M1 Macbook Pro 16GB RAM vs M1 Macbook Air 16GB RAM - which to choose for my usecase?

[KensaiMage]

My use case:
1.Running my business and managing a small wordpress / woocommerce website.
2.Writing a book.
3.Playing games during the weekend 3h+.
4.Taking it with me literally everywhere.
5.Using it in bed as a tablet replacement (no vents is a plus I guess)

So should I go with 16GB pro or air? (both are 8 GPU and 512 SSD)

And another question:

Should I do following later?:
1.Leave the 13" as a mobile device and buy an M2/M1X iMac when it comes out.

OR

2.Sell the 13" and buy a M2/M1X 16" MBP when it comes out together with an iPad Pro.

Help me making the right choice.

PS. Here where I can buy these macs the M1 MBP is 90 usd cheapper than the air.

 

[ArPe]

If 3 hours of gaming then the Pro. Use in bed then also the Pro, those bed sheets always cover the vents and slow heat removal.

I’d advocate the Air for office workers who hot desk from one office to another.

 

[Polly Mercocet]

What type of games are we talking here? The rest of your use sounds lowkey enough that an 8GB MBA would handle it fine but a lot depends on how intensive the gaming is. If it's casual mobile type games it's no problem for any M1. If it's more graphically intense gaming I'd lean towards an MBP especially for future proofing.

I will say however, if the idea is take this thing with you everywhere, the MBA is without a doubt amazing for that. It's seriously lighter than my Chromebook which is just incredible to me considering how much power it packs.

 

[The Game 161]

honestly don' think the pro is enough pro to be worth more than the air at this point.

 

[Zazoh]

Going from desktops to laptops, even if you never leave the house, was a game changer for me. I thought I’d be cool and get a Mac mini for my desk a few years ago. I didn’t like having to sit at my desk for everything. I just traded it back for MBA M1 base. I still can use the larger monitor when I need to, rarely.

Thus, get the Air, don’t upgrade when the next thing comes out. And, for your business expense, upgrade on some sort of 18 to 24 month cycle.

Edit: poll is too restrictive. Reminds me of my family when we try to decide where to go for dinner and both options are Italian food.

 

[Polly Mercocet]

honestly don' think the pro is enough pro to be worth more than the air at this point.

The only real benefit is the fan allowing for sustained high load without throttling. This will probably be noticeable for high performance gaming. But for light workloads, yeah it makes no difference.

 

[KensaiMage]

What type of games are we talking here? The rest of your use sounds lowkey enough that an 8GB MBA would handle it fine but a lot depends on how intensive the gaming is. If it's casual mobile type games it's no problem for any M1. If it's more graphically intense gaming I'd lean towards an MBP especially for future proofing.

I will say however, if the idea is take this thing with you everywhere, the MBA is without a doubt amazing for that. It's seriously lighter than my Chromebook which is just incredible to me considering how much power it packs.

Baldur's gate 3
Diablo 2 Remastered when it comes out
Diablo 4 when it comes out
Project TL by NCSOFT
Heroes 3 of might and magic
Age of Empires

... so it's a mix of oldies and new releases.

 

[KensaiMage]

honestly don' think the pro is enough pro to be worth more than the air at this point.

The case is I can get the pro 90 usd cheapper than the air here. I know - weird, but my source sells pros cheapper than the airs.

What to do?

 

[Mechanism]

To state the obvious, you can play games on the MBA without throttling, it just depends on how demanding the game is and the settings you chose.

One Intel-binary example could run all day at 60 fps when the framerate is limited to 60, 2048x1280 resolution, medium quality. Un-cap the framerate and increase the resolution/quality and yes, the framerate will drop by around 15% over time.

 

[Polly Mercocet]

Baldur's gate 3
Diablo 2 Remastered when it comes out
Diablo 4 when it comes out
Project TL by NCSOFT
Heroes 3 of might and magic
Age of Empires

... so it's a mix of oldies and new releases.

Since you are playing new releases I'd recommend the MBP especially since you are in a situation where the MBP is the cheaper option... pretty much a no-brainer in that case. You will lose out on the ultra-portability of the MBA but I think it'll suit your gaming needs better.

 

[KensaiMage]

Since you are playing new releases I'd recommend the MBP especially since you are in a situation where the MBP is the cheaper option... pretty much a no-brainer in that case. You will lose out on the ultra-portability of the MBA but I think it'll suit your gaming needs better.

So in other words a MBP is more PRO than the air? or in other words again: is the PRO a better product overall?

How should the pro behave while being used in bed with its vents? Isn't it better to choose air then?

Really this is so stupid apple made the products so similar...

ooh and the air may not lose so much value due to pro getting redesigned next year.

 

[macnmac]

let me consult my crystal ball...

 

[KensaiMage]

let me consult my crystal ball...

