Just picked up the same during the week. Definitely feels a bit of a beast after an M1 Mac mini from new!
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The "I just ordered / bought / got my new/refurb MBP" thread [Merged]
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Trying to find the most optimal MBP for me- coming from a 13" 2016 MBP and will be using this new MBP for mainly streaming, web browsing, and normal Microsoft Suite applications. Would like to get into some light video and photo editing in the future. I'm thinking 13.3" M2 or 14" M3. Is 16 GB of RAM overkill for application?
Just got my kitted out M3 Max MacBook Pro 16" to replace my similarly kitted out M2 Max model (which Im selling in Australia).
40c GPU, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSD. Should do me really nicely for a fair while
I don't even max out my M2 model!
40c GPU, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSD. Should do me really nicely for a fair while
I don't even max out my M2 model!
I placed an order yesterday for a new 14" M3 Pro. 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU with 36GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Will be trading in a M2 Air for it. Not that the M2 Air isn't a great machine but the XDR display and ProMotion is sorely missed. I was also trying to be a bit cost-conscious at the time when I chose the Air last year due to personal reasons but circumstances have changed and I'm in a bit of a position where I can treat myself so I am.
3-5 business days to ship, delivery between the 22nd and 26th. Hoping for the usual underpromise and overdeliver Apple tends to do with their delivery estimates.
3-5 business days to ship, delivery between the 22nd and 26th. Hoping for the usual underpromise and overdeliver Apple tends to do with their delivery estimates.
Ordered yesterday from Best Buy a 14" MBP M3 with 16GB/1TB for $1849 which looks like it's a new M3 model with model number MXE13LL/A. I have no idea what is different in this model released on 03/04/2024 compared to the one released back in Nov 2023. This model is also available from Apple but not in stock at any Apple Store yet.
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Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch Laptop M3 chip Built for Apple Intelligence 16GB Memory 1TB SSD Silver MXE13LL/A - Best Buy
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got my refurb 14" m3 max base 1TB 36gb ram in yesterday, setting it up right now. Gonna end up paying about $2400 out the door. Opened up a new Bank of America credit card with a $500 sign up bonus after $4000 spend. used the credit card to purchase $2000 worth of apple gift cards at cardcookie at 8% off. and then paid the rest on the card. once you factor in the $500 back it gets it down nice and low!
Early for a refurb? Must be as good as new? Maybe an Apple return?
it looks brand spanking new, not a mark or scratch on it, then again doesn't apple replace all the outside stuff and just reuse internals for refurbs?
Not sure but I know they're as good as new. Looks like you got yourself a real bargain.
was looking for the high end m3 max but they only have it in space black and I prefer silver MacBooks so this will have to do. glad to be part of the club again. it was a rough week or two without a MacBook
Just got delivery of my 16" M3 Max 48 GB RAM/1 TB HDD silver MBP Coming from a 2019 16" Intel MBP, this thing flies...
One interesting observation: The keyboard on my 2019 MBP was not the butterfly one, it was the first MBP they reverted to the normal one; still, the keyboard on this M3 Max seems to me to be more like the butterfly one in terms of key travel. My 2019 had bigger travel on its keys. Is this something they changed for Apple silicon MBPs?
Coming from a 2019 16" Intel MBP, this thing flies...One interesting observation: The keyboard on my 2019 MBP was not the butterfly one, it was the first MBP they reverted to the normal one; still, the keyboard on this M3 Max seems to me to be more like the butterfly one in terms of key travel. My 2019 had bigger travel on its keys. Is this something they changed for Apple silicon MBPs?
That’s interesting. I feel like the keyboard on my 14” M3 has much better travel than the butterfly mechanism ones, but I don’t recall how the 2019 16” scissor keyboard felt compared to the current ones.Just got delivery of my 16" M3 Max 48 GB RAM/1 TB HDD silver MBP
One interesting observation: The keyboard on my 2019 MBP was not the butterfly one, it was the first MBP they reverted to the normal one; still, the keyboard on this M3 Max seems to me to be more like the butterfly one in terms of key travel. My 2019 had bigger travel on its keys. Is this something they changed for Apple silicon MBPs?
I don’t believe so, unless there are obvious cosmetic defects. The refurbished store just has a very high QC so anything they sell must look new or very close to new. Still, it is possible to get something from the refurb store that may have very minor cosmetic issues. It has happened to me on occasion, but not significantly moreso than the rate that it can happen with new items.
