Intel to Silicon: help choosing a Mac.

[RaphaZ]

Hi!

I want to trade my old MBA (2013) for a new one. I’m writing my thesis, and the Mac warms too much, and gets beach balls all over the place.

I was thinking in a second handed M1 MacBook. Honestly, I’d prefer the Pro just for the fan. What is your experience? Does the Air warms when connected to an external monitor all day long?

Thanks!

 

[darngooddesign]

Hi!

I want to trade my old MBA (2013) for a new one. I’m writing my thesis, and the Mac warms too much, and gets beach balls all over the place.

I was thinking in a second handed M1 MacBook. Honestly, I’d prefer the Pro just for the fan. What is your experience? Does the Air warms when connected to an external monitor all day long?

Thanks!

The M1 Air is what you want. After your 2013, you will be shocked at how your computer is cool to the touch while doing much more intensive things.

 

[tweaknmod]

Hi!

I want to trade my old MBA (2013) for a new one. I’m writing my thesis, and the Mac warms too much, and gets beach balls all over the place.

I was thinking in a second handed M1 MacBook. Honestly, I’d prefer the Pro just for the fan. What is your experience? Does the Air warms when connected to an external monitor all day long?

Thanks!

If it's excusively for research and writing, then the M1 Air would be plenty, no need for a fan. And no, it won't overheat or throttle from being connected to an external monitor, though keep in mind that it can only natively connect to one external monitor. If you want more than one external, then you'll have to either use Displaylink, or get a MBP.

 

[RaphaZ]

If it's excusively for research and writing, then the M1 Air would be plenty, no need for a fan. And no, it won't overheat or throttle from being connected to an external monitor, though keep in mind that it can only natively connect to one external monitor. If you want more than one external, then you'll have to either use Displaylink, or get a MBP.

The M1 Air is what you want. After your 2013, you will be shocked at how your computer is cool to the touch while doing much more intensive things.

So, if you had the chance to choose between the MBA (796 dollars) or the MBP (1072 dollars), you would pick the Air?

 

[tweaknmod]

So, if you had the chance to choose between the MBA (796 dollars) or the MBP (1072 dollars), you would pick the Air?

If I were you, yes. The fan will be zero advantage to you, and the MBA will be more portable. Spend that extra money on a nice keyboard, a laptop bag, or take a freind out for a fancy dinner!

 

[RaphaZ]

If I were you, yes. The fan will be zero advantage to you, and the MBA will be more portable. Spend that extra money on a nice keyboard, a laptop bag, or take a freind out for a fancy dinner!

And in the future (5 years)?

P.s.: loved the dinner idea!

 

[planteater]

And in the future (5 years)?

P.s.: loved the dinner idea!

Unless you change the type of work you do on the laptop to something other than office productivity applications, it’s unlikely you would outgrow it in 5 years.

 

[tweaknmod]

And in the future (5 years)?

P.s.: loved the dinner idea!

Assuming you don't suddenly find the need to start compiling massive coding projects, or editing 8k movies, you'll still be fine.

If this is to be for research, writing, content consumption, web browsing, email, MS Office work, the Air will serve you well for many years.

 

[darngooddesign]

So, if you had the chance to choose between the MBA (796 dollars) or the MBP (1072 dollars), you would pick the Air?

If my workload were as you described, assuming you haven't omitted that you keep a lot of apps and 20+ browser tabs all running at the same time while exporting or copying Gigabytes of data, and I carried it on my shoulders frequently, I would choose the Air over the 14" MBP. Even the base 8/256 would be more than fine for your needs, and the current controversies of SSD speed and heat aren't anything you would notice.

You ultimately need to decide whether you value it being almost a pound lighter and having Mac better battery life more or less than the nicer screen and speakers whcihare the only things on the 14" that you are likely to notice in your day to day. If you frequently use your laptop as a tv the better screen and speakers are pretty nice.

PS. Even the M1 Air would be a really solid computer for your stated needs, and heck, you can find those discounted or used as well.

PPS. To judge weight, place a book which weighs a little less than a pound on your current Air, that's the MBP.

