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Big Sur Performance on 12” MacBook
- Thread starter justin.d
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I have an early 2015 MacBook and performance is very acceptable. Better than Catalina I'd say.
Better than catalina? Lol how so? Catalina is rock solid and has been out for months
I also do wonder if I should install it. Own the 2017 MacBook 12 8GB/512GB. Catalina was a big mess, always had problems, seeing the colored ball during even simple tasks. Really a mess. I downgraded to Mojave, and I never downgraded before. Not a single problem since. I just couldn't use the computer anymore with joy with Catalina.
For Macbook 12 (2017) users who had Catalina before. Is Big Sur much better? No colored ball all the time?
For Macbook 12 (2017) users who had Catalina before. Is Big Sur much better? No colored ball all the time?
In just about every way that is meaningful on a daily basis. Better Finder performance, better browsing etc. I've been on the Big Sur beta for a while and it has been great.
In my experience, definitely better than Catalina. But I can definitely feel the age of my little 2015 MacBook.
I upgraded over the top of Catalina but if you need to do a clean install you usually have to create a bootable USB key.
How to create a bootable macOS Big Sur USB installer drive - 9to5Mac
This tutorial shows you how to create a bootable macOS Big Sur USB installer drive, which can be handy for performing fresh installs on your Mac.
9to5mac.com
I'm actually thinking of picking one of these up if I can find one at a good price, because I want a small laptop but don't really want to invest in the first gen of the M1 MacBook Airs, and I like the tiny form factor of the 12" but suspect I'm going to be waiting a while if I hold out for Apple releasing a new 12" MacBook.
Would users who've been running Big Sur on it recommend getting one? It wouldn't be my main machine, just so that I've got something a bit more usable for work than my 2019 iPad Air.
Would users who've been running Big Sur on it recommend getting one? It wouldn't be my main machine, just so that I've got something a bit more usable for work than my 2019 iPad Air.
Honestly? No. Not unless it's a gift or stupidly cheap. The MacBooks are pretty much EoL at this point, Big Sur runs on them but I would bet that the next OS won't. The M1 MacBook Air is a much, much better machine, not too much bigger than the 12" and should be supported for many years to come. I suspect I will upgrade soon.
Fair, thanks for your answer.
Thing is I'm definitely not going in on the first gen of the Apple Silicon. I want to see how this shakes out and might get one in a year or so when the line-up is clearer and the early bumps have been ironed out.
But I also don't want to spend basically what I'd spend on a new model on the last gen of the Intel models, knowing that I'll want to transition to Apple Silicon at some point in the next couple of years anyway.
Was thinking if I could get a 12" for under £500 it'd see me through for a while until I can make up my mind properly. But I'm probably just being silly and can keep getting by with my iPad for working mobile, especially as we're in lockdown and I'm never going very far from my desk.
Make a new volume using Disk Utility and choose this volume during installation. Once installed you can copy all your stuff from the old volume to the new volume. If you have comparability issues you can still boot in your old system. Once you are sure evertything works fine you can remove the old volume. Works really well if you have sufficient space. The disk free space will be dynamically available in both volumes.
For sure I am waiting for good hands-on reviews of the M1 machines before spending any dough.
I think that a second-hand MacBook even the most recent one would be money down the drain, I'd give your current 2019 iPad back for money off the new 2020 iPad Air and get a Magic Keyboard. Awesome setup.
have been running it on my 2016 12" MB since the betas started; it's great. fast, stable (well, now it is). i agree, it seems 'lighter' than catalina.
I do have several things to discuss in this:
- Safari startup is slow. After the first webpage, no problems
- Spotify slow scrolling through liked songs (could need an update from Spotify as well)
- Slow startup from non-Apple applications
Overall performance is great on MacBook 12" (2016), but waiting for the first bug fixes in a next update.
- Safari startup is slow. After the first webpage, no problems
- Spotify slow scrolling through liked songs (could need an update from Spotify as well)
- Slow startup from non-Apple applications
Overall performance is great on MacBook 12" (2016), but waiting for the first bug fixes in a next update.
I do have several things to discuss in this:
- Safari startup is slow. After the first webpage, no problems
- Spotify slow scrolling through liked songs (could need an update from Spotify as well)
- Slow startup from non-Apple applications
Overall performance is great on MacBook 12" (2016), but waiting for the first bug fixes in a next update.
am not experiencing those things. check spotify for updates, and may be worth rebooting, then check safari & 3rd-party apps...
Clean install MacBook 2015 (1.3GHz) Kept it running through the night, letting all services sync and index. Looking good, more stable than the early release(s) of 10.14. Are not seeing any of @N82 issues (Do not use Spotify though) Fast and solid performance. Heaviest application tested to new is PHPStorm (IDE).
I did a clean install on my MacBook 12 2017 (8GB/512GB). It is really amazing. The machine flies. Very fast. No comparison to the horrbible Catalina, esp the first versions before I went back to the old version of Mojave which I never did before.
Since the clean install I never had one of these balls, my machine works flawless. Battery life is as good as in Mojave. But I am not a heavy user, using my machine a lot but only for browsing, mailing etc.
Yes, the icons look strange but what you get in power, Apple, very nice. First days no problem and everything working fine. And we are talking about a 2017 12 MacBook with 8GB RAM, 1,3GHZ i5 Intel. No newer machine with a lot of more power. Atm I can really, really recommend it.
BTW: I still love this little, lightweight 12 MacBook. It is so tiny and light. I thought about getting the new M1 Air, but I want a 12 MacBook again as my next computer. But with the Air and 13 Pro being released, chances are slim of a rerelease of the 12inch MB. :-(
Since the clean install I never had one of these balls, my machine works flawless. Battery life is as good as in Mojave. But I am not a heavy user, using my machine a lot but only for browsing, mailing etc.
Yes, the icons look strange but what you get in power, Apple, very nice. First days no problem and everything working fine. And we are talking about a 2017 12 MacBook with 8GB RAM, 1,3GHZ i5 Intel. No newer machine with a lot of more power. Atm I can really, really recommend it.
BTW: I still love this little, lightweight 12 MacBook. It is so tiny and light. I thought about getting the new M1 Air, but I want a 12 MacBook again as my next computer. But with the Air and 13 Pro being released, chances are slim of a rerelease of the 12inch MB. :-(
i updated last night. so far so good this morning!
agree with the poster above: my 2016 m3 still works just fine for my usage. when i eventually require an upgrade, i would love to keep this form factor. hopefully we might see a reprise of this kind of design in the years to come!
agree with the poster above: my 2016 m3 still works just fine for my usage. when i eventually require an upgrade, i would love to keep this form factor. hopefully we might see a reprise of this kind of design in the years to come!
i still love my 2016 12" macbook; the longest i've ever kept a mac. i too would like to see a new 12" macbook... and will hold out for a while. despite all the hate for the keyboard on this model, everything still works (well, the usb power cable sometimes disconnects). but it's a small, intimate macbook, and sizewise, all i need.