Okay so a few months ago I got a new 15” M3 with 16/512. I use it for video editing, live-streaming, productivity, and casual gaming. It runs beautifully but now I’m looking at an M4 15” with 24/512. Is it really worth upgrading? If I did this, it would be the last machine I get for years to come. But, I know this M3 of mine can handle everything for years to come.
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Upgrade from M3 worth it?
- Thread starter RogueCoder
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Not really no, if what you have is working fine, I dont see the reason to move up from that. Better off waiting for bigger innovations and upgrades to the air line up, your m3 is good for a long time to come
I agree, if things are working I would not upgrade.
You’re saying if you did this, it would be the last machine you get for years to come, but you just got the M3. I think when the M5 comes out, you’re going to be asking the same question about the M4. Don’t feel pressured to upgrade just because there’s an upgrade available.
There’s nothing wrong with these minor upgrades if you have the money, but don’t expect any big improvement. If you’re expecting that, then you’re going to be disappointed. Your biggest improvement might be if you get the sky blue color. I must admit that looks really nice!
Chasing the latest and greatest for the sake of it is endless and wasteful. And specs are not an end in themselves, only a means to an end. So when considering upgrading, I always look for the actual features and UX improvements that will make measurable improvements to my workflow or my quality of life. How will it actually help me? Then it’s simply a matter of comparing those benefits (time saved, convenience etc., and even pleasure too to a degree—eg. I want a hot rod even if I will never race) to the price I would have to pay for them, and then I have my answer to “Is it worth it?”. If there is nothing measurable for you, as you seem to suggest, then it isn’t worth it unless it’s free.
Thank you all for talking me out of a dumb decision. I honestly reread all your comments and realized my M3 air is far more capable as a machine for what I do than anything I’ve ever owned, including a custom PC. Just because the M4 came out does not suddenly obsolete my M3 Air. I’m going to keep the air at least until the M6.
Okay if you've reached your final decision then I'm happy for you. However, I'm going to present another argument. I had the M3 14" MBP. It worked great. Satisfied all my computing needs. I had no plans to upgrade to M4. I've had both the Air and the Pro and they are different and both capable machines.
For no other reason than curiosity, I bought the M4 15 MBA. I wanted to see if it seemed better than the M3 and I like switching back and forth between the Air and the Pro. It has been very pleasant and I decided to trade in my M3 MBP.
As I told my college-age daughter, one of the few good things about being an adult, is you get to decide your priorities, including what to spend money on. Some people prioritize vacations, some people save for a house, and others like getting new clothes. I like spending what discretionary money I have on tech.
It's your money. You get to decide. I don't think there's anything wrong with upgrading if you want to. There are WAY worse things you can spend money on than a new M-mac.
Agree with you. I too looked at the M4 MBA 15 and even ordered one and was going to trade in my M3 MBA 15 512 24. Had second thoughts and cancelled the process. The trade in value was good ($775) and the new MBA 512 24 was about a net cost of $700 after trade in and with the Apple Mil purchase discount on my Apple Master Card. It would have been the new color too. The new color was about the only thing different for what I use my MBA for. Will wait for the M5 or M6.
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The last thing you said was that your current Mac can handle everything for years to come... So why are you asking if you should upgrade?
Truth is, there would be zero noticeable benefit in daily use — and yet… I’m still thinking about it.
I just bought a 3-month-old M3 MacBook Air (16GB/512GB) in perfect condition about two weeks before the M4 was released. It was a good deal, so I’m not upset — I knew the M4 was coming.
For me, the appeal isn’t really about M4 vs. M3. It’s more about having more on-device SSD space (I’m a data hoarder) and being able to use the laptop open while connected to two external displays.
What’s holding me back, though, is the color. I really don’t like the Sky Blue. My M3 is Midnight, which I probably wouldn’t get again. Silver feels boring, and Starlight is too gold for my taste.
High class problems indeed!
I just bought a 3-month-old M3 MacBook Air (16GB/512GB) in perfect condition about two weeks before the M4 was released. It was a good deal, so I’m not upset — I knew the M4 was coming.
For me, the appeal isn’t really about M4 vs. M3. It’s more about having more on-device SSD space (I’m a data hoarder) and being able to use the laptop open while connected to two external displays.
What’s holding me back, though, is the color. I really don’t like the Sky Blue. My M3 is Midnight, which I probably wouldn’t get again. Silver feels boring, and Starlight is too gold for my taste.
High class problems indeed!
Not worth it. Don’t give in to FOMO.
I was having similar thoughts about upgrading, having the same M3 16/512 model since last year (my first MacBook) - but my use case is undemanding, I don't use even a single external monitor, and I just liked the new Sky Blue color. But I certainly don't need to (and realistically can't afford $ to), and I still like the Midnight color.
Or even Pro. But if you don't need more CPU or more RAM, I don't think it's worth it.
Typing this on a M3 pro mbpro. I didn't even look at M4 benchmarks. Maybe I will... when the M6 is out.
No need to upgrade. Only reason I'm considering upgrading my M3 is because of the 8gb of ram I currently have.
Probably not. There is always something new, unless you are limited by your machine for professional work then you're just wasting money most likely.
If you're likely to go from m3 to m4 you'll want to go from m4 to m5 etc.
I'd suggest skipping at least 2 generations and possibly 3 to get a real world, significant upgrade.
I recently went m1 generation to m4 and the jump of 3 generations is large. But single generation upgrades just aren't.
YMMV obviously, but IMO a 16/512 MBA is already sub-optimum if one grocks the better display [much brighter, and nano texture available], speakers, ports and bandwidth of a MBP with more RAM. Especially for those of us that multi-task, constantly switching among open apps.
Correct the Mac OS will allow the 16/512 to technically "handle everything" but less smoothly than a MBP with more RAM would, especially when one starts talking about "for years to come." Me, I do not need the M4 upgrade but do need all the other goodnesses of an MBP, especially the available RAM.
But the OP is talking about going from 16 to 24. Just 8 G extra isn't probably worth the trouble. You have to figure out your working set and buy enough ram to match that.
If they want to upgrade because of ram, i'd go for at least 32 Gb.
I fully agree. That was the point of my post really. IMO if the OP was to upgrade it should not be so much for the M4 chip but rather looking at all the other parameters that might be different with a new Mac.
Got my new 32/1TB 13" M4 yesterday. Feels a little bit "snappier" than my "old" 16/1TB 13" M2 (and according to Geekbench is about 50% faster in single and multi-core CPU score).
For me the main reason for upgrading (from M2 to M4) was that one of my use cases benefits from having more RAM.
For me the main reason for upgrading (from M2 to M4) was that one of my use cases benefits from having more RAM.
I love it when someone ask about MBA and people telling him he need MBP…
From your post it seems that your MBA runs perfectly for your needs, so there is no reason to upgrade.
From your post it seems that your MBA runs perfectly for your needs, so there is no reason to upgrade.