Upgrading from a Mid-2014 MBP Retina to M3 MBP

[gixxerfool]

I currently use a mid-2014 15”(?) rMBP. It’s maxed out in spec for the time and for 98% of what I do it’s great. I am looking to possibly upgrade to an M3 MBP 16”. While my current machine does ok, I’m starting to see support dropping for the OS in some places and there are times when the 16G ram is maxed out, usually in CAD usage. I have no problems waiting, but thought I would get opinions on which M3 to get.

Besides the regular usage, surfing, email, streaming, I also use it for some CAD design using FreeCAD and Fusion 360. I also use for GIMP work and the like.

If you think I can get more time out of my current machine, I will wait longer. I don’t follow how support is going to be for a 10 year old machine, but I do like to buy as high as spec as possible in order to get 10 years out of them.

I’m thinking I’ll be in $3-$3500 range for what I want and I’m also open to other options.

Thanks in advance.

 

[richardpage]

Go for the highest RAM and fastest processor you can as both these are now built into the motherboard and cannot be upgraded. Storage can be expanded using external devices. My Apple M2 Max has 96Gb RAM and 4Tb but then I also have over 6Tb external storage.

 

[parseckadet]

Go for the highest RAM and fastest processor you can as both these are now built into the motherboard and cannot be upgraded. Storage can be expanded using external devices. My Apple M2 Max has 96Gb RAM and 4Tb but then I also have over 6Tb external storage.

I know the "get the most RAM you can afford" advice is standard fare around here, and I generally agree with it, but these days I think there are very few people who need 128GB. The OP could be one of those people, given his stated usage of CAD and virtual machines, but given that he's coming from 16GB I kind of doubt it. Will he need that much in 10 years? Only the OP can really answer that, but I still doubt it.

I honestly think maxing out a Mac in the hopes that it will last you 10 years is a mistake given Apple's outrageous RAM prices. The difference between a 16" M3 Ultra with 36GB of RAM vs. 128GB is $1500. That's quite a chunk of change for hardware that you MIGHT use YEARS from now.

 

[gixxerfool]

Go for the highest RAM and fastest processor you can as both these are now built into the motherboard and cannot be upgraded. Storage can be expanded using external devices. My Apple M2 Max has 96Gb RAM and 4Tb but then I also have over 6Tb external storage.

Good point. Do you feel the Max is worth the extra cost? Or am I better off going with a pro and getting more ram?

 

[gixxerfool]

I know the "get the most RAM you can afford" advice is standard fare around here, and I generally agree with it, but these days I think there are very few people who need 128GB. The OP could be one of those people, given his stated usage of CAD and virtual machines, but given that he's coming from 16GB I kind of doubt it. Will he need that much in 10 years? Only the OP can really answer that, but I still doubt it.

I honestly think maxing out a Mac in the hopes that it will last you 10 years is a mistake given Apple's outrageous RAM prices. The difference between a 16" M3 Ultra with 36GB of RAM vs. 128GB is $1500. That's quite a chunk of change for hardware that you MIGHT use YEARS from now.

It’s hard to say for sure. I don’t feel like I need to max it out, I guess the better question is where is the balance between processor and ram upgrades. I don’t mind spending the extra money up front if it’s worth it. I’m not familiar with unified memory and how that equates into the whole picture as well. I feel like Apple has muddied the options up. Again.

 

[parseckadet]

Good point. Do you feel the Max is worth the extra cost? Or am I better off going with a pro and getting more ram?

It’s hard to say for sure. I don’t feel like I need to max it out, I guess the better question is where is the balance between processor and ram upgrades. I don’t mind spending the extra money up front if it’s worth it. I’m not familiar with unified memory and how that equates into the whole picture as well. I feel like Apple has muddied the options up. Again.

Since you brought up Pro vs. Ultra, I will say that I'm not a CAD user myself, so I'm not super familiar with the specific demands of that type of software. But, it does seem like you would benefit from as many GPU cores as you can get your hands on. That's just a guess on my part though, and I think you would want someone else who uses CAD programs to weigh in. I have a sneaking suspicion that the answer is going to be "it depends." Likely on how large the CAD files you typically work on are. I work with people who use CAD to design everything from a simple computer rack all the way up to entire aircraft. Their answers would likely be very different.

 

[Flowstates]

If you were (by your own admission) mostly un-bothered by performance hiccups on a 9 years old intel MBA ...

Anything more than the pro seems overkill, base 16'' M3 pro would be sufficient, use your own judgement on storage ...

And abandon the idea of a 10 year upgrade cycle. With the advancements of LLM and their integration into Mac OS, I wouldn't be surprised if an upgrade warranted by the increasing performance of the dedicated hardware on device would render all past Mac's obsolete in the same manner as Apple Silicon did Intel within 5 years.

 

[gixxerfool]

Since you brought up Pro vs. Ultra, I will say that I'm not a CAD user myself, so I'm not super familiar with the specific demands of that type of software. But, it does seem like you would benefit from as many GPU cores as you can get your hands on. That's just a guess on my part though, and I think you would want someone else who uses CAD programs to weigh in. I have a sneaking suspicion that the answer is going to be "it depends." Likely on how large the CAD files you typically work on are. I work with people who use CAD to design everything from a simple computer rack all the way up to entire aircraft. Their answers would likely be very different.

This is fair. I think that’s sound advice. I don’t design anything quite that large, but it would be nice to not have my fans kick and watch the beach ball spin while trying to do some intensive tasks, even those aren’t all I do.

If you were (by your own admission) mostly un-bothered by performance hiccups on a 9 years old intel MBA ...

Anything more than the pro seems overkill, base 16'' M3 pro would be sufficient, use your own judgement on storage ...

And abandon the idea of a 10 year upgrade cycle. With the advancements of LLM and their integration into Mac OS, I wouldn't be surprised if an upgrade warranted by the increasing performance of the dedicated hardware on device would render all past Mac's obsolete in the same manner as Apple Silicon did Intel within 5 years.

Thank you. This was my leaning since doing a little more research. I’m interested to see how the Apple silicon shakes out over time. My first mini went 8 years before support was dropped. My current mini is now 10 years old and going strong. And now my MBP.

I think the Pro is the way to go and I’ll upgrade where I see best.