It has arrived! Yesterday, actually. Ordered the 11th, shipped the 15th and delivered the 18th. Initial impressions from a few hours of use so far:
- I really didn't appreciate how light the Air is until I picked up this machine for the first time. The Pro is noticeably heavier. The Pro is also noticeably thicker, although this is more of an expectation rather than anything but does flex the Air's value as the ultimate portability machine.
- The display difference is immediately apparent. ProMotion + XDR makes a huge difference. My Air also suffered from the "dirty screen effect" which once noticed was quite annoying and so a consistent, flawless white is very welcome.
- One of the key benefits to Apple Silicon that I think is quite interesting is that for most people, the base silicon chip is really all they need. I haven't pushed this M3 Pro at all yet but for simple day to day tasks, performance is indistinguishable from the M2 Air. Gone are the days where some differences really mattered, like spinning rust versus solid state drives. There's no need to buy more computer than you need (unless you want to, of course - the Air to Pro upgrade was very much a want for me and not a need in the slightest).
- I don't know the objective differences in keyboards between the Air and the Pro but subjectively it feels like the Pro has a bit more travel and thus is a bit more comfortable to type on. Not that the Air is bad by any means - it's not something that tips the scales in either direction - but the extra depth does seem to benefit the keyboard some.
- Battery life is excellent as expected. Unboxed at 94%, after setup, updating to macOS 14.4, installing apps and basic use (web browsing/e-mail/social apps) I just dropped below the 50% mark. Likely won't need to charge for another day or possibly two. Pretty much on par with the M2 Air, which is a compliment given the better screen + 120Hz refresh rate.
So after YEARS of no new computer purchases - I bit the bullet. Yesterday I got our brand new 14 inch MacBook Pro! I got the M3 with 16 GB of RAM and a 512SSD. This is going to replace my wife's 2014 MBA. I do video and photography for a living. I edit everything on a 2017 27 inch i5 iMac. My wife has been shooting my senior sessions and newborn photos. So she will be using Lightroom on this new machine. I figured we've been using a 7 year-old iMac to edit in LR for years now - so an M3 will be a MAJOR improvement. I got it for $1599 thru B&H.
Last month I bought a 14 M2 Pro Refurb from Apple, but decided it wasn't for me and to stick with my air a bit longer.. But the heart wants what it wants so I bit the bullet today and picked up a silver 14 M3 Pro 18/512
Sadly I paid euro prices for this, though I got it for €170 less than the official price on my Apple Store. Brand new in box!
Now I'm promising myself I'm going to keep this one for at least three years (preferably five or longer!) 😇
Sadly I paid euro prices for this, though I got it for €170 less than the official price on my Apple Store. Brand new in box!
Now I'm promising myself I'm going to keep this one for at least three years (preferably five or longer!) 😇
So we had a mid 2015 MacBook Pro 15 inch with an i7 and 16 GB that was starting to show its age. My wife and I share the laptop, so I convinced her to upgrade it and give the 2015 MBP to our 6 year old so she can start learning to use a computer ( I also gave up my iPad Air 4 to my daughter to replace her Air 1 she was using which was really long in the tooth). My wife actually got the MBP for free from her last company she worked for so we were playing with house money with that one.
I was looking between Best Buy and Costco, and I tried out an 13 inch M2 MacBook Air with 8 GB RAM and 512 GB of storage refurb BB had for $990. After over a week of use, it was very nice, lightweight, and solid all around in terms of display and performance. But being a refurb, I was convinced that we should just go all out and get a new one. Costco had $200 off the base model of the M3 MacBook 14 inch 8 GB 512 GB Pros so I decided to return the Air and get that one instead. $410 more out of pocket going from a refurb M2 Air to a new M3 brand new and it seemed like a no brainer.
I like the Air's portability sure, but the Pro feels so much more premium in your hands. I love the extra weight and don't mind it at all. The space grey looks more slick to me than the midnight Air I had. The thickness is apparent but again not a deal breaker at all. The Pro just looks gorgeous. Then there is the display. Yep XDR is the real deal. The brightness on this display is off the charts. HDR video looks gorgeous and for someone who owns 2 OLEDS I'm pretty impressed with this. The colors are rich and vivid and lifelike and the blacks are black in comparison to the Air. And Pro motion is lovely, just doing anything is buttery smooth and this is the first Apple device that I have owned that I have officially entered the land of Pro Motion and it is a treat. The display alone just rocks it over the Air. And the speakers are powerful! Playing some music or a movie and these provide some quality sound that I was taken aback by. Again, another reason alone to spring for this over the Air; all of these things is the reason I don't mind the extra thickness and weight on the Pro.
