Which M1 Laptop?

[mrgreen4242]

I am replacing my 16" MBP with a gaming PC and a 13" M1 MacBook. The gaming PC can go all my heavy lifting, but for day to day work I really, like all of you I am sure, prefer Mac OS. In addition to the regular day to day browsing and desktop work, my heavy lifting needs on the laptop are:

• drive a 3440x1440 display at 100-144hz
• Fusion360 (CAD work, not 3D modeling)
• Simplify3D/Cura and ChituBox (3D printing slicers)

Obviously no need for gaming performance. Being able to use my work issued iPad Pro (first gen with FaceID) in wireless sidecar mode with the Pencil would be nice as well!

I can probably live on a 256gb SSD, but 512 wouldn't hurt. I am unsure about RAM, and also whether or not getting an actively cooled Pro would be worth it over the Air (the total silence and the slightly lighter and more compact footprint are appealing), and if I go with the Air is the 8-core GPU version worth it.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I would go with the Pro.

The simple reason for that is if you're going to be using heavy duty apps such as Fusion360, you're going to want sustained performance. That's the purpose of the fan in the Pro model; because of how efficient the M1 is, the heatsink and fan can actually help prevent thermal throttling, unlike the previous Intel models that struggled to keep temps' down. Even if the Air didn't have to throttle due to a lack of fan, wouldn't you rather keep your investment nice and cool?

Another consideration is battery life. Although obviously excellent on both the Air and Pro, more demanding apps will use more energy, and therefore the Pro would be a better option.

Finally, I would 100% go for 16gb RAM. Always keep in mind that any visual workspace - be it Spaces, windows, external displays - all require vRAM, and with integrated graphics, that memory is shared with what would have been called the system memory in the past, but is now just a unified pool. Put simply, you'll need to allocate plenty of RAM to drive both the Pro's screen and the external display.

Other differences, such as the slightly higher top brightness, are largely for your concern.

Hope that's helpful ??

 

[mrgreen4242]

I would go with the Pro.

The simple reason for that is if you're going to be using heavy duty apps such as Fusion360, you're going to want sustained performance. That's the purpose of the fan in the Pro model; because of how efficient the M1 is, the heatsink and fan can actually help prevent thermal throttling, unlike the previous Intel models that struggled to keep temps' down. Even if the Air didn't have to throttle due to a lack of fan, wouldn't you rather keep your investment nice and cool?

Another consideration is battery life. Although obviously excellent on both the Air and Pro, more demanding apps will use more energy, and therefore the Pro would be a better option.

Finally, I would 100% go for 16gb RAM. Always keep in mind that any visual workspace - be it Spaces, windows, external displays - all require vRAM, and with integrated graphics, that memory is shared with what would have been called the system memory in the past, but is now just a unified pool. Put simply, you'll need to allocate plenty of RAM to drive both the Pro's screen and the external display.

Other differences, such as the slightly higher top brightness, are largely for your concern.

Hope that's helpful ??

Good call on the unified memory architecture and going for additional RAM. I'm definitely leaning towards a 16/512 configuration, though I am still not sure about the Pro vs Air. I appreciate the input!

 

[darngooddesign]

I am replacing my 16" MBP with a gaming PC and a 13" M1 MacBook. The gaming PC can go all my heavy lifting, but for day to day work I really, like all of you I am sure, prefer Mac OS. In addition to the regular day to day browsing and desktop work, my heavy lifting needs on the laptop are:

• drive a 3440x1440 display at 100-144hz
• Fusion360 (CAD work, not 3D modeling)
• Simplify3D/Cura and ChituBox (3D printing slicers)

Obviously no need for gaming performance. Being able to use my work issued iPad Pro (first gen with FaceID) in wireless sidecar mode with the Pencil would be nice as well!

I can probably live on a 256gb SSD, but 512 wouldn't hurt. I am unsure about RAM, and also whether or not getting an actively cooled Pro would be worth it over the Air (the total silence and the slightly lighter and more compact footprint are appealing), and if I go with the Air is the 8-core GPU version worth it.

Thanks for any input!

The 512SSD is 30-40% faster than the 256SSD.

Get 16GB

Get the Air and load a temp measuring app like TG Pro on it. If you regularly see temps over 90C, decide if you want the Pro's fan or will live with the Air being throttled around 93C. If your temps are always a lot lower than 90 then the Pro wouldn't do much to help with cooling.

 

[robco74]

Pro vs Air really depends on your work flow. If you have a sustained workload, then it's worth the extra cash for the Pro. Likewise if you regularly use it in situations where the extra 100 nits of brightness in the display will matter. Otherwise, the consensus seems to be to get the Air and spend the price difference on RAM and SSD upgrades.

