My work offers a laptop upgrade program, which heavily subsidizes the laptop cost for the employees. The eligibility cycle is every 4 years and it happens to be my year. I will have an option to get a base 14 inch M3 with 8gb RAM, 512gb ssd and my contribution would be $500. Wondering if it’s worth sitting out a year and waiting for the M4 seeing as it offers a significant step up in performance. Apple could also make other improvements but I‘m skeptical since they seem happy to pack new chips in existing form factors and call it a day. The down side to waiting is that it will delay my update cycle so I’d wait possibly 5 years from now until the next upgrade. For reference, I’m currently using a 2020 Macbook Pro 512gb ssd, 16GB RAM, CPU 2.0GHz Quad-core 10th Gen i5. It’s no M series but handles my day to day work just fine. Any thoughts?
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M3 now or wait for M4?
- Thread starter supergt
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Could be worth waiting for M4 with fingers crossed that even the base MBP comes with 16 GB RAM minimum.
I could wait another year and upgrade to whatever MacBook Pro Apple is selling in June of 2025. But it will push me back in the upgrade cycle so my next update after that would be in 2029.
True. I wonder if the public ridicule of 8GB on the base model will ever prompt a change. Was also hoping for Face ID in the notch although that could be a dream.
Are you able to get a higher spec machine and stay within a reasonable contribution level?
Yes, but I’d be responsible for the entirety of the cost difference.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
This. When there IS a M4 MB... we'll be talking about M5 in many threads. And the digits in OPs title will be incremented by 1... and then posted as new threads by 5 or 10 other people until M5 hits... at which point, we'll be talking about M6.
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It will come with 12 GB base.
If you have a machine you can use in the interim (I.e., this is a want rather than a productivity requirement), I'd wait until the M4 Macs. They're probably only 4-5 months away. Otherwise I can see buyers remorse in your future.
If you do not have a machine you can use in the interim - buy today. There's ALWAYS something coming down the pipe, and holding off because something new is coming will just mean you miss out on getting things done with a machine TODAY.
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Are you saying you need to do this right now or wait another full year? I'd be shocked if the laptops aren't updated with the M4 series this fall, possibly sooner.
M2 air was released in June 2022, M2 pro/max Jan 2023, there is no 'always' when it comes to Apple silicon. Apple has incentive to get off the expensive fab used by the M3 ASAP.
With the iPad Pro coming with 8GB I bet the base mbp will start with 8GB too.
If you need a new machine now, buy it now. How many people have workflows that can tell the difference between the various iterations of the M series processors (very few but they are the ones trying to convince you to get the biggest, latest and fastest machine). When the M4 comes out, you will be waiting for the M5 etc. Stop the madness. If your current machine does not meet your requirements buy the one that currently meets your needs. Waiting for the next iteration is a waste of your time. If your current machine works and it meets your needs stick with it. If you are hoping for better trade values, forget that. Apple are depreciating machines faster every time they take a breath. Apple machines are becoming like Windows machines, worthless once a new version comes out.
In your situation, I would upgrade to the M3 spec you mentioned. Even if you have to contribute more for the extra RAM, you're talking about a M3 14" Pro with 16GB and 512 storage for only $700. That's a steal! You're going to notice far more performance boost from the move to Apple Silicon than anything else.
Just get the M3 and possibly pay for extra memory. Changes from one generation to the next are merely incremental whereas the Intel doesn’t even compare to M3.
Thanks all! Seems like M3 with additional memory is the play.
Absolutely if it's required to get it right now or wait a full year. The change in performance compared to what you have now is insane - literally 3x the speed (GB 4k vs 12k), and what you'd get in a year from now will only be around a 20-30% bump from what you can get now. 300% vs 30%, no brainer.
It was shocking for me coming from a maxed 16" Intel i9 to a 14" base M1 Pro and you will end up getting about twice that difference. I only upgraded to an M3 Max as performance was roughly doubled again, which seems like a lot, but it still is nothing close to that initial perceptible difference felt transitioning off of Intel. Apparent speed, battery life, heat, etc.
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I've gone from a 16" Intel i9 2.3 to a 16" 16/40 M3 Max. The silence and battery life alone was worth it before you get to performance.