Optimal Mac setup for web designer/developer? I’m ready to upgrade my hardware but in a dilemma over what to buy, since I’m not completely sure what I need. I have a feeling that I’m going to throw money at a setup which will end up being serious overkill. I’m a web/graphic designer and web developer with a view to possibly get into iOS development in the future.



Typically, I have open the following apps simultaneously:


Safari (10-20 tabs)
Chrome (5-10 tabs)
Mail
OmniFocus
Evernote
Coda 2
Fireworks and/or Photoshop CS6
MAMP Pro
Sequel Pro
Xcode (possibly and without Chrome/Coda/FW/PS/MAMP)




And these are my current choices (13” for portability purposes, since it will be used at least for commuting):


First:


iMac Retina, 4GHz Quad-core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
13" MacBook Pro Retina, 2.7GHz Dual-core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD
~£3600

Second:


iMac Retina, 3.5GHz Quad-core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
13" MacBook Pro Retina, 2.7GHz Dual-core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD
~£3350

Third:


13" MacBook Pro Retina, 3.1GHz Dual-core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
27" Thunderbolt Display
~£2630





The biggest factors for me are the relevance of the processor in my situation (quad- vs dual-core), and the actual benefit felt from the 5K display.

I’m not particularly concerned about the cost but I definitely wouldn’t say it is not a factor - hence the £1000 difference between the former and latter setups really tempts me! So, my ideal option is the third one, although I'm not this setup would be sufficient for my needs.

Many thanks in advance for any replies to this exhaustive question!
I believe that your third option will be easiest to work with, since you have the mobility that you desire (i.e., 13" model), which can be connected to the 27" display when in the office. In particular, the system should be responsive when hooked to the external display, even with all the windows and applications that are running simultaneously.

One thing I'd suggest is to get 13" model that can be upgraded to 1TB storage. You'll be getting years of usage out of the macbook, and you don't want to be starved for storage when undertaking new types of projects in the future, such as the iOS development that you mention (not to say there is huge overhead with iOS, just that you want to be prepared for something that wasn't anticipated).