I find my dual-core 2013 to still be alright if I SSH into a six-core NUC to work. Visual Studio Code makes this super easy to do and almost exactly the same as working locally, it can be done without it too. I used a remote VM this way as well for about 9 months while wondering what to buy and on wired connection it was also pretty seamless.

https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/ssh

I use remote VMs too, but they aren't good for FinalCut Pro and Ableton Live.

Have you tried Thunderbolt accessories? You should be able to add NVMe storage and AMD graphics that might speed things up. I couldn't try this out because I have an nVidia eGPU, but using Apple's TB2-to-TB3 adaptor I can actually game quite acceptably in Bootcamp.

I will try that, thanks!

> Would you recommend buying a new MBP or getting a laptop?

A MacBook is a laptop, yes? What classifies a MacBook as not being a laptop? In terms of form factor, they are the same. There's nothing special. In fact, MacBooks can run Windows or Linux just like regular "laptops."

As for a recommendation, I don't see why Macs are necessary. USB-C is a huge frustration to deal with (and this includes non-Macs, such as my XPS 13). I'd personally recommend a ThinkPad (which I've decided is going to be my next laptop), but I've never had the opportunity to use one that much. It's just that the keyboard seems much better and it has more options, and I really like the build quality.

You don't think USB-C is the future?

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Right now, it's not very useful for me. Everything is still running on normal USB-A, so I really don't care for USB-C. I'm not about to just go out and replace all my existing and perfectly functional equipment when I don't need to.

- Dongles are a nightmare as well. What if I forget mine when I'm travelling?

I have the MBP 16 from 2019 with the fixed keyboard, and both the hardware and software is solid. If you like macOS and are ok with the Apple premium, I’d say it’s the best laptop I’ve tried in the last 5 years (Just wish it didn’t have the damn Touch Bar).

The ones with 10th gen Intel processors with the "new" keyboard are very good

The 2019/2020 MBP is a solid one.