 

[James_C]

M1 Air will feel amazing, compared to your current Air. I would avoid the base M2 Air due to the SSD that is half the speed of the SSD of the M1 Air. I had an M1 Air connected to an external display all day, using the Air as well in a double screen setup. I had windows for arm ( running under Parallels VM )running as well as Mac Apps. Never got warm. Night and day difference in performance to the 2016 MBP that the M1 Air replaced. If you are planning to keep it for 5 years, then I would try and get 16GB if you can afford it.

 

[R3k]

M2 Air. You'll love it I bet. At least try it out for 2 weeks before skipping or going for the M1 version based upon opinions here of people that probably don't even have it.

People are looking at the storage benchmark for the low Storage version and freak out at a teardown that shows a less intense Heatsink than the M1 and think its a better bet to go with the old model 🤷‍♂️

 

[planteater]

M1 Air will feel amazing, compared to your current Air. I would avoid the base M2 Air due to the SSD that is half the speed of the SSD of the M1 Air. I had an M1 Air connected to an external display all day, using the Air as well in a double screen setup. I had windows for arm ( running under Parallels VM )running as well as Mac Apps. Never got warm. Night and day difference in performance to the 2016 MBP that the M1 Air replaced. If you are planning to keep it for 5 years, then I would try and get 16GB if you can afford it.

There was a comparison on YouTube of the base and upgraded drive speeds and the difference was nominal under heavy load. Sorry I don’t have the link.

For a person that isn’t pushing the machine hard, real hard, it’s a complete non-issue. For a person using typical productivity apps and general computing, it’s less than a non-issue.

It’s more helpful to target advise toward the intended usage, rather than your own concerns. The OP would have zero problems with the base configuration if that’s what they want.

 

[RaphaZ]

If my workload were as you described, assuming you haven't omitted that you keep a lot of apps and 20+ browser tabs all running at the same time while exporting or copying Gigabytes of data, and I carried it on my shoulders frequently, I would choose the Air over the 14" MBP. Even the base 8/256 would be more than fine for your needs, and the current controversies of SSD speed and heat aren't anything you would notice.

You ultimately need to decide whether you value it being almost a pound lighter and having Mac better battery life more or less than the nicer screen and speakers whcihare the only things on the 14" that you are likely to notice in your day to day. If you frequently use your laptop as a tv the better screen and speakers are pretty nice.

PS. Even the M1 Air would be a really solid computer for your stated needs, and heck, you can find those discounted or used as well.

PPS. To judge weight, place a book which weighs a little less than a pound on your current Air, that's the MBP.

Yes, the workload will continue as you've described.
I'm happy with your inputs, I guess I've made the smartest choice.

 

[RaphaZ]

M1 Air will feel amazing, compared to your current Air. I would avoid the base M2 Air due to the SSD that is half the speed of the SSD of the M1 Air. I had an M1 Air connected to an external display all day, using the Air as well in a double screen setup. I had windows for arm ( running under Parallels VM )running as well as Mac Apps. Never got warm. Night and day difference in performance to the 2016 MBP that the M1 Air replaced. If you are planning to keep it for 5 years, then I would try and get 16GB if you can afford it.

Well, I ran the Activity Monitor and never had issues with RAM, it stayed always in the green line.
Even with the MBA 2013 beach balled like it was hot summer, the RAM wasn't the problem. I will take this deal, which is low cost for me. Also, I don't know what I'll be doing in late 2024, and if I get a job with permanent contract I'll do other kind of investment.

 

[RaphaZ]

M2 Air. You'll love it I bet. At least try it out for 2 weeks before skipping or going for the M1 version based upon opinions here of people that probably don't even have it.

People are looking at the storage benchmark for the low Storage version and freak out at a teardown that shows a less intense Heatsink than the M1 and think its a better bet to go with the old model 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for the input. I did consider the newer version, but it is quite expensive in Portugal. When I read some reviews, I felt the M1 will be great for my needs, and I could save 500 euros.

 

[RaphaZ]

There was a comparison on YouTube of the base and upgraded drive speeds and the difference was nominal under heavy load. Sorry I don’t have the link.

For a person that isn’t pushing the machine hard, real hard, it’s a complete non-issue. For a person using typical productivity apps and general computing, it’s less than a non-issue.

