Replacing my Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

[MacCake]

Hi all!

New here! Just looking for some advice really.

I'm planning to replace my Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) 2.9Ghz 8 GB memory. It's now hitting it's age and slow when logging into macOS for example and it will not support macOS Ventura.

I'm trying to decide between:

• MacBook Air with M2 chip (8core CPU/GPU) for £1,249 adding +£200 for 512GB Storage. = £1,449
• MacBook Air with M2 chip (8 core CPU 10 core GPU) for £1,549.00 (already has 512GB) £100 extra. 5W more adapter.
• MacBook Pro M2?
• Certified refurbished Mac Pro?
• Bonus: Mac Studio M1 MAX 10 core CPU - 24 core GPU. £1,999 (granted no display but if it's a better bang for buck I can use iPad Pro on the go*) would this pair with dual LG UltraGear 27GP850's? Otherwise it's a solid no lol.
  
  
• I'm also wondering why Very already have the new M2, 2022 MacBook Pro on discount £54-£104 off already?

I feel 512GB is needed(?). I plan to do the same thing and try and get 5-7 years out of the unit.

I'm based in the UK so pricing will be GBP. Depending on the model I may benefit from a discount. For example I can get % off Currys (and a few other retailers) vouchers via work rewards program.

Usage case isn't extremely heavy now I've a Gaming PC Ryzen 9 5950X/RTX 3090 for gaming/fun video edits/clips.

It will be more for general usage, web browsing (Chrome's hungry) and watching Netflix while travelling.* Maybe one day I will try Final Cut Pro for fun.

Any questions fire away!

Thanks.

 

[biffuz]

Whatever you choose, do NOT buy a 8 GB machine nowadays.

 

[SnazzyIslander]

I saw some people saying M1 8GB feels like intel 16GB. This is absolutely not true. Do not go for 8GB ram if you plan to use chrome heavily and video edit in future. Did you consider Macbook Pro 14 inch?

 

[mi7chy]

If you're already familiar with Windows since your primary machine is Windows but need something portable that's equivalent to M2, have you considered AMD 6800U laptop with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD for around half the cost? This is US pricing with stacked coupons shown in screenshot so see if you can get similar deal in UK.

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/lapt.../thinkbook-13s-gen-4-(13-inch-amd)/21as001aus

 

[darngooddesign]

Usage case isn't extremely heavy now I've a Gaming PC Ryzen 9 5950X/RTX 3090 for gaming/fun video edits/clips.

It will be more for general usage, web browsing (Chrome's hungry) and watching Netflix while travelling.* Maybe one day I will try Final Cut Pro for fun.

You do not need the Mac Pro or Studio.

 

[jav6454]

Hi all!

New here! Just looking for some advice really.

I'm planning to replace my Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) 2.9Ghz 8 GB memory. It's now hitting it's age and slow when logging into macOS for example and it will not support macOS Ventura.

I'm trying to decide between:

• MacBook Air with M2 chip (8core CPU/GPU) for £1,249 adding +£200 for 512GB Storage. = £1,449
• MacBook Air with M2 chip (8 core CPU 10 core GPU) for £1,549.00 (already has 512GB) £100 extra. 5W more adapter.
• MacBook Pro M2?
• Certified refurbished Mac Pro?
• Bonus: Mac Studio M1 MAX 10 core CPU - 24 core GPU. £1,999 (granted no display but if it's a better bang for buck I can use iPad Pro on the go*) would this pair with dual LG UltraGear 27GP850's? Otherwise it's a solid no lol.
  
  
• I'm also wondering why Very already have the new M2, 2022 MacBook Pro on discount £54-£104 off already?

I feel 512GB is needed(?). I plan to do the same thing and try and get 5-7 years out of the unit.

I'm based in the UK so pricing will be GBP. Depending on the model I may benefit from a discount. For example I can get % off Currys (and a few other retailers) vouchers via work rewards program.

Usage case isn't extremely heavy now I've a Gaming PC Ryzen 9 5950X/RTX 3090 for gaming/fun video edits/clips.

It will be more for general usage, web browsing (Chrome's hungry) and watching Netflix while travelling.* Maybe one day I will try Final Cut Pro for fun.

Any questions fire away!

Thanks.

Get the M2 MBP @ 16GB and 512GB. It'll be a great machine. If you do decide with the MBA, get the base one as anything you upgrade means you be better served by a MBP given price point.

 

[MacCake]

Whatever you choose, do NOT buy a 8 GB machine nowadays.

