Finally I gotten around unboxing this beast. I think I’ll keep it!
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M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14in for casual user
- Thread starter Al Rukh
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The XDR 120hz display is a huge improvement over the standard 60hz LCD in the M2.
you don’t need to be a power user to buy and love using it. I’m not a power user but bought mine because of the the screen and promotion, the speakers, power, ports and config - I intend on using it for 5-7 years, which makes the investment worthwhile for me, and I jumped on it when it was on sale.
I just really enjoy using an awesome piece of equipment, and it brings me joy 🤷♀️
you don’t need to be a power user to buy and love using it. I’m not a power user but bought mine because of the the screen and promotion, the speakers, power, ports and config - I intend on using it for 5-7 years, which makes the investment worthwhile for me, and I jumped on it when it was on sale.
I just really enjoy using an awesome piece of equipment, and it brings me joy
Glad that we both went to get things we love using.
I needed a new machine to replace my M1 MacBook Air. My daughter needed a basic new computer and she didn't want to give up the case she has for her Intel MacBook Air (she's a nursing student and I guess she's attached to the stickers all over it). My M1 MBA, while a year old, is in pristine condition, so she was completely happy to take it over. So I took this opportunity to upgrade to something with more performance, a brighter display, and the ability to drive more than one external monitor. And since I need a Mac along with my other machines (PCs and iPads), I couldn't wait the 3-6 months or more for an M2 Pro machine.
I'd read that the 14" MBP M1 Pro was a thick, heavy boy, but it's really not at all. While a tad thicker (and obviously heaver) than the MBA its replacing, I'm very satisfied with the size and weight. It's not nearly as bulky as I'd read. And the mini-LED display is super impressive. There's a little app called Vivid that will enable the brightness to go all the way to 1000 nits for non-HDR screen content, and wow is this thing bright, even in broad daylight!
While there's only one piece of software that I use that really pushes the 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU (Osirix MD), it really flies. Easily twice as fast as it was on my M1. I've only had the MBP M1 Pro for, what, 72 hours, but I've yet to really hear the fans -- just a barely audible noise when repeatedly manipulating a 1200 image 3D volume-rendered CTA with multiple cut points at highest rendering quality. Otherwise the machine is as silent as the MBA was. The fan on the external SSD RAID on my desk is more audible.
Even with the M2 Pro/M2 Max looming in the wings, I don't regret my purchase at all. This machine I think is the first one that doesn't make me wish I had two desktop Macs -- one at home, one at the office -- to have sufficient power. The MBP is basically a portable Mac Pro -- equal to the performance of Apple's Mac Studio and Mac Pro [Intel] desktop machines (obviously not equal to the M1 Ultra, but that's way more than I require).
I'd read that the 14" MBP M1 Pro was a thick, heavy boy, but it's really not at all. While a tad thicker (and obviously heaver) than the MBA its replacing, I'm very satisfied with the size and weight. It's not nearly as bulky as I'd read. And the mini-LED display is super impressive. There's a little app called Vivid that will enable the brightness to go all the way to 1000 nits for non-HDR screen content, and wow is this thing bright, even in broad daylight!
While there's only one piece of software that I use that really pushes the 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU (Osirix MD), it really flies. Easily twice as fast as it was on my M1. I've only had the MBP M1 Pro for, what, 72 hours, but I've yet to really hear the fans -- just a barely audible noise when repeatedly manipulating a 1200 image 3D volume-rendered CTA with multiple cut points at highest rendering quality. Otherwise the machine is as silent as the MBA was. The fan on the external SSD RAID on my desk is more audible.
Even with the M2 Pro/M2 Max looming in the wings, I don't regret my purchase at all. This machine I think is the first one that doesn't make me wish I had two desktop Macs -- one at home, one at the office -- to have sufficient power. The MBP is basically a portable Mac Pro -- equal to the performance of Apple's Mac Studio and Mac Pro [Intel] desktop machines (obviously not equal to the M1 Ultra, but that's way more than I require).
Mostly office-type tasks 90% of the time. But the one app I do use that pushes the machine to its limits is Osirix MD, a medical imaging app I use for doing 3D volume renders of CT scans for teaching purposes. It wasn't awful on my M1 MacBook Air, but is super smooth on the new M1 Pro 10/16.
And I plan on adding a second external display, something I couldn't do (without DisplayLink work-arounds) on my MacBook Air.
