, posters, printing up to 2-3 m on longer edge max. I'm planning at the future with illustrations based on Wacom tablet too.

No Affinity Suite task will be related with simple video editing, maybe record cleaning and improving sound quality.

Thank you for your time! 

[cubesquareredux]

 

Does Affinity 2.3.0 work with Intel Macs?

What would happen if I were to try?

[AlainP]

All three apps work very well on my Macbook Air 8GB ram and 512GB SD. So it should work very well and for many years on a M3 Macbook Pro with thre specs you mentionned.

[v_kyr]

19 minutes ago, affi.usr said:

When even more than 16GB RAM is needed for Affinity Suite? I still try improve my skill and I am afraid stucking too because hardware limitations.

Probably when really dealing with huge APub/APh/ADe documents, which then do also contain very huge embedded images etc. - So generally, when processing very huge amounts of data in/between the Affinity apps then.

25 minutes ago, affi.usr said:

M3 Pro still will be safe choice for above 5 years of using Affinity Suite? Is possible if my projects I can smoothly edit on current app version (Designer, Photo, Publisher) on this hardware that it will be possible after 10 years? I will be pay with 7 years installment so it is crucial for me get the best hardware for money without spending extra money for nothing.

Sure, among the by Apple offered laptop lines, a MacBook Pro 16 (with a M3 Pro SoC) should be a safe choice for some longer time, as far as it is wisely equipped for future maybe needed higher software demands/requirements too. - Though if your planned budget allows it, I would opt here for a 36 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD configuration, in order to be more safe/secure for possible future growing software requirements.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, cubesquareredux said:

 

Does Affinity 2.3.0 work with Intel Macs?

What would happen if I were to try?

From the Tech Specs section at the Affinity Store: 

Quote

Hardware

Mac Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini

Mac with Apple silicon (M1/M2/M3) chip or Intel processor

8GB RAM recommended

Up to 2.8GB of available hard drive space; more during installation

1280x768 display size or larger

 

[loukash]

1 hour ago, cubesquareredux said:

Does Affinity 2.3.0 work with Intel Macs?

It works fine on my MacBook Pro mid-2012 (non-retina matte display), 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD, running Catalina which cannot be upgraded any further.

[cubesquareredux]

5 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

From the Tech Specs section at the Affinity Store: 

 

 

Thank you, Walt. I had, indeed, read the specs, which suggest that Apple silicon is required.

And yet I'm running Affinity versions 2.3.0 on an Intel Mac, with Catalina, and apparently without incident.

Color me baffled. Slightly.

 

[v_kyr]

4 hours ago, cubesquareredux said:

I had, indeed, read the specs, which suggest that Apple silicon is required.

Quote

Hardware

Mac Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini

Mac with Apple silicon (M1/M2/M3) chip or Intel processor

...

The Affinity suite software apps are multi-architecture binaries (so called FAT binaries), which do contain executuable code for both Intel & Arm architectures.