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Seanm87

macrumors 68020
Oct 10, 2014
2,211
4,421
I have a base MacBook Pro 14 inch for basic office work.

Why did I buy an MBP for that when an Air would suffice?

A few reasons

1. I have a lot of disposable income
2. I like having the latest design
3. The bezels look dated on the MBA and older MBP
4. I wanted 120hz
5. I wanted Mini LED

Do I need the power? Absolutely not. But this will last me for years and I intend on keeping it for at least 5 years.
 

Pankeborg

macrumors member
Oct 24, 2021
54
81
Yeah I asked her about using her current mbp sizewise. She told me she might want something slightly smaller for portability. So I thought the 14” mbp was the balance of more portable yet screen being somewhat “big” enough.
If portability is important definitely go for the air. Ideally if you can wait a few months for the next air. It really is much more portable, go to an apple store and feel the difference. Portability was by far the biggest reason I chose the MBA over the 14 inch. The difference in screen size is small, and the screen brightness is basically the same, it's only significantly better in HDR mode, i.e. when watching movies.

Speed wise the air is ridiculously fast, and the pro is not much faster, unless you're doing video editing you won't be able to tell.
 
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jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
6,264
1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
I have a base MacBook Pro 14 inch for basic office work.

Why did I buy an MBP for that when an Air would suffice?

A few reasons

1. I have a lot of disposable income
2. I like having the latest design
3. The bezels look dated on the MBA and older MBP
4. I wanted 120hz
5. I wanted Mini LED

Do I need the power? Absolutely not. But this will last me for years and I intend on keeping it for at least 5 years.
Me I dislike the bezels on the new design. I would liked to have 120Hz, but I have been living in 60Hz land for laptops for a long time, so no loss. Also, I hardly see any online platforms with faster than 60 fps media.
 
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Seanm87

macrumors 68020
Oct 10, 2014
2,211
4,421
Me I dislike the bezels on the new design. I would liked to have 120Hz, but I have been living in 60Hz land for laptops for a long time, so no loss. Also, I hardly see any online platforms with faster than 60 fps media.

Fair enough on the bezels. The 120 hz display is amazing, once you use it you can't go back. Even just basic scrolling is buttery smooth. I'd say its my favourite thing about the new MacBooks.
 
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Cognizant.

Suspended
May 15, 2022
427
723
No. Buy what you need. It's a great computer. The 14" fits the perfect balance of portability and power. Also after using a 120 Hz display, going back is painful.
 
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IllinoisCorn

Suspended
Jan 15, 2021
1,217
1,653
Thank you. Yeah I’m sure I’m overthinking it (I usually do in these situations). Just want to ensure my daughter is more than prepared.
The power of those laptops for just about any college level work is just fine. The screen is large enough without being a pain in the rear end to carry. I suggest biting the bullet and paying for AppleCare (not sure if your original post discussed that). Just do it. Things happen in college. Damaging type things (at least MagSafe is back).
 
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Cognizant.

Suspended
May 15, 2022
427
723
While I agree with 120Hz being better, since I haven't experienced it, I do not miss it nor want it... yet.
Then don't experience it, because it will make what you're used to seem weird and laggy. It ruined 60 Hz for me.
 

Tagbert

macrumors 603
Jun 22, 2011
6,261
7,285
Seattle
Then don't experience it, because it will make what you're used to seem weird and laggy. It ruined 60 Hz for me.
I do have 120Hz on my iPad Pro, but don't really notice much difference when I switch to my 60Hz MBP or MBA. It's a pretty mild effect.
 

Truefan31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 25, 2012
3,589
835
Well, it took some upgrading down the line to achieve it. For instance, went from the standard 250GB HDD to 320GB, then to a 256GB SSD and eventually a 512GB SSD.

Also, even though those Macs were rated initially for only 4GB max RAM, you could unofficially upgrade them to 8GB RAM as they used the same chipset as the 2009 revision. All it took was a quick update from Apple via the OS.

On these new Macs? Not so much, so I had to push for as many upgrades as possible out the factory door.

Yeah there’s basically no updating on this now. Hopefully the cpu/ram/storage hold up over time.
 

Truefan31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 25, 2012
3,589
835
I have a base MacBook Pro 14 inch for basic office work.

Why did I buy an MBP for that when an Air would suffice?