Really? Even for light tasks? My 2015 MacBook Pro is 8GB and never notice it. However, I'll consider the next tier then!

I saw some people saying M1 8GB feels like intel 16GB. This is absolutely not true. Do not go for 8GB ram if you plan to use chrome heavily and video edit in future. Did you consider Macbook Pro 14 inch?

I checked out the MacBook Pro 14. However, it starts at £1,899. I plan to only do light edits more cropping/trimming DJI Drone footage than anything heavy. Certainly not MKBHD level. Ha

If you're already familiar with Windows since your primary machine is Windows but need something portable that's equivalent to M2, have you considered AMD 6800U laptop with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD for around half the cost? This is US pricing with stacked coupons shown in screenshot so see if you can get similar deal in UK.

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/lapt.../thinkbook-13s-gen-4-(13-inch-amd)/21as001aus

I've had Windows laptops in the past (Dell) and such but always found Windows laptops to get slow and age rather quickly (2-3 yrs) so went Mac for Laptops and Windows PC/Gaming. Although it's been 6 years so totally understand a lot has changed since for Windows laptops.

You do not need the Mac Pro or Studio.

Noted! Studio just looked cool gadget under my monitor if I'm honest lol!

 

[Isamilis]

Hi all!

New here! Just looking for some advice really.

I'm planning to replace my Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) 2.9Ghz 8 GB memory. It's now hitting it's age and slow when logging into macOS for example and it will not support macOS Ventura.

I'm trying to decide between:

• MacBook Air with M2 chip (8core CPU/GPU) for £1,249 adding +£200 for 512GB Storage. = £1,449
• MacBook Air with M2 chip (8 core CPU 10 core GPU) for £1,549.00 (already has 512GB) £100 extra. 5W more adapter.
• MacBook Pro M2?
• Certified refurbished Mac Pro?
• Bonus: Mac Studio M1 MAX 10 core CPU - 24 core GPU. £1,999 (granted no display but if it's a better bang for buck I can use iPad Pro on the go*) would this pair with dual LG UltraGear 27GP850's? Otherwise it's a solid no lol.
  
  
• I'm also wondering why Very already have the new M2, 2022 MacBook Pro on discount £54-£104 off already?

I feel 512GB is needed(?). I plan to do the same thing and try and get 5-7 years out of the unit.

I'm based in the UK so pricing will be GBP. Depending on the model I may benefit from a discount. For example I can get % off Currys (and a few other retailers) vouchers via work rewards program.

Usage case isn't extremely heavy now I've a Gaming PC Ryzen 9 5950X/RTX 3090 for gaming/fun video edits/clips.

It will be more for general usage, web browsing (Chrome's hungry) and watching Netflix while travelling.* Maybe one day I will try Final Cut Pro for fun.

Any questions fire away!

Thanks.

MBA M2 base config should be fine. You can add 512gb storage. From your current usage (MBP 2015/8) I didn’t see why should go to 16gb. Disk swapping is very good in Mac.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Hi all!

New here! Just looking for some advice really.

I'm planning to replace my Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) 2.9Ghz 8 GB memory. It's now hitting it's age and slow when logging into macOS for example and it will not support macOS Ventura.

That's a wonderful Mac, and as someone who loves his own, I totally get why you're thinking of replacing it. Will break down your options accordingly with reasoning why I think you should or should not go that route.

I'm trying to decide between:

• MacBook Air with M2 chip (8core CPU/GPU) for £1,249 adding +£200 for 512GB Storage. = £1,449

Don't. Certainly 512GB is better than 256GB and certainly you ought to consider that, especially if Apple does to the 256GB SSD on the M2 Air that it did on the M2 13" Pro. But, absolutely up the RAM if possible. Also, Apple is totally offering the two extra GPU cores at a small enough price bump that you might as well go for the full 10 GPU cores version.

• MacBook Air with M2 chip (8 core CPU 10 core GPU) for £1,549.00 (already has 512GB) £100 extra. 5W more adapter.

Not a bad idea. Again, I'd bump the RAM to at least 16GB.

• MacBook Pro M2?

Also not a bad idea; just so long as you are not buying the base model, are upping the RAM to 16GB, and upping the SSD to 512GB. But you'll find that there's no cost difference between this and the M2 Air version configured identically. I'd wait to see what difference the active cooling on the M2 13" Pro will make over the passive cooling on the M2 Air. I'd also investigate the Air's better camera and any differences in the display that may or may not matter to you. The M2 13" Pro also has the Touch Bar (and, while I don't mind it, you might feel differently).

