Hi,
I started a thread about M1 16gb vs M2 Base...
Interesting read here re the M2 Base being OK after all
Which one is therefore better?
I have it in the mail - waiting on 16gb M1
Should I also give the 8gb M2 a try? No money for any upgrades on it if I do.
My 2014 MBP w 8gb ram can't handle my office workload.. often laggy now.
Memory pressure rarely yellow, bit confusing as it doesn't help me know what is the bottleneck!!
If you change machines every 1 to 2 years, it doesn't matter what you choose. The big thing there is making sure you have a good resell price. So, you are a bit free to get a more expensive machine with a quick buy-sell cycle, as long as your resell value is good. The M2 MBA will have a little bit better resell value going forward, imo. The shorter the cycle the better off you are.
If you plan to use it for 4 years or more, I think the priority order is 1) 512 GB storage, 2) 16 GB RAM, and 3) further GPU, RAM storage upgrades is up to you. Don't get an 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage config for any kind of PC, especially non-upgradeable ones, let alone a Mac.
If you can only afford $1000, wait for $150 discount and get a M1 MBA 8GB with 512 GB. It's cascading. If you can only afford $1200, wait for a $150 discount and get an M1 MBA with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage. Once you get into being able to spend $1400 or more, that's all M2 MBA territory. The discounts will come, so wait.
16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage are just about the minimum amounts for a machine that you plan on using for 4, 5, 7+ years if you don't know your workflows. The storage before the RAM if you can only afford one, not both. If you do know what loads you will be putting on the machine, then 8 GB, 256 GB could be a great option if it fits, but since you are asking, that means you don't know, right?
Imo, it behooves you to spend more on a machine you are using for 5+ years. It will make the machine much more usable in years 4, 5, and 6, etc. That's what the $500 or so is buying. A more capable machine in the latter years of your ownership cycle.