It’s more helpful to target advise toward the intended usage, rather than your own concerns. The OP would have zero problems with the base configuration if that’s what they want.

Thanks! Tomorrow I'll see the computer in person. It has like 50 cycles, the vendor say it was well treated, and it still has a warranty!

 

[darngooddesign]

Yes, the workload will continue as you've described.
I'm happy with your inputs, I guess I've made the smartest choice.

Great. Hope you like your new computer.

 

[James_C]

There was a comparison on YouTube of the base and upgraded drive speeds and the difference was nominal under heavy load. Sorry I don’t have the link.

For a person that isn’t pushing the machine hard, real hard, it’s a complete non-issue. For a person using typical productivity apps and general computing, it’s less than a non-issue.

It’s more helpful to target advise toward the intended usage, rather than your own concerns. The OP would have zero problems with the base configuration if that’s what they want.

It's not my concern, but the number of reviews that say avoid the base spec M2 MBA, like this one.

The OP is better going for the M1 MBA as it does not run into the same problems as the base model M2, its cheaper which may allow the OP to invest in more RAM or SSD.

You are probably correct that the OP will be fine with the base M2 Air, however my point being is the OP will find the M1 MBA a huge improvement on his old intel MBA, they are unlikely to see any significant benefit from the M2, and it is a cheaper option. Sadly Apple messed up with the M2 Air, compared to the M1 IMO.

 

[pmiles]

Ask yourself what you see yourself doing in 5 years? You said you were writing a thesis... which suggests you are currently a student? A lot can change once you head out into the work world. You might use the computer far less than you do now or much much more. Hardware will change every single year. Some changes are far less exciting than others. The ARM switch was a massive change and while the jump from INTEL to M1 performance was huge, that performance from M1 to M2 wasn't so huge. A little reality check.

Given Apple's current closed architecture route, I would suspect the replacement cycle on Apple computers to be sooner rather than later... unless having a bunch of tethered peripherals is something you find acceptable to make up for the non-upgradeable RAM, et al.

 

[RaphaZ]

It's not my concern, but the number of reviews that say avoid the base spec M2 MBA, like this one.

The OP is better going for the M1 MBA as it does not run into the same problems as the base model M2, its cheaper which may allow the OP to invest in more RAM or SSD.

You are probably correct that the OP will be fine with the base M2 Air, however my point being is the OP will find the M1 MBA a huge improvement on his old intel MBA, they are unlikely to see any significant benefit from the M2, and it is a cheaper option. Sadly Apple messed up with the M2 Air, compared to the M1 IMO.

Exactly, that's what I've think.

Ask yourself what you see yourself doing in 5 years? You said you were writing a thesis... which suggests you are currently a student? A lot can change once you head out into the work world. You might use the computer far less than you do now or much much more. Hardware will change every single year. Some changes are far less exciting than others. The ARM switch was a massive change and while the jump from INTEL to M1 performance was huge, that performance from M1 to M2 wasn't so huge. A little reality check.

Given Apple's current closed architecture route, I would suspect the replacement cycle on Apple computers to be sooner rather than later... unless having a bunch of tethered peripherals is something you find acceptable to make up for the non-upgradeable RAM, et al.

Thanks! I'm not considering the M2 family, only the M1. The options are MBA (base) or MBP (16gb, 512 ssd, 500 euros more), both in the second hand market with warranty.

I'm writing the PhD thesis, and I'll be doing it until the first trimester of 2024 for sure. Then I really don't know, I research in Environmental History and I'ld like to continue my research, but let's see. Nonetheless, for sure I won't wake up in 2024 running heavy software, doing photograph editions or heavy stuff like that

 

[darngooddesign]

...I'm writing the PhD thesis, and I'll be doing it until the first trimester of 2024 for sure. Then I really don't know, I research in Environmental History and I'ld like to continue my research, but let's see...

If (want to) use your laptop outside or in the field, the 14" may appeal because you can make the screen up to twice as bright with an app. Then again, having a laptop which is one pound lighter is also nice if you carry it around in the field because you might be using it standing up, supported with one hand/arm.