Yes, yes, and, and?!?!?!?!?! What did you see! Tell me! x.x

 

[macnmac]

Yes, yes, and, and?!?!?!?!?! What did you see! Tell me! x.x

depending on the gaming, might be better with a pro

 

[KensaiMage]

depending on the gaming, might be better with a pro

Thank you sir! Take care of your crystal balls! They deserve it

 

[macnmac]

Thank you sir! Take care of your crystal balls! They deserve it

i only have one large one...

 

[KensaiMage]

i only have one large one...

That sounds like a painfull loss, I'm sorry to hear that then. ...but please don't tell me the story and how that happened. Just try to forget it. ?

Anyway, still dunno what device should I buy. Dang.

 

[macnmac]

That sounds like a painfull loss, I'm sorry to hear that then. ...but please don't tell me the story and how that happened. Just try to forget it. ?

Anyway, still dunno what device should I buy. Dang.

wait is gonna be weeks away so you better decide soon lol

 

[KensaiMage]

wait is gonna be weeks away so you better decide soon lol

What would you take as your machine?

 

[Polly Mercocet]

So in other words a MBP is more PRO than the air? or in other words again: is the PRO a better product overall?

How should the pro behave while being used in bed with its vents? Isn't it better to choose air then?

Really this is so stupid apple made the products so similar...

ooh and the air may not lose so much value due to pro getting redesigned next year.

It is slightly more "pro" because the active cooling system means CPU throttling is much less of an issue.

In virtually all other aspects the machines are identical.

But since the MBP is cheaper for you and you will be using it for gaming it does seem like the obvious choice.

I wouldn't worry about vents being covered in bed. I use my laptops, including the rMBP I just jumped from, in bed all the time and heat was never an issue during regular use. During normal use the fans never came on. When I did more CPU intensive stuff they fired up and worked as they should.

Speculations on resale value for products this new are pretty pointless really. I expect both will hold their value well because Apple Silicon will remain superior to equivalent Intel chips and even the M1 will continue to smash new chips from Intel for at least a few years.

 

[macnmac]

What would you take as your machine?

i have the air because i hate the touchbar

 

[MFDoom]

Since the MBP is cheaper for you than the MBA then I would go with the MBP. Others in the thread have called out the differences, which in my opinion I think is minor. For what its worth I bought an MBA 8c/8GB/512SSD as an experiment to test if I really even needed that kind of power anymore given most of my serious compute is in the cloud.

I am loving the speed and responsiveness of my new MBA and of course the money back in my wallet.

 

[Cadrian]

I'd consider placing a higher value on how much writing you are going to do. The air is way better for writers because of the wedge, it is more enjoyable to type on and the keys are bit stiffer because the pro has more space inside and feels a bit mushier. You'll be totally fine running a business on either.

Plus you said you want to take it everywhere. Even though they weigh almost the same the air is more enjoyable to lug around. It is also better to use in bed or on the couch because your wrists won't dig into the chassis as much.

I guess it comes down to how much you value a nominal increase in gaming performance over everything else, but to me it's a no brainer. Get the air. 3 hours of gaming on the weekend isn't worth the other trade-offs to me, but that is just my opinion.

If you work a lot outside consider the Pro's brighter screen, but I just came from a 2020 Intel MBP to this air and it is plenty bright for me. It's winter so I haven't been sitting outside with it though.

Plus I am so happy to not have to deal with the Touch Bar anymore. Real keys are my preference.

Hope this helps.

 

[KensaiMage]

I'd consider placing a higher value on how much writing you are going to do. The air is way better for writers because of the wedge, it is more enjoyable to type on and the keys are bit stiffer because the pro has more space inside and feels a bit mushier. You'll be totally fine running a business on either.

Plus you said you want to take it everywhere. Even though they weigh almost the same the air is more enjoyable to lug around. It is also better to use in bed or on the couch because your wrists won't dig into the chassis as much.

I guess it comes down to how much you value a nominal increase in gaming performance over everything else, but to me it's a no brainer. Get the air. 3 hours of gaming on the weekend isn't worth the other trade-offs to me, but that is just my opinion.

If you work a lot outside consider the Pro's brighter screen, but I just came from a 2020 Intel MBP to this air and it is plenty bright for me. It's winter so I haven't been sitting outside with it though.

Plus I am so happy to not have to deal with the Touch Bar anymore. Real keys are my preference.

Hope this helps.

Ofc I value proper workflow way more than a little bit of gaming. However the pro is 90 bucks cheapper for me (same specs). Should I still go for a M1 Air anyway?

 

[Cadrian]

Ofc I value proper workflow way more than a little bit of gaming. However the pro is 90 bucks cheapper for me (same specs). Should I still go for a M1 Air anyway?

I hear ya. I'd maybe weigh out which form factor you prefer along with whether you prefer a Touch Bar or not. Also if you'd like the pros brighter screen and slightly better speakers (I still think the airs are great, they get louder actually). The pro also has a bit better battery life, but I am getting insanely good battery life on my air.

Personally, having just returned a 2020 4 port Intel MBP for an M1 air, the lack of a Touch Bar (a plus for me) and the wedge form factor far outweigh the bonuses of the pro to me. I just really love this form factor. Also it doesn't have a fan which I like.