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Anyone buy M3 Max when they don't need it?
- Thread starter AVBeatMan
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yes the 36gb ram is good for tabs. I do a lot of research and will have bunch of tabs open in several groups. My ram use is around 23gb. If you are a long term user of products, id get the base Pro with 36gb ram and 1tb ssd. You may not need the SSD if you pay for iCloud but these days I see I filled 250gb to start with and the drive may slow down the closer I get to 500 so for long term, 1tb is beneficial.
the Pro Mac will have brighter screen so you can use it outside. 18gb ram, ports and HDMI. I find 14" is more ideal than 13". I think the base 14" MBP with M3 Pro is the overall best bang for buck. if you have a balcony and want to use Mac outside, you'll regret that Air.
I know quite a few who went for the M3 Max. They don't need it for what they do, but it's their money, their choice.
Again, thanks for all your replies. After reading all your advice I decided to return the Max and have ordered the M3 Pro with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU and a 1TB SSD.
£750 cheaper than the Max. Probably still overkill for me but think I’ve done the right thing. MacBook Air would probably suit my needs more but I want a Pro.
Now, do you guys get Apple Care for your Mac’s? I never have done but always think if I should or not. Always have for my iPhone’s but have never had to use it. My MBP will stay in my office for 90% of the time so thinking probably not?
£750 cheaper than the Max. Probably still overkill for me but think I’ve done the right thing. MacBook Air would probably suit my needs more but I want a Pro.
Now, do you guys get Apple Care for your Mac’s? I never have done but always think if I should or not. Always have for my iPhone’s but have never had to use it. My MBP will stay in my office for 90% of the time so thinking probably not?
well, ill share my experience. 2012 retina MacBook, 1 pixel dead. Apple replaced expensive screen. Same Mac showed dying battery and fan grinding noise, Apple replaced them even though my 3 year warranty expired 3 months ago. Manager approved the fix. 2015 Mac loose screen hinge. Apple replaced screen. 2019 MBP battery depreciating kinda fast. 82% life left within a year. Apple replaced battery. my 2021 MBP 16" has 280 cycles and shows 82% life after 2 years. 50% of time was connected to studio display. Sounds kinda unusual. I bet Apple will replace battery if I ask even though it ay not hit below 80%.
From what I know. They help you more if you buy apple care. They are really good about it. If anything you may get a battery replacement out if it before its out. If you break the screen, it's expensive to replace. I buy apple care and then dont care. Never broke a screen but any fix out of pocket is expensive for these things. Maybe if it sat in office 90% of the time I maybe wouldn't get AppleCare but for the m3 Max I would cause what if im pushing the components and something pops inside? But these new Macs seem to be doing well. Got my m3 max in late Nov and now have 73 cycles and 100% life.
I‘m afraid I do. These machines really have no user-serviceable parts inside. If anything goes wrong, you’re on the hook for the whole price. So I definitely get apple care. I wish I didn’t have to.
The air is a dimmer screen but I used mine outside plenty. It was always facing away from the sun mind you but yea that is something to take into consideration.
If you are within the return window, I would go with the MBA. Based on your usage, most of that stuff can easily be done on a much older lower spec MacBook, so you will have no problems with a newer MBA. You might even consider the M2 or M1. There have been some crazy good sales on those computers.
As for this business of future proofing for 15 years, don't bet on it regardless of what you buy. There are just too many things that can happen in tech over the next 15 years that might make you want to jump to a new MacBook or maybe some totally different type of device not available today. There are always the chances it could be lost, stolen, or damaged in that time frame, so you might need to replace it anyway. Then there is the issue of eligibility for OS updates and software support. Anyway, I would not let "future proofing" drive the decision.
When u upgrade in 2 years for a new color AC doesn’t make sense since u have standard 2y warranty in Uk
Los Angeles usual clear skies weren't friendly to my screens. Wearing sunglasses during use made it even worse. Not that I do it but I have this cute image of myself sitting outside a cafe, wearing my aviators and typing away on a MacBook during clear skies.
I bought the M3 Pro when I probably didn't need it, but it was on sale for $1799, and by the time I upgraded the MBA to 512GB and 16GB of Ram, the Pro was only $100 more.
I bought a 16" M1 Max mac Book Pro with 64GB of RAM, a 4TB SSD, inDecember 2022, just before the M2 Max was released. I am thrilled with the Performance, Battery Life without loss of power, the restoration of Ports, the Silence, and the Tremendous Speed. With Apple Care Plus for three years, I don't feel the need for any Updates for at least 3 Years, and i won't NEED a new Mac Book Pro, even then. I almost left Apple Laptops because i had a Late 2011 Mac Book Pro 17", and Apple shipped defective Graphics cards with it, and wouldn't stand behind their Products(27" iMac, too!) and hung their Customers out to Dry, after we bought their Top-of-the Line Portable and Desktops, had to pay out of our pockets for Graphics Card replacements, and they knew that it was not their Customer's fault. However, the M-Series Macs are absolutely Superb, exceeding all of my wishes and Requests.
I wanted to upgrade my 2015 MBP but as Apple removed Magsafe, I had to wait for a long time. M1 pro was too powerful for my need. So, I was hoping for Air with Magsafe and gorgeous screen like MBP. Unfortunately, price difference between MBP and MBA wasn't that much. So, I went for a near mint, MBP 16 with M1Pro and later I exchanged with M1P 14". To be true, I don't regret my decision. After 171 cycles, it still has 93% battery life, and only weighs 100g more than the 15" MBA (and a better display too). I do love the space black color so, bought a skin!.