• Certified refurbished Mac Pro?

Why? That's way expensive and way overkill for your stated needs. Also, you're running Intel. If you're doing things that Intel Macs are still better for (i.e. virtualization, boot camp, gaming, etc.) then, that's fine. But still, there are other less expensive Intel Macs out there that will fit your bill and not cost anywhere near as much as a refurb'ed Mac Pro.

• Bonus: Mac Studio M1 MAX 10 core CPU - 24 core GPU. £1,999 (granted no display but if it's a better bang for buck I can use iPad Pro on the go*) would this pair with dual LG UltraGear 27GP850's? Otherwise it's a solid no lol.

Overkill for your stated needs. And by a long shot. Not a bad computer. But overkill. And you'd have to reconcile whether or not an iPad Pro will serve your portable computing needs as well as a MacBook Pro would.

• 
  
  
• I'm also wondering why Very already have the new M2, 2022 MacBook Pro on discount £54-£104 off already?

The M2 13" MacBook Pro is in a bit of an odd spot. Most people are clamoring over the new design of the Airs and aren't paying the M2 13" Pro any heed. Personally, I think that's a bit foolish given that it's the only body style rocking anything newer than a standard M1 that's been on the market for longer than nine months. But, hey, people love new and shiny, especially Apple customers.

I feel 512GB is needed(?). I plan to do the same thing and try and get 5-7 years out of the unit.

It honestly depends on what you're going to be doing. If your data largely doesn't live on-machine and you won't install stuff, then 256GB is plenty. Certainly I advise people to get at least 512GB. But also because you can't upgrade it after the fact. Get one size larger than you think you'll need and you ought to be fine.

I'm based in the UK so pricing will be GBP. Depending on the model I may benefit from a discount. For example I can get % off Currys (and a few other retailers) vouchers via work rewards program.

Usage case isn't extremely heavy now I've a Gaming PC Ryzen 9 5950X/RTX 3090 for gaming/fun video edits/clips.

This is why I think a refurb Mac Pro is overkill.

It will be more for general usage, web browsing (Chrome's hungry) and watching Netflix while travelling.* Maybe one day I will try Final Cut Pro for fun.

Any questions fire away!

Thanks.

My final thoughts. Go with an M2 with 10 GPU cores, 512GB of SSD minimum, 16GB of RAM minimum, and then decide on whether you want the tried and true - albeit Touch Bar and 720p webcam equipped - form factor of the 13" MacBook Pro or whether you want to go for the newly redesigned MacBook Air. For your uses, the difference in passive vs. active cooling won't matter. So, it's really which form factor you want to go with. I'm on team tried-and-true, but (a) that's just me and (b) statistically, you are not likely to be burned by the Air's new form factor. So, go with whichever one you want more.

 

[darngooddesign]

Noted! Studio just looked cool gadget under my monitor if I'm honest lol!

If you want it for that reason, go for it.

 

[biffuz]

Really? Even for light tasks? My 2015 MacBook Pro is 8GB and never notice it. However, I'll consider the next tier then!

"Light" task are not as light as they used to be. Everything is running in a web browser nowadays and they're ridicolously heavy - decades of good programming and software design practices have been flushed down the toilet. And it's getting worse by the day, 8 GB are barely enough at this point. If you're going to spend a lot of money on a long term investment, just add that extra RAM.

 

[darngooddesign]

"Light" task are not as light as they used to be. Everything is running in a web browser nowadays and they're ridicolously heavy - decades of good programming and software design practices have been flushed down the toilet. And it's getting worse by the day, 8 GB are barely enough at this point. If you're going to spend a lot of money on a long term investment, just add that extra RAM.

Why do you think that MacCake is still doing the same tasks that they did in 2015?

 

[Fishrrman]

As mentioned above, DO NOT buy ANY m-series Mac UNLESS it has 16gb of RAM (or more).

Say this to yourself:
16gb is "the new 8" ...

