MBA M1 8-GPU + Mod Pad or MBP M1 ?

[jeccsron]

Hello!
For 1080p and 4k video editing in Final Cut, which of these two versions do you choose?


1) MacBook Pro M1 = $1499

• Apple M1 chip with 8‑core CPU, 8‑core GPU, and 16‑core Neural Engine
• 16GB unified memory
• 256GB SSD storage

2) MacBook Air M1 = $1449 + $30 Thermal Pad Mod ($1479)

• Apple M1 chip with 8‑core CPU, 8‑core GPU, and 16‑core Neural Engine
• 16GB unified memory
• 512GB SSD storage

* Both with external SSD
There is only a $20 difference.

 

[Shirasaki]

I’d pick MacBook Pro any day. Built-in active cooling is going to be arguably better than a thermal pad that has limited thermal capacity and itself needing cooling too.

 

[DrCC]

A moded M1 Air is actually faster than a stock M1 Pro because the case constantly dissipates the heat whereas on the Pro the fan only kicks in when it is hot and there is slight throttling before the fan kicks in. There are tests on the internet to verify this.
Generally I'd pick up the Air because it is passive and has no moving parts, no fans to fail after all the dust gets inside over the years.
I would only pick the Pro if you care about the extra 50 nits of screen brightness.

 

[Pugly]

I’d get an air over the pro even if they were the same price. The wedge shape is just nicer to carry and use, even though the weight is close. The touch bar is a downgrade. The throttling takes about 10mins or so to kick in with heavy cpu use, and it’s never been noticeable. I use my air pretty heavily with Logic Pro, and it’s great.

16gb and more ssd space is better than any of the benefits of the MBP for the same cost.