Decision: M2 now, while await M3

[cmcbhi]

Skyblazer,
we are of a similar age and experience. (I was commissioned in the Air Force in 1966).
I really appreciate the discussion you started; I'm in a similar predicament.
I like the newest tech also. My 2020 27" iMac functions perfectly well BUT I lust after the M2/3 Studio and I WANT, not need, the 27" display.
The convo here gave me much to think about.
Thanks.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Just to throw in an extra option - have you considered an iPad Pro instead??
Coupled with the keyboard, it’s pretty much like a laptop and will easily handle your news reading/Netflix etc…….
Haven’t read through the entire thread so apologies if its already been ruled out - but I replaced my M2 MacBook Air with an iPad Pro/Keyboard/Pencil and it serves me perfectly well for mobile use, or general use around teh house etc (granted, I do have an M1 Max laptop on my desk to other work).

Sorry but I tried that, and some of us just far prefer a laptop most of the time. I returned the iPad Pro and am living with a v1 iPad Air plus the M2 MBP.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

As far as I know, the 4K resolution is not optimal for macOS. The 5K resolution of the Studio Display is pixel-perfect for macOS.

IMO it is about display quality. I have been buying image-pro-grade Viewsonic 4K displays for five years for MacOS.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Same-same 65GB and 1TB in both M2 Max and ULTRA, So, I'm "wasting" $776 by purchasing the refurb ULTRA over the new M2 Max. In both cases, I'll go from stop light to stop light in the same time. Maybe the ULTRA has enough "shelf-life" to pass on to 13-year old granddaughter when the M6 arrives. She has about 100 times more computer savvy than me. Did I mention that in cars and electronics I go for total overkill. It kills me to buy the down-market version of cars/electronics only to learn one day it doesn't have HUD (heads up display) etc. Your assistance has been invaluable to my decision today....THANKS

My point was that in my experience Mac usage typically runs out of RAM before overworking the CPU/GPU; e.g. my 2016 MBP right now. And one can get an M2 Studio Max with 96 GB RAM for $3200 pre-vet-discount, so the comparison is not 64 GB Studio Ultra versus 64 GB Studio Max, it is 64 GB Studio Ultra versus 96 GB Studio Max and have money left over.

I had a similar decision a year ago and chose the 96 GB M2 MBP option, but I was very very close to choosing the 64 GB M1 Ultra Studio. My workflow is apparently more demanding than yours and for now it fits totally under 64 GB RAM. I bet if you look at Activity Monitor on your new rocket ship it will stay fully within 32 GB in 2023.

 

[jjl1579]

Hello Skyblazer,

I am with you, not as old but not that far off, I'm waiting for the M3 Ultra and maxed to 128g 2TB, and I absolutely do not need the horsepower right now, but you never know. So if I can potentially afford it, why not, there are 2 sayings I subscribe to, "The only difference between men and boys, is the price of their toys " and " Buy it nice, or, buy it twice ".

 

[Skyblazer]

jjl1579,
Oh dear, M3 Ulta-128g, are you planning to land something on the moon?

I'm probably tapped out with an 8GB 24" iMac M1, but I like your attitude.

I don't think I drove any of several sports cars faster than half their capable top speed.

 

[Andrey84]

There are many improvements you can make to make your iMac last until the M3 studio is out.
My advice is wait until it’s out and buy M3 Max and at least 32GB of RAM. Ideally 64.

You can do a full clean system reinstall to old system and you could reduce video effects. I’m more than happy to guide you through all that as I’m an Apple fan and I understand what it means for you to get the best gear. Once M3 is out in 7 months it will make you upset sitting there with M2.

 

[Skyblazer]

Fellow Newbie,
Many thanks for your offer.
I have definitely decided to wait for M3 Max Mac Studio.
Here are my 2014 iMac issues:
When going from OFF to ON, it takes almost a minute to be useable.
Selecting email may require a two min wait for new emails to load.
Otherwise, everything seems OK and speedy with 32 GB ram.
I've read that slow start is a sign of bugs.
Re your offer; since the iMac is completely useable and meeting my needs, I fear messing with something too complicated for me to understand might not be a good idea. And, if the iMac became unusable, I would have no way to go back and forth with you to solve the problem.

 

[rb2112]

And the 42-inch screen size is perfect if you can push it about fourteen to sixteen inches away from you.

Can anyone explain this comment? I sit *84 inches* away from my 43 inch TV at home. I have to pull something to within 14 inches, if I push a display away from me it is at arm's length so I dunno 27 inches. What on earth can this comment mean?

 

[Andrey84]

Fellow Newbie,
Many thanks for your offer.
I have definitely decided to wait for M3 Max Mac Studio.
Here are my 2014 iMac issues:
When going from OFF to ON, it takes almost a minute to be useable.
Selecting email may require a two min wait for new emails to load.
Otherwise, everything seems OK and speedy with 32 GB ram.
I've read that slow start is a sign of bugs.
Re your offer; since the iMac is completely useable and meeting my needs, I fear messing with something too complicated for me to understand might not be a good idea. And, if the iMac became unusable, I would have no way to go back and forth with you to solve the problem.

