Ned some help choosing a used macbook pro

[bstraw]

Hi all, and thanks in advance. I was hoping to get some advice from some serious Mac users on purchasing a used Macbook Pro. I presume you are going to want the usual basic information of what it will be used for and what I have now. I would like to stick with the 13" or 14" and don't want to go to a 16". So here goes...Currently, I have:

MacBook Pro
3-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
2.3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
32 GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X
1TB Macintosh SSD

I use the computer for several things. The most intensive is recording videos (lectures for teaching) and editing them in Primer Pro. These videos are not 4 K, but some are 2-2.5 hours long. I record, edit, and then export them for upload to websites like YouTube, Canvas, and Blackboard. Currently, exporting a 2-hour video after editing in Primer Pro takes about 1.3 hours, and the fan kicks on high several times during multitasking and runs on low if it is just exporting the video and no other work is being done. I do use Python on a semi-monthly basis and do some major website design. The 36Gb is nice, but maybe it's a little under...or maybe not...some say the 36 in the M series is different than the memory in the intel...I have no idea. Is 48 GB or 64 overkill? Is the We have a small website through Host Gator, but I do all of my own coding through Cpanel or Pythion. I also use Python for science research but not for anything that would require supercomputer powers. I also use it for everyday tasks such as web browsing and managing devices for a family of five. I use Excel and macros and typically have two monitors connected to it with the docking station. I would like to do three monitors, but it's not a deal break...currently, I can only connect two to my current configuration and use the MacBook as the third. Having three external ones would be nice. I do multitask in soem of these environments. I need space on an SSD for work and family. I have 1TB now, but I run low, so I think 2TB would be a minimum for me. I have looked at the M1, M2, M3, and the pro and max variants, but I am lost with this new M series stuff. I have read countless articles and YouTube videos comparing them and keep coming up with the same result. I'm lost. I can't afford a new M3 and am looking for refurbished or used, which I am fine with. Maybe it's just worth getting a used Intel with 64 GB and a 2TB SSD from 2020. I even think if I go with the base M3 and 2TB SSD and 8GB RAM would work since this is 4 years newer than my current. Any thoughts? Should, I go with an M series? If so would the M1, M1 pro, or M1 max be faster than what I have now? My budget is around 1500. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Bigwaff]

Any thoughts? Should, I go with an M series? If so would the M1, M1 pro, or M1 max be faster than what I have now? My budget is around 1500. Any thoughts?

Any M-series will be a stellar improvement over your Intel MBP for your needs. Try to find an M1 Pro with 32GB memory at least. Anything w/ 1TB storage or more in your budget range is gravy.

 

[bstraw]

Thanks for the information! Sounds like a plan!

 

[bellflyer14]

Do not buy an Intel Mac at this point. Most any M series Apple Silicon chip will run circles around it.

 

[Fishrrman]

How about
MacBook Pro 14" with m2PRO CPU
32gb RAM
1tb SSD (or 2tb if you can splurge)

... bought from the Apple online refurbished store?

Or...
Hold out for the upcoming m4PRO MacBook Pro, later this year.

 

[bstraw]

Hi

Bigwaff.​

How much of a difference would I get if I went with a MacBook Pro M1 Max 10-Core Chip 64GB comapired to the M1 Pro with 32GB? Is iot worth a $500 difference?

 

[MacCheetah3]

How much of a difference would I get if I went with a MacBook Pro M1 Max 10-Core Chip 64GB comapired to the M1 Pro with 32GB? Is iot worth a $500 difference?

I doubt you’d notice the performance capability difference, however, the M1 Max would give you that third external display support.

Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:

• Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Pro) or
• Up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Max)

MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications - Apple Support

support.apple.com

Is that worth a few hundred dollars? Only you can say.

 

[McScooby]

Why aren't you jumping on the edu discounts?

 

[bstraw]

With the ed discounts in my proce range I am only able to get a M3 with 8GB of memory. I presume that would be slower than the M1 Max but I may be 100% wrong. Will a base model M3 MBP be a better option than a M1 or M2 MAX with 32 or 64 GB of memory? ANy thoughts?

 

[McScooby]

With the ed discounts in my proce range I am only able to get a M3 with 8GB of memory. I presume that would be slower than the M1 Max but I may be 100% wrong. Will a base model M3 MBP be a better option than a M1 or M2 MAX with 32 or 64 GB of memory? ANy thoughts?

Cool, as no-one else has chipped in, it matters less if you've got an air (fan aside) or a max if the software you're only using utilises single core & hasn't been compiled to use all cores. Single core scores are pretty much similar across the board (25-30% increase on single from M1 to 3). You can then get bogged down with the disk speeds across the models, but the underlier I feel is the media engine attached to each.

 

[bstraw]

Just got an M1 Max (10/32), 2TB, 64 GB in excellent condition used. It gets here on Saturday. Thanks for all the help, everyone! I think I will see a difference between it and my i7 32 gb 1TB. The third external display on the max sold me. I want the option of three. Paid $1850, which I think is fair.