Is Trading 2017 MBP 15" for M1 Macbook Air Worth It?

[monstercjr]

I've recently been noticing several problems with my MacBook Pro. None of them are necessarily world-ending, but I've noticed general lack of performance compared to what it used to handle (Geekbench 5 scores it at about 2700 for CPU, which is far less than averages I'm finding online for the same model). The more critical issues are the battery service recommendation has come on, which is probably due to a high cycle count as well as the fact that the battery at this point is just generally unreliable, some days it can last 2 or so hours on a charge, other times recently it has blown through in about 20-30 minutes. The battery replacement alone would be about $200 through Apple. The other issue is the keyboard, it's one of the model years they introduced the butterfly keys, and many of them are either acting normally, unresponsive, get stuck, and/or repeat pressed characters - really whatever mood the keys are feeling that day. This is really irritating as I'm a college student in computer engineering, and nearly all I do on the machine is code with it. Fortunately it's not affecting the most frequently used keys for the most part (beyond left shift), but the issues are expanding so it's only a matter of time.

This is the 2.8GHz i7 Mid-2017 model with the Intel 630 1.5GB graphics.

I was not planning on replacing this, but after a brief look it seems as though combining an education store discount with the roughly $580 trade-in I'd get on this device means I could get the M1 Macbook Air with the 16GB RAM upgrade for $494.

I would like to know whether or not the M1 Macbook Air's performance would justify the purchase over repairing the Macbook Pro. The only thing really holding me back at this point is I'm graduating in December, meaning I won't really have a critical need for this computer beyond 2022 (I own a desktop PC already). In short, I'm wondering whether I should just live with the issues my MBP has for the time being, or just paying the ~$500 to get the M1 Air.

Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[chown33]

What software will you need to run on it?

You should make a complete list of required software, and then confirm that either an M1 version of it exists, or a 64-bit Intel version that will run under Rosetta 2. In software development, you'll often need to make test plans or deployment plans, so this isn't unrelated to your curriculum.

If any software you need turns out NOT to run on the M1, your coding will stall until you have a work-around. Or you'll be forced to use your desktop PC, which may be problematic if you need mobility.


To me, $580 as trade-in for an MBPro that needs its butterfly keyboard and battery replaced seems optimistic.

 

[darngooddesign]

The Air is faster, quieter, and barely heats up unless you really push it. The only thing you'll miss is the screen.

The Air you want is at least the 16/512.

FWIW, if you don't get the Air, your keyboard should be covered under Apples extended service program. That's a free fix for you.

Keyboard Service Program for MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro - Apple Support

Keyboard Service Program for MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro

support.apple.com

 

[monstercjr]

What software will you need to run on it?

You should make a complete list of required software, and then confirm that either an M1 version of it exists, or a 64-bit Intel version that will run under Rosetta 2. In software development, you'll often need to make test plans or deployment plans, so this isn't unrelated to your curriculum.

If any software you need turns out NOT to run on the M1, your coding will stall until you have a work-around. Or you'll be forced to use your desktop PC, which may be problematic if you need mobility.


To me, $580 as trade-in for an MBPro that needs its butterfly keyboard and battery replaced seems optimistic.

I've looked at most of the important software that I use (ThinLinc, Adobe Products, VSCode, PyCharm, etc.), and if there's not native support, there's support through Rosetta. The only one that would be any concern is MATLAB, I have the 2019 version, and online I can only find confirmed Rosetta support for 2020b - although I didn't actually look too deeply into it specifically.

As for the trade-in value, that's what I thought to but that's what the Apple website is spitting out at me so... ?‍♂️

 

[monstercjr]

The Air is faster, quieter, and barely heats up unless you really push it. The only thing you'll miss is the screen.

The Air you want is at least the 16/512.

FWIW, if you don't get the Air, your keyboard should be covered under Apples extended service program. That's a free fix for you.

Keyboard Service Program for MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro - Apple Support

Keyboard Service Program for MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro

support.apple.com

I wasn't aware of the keyboard program, that's good to know, as the battery replacement would then be the only thing I'd pay for.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

If you already have a desktop then maybe think about getting an 8GB ram model to save a couple hundred bucks. Additionally, you could also trade in your MacBook for a gift card then buy a refurbished model with the gift card. Depending on where you live you could have it the next day. No need to buy a new MBA especially with the new one coming out this year possibly.

 

[Diablo360]

The keyboard program is only valid for 4 years from the original purchase date, so your laptop may still qualify, or might be slightly outside of the warranty period. If you take it into the Apple Store they might make an exception for you (they do this quite often). Worth checking into at least