Good to know you’ve decided to wait and will go for M3!

May I ask - what does “OFF to ON” mean? Do you turn it off, as in “shut down”, every time?
Hopefully you know you don’t need to do that at all.
With email, have you tried doing through the web browser, rather than the Mail application? This should be much faster.

Hardware question: have you replaced your HDD with an SSD in this Mac?

No problem with you not wanting to change it. Should it become unusable before M3 studio comes out, bring it to a local IT store and have them replace the HDD/Fusion with an SSD if it’s not been already done before, wipe the disk completely clean and install the last supported system. I reckon after this procedure you will get 2-3 more years of life out of your machine.

 

[Skyblazer]

I SHUT DOWN in the evening are START in the morning.
I have HD 1.2T with 817GB available. Late 2014, 3.5Ghz, Quad-Core Intel Core i5. AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2GB Big Sur.

After reading your suggestion, I watched a couple of videos on replacing HD with SSD. This clutz would never attempt it. I also saw videos using external SSD. Do you have an opinion on using external SSD? Probably $120 on amazon. Even that, I find a little daunting to set up. Except for being very slow on start up, the iMac works fine and is quick once warmed up. I'm permanently unemployed (aka retired) so it's not like I'm rushing off to work in the am. I have 32GB memory. The previous glitchy email has gone away. I had many items residing on Desktop, moved to trash which I read was helpful, and I believe it was. Very grateful for suggestions.

 

[Andrey84]

I SHUT DOWN in the evening are START in the morning.
I have HD 1.2T with 817GB available. Late 2014, 3.5Ghz, Quad-Core Intel Core i5. AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2GB Big Sur.

After reading your suggestion, I watched a couple of videos on replacing HD with SSD. This clutz would never attempt it. I also saw videos using external SSD. Do you have an opinion on using external SSD? Probably $120 on amazon. Even that, I find a little daunting to set up. Except for being very slow on start up, the iMac works fine and is quick once warmed up. I'm permanently unemployed (aka retired) so it's not like I'm rushing off to work in the am. I have 32GB memory. The previous glitchy email has gone away. I had many items residing on Desktop, moved to trash which I read was helpful, and I believe it was. Very grateful for suggestions.

I agree replacing the HDD with an SSD is a challenging task, although I suggested getting someone else to do it. I just wanted you to have this option in your back pocket, should the Mac become unbearably slow while you’re waiting for the M3 Studio. External SSD is probably even better as a stop-gap solution, less painful and also massive performance gains.

The only advice remaining is to stop shutting down your Mac for the night. It’s not meant to be shut down. My wife got her first iMac in 2010 and she never shut it down for the night. This machine worked like clockwork for 10 years with no issues.

Mac OS will put your Mac to sleep automatically. It will draw close to no power at all. In the morning, it will be ready for you with a very minimal delay.

 

[Skyblazer]

Andrey, many thanks for your reply. I've been shutting down at night because I thought it saved substantial electricity. I will now just put it to SLEEP. Given the resale value, I hate to pay someone to upgrade to SSD when M3 might be available in a few months. Your assistance has be very valuable. Thanks.

 

[splifingate]

to stop shutting down your Mac for the night. It’s not meant to be shut down.

Yah.

Just let it Sleep, Brother

 

[veena3]

Sorry, but I don't get it why you are waiting for a "fictitious" computer which can be released in a half year or whoever knows when. I don't want to be rude, but respectfully to you in your age, doesn't it make sense to enjoy things right now until it's "over"? I have my hypothesis that you are quite satisfied with your 9 year old computer. And I believe you would have not recognised ANY difference for your use between M3 Studio or M2 Studio or I believe even M1 Mini. Though I believe you could be quite happy if you upgrade to ANY of new ARM based Macs right now because your overal use of system would feel snappier than in your 2014 "beast" and you could install the newest OS easy. Sorry, If I am too harsh, I don't mean it in a bad way, would like to see you enjoying new Macs and I think you are making it unnecessary complicated and delay your enjoyment for no rational reasons

 

[Andrey84]

Sorry, but I don't get it why you are waiting for a "fictitious" computer which can be released in a half year or whoever knows when. I don't want to be rude, but respectfully to you in your age, doesn't it make sense to enjoy things right now until it's "over"? I have my hypothesis that you are quite satisfied with your 9 year old computer. And I believe you would have not recognised ANY difference for your use between M3 Studio or M2 Studio or I believe even M1 Mini. Though I believe you could be quite happy if you upgrade to ANY of new ARM based Macs right now because your overal use of system would feel snappier than in your 2014 "beast" and you could install the newest OS easy. Sorry, If I am too harsh, I don't mean it in a bad way, would like to see you enjoying new Macs and I think you are making it unnecessary complicated and delay your enjoyment for no rational reasons

Mate, you didn’t read or understand the post. These forums are not here for you to enjoy yourself by being patronising, dismissive and going off-topic. They are to help people by answering their actual questions. Go back, read the post and other comments properly. This response is disrespectful.