A few reasons

1. I have a lot of disposable income
2. I like having the latest design
3. The bezels look dated on the MBA and older MBP
4. I wanted 120hz
5. I wanted Mini LED

Do I need the power? Absolutely not. But this will last me for years and I intend on keeping it for at least 5 years.

Yeah getting at least 4-5 years would be nice, if not more. The display is so nice.
 

Truefan31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 25, 2012
3,589
835
If portability is important definitely go for the air. Ideally if you can wait a few months for the next air. It really is much more portable, go to an apple store and feel the difference. Portability was by far the biggest reason I chose the MBA over the 14 inch. The difference in screen size is small, and the screen brightness is basically the same, it's only significantly better in HDR mode, i.e. when watching movies.

Speed wise the air is ridiculously fast, and the pro is not much faster, unless you're doing video editing you won't be able to tell.

Yeah maybe wwdc will reveal what to expect with the m2 mba. I’ve got 90 days and counting…….lol
 

Truefan31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 25, 2012
3,589
835
Me I dislike the bezels on the new design. I would liked to have 120Hz, but I have been living in 60Hz land for laptops for a long time, so no loss. Also, I hardly see any online platforms with faster than 60 fps media.

I tend to notice the 120hz most when navigating/scrolling. Very smooth.
 

Truefan31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 25, 2012
3,589
835
Fair enough on the bezels. The 120 hz display is amazing, once you use it you can't go back. Even just basic scrolling is buttery smooth. I'd say its my favourite thing about the new MacBooks.

Yes it’s really nice. Also the speakers are amazing for a laptop.
 

Clix Pix

macrumors Core
A lot can change in four years..... It might be better to focus on the college years right now, get something which will be good for your daughter to use over the next four years. Then maybe at that point you will want to give her a new machine as a graduation gift and to use in medical school if indeed that is still what she wants and she is accepted somewhere.....
 

Truefan31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 25, 2012
3,589
835
The power of those laptops for just about any college level work is just fine. The screen is large enough without being a pain in the rear end to carry. I suggest biting the bullet and paying for AppleCare (not sure if your original post discussed that). Just do it. Things happen in college. Damaging type things (at least MagSafe is back).

Yeah I got applecare+. Feels like a necessity
 
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Truefan31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 25, 2012
3,589
835
A lot can change in four years..... It might be better to focus on the college years right now, get something which will be good for your daughter to use over the next four years. Then maybe at that point you will want to give her a new machine as a graduation gift and to use in medical school if indeed that is still what she wants and she is accepted somewhere.....

Yeah that’s a plan I thought about. Just because the laptops 4-5 years from now will be even better.
 
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Cognizant.

Suspended
May 15, 2022
427
723
Yes. I'd rather use my 16 inch screen than my Pro Display XDR.
Although I do appreciate the sarcasm, I was referring exclusively to laptop screens. Obviously you are not going to prefer your smaller screen to your professional studio display regardless of the refresh rate, although it would be nice if those were high refresh rate as well.
 
Last edited:
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jasoncarle

Suspended
Jan 13, 2006
623
460
Minnesota
Your kid will graduate with a degree in fine arts, 6 years from now after getting burnt out and taking a year or two off backpacking around Asia to find themselves...

The amount of people who graduate in the program they thought they were going into when they started is probably less than 10. Who gives a rip, buy the MacBook Pro and have a good day, this is such a worthless worry.
 

jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
6,264
1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
You'll love it. It's great. Can't go back.
Likely that will be the case when I upgrade.
Then don't experience it, because it will make what you're used to seem weird and laggy. It ruined 60 Hz for me.
Again, I wanted to experience it, but the 13" made more sense to me and given that I haven't experienced 120Hz, it made no difference to me. Also the 14" would have costed me $400 more. I found it hard to justify such price hike given that I would not use any of the hardware acceleration features for video encoding. Furthermore, I have a subtle dislike for the new form factor. Brings vibes of the old plastic white/black MacBooks or Power
 

jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
6,264
1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
Yeah there’s basically no updating on this now. Hopefully the cpu/ram/storage hold up over time.
Agreed, it's a tough sell to have to shell out around $2k every 4-5 years knowing I shelled $2k for a MacBook that ended up lasting 14 years. Adding the upgrades I ended up spending an extra $500. So total $2.5k for 14 years yields a nice $178.58 per year; that's value.
 
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