Buying advice: discounted M1 Max vs. M3 options

[adk97]

I currently have an M1 air 13 inch, purchased in late 2021, with 16 GB memory and a 2 TB drive.

I need to update to a larger drive, and I'm having a hard time assessing the pros and cons between a few different 4 TB MacBook options.

I'd been hoping to find some good discounts on M2s, but so far I have not seen any with a 4 TB drive. I have found a couple of enticing discounted M1 Max MacBook Pros, however.

I'm trying to decide between these options, all with 4 TB drives: (1) M1 Max 16" w/ 64 GB memory for $2,999 (2) M1 Max 16" w/32 GB memory for $2,499, (3) an M3 Pro 14" base model (apart from the 4 TB drive), at educator discounted pricing (I work at a University) for $2,949, or (4) spring for an upgraded M3 Pro or an M3 Max, likely either the base M3 Pro but with 36 GB memory or the base M3 Max.

A few other points relevant to my decision:

Use: Although I mostly use my computer for web browsing and writing, I also sometimes use OBS (for remote lectures) and I occasionally do video editing (as a hobby). Also, my work flow often involves *lots* of windows and different apps open at the same time which, I believe, sucks up a lot of memory. (Right now, for example, activity monitor shows me at over 15 GB of memory used and a yellow memory pressure bar.)

A laptop that will last: I'd like to get something that I can use for 5 years or longer. When I bought my M1 Air, I knew 2 TB probably wouldn't last me longer than a couple of years. Now that I'm upgrading to a 4 TB drive, I think the expanded storage will probably last me quite a while (knock on wood), so I want to make sure the other options I choose will last just as long. For my current needs, I could probably do just fine with the base M3 Pro at 18 GB of memory, so I'm tempted to get the M3 Pro base model. But, long term, will I need more memory? If so, would I be better off getting one of the M1 Max options and saving some $? Or, are the upgrades to the M3 chips over M1 Max good enough for me to consider going with an M3 option?

14" vs. 16": All else being equal, I prefer a smaller/lighter laptop. I almost always use an external monitor when I'm working, so I don't care about screen size (I split time between home office and work office, and travel a fair amount, so I need a laptop, rather than desktop). In other words, the larger screen size on the M1 options I've found is a slight negative for me, rather than a plus.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to share their thoughts on which option might be best for me!

 

[picpicmac]

I need to update to a larger drive

You don't want to use an external, portable SSD? They are not very expensive. Certainly far less expensive than buying a new Mac.

And if you already have a 2TB internal, why not buy an external you can keep at home, and archive some of the files from the internal to the external, freeing up space on the internal.

 

[OrenLindsey]

Personally, I would get option 2. First off, you certainly do not need over 36gb. I have a 32gb M2 Pro 14" and I use tons of safari tabs and apps open at once. Like, over 200 tabs. Not a ton of multitasking but a ton of stuff open. It runs amazing. Secondly, doing OBS and stuff would run perfectly fine on any apple silicon Mac (my church uses an M1 Mac mini, 16gb for live-streaming on OBS). Thirdly, video editing will also be amazing on M1 Max. It runs awesome on my M2 Pro, which is worse than the M1 Max for multi-core performance.
Anyways, getting 32gb or 36gb will be enough for you. However, I wouldn't get less than that (so don't get option #3).
You need a lot of RAM and SSD, but not necessarily the Pro or Max chip, which is a shame because Apple will only let you get a lot of SSD and RAM with the super expensive chips.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Consider setting up a NAS for your bigger storage needs. It would also help facilitate backups and probably be cheaper in the long run than buying a very large SSD upgrade from Apple.

 

[OrenLindsey]

Consider setting up a NAS for your bigger storage needs. It would also help facilitate backups and probably be cheaper in the long run than buying a very large SSD upgrade from Apple.

I second this. You really don't need a new computer, just more storage space.

 

[tis100]

Per Apple's documentation:

• Green memory pressure: Your computer is using all of its RAM efficiently.
• Yellow memory pressure: Your computer might eventually need more RAM.
• Red memory pressure: Your computer needs more RAM.

Technically your computer doesn't need more RAM, but if want the memory pressure to go to green then you should upgrade to a minimum of 18GB and a maximum of 36GB. Any more is overkill for your use case.

Also, the unbinned M1/M2 Pro and Max chips are identical in terms of CPU cores. 10 Cores for the M1 Pro/Max and 12 Cores for the M2 Pro/Max. The only difference is the number of GPU cores, which for your use case is unimportant. Therefore, if cheaper, you should opt for the M1/M2 Pro over the M1/M2 Max.

Finally, the difference in terms of CPU performance between the M1 Pro and M2/M3 Pro is 20%. In practical terms, it doesn't matter which chip you get.