 

[r0k]

I picked up a 14 inch MBP with M1. I opted for the model with 16 GB and 1TB. One thing to watch out for is excessive disk swapping to SSD due to only having 8GB of RAM. Keep in mind that RAM and SSD are not upgradeable or replaceable. I was coming from a 2011 15 inch MBP, so the 14 inch MBP works fine for me. If you need a machine now, there is nothing wrong with pocking up the M1 MBP. If you can wait, then M2 should be better and faster, but availability might be slow. I would not bother with the Studio or Mac Pro. I would especially avoid any Intel based Mac as they will not run iPhone apps. One thing I like about my M1 mac mini and M1 MBP is they can run iOS apps that I enjoy using. We are on the cusp of the border between ithings and mthings disappearing. Ipads can now have 4+ resizable windows open, and iCloud has the potential to make all your files available anywhere you have a decent internet connection. I have no use for being able to ever run Windows again, except at the office of course. If I could talk my employer into ditching Windows, I would.

 

[Isamilis]

As mentioned above, DO NOT buy ANY m-series Mac UNLESS it has 16gb of RAM (or more).

Say this to yourself:
16gb is "the new 8" ...

Why? Any supporting data/info would be appreciated.

 

[QCassidy352]

As mentioned above, DO NOT buy ANY m-series Mac UNLESS it has 16gb of RAM (or more).

Say this to yourself:
16gb is "the new 8" ...

I have the same 2015 MBP as the OP with 8 GB and it's fine. I can't imagine an M-series Mac would be a problem with 8 GB, especially with the vastly faster SSD.

 

[leifp]

I’m weary and wary of those who spout “8GB is not enough!” without any data to confirm their positions. Computing is notoriously heterogeneous in use cases. If you want to determine your RAM load, you can do the legwork yourself with Activity Monitor et al or go the lazy route (I did) with iStat ($10 CAD at last check) from the App Store. It will show “swaps” etc and you can note how often your RAM is the bottleneck in your present system.

That said, for those of us who do keep our computers for longer periods of time, the RAM bump is usually a good idea. However, my in-laws are replacing their 2013 iMac 21.5” with 8GB RAM in the near future. It will almost definitely be with an M2 iMac with 8GB of RAM. They never get close to saturating their memory…

 

[biffuz]

I’m weary and wary of those who spout “8GB is not enough!”

If there are so many, maybe you should think about it.

We proved you needed 1 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 2 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 4 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 8 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 16 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 32 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 64 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 128 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 256 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 512 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 1 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 2 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 4 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 8 GB of RAM.

What makes you think next time will be different?

And yes, every time there were people yelling "that's not true!!! half of what you recommend is enough for light usage!!!!"

 

[leifp]

If there are so many, maybe you should think about it.

We proved you needed 1 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 2 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 4 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 8 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 16 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 32 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 64 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 128 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 256 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 512 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 1 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 2 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 4 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 8 GB of RAM.

What makes you think next time will be different?

And yes, every time there were people yelling "that's not true!!! half of what you recommend is enough for light usage!!!!"

Oh, I know it’s not enough for me. I’ve been on 32GB of RAM since my OG 5K iMac. But it’s been more than required for most people that I sub as IT for. And for some, it won’t be. And I’ll know it based on data. Not random anecdotes. (Or bizarre chains of claims, such as you note)

 

[Fishrrman]

I will speculate that buying an m-series Mac today with 8gb of RAM, is congruent to buying a 2014 Mac Mini in 2015 with 4gb of RAM.

That is to say...
The computer will run ok.
For now.
But it's going to start showing its limitations much sooner than would be expected...

 

[darngooddesign]

If there are so many, maybe you should think about it.

We proved you needed 1 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 2 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 4 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 8 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 16 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 32 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 64 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 128 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 256 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 512 MB of RAM.
We proved you needed 1 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 2 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 4 GB of RAM.
We proved you needed 8 GB of RAM.

What makes you think next time will be different?

And yes, every time there were people yelling "that's not true!!! half of what you recommend is enough for light usage!!!!"

*you*

You misspelled "some people, but not everyone".

 

[David Hassholehoff]

I've had Windows laptops in the past (Dell) and such but always found Windows laptops to get slow and age rather quickly (2-3 yrs) so went Mac for Laptops and Windows PC/Gaming. Although it's been 6 years so totally understand a lot has changed since for Windows laptops.

It's a solid combination. I have many friends who are into PC gaming but prefer to use a Mac for everything else.

Noted! Studio just looked cool gadget under my monitor if I'm honest lol!

Then there is another option. Get a Mac mini (wait for the update, though, and beef up the memory), and use the iPad when you are not at home.

It is hard to give you advice considering we don't know how much you value the mobility and full macOS features. Are you going to use it mostly at home, or are you travelling a lot? Do you do things that can't be done on an iPad? Is it mostly about the interface or do you want access to the underlying system? With a keyboard and mouse the browsing experience is pretty solid on the tablet.