From the intellectual standpoint this answer doesn’t work either. It’s been proven many times by the economic theory that humans are not rational. If they were, everyone would’ve been driving a Ford.

 

[Skyblazer]

I agree replacing the HDD with an SSD is a challenging task, although I suggested getting someone else to do it. I just wanted you to have this option in your back pocket, should the Mac become unbearably slow while you’re waiting for the M3 Studio. External SSD is probably even better as a stop-gap solution, less painful and also massive performance gains.

The only advice remaining is to stop shutting down your Mac for the night. It’s not meant to be shut down. My wife got her first iMac in 2010 and she never shut it down for the night. This machine worked like clockwork for 10 years with no issues.

Mac OS will put your Mac to sleep automatically. It will draw close to no power at all. In the morning, it will be ready for you with a very minimal delay.

Audrey, this advice (Sleep instead of ShutDown) is really working great. One click in the am and I'm up and running. This has accomplished, perhaps, what going the SSD route might have accomplished. Forever grateful for helping a clutz solve his problem.

 

[Andrey84]

Audrey, this advice (Sleep instead of ShutDown) is really working great. One click in the am and I'm up and running. This has accomplished, perhaps, what going the SSD route might have accomplished. Forever grateful for helping a clutz solve his problem.

Really happy I could help! Thanks for coming back here and giving the update as well.

If Mac becomes slow, you will need to restart. Probably every 2-4 weeks.

Merry Christmas! 🎄

 

[Skyblazer]

Andrey,
Thanks for heads-up on RESTART every 2-4 weeks. RESTART has magically worked out some kinks in the past. I never know if it's me or the computer. Assume it is me and perform a RESTART. So far so good.

 

[Gloor]

I'm sorry but the post you are referring to wasn't really patronising or disrespectful. It was actually good and reasonable advice. You on the other hand did patronise and disrespect so in a way you did exactly what you said the forums are not for. Hilarious.

To OP - I've read your desire but I think its hard to advice you as any sensible advice is not something you want to hear and in a way it seems that you want to be supported in your lavish idea which makes no sense.

You know your weakness (you've told us) and you seem to care about resale values (and value in general) so if you truly want help then listen to those (including myself) that want to help you and that is - Get MAC MINI M2 Pro - It will do everything for you and you won't even max the full potential. You will be driving Lamborghini in a city with 30mph speed limit. Mac Studio makes zero sense on all levels but lust.

If you truly care about value - then know that your weakness is taking over so let others guide you to something that is actually good and helpful for you.

Mate, you didn’t read or understand the post. These forums are not here for you to enjoy yourself by being patronising, dismissive and going off-topic. They are to help people by answering their actual questions. Go back, read the post and other comments properly. This response is disrespectful.

From the intellectual standpoint this answer doesn’t work either. It’s been proven many times by the economic theory that humans are not rational. If they were, everyone would’ve been driving a Ford.

 

[Guenter]

Currently the m2max on the Studio is less expansive than a m2pro mini with the same Memory and Drive config.
On the MacBook Pro the Upgrade from the m3 pro to the Max is costly. Will there be a huge increase in price for the m3 Studio in base config?

 

[clv101]

Currently the m2max on the Studio is less expansive than a m2pro mini with the same Memory and Drive config.
On the MacBook Pro the Upgrade from the m3 pro to the Max is costly. Will there be a huge increase in price for the m3 Studio in base config?

How likely a possibility is this? I'm considering a 64GB M2 Max Studio, but can wait a few months for the M3 Max version. However, I won't be happy if the M3 Max version gets, say, a $400 price bump!

 

[Andrey84]

Currently the m2max on the Studio is less expansive than a m2pro mini with the same Memory and Drive config.
On the MacBook Pro the Upgrade from the m3 pro to the Max is costly. Will there be a huge increase in price for the m3 Studio in base config?

Assuming you mean "expensive" - that's not true and it can't be true. Apple's pricing has always been very consistent in this way. Same (or similar) config always costs the same in different devices of the same type.
The cost is exactly the same, £2,099, see below.

Mac Mini:

Mac Studio:

 

[Andrey84]

How likely a possibility is this? I'm considering a 64GB M2 Max Studio, but can wait a few months for the M3 Max version. However, I won't be happy if the M3 Max version gets, say, a $400 price bump!

Mac Studio is in the middle of the product refresh cycle, so it'd be wise to wait for the M3 refresh.
I personally don't expect Mac Studio price to increase this year.
£2,099 for the Max & £4,199 for the Ultra is pretty steep as it is.

 

[picpicmac]

Assuming you mean "expensive" - that's not true and it can't be true. Apple's pricing has always been very consistent in this way.

The US pricing for the Studio M2 Max base unit is a little less than in the UK.

For the same configurations you listed, the discount (Edu/Vet/some companies) prices are:
Mini: $1,829.00
Studio: $1,799.00

The Studio is clearly the better deal, especially as it comes with front ports.