For a High School / College Student... M2 8GB for $699 / M2 16GB for $899 / M3 16GB for $999?

[sammyman]

With the new slight bumps, I think it's time to get my daughter a laptop. I'm leaning towards the M2 with 16gb of RAM. Ram upgrade seems like an obvious choice.

Will there really be a difference in the M2 vs M3? I'm typing on a M1 Pro and it is still smoking hot. Love this thing.

 

[Technerd108]

If I were buying for my kid I would get the latest model possible. M3 with 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD is perfect for high school and will last for college too.

You could save a hundred for M2 but I just don't see an advantage for $100 over the length of ownership the M3 will make a big difference in the later years of ownership. M3 is on a superior process node than M2. It is worth the $100!

16gb memory is base level for college students regardless of processor.

Don't go cheap on your kids. It will bite you in the rear later. Just my personal experience.

 

[raythompsontn]

Amortized over at least 4 years in school, the price difference is not much. I would stay with at least 16GB. 8GB is fine for now and will probably work for 4 years for most college students. Especially the liberal arts which most could get by with a cheap Chromebook.

For the extra $100, $25.00 a year, go for the M3. My opinion, your money, neither are compatible.

 

[QCassidy352]

M3 16 GB if you want her to keep it all the way through college. Even if she’s a HS senior now, that’s almost 5 years. In 5 years, 16 GB is probably going to be seen like 8 GB is now.

 

[Bigwaff]

Everyone is different. I've seen the way my HS kid treats their tech. I would never spend more than $500 on a laptop. Used MBA M1/M2 13" 8GB 256GB base model all the way. They couldn't care less about Apple Intelligence, etc. Be lucky if it lasts 2 years based on abuse and carelessness... then it'll be another sub-$500 used MBA when the time comes, especially if I'm paying. Buy based on what their computing needs are now, at the moment, not what computing needs they might have in the future. My HS kid has a 2020 MBA i3 13" 8GB 256GB and is non the wiser.

 

[sammyman]

Good point! Definitely need Apple care either way.

 

[StoneJack]

My kid has M2 Macbook Air, base configuration. Very happy with it

 

[snipr125]

Any of the 16GB options will be perfect for a student at school/college for the next half decade. If you can get the M2 even cheaper that would be perfect.

 

[SnowCrocodile]

I have an M2 16/512. It's a very snappy, capable laptop and I think I am set for quite a while.

Even M1 would have been just fine.