Which do you guys think would be the better choice? Both would be with 16gb ram and 1 TB Harddrives. I Record/Mix and Master Music - very light video work - PowerPoint files for People - and then Cruising the Internets - that's about it.
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Which Choice - MacBook Air with the M3 Chip in March or MacBook Pro with the M3 Chip now?
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I know that - but is there any advantage to the MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air? I like the tiny footprint of the air - my daughter has the 13" M2 Air and I think it's really fun - but I've read the Screen is much better on the Pro. Decisions....
I have the 13” M2 Air and the M3 pro MBP. The screen is better on the MBP but, like I said it comes down to budget. For the usage described, I doubt the MBP screen will make any real difference.
$200 difference between the two - not much of budget issue - AppleCare is $30 less a year on the Air.
what makes you say a screen won't make that much of ai difference? Because the resolution of Audio Programs or Power Point or Internet wouldn't be noticeable?
Have you tried using her M2 Air for your heaviest workload to see how it does? You can install an app like TG Pro to monitor its internal temps which will tell you if you need the MBP's fans; if it gets too hot it will throttle back performance.
The MacBook Pro has:
Better speakers
Better and brighter Mini LED display
Cooling fans
SD Slot
HDMI Port
I haven't yet - but I would wait until the MacBook Air M3 comes out in March to test it.
That's good to know - I assume you mean on the MacBook Air it throttles back right? The Display would be important to me - but does it come into play with Logic or PowerPoint?
Why not get an 14 inch M2 Pro with 16/512 on sale and call it a day? You get more ports, the screen is the same and it's a pro chip vs just a standard M chip. You can then run multiple displays if you like vs being restricted to one screen on the standard M chip.
Do it now as part of your MBA vs MBP research. Install an app like TG Pro which monitors temps, and run your heaviest workload. If her M2 Air gets hot enough to throttle then the M3 will likely have the same problem.
Any computer can throttle, but a computer with fans is less likely to throttle. I have an M1-Pro MBP and I can get it to throttle while doing 3D rendering, but since thats just an occasional hobby task Im not worried about it. My MBP is fine when doing my normal daily UX and visual design work.
It comes down to this:
1) how many external displays do you want to use?
2) how many MIDI devices are you going to connect to the computer.
If you want two external displays then get the MB Pro.
If you have enough MIDI devices to need more than one USB hub, then get the MB Pro.
MBP M3 is the same as MBA for external displays and USB/Thunderbolt. Only MBP M3 Pro/Max has the extras.
I have one external display - I have an OWC Dock with 5 USB, Network, SD Card Slot, Firewire, 2 USB Cs etc...I'm fine for eternal ports - is the OWC Dock a liability?
OWC is fine with a USB-C connector. If it is enough for your current work it will be fine with any current Mac. I am guessing it is USB 3.x (not Thunderbolt) - in that case, a future upgrade would be to a powered Thunderbolt hub.
Yes.