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{MBP 14 M3 Pro} or {MBA M2 + iMac M1}

H

hippohastea

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 8, 2023
4
0
London
Hi all,

Hoping to get your opinions on what I should buy / keep, appreciate any inputs!

I’ve currently got an iMac M1 (base model - 8GB RAM, 256GB) and looking to buy a new MacBook.

My two options are :

  1. Buy a MBA M2 (with 16GB RAM) and keep the iMac [may sell iMac in future if I don't get good use from it]
  2. Buy the MBP 14 M3 Pro and sell the iMac [I’d buy a basic monitor for desktop use with the MPB]
My primary use is work (browser based, gsuite, zoom etc), entertainment (music and YouTube) and some light photo editing (lightroom). I might also use it for some basic video editing in the future.

Thanks!
 
jav6454 said:
Are you in the need for mobility all the time? Also, for your usage description, an MBA would be enough.
Click to expand...
mobility is not really a big factor - I work from home though not always on my desk. Also got an ipad for general browsing at home
 
First question to ask is why you're looking for something new in the first place. M1 machines are still very capable, so your iMac should be able to meet the needs you described for quite some time still. It sounds like you want at least some portability, even if it is just around the house and the occasional Starbucks trip. That's a perfectly valid reason, and is exactly why I've been buying laptops since the TiBook in 2000. An Air combined with an external monitor really can be quite the workhorse for productivity focused workflows like you described, especially the 15" MBA. I say sell the iMac and get a MBA and a good monitor. If you have heartburn over the M2, just wait for an M3 MBA. I really think you'll be waiting 3-6 months for that.
 
parseckadet said:
First question to ask is why you're looking for something new in the first place. M1 machines are still very capable, so your iMac should be able to meet the needs you described for quite some time still. It sounds like you want at least some portability, even if it is just around the house and the occasional Starbucks trip. That's a perfectly valid reason, and is exactly why I've been buying laptops since the TiBook in 2000. An Air combined with an external monitor really can be quite the workhorse for productivity focused workflows like you described, especially the 15" MBA. I say sell the iMac and get a MBA and a good monitor. If you have heartburn over the M2, just wait for an M3 MBA. I really think you'll be waiting 3-6 months for that.
Click to expand...
That perfectly captures the need! Tempting to wait for the M3 MBA but I need to buy something now.
For the M2 MBA, your suggestion would be to get the base with 16gb RAM upgrade or stick with base?
 
Last edited:
hippohastea said:
That perfectly captures the need! Tempting to wait for the M3 MBA but I need to buy something now.
For the M2 MBA, your suggestion would be to get the base with 16gb RAM upgrade or stick with base?
Click to expand...
The only thing you mention that would require upgrading the RAM is the video work, which you said you might do in the future. Even then you said it would be light. Not entirely sure what your definition of light is, and video work is not my area of expertise, but it seems even then 8GB might be acceptable.

Now here's the caveat. The moment you start wanting to do any of the things you mentioned (productivity, photo editing, video) at the same time that's when you'll need more than 8GB. We're reaching a point where 8GB is starting to affect performance of even basic productivity. It doesn't help that browser tabs can be absolute pigs when it comes to memory. If you're going to have Mail/Outlook, Work, Excel, Calendar all open at once, 8GB is enough unless we're talking about massive documents that are hundreds of pages with lots of images, tables, etc. Throw in maybe half a dozen browser tabs and I think you're still good. Going beyond that and I think you're starting to push the limits of 8GB.

Longevity is also something to consider. An 8GB machine should be good for 4-5 years I think unless something about your work changes. But if you want to keep it beyond 5 years then you should upgrade the RAM.

At the end of the day, the advice of "Buy as much RAM as you can possibly afford," is always good to follow. You can buy external SSDs in the future. You can't add RAM anymore.
 
Lightroom Classic or CC? Classic is a well known RAM hog, while CC is very efficient but missing major features (where's the print button, Adobe?).
 
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