I'm using a 2014 MacBook Pro 15". I plan on using it for at least two more years before I consider upgrading. As long as the OS receives security patches I can still use it to write code and documents. I can compile on the mini at home, or remotely.

 

[MacCake]

That's a wonderful Mac, and as someone who loves his own, I totally get why you're thinking of replacing it. Will break down your options accordingly with reasoning why I think you should or should not go that route...

Thanks for the very detailed response! Much appreciated. My current mind is the 8 core 10 core upped to 16GB and 512GB storage. Just so I can get the most long term possible.

"Light" task are not as light as they used to be. Everything is running in a web browser nowadays and they're ridicolously heavy - decades of good programming and software design practices have been flushed down the toilet. And it's getting worse by the day, 8 GB are barely enough at this point. If you're going to spend a lot of money on a long term investment, just add that extra RAM.

Understood! I only really use Chrome and reply to emails (and 14 days of Netflix a year on holiday) on the move and never felt 8GB memory is holding me back with Intel chip and with M1/M2 I expected it's more "integrated" as it's Apple's own and just thought now it's Apple's own silicon maybe 16GB running Intel would be like 8GB Apple silicon as it'd be more "fine tuned" Idk. Hard to explain what I'm thinking haha.

As mentioned above, DO NOT buy ANY m-series Mac UNLESS it has 16gb of RAM (or more).

Say this to yourself:
16gb is "the new 8" ...

Cheers! My thoughts are above but it seems I will 100% up to 16GB starting even if it's just Chrome and Apple's own email client/app.

I have the same 2015 MBP as the OP with 8 GB and it's fine. I can't imagine an M-series Mac would be a problem with 8 GB, especially with the vastly faster SSD.

That's what I thought! Never has felt like I'm being held back by my memory only being 8GB it just seems the more I've updated macOS the slower it's got - maybe that's now the memory hitting or just it's storage too slow/aged.

My PC is 128GB DDR4 but that's gaming (very over kill but I got it for the price of 32GB via cashback rewards otherwise I'd of went 64GB).

I will speculate that buying an m-series Mac today with 8gb of RAM, is congruent to buying a 2014 Mac Mini in 2015 with 4gb of RAM.

That is to say...
The computer will run ok.
For now.
But it's going to start showing its limitations much sooner than would be expected...

Thanks for the comment! Appreciated.

It's a solid combination. I have many friends who are into PC gaming but prefer to use a Mac for everything else.

Then there is another option. Get a Mac mini (wait for the update, though, and beef up the memory), and use the iPad when you are not at home.

It is hard to give you advice considering we don't know how much you value the mobility and full macOS features. Are you going to use it mostly at home, or are you travelling a lot? Do you do things that can't be done on an iPad? Is it mostly about the interface or do you want access to the underlying system? With a keyboard and mouse the browsing experience is pretty solid on the tablet.

I'm using a 2014 MacBook Pro 15". I plan on using it for at least two more years before I consider upgrading. As long as the OS receives security patches I can still use it to write code and documents. I can compile on the mini at home, or remotely.

It will mostly be at home in bed where it's late and don't want the full TV on but want to watch Netflix. I got an iPad Pro 11" but it's not been used yet (lol) I just made use of when Currys offered £270 for a iPad Mini 1 during an Apple promo to recycle.

I travel light! Just 14 days a year during October for holiday. Rest of the year I'm home I'm a full time developer but do this on PC not from my Mac. My current MacBook I'd guess is used 30-45 mins every night. Idk if there is a more detailed way to see usage (other than screen time).

 

[Yebubbleman]

Thanks for the very detailed response! Much appreciated. My current mind is the 8 core 10 core upped to 16GB and 512GB storage. Just so I can get the most long term possible.

Sure thing! I think that's a safe call, honestly.

 

[MacCake]

Sure thing! I think that's a safe call, honestly.

Awesome! Think this is what I'm going to go with.. any last minute suggestions?

Think I'll go for the space grey, the midnight is pretty (would match the Watch S7) but the finger print reviews on the Tube threw me off plus Space Grey will match my iPad Pro 11" also selected 67W USB Adapter option (was that a good choice?).

Here's the overall:

Already sold my old Macbook Pro 2015 for £450 to somebody's son at work. No clue if that's a fair price but it's what he offered I just said yes.. (lol).