Buying a Macbook with larger RAM and fastest processor only by thinking that it will last for the next 10 years doesn't make sense. There is no guarantee for it.
Buying a Macbook with larger RAM and fastest processor only by thinking that it will last for the next 10 years doesn't make sense. There is no guarantee for it.
I fully understand Upgrade-Itis because I was afflicted with it for a long long time but that was on Windows. With moving all my work to Logic Pro my M1 Pro Max is still blowing through projects faster then I ever experienced with any Windoze machine. FCP video files are again, much faster than Windoze. My machine is slightly older than 2 years and I dont see a need for an upgrade even though I could easily afford it. I'd much rather spend the money on more studio gear and instruments.
I just sold my 13" M2 air 16Gb/1Tb and bought the stock silver 16" M3 Max 16/40/48Gb/1TB.
M2 Handled everything to be honest and could plug it into an external monitor. Right now it's way overkill, but my needs are changing and require more screen realestate, want responsive experience for Camtasia and Final Cut, Logic Pro and running virtual machine.
I was also able to salary package it through work so much less out of pocket.
M2 Handled everything to be honest and could plug it into an external monitor. Right now it's way overkill, but my needs are changing and require more screen realestate, want responsive experience for Camtasia and Final Cut, Logic Pro and running virtual machine.
I was also able to salary package it through work so much less out of pocket.
Originally I was going for a 16" M3 Pro (last Mac was a 2021 16" M1 Pro 1TB/16gb, tried going back Windows with a MSI 13th gen/4070 but after experiencing the temperatures, Windows 11 crappy bugs, battery life and their really BAD warranty, I ended again in the dark side), but considering the difference in price, available stock at the Apple Store in my country and student discount I went for the M3 Max (also, in contrast to the M1 Max/Pro this one had differences in the chips so this was another reason to go for custom config).
Mostly I did not wanted to buy another MBP for at least 4-5 years, specially after coming from MBP's with the standard 16gb configurations (having swap problems, I could not afford the better configs before because I was a student and in my country they are a bit overpriced) and at the same time I made the expense of upgrading my setup almost in the same month (Dual 4k displays, TB4 dock, iPP 11" M2 5G/256gb & iPhone 15 PM for USB-C), so I took the plug and upgraded everything to keep everything in a long term cycle (except maybe earlier the iPhone if they really implement an "innovative" upgrade).
P.S: Windows laptops are a bit far away from Apple quality, for the rest of stuff like gaming and work, i have my Desktop Gaming PC/Crossover and my corporate HP Zbook workstation. 🙂
Mostly I did not wanted to buy another MBP for at least 4-5 years, specially after coming from MBP's with the standard 16gb configurations (having swap problems, I could not afford the better configs before because I was a student and in my country they are a bit overpriced) and at the same time I made the expense of upgrading my setup almost in the same month (Dual 4k displays, TB4 dock, iPP 11" M2 5G/256gb & iPhone 15 PM for USB-C), so I took the plug and upgraded everything to keep everything in a long term cycle (except maybe earlier the iPhone if they really implement an "innovative" upgrade).
P.S: Windows laptops are a bit far away from Apple quality, for the rest of stuff like gaming and work, i have my Desktop Gaming PC/Crossover and my corporate HP Zbook workstation. 🙂
I think you made the right choice - you definitely don’t need the Max, and the Pro is a good alternative where you still can get the Space Black and the full MBP machine (with all it comes w/, eg. better screen, better speakers, better ports).
While it doesn’t matter as you’ve already made the choice, just out of curiosity, when you say you were coming from the M1 MBP, did you mean the 13” M1 (non-Pro) MBP (the one that was the old 2016 MBP chassis with the touchbar)? Or did you get the 14” (or 16”) M1 Pro? If it’s the former, I understand your desire even more (you wanted the new design). If it’s the latter, I still understand lol.
FWIW, I’m also someone who doesn’t “need the Pro”, but wanted it anyways. I went from 2016 13” MBP w/ Touchbar to my current 2021 14” M1 Pro MBP. I didn’t need it (frankly I could get by, performance-wise, with an MBA), but I could afford it and wanted the ”nice and shiny” new design MBP. But I (at least) went with the M1 Pro (over Max) to still be “somewhat reasonable”. I think you made the right choice.
And yes, I got AppleCare+. I actually went with the monthly plan ($9.99/month), as with that one, it’s not only for 2 years, but you can keep it going for as long as you want / keep paying. Agree with others that for me, it’s peace of mind, to avoid a huge cost if something goes wrong. Plus I agree Apple treats their AppleCare+ customers a little better…
Interesting thread. I just got a 16" MBP M3 Max to replace my 27" iMac. We just moved, and the iMac was way too big for my new home office setup. The iMac was blocking my views outside, so I needed something that I could keep closer to me on the desk, but was large enough to not be taxing to use. I went for the larger screen of the MBP and decided to just get the highest horsepower version. I love how freakin' fast this thing is! I am retired and at a stage in life where spending money on better tech is usually a good choice. My "everyday" Mac is a 13" 2020 MBA, which is usually within arm's reach. Anyway, enough rambling. I'm liking the latest and greatest from Apple.
I probably could have gotten away with an M3 Pro, but I bought the max for the ability to use 3 (or more) external displays.
I bought the M3 Max 14 in MacBook Pro. Honestly, it outperforms itself. The fans start playing as loud as white noise when I am sleeping, but it's worth it. It is great for 5K gaming and fast rendering. The base model MacBook Pro comes with enough RAM for covering one graphic intense application and multiple heavy applications.
But crushed by the iphone 15P' A17 Pro when it comes to the neural engine 😁 And everyone knows AI is the next big thing.
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