In terms of the M3, it just flies. Nothing is missing a beat so far. I have not had it more than a full day, but for our needs this processor is going to get it done for us for years to come. Apple has really come far with their processors and I'm curious to see more in the coming weeks as I continue to play around with this. I could not be happier to make the switch.
I was looking between Best Buy and Costco, and I tried out an 13 inch M2 MacBook Air with 8 GB RAM and 512 GB of storage refurb BB had for $990. After over a week of use, it was very nice, lightweight, and solid all around in terms of display and performance. But being a refurb, I was convinced that we should just go all out and get a new one. Costco had $200 off the base model of the M3 MacBook 14 inch 8 GB 512 GB Pros so I decided to return the Air and get that one instead. $410 more out of pocket going from a refurb M2 Air to a new M3 brand new and it seemed like a no brainer.
I like the Air's portability sure, but the Pro feels so much more premium in your hands. I love the extra weight and don't mind it at all. The space grey looks more slick to me than the midnight Air I had. The thickness is apparent but again not a deal breaker at all. The Pro just looks gorgeous. Then there is the display. Yep XDR is the real deal. The brightness on this display is off the charts. HDR video looks gorgeous and for someone who owns 2 OLEDS I'm pretty impressed with this. The colors are rich and vivid and lifelike and the blacks are black in comparison to the Air. And Pro motion is lovely, just doing anything is buttery smooth and this is the first Apple device that I have owned that I have officially entered the land of Pro Motion and it is a treat. The display alone just rocks it over the Air. And the speakers are powerful! Playing some music or a movie and these provide some quality sound that I was taken aback by. Again, another reason alone to spring for this over the Air; all of these things is the reason I don't mind the extra thickness and weight on the Pro.
In terms of the M3, it just flies. Nothing is missing a beat so far. I have not had it more than a full day, but for our needs this processor is going to get it done for us for years to come. Apple has really come far with their processors and I'm curious to see more in the coming weeks as I continue to play around with this. I could not be happier to make the switch.
Just ordered my 14” m3 pro. 18gb/1tb, supposed to be delivered mon. Got in black thru the refurb store for 1835. Hope the price wasn’t too high! Still need an air for travel and light workloads. If I could live with8gb, I’d be all over the Walmart deal. But need 16gb. Still looking….
Today received my new MBP:
14" m3 max 36GB/1TB
Silver
Damn, this one is like a grandchild compared to my old MBP 13" Late 2011.
Feels like good old MBP from that days with better body, audio.
MacOS has not changed a lot since Catalina I had there in old one.
Crossing my fingers that he will live as long as this old buddy with a little support from AlDente I have never used:
P.S. Haha just noticed birth day (manufacture) is tomorrow for GrandMac MVP.
14" m3 max 36GB/1TB
Silver
Damn, this one is like a grandchild compared to my old MBP 13" Late 2011.
Feels like good old MBP from that days with better body, audio.
MacOS has not changed a lot since Catalina I had there in old one.
Crossing my fingers that he will live as long as this old buddy with a little support from AlDente I have never used:
P.S. Haha just noticed birth day (manufacture) is tomorrow for GrandMac MVP.
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Moving on from my 2020 i7 MBP 13". It just kept randomly crashing and sounded like flight takeoff most times. My work M1 Air is so quiet that when I switch I really noticed it. Plus the new M3 MacBook Air caught my attention enough to start researching.
Was set to get the new M3 Air, but ended up with a new base Space Black 14" M3 Pro 18GB/512GB for a few reasons: ports, SB finish, battery life, no need to keep the MBP in clamshell mode to run dual monitors, still lightweight compared to my 2020 MBP. Absolutely love this machine! Was curiously checking out the refurbished store this morning and grabbed a refurbished Space Black M3 Pro 14" 18GB/1TB that was only $35 more.
Was set to get the new M3 Air, but ended up with a new base Space Black 14" M3 Pro 18GB/512GB for a few reasons: ports, SB finish, battery life, no need to keep the MBP in clamshell mode to run dual monitors, still lightweight compared to my 2020 MBP. Absolutely love this machine! Was curiously checking out the refurbished store this morning and grabbed a refurbished Space Black M3 Pro 14" 18GB/1TB that was only $35 more.
After three years of using my M1 MacBook Pro 8gb I finally had it with videos and photos taking forever to process. So last night I jumped on the Amazon deal and got the 14" M3 Pro MacBook Pro with 18gb of memory and 512gb hdd. Really looking forward to seeing how much faster I can edit 4K video and multiple images in LR and PS.