 

[jdb8167]

Pro vs Air really depends on your work flow. If you have a sustained workload, then it's worth the extra cash for the Pro. Likewise if you regularly use it in situations where the extra 100 nits of brightness in the display will matter. Otherwise, the consensus seems to be to get the Air and spend the price difference on RAM and SSD upgrades.

Same with the battery. If you aren't going to be doing CAD on battery then the extra time you will get with the MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air isn't very important. For intermittent loads, you can get 8-10 hours battery life on the MBA. Higher loads drops that time rapidly.

 

[mrgreen4242]

The 512SSD is 30-40% faster than the 256SSD.

Get 16GB

Get the Air and load a temp measuring app like TG Pro on it. If you regularly see temps over 90C, decide if you want the Pro's fan or will live with the Air being throttled around 93C. If your temps are always a lot lower than 90 then the Pro wouldn't do much to help with cooling.

Can you elaborate on the speed comparison between the 256 and 512SSD? Great idea on just starting low, testing, and returning if needed!

Pro vs Air really depends on your work flow. If you have a sustained workload, then it's worth the extra cash for the Pro. Likewise if you regularly use it in situations where the extra 100 nits of brightness in the display will matter. Otherwise, the consensus seems to be to get the Air and spend the price difference on RAM and SSD upgrades.

I am not entirely sure how much Fusion360 will tax the machines as a sustained workload, tbh. It should change when they eventually update for the M1 as well. I do 3D CAD work, no textures or rendering, etc. so my assumptions based on the limited information I can find for that specific case is that the Air SHOULD be OK... The other higher requirement programs that I use are definitely burst loads - lots of setup and then slicing (think of it like 10-20 minutes of "coding" and then a minute or two of "compiling").

As for the brightness, honestly I use my external display almost all the time (it's pretty nice for being a low priced display), rarely turn the brightness up on anything past about halfway, and don't foresee a lot of working outdoors in sunlight, so that particular difference wasn't even on my radar.

Same with the battery. If you aren't going to be doing CAD on battery then the extra time you will get with the MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air isn't very important. For intermittent loads, you can get 8-10 hours battery life on the MBA. Higher loads drops that time rapidly.

I am largely desk bound. I would get a mini, but I am willing to pay a little extra to have the flexibility to move around the house and also for occasional travel. My CAD work in non-professional, just as a hobby, so getting 8+ hours of use is not a huge deal.

Thanks all of you - I think that going with a 16/512 Air and being sure to put it through it's paces and measure temps and loads during the 14 day return window is the way to go!

 

[darngooddesign]

Can you elaborate on the speed comparison between the 256 and 512SSD? Great idea on just starting low, testing, and returning if needed!

A couple of people have posted their drive test times in other threads; the 512SSD is noticeably faster. Besides, 256 is really cramped if you plan on keeping the computer for several years.

 

[Toutou]

Both the Air and Pro are inaudible most of the time, but under heavy load (i.e. CPU at 100 % -- rendering video, compiling code, computing stuff) the Air starts to throttle and the Pro spins the fan. Choose what you prefer.

Both RAM options are workable, depends on how memory heavy the CAD software is. The storage is up to you, but I'd go with the Air. It's noticeably cheaper, smaller, and lighter and unless you really hammer the CPU non-stop it's able to cool itself nicely and it doesn't throttle at all.

 

[5425642]

A couple of people have posted their drive test times in other threads; the 512SSD is noticeably faster. Besides, 256 is really cramped if you plan on keeping the computer for several years.

But 40-60% faster is BS

 

[ADGrant]

But 40-60% faster is BS

I can't speak to that as I haven't seen the tests. I would say though that in T2 Macs at least, larger internal SSDs are faster than smaller ones and the differences level off as SSDs get larger. So the difference between a 256GB SSD and a 512 SSD is much greater than the difference between a 1TB and a 2TB. A T2 and M1 should be fairly similar in this regard.

The other advantage of a large SSD is it will last longer than a small one since it has more memory cells.

 

[darngooddesign]

But 40-60% faster is BS

I mean... I said 30-40%, and that's what the posted drive speed benchmark supported.

 

[5425642]

I mean... I said 30-40%, and that's what the posted drive speed benchmark supported.

Ok, I had the 512GB ssd for my intel 2020 MacBook and now I have 256GB on my m1 and my m1 is faster then the Intel maybe it’s because of other components I don’t know but still it’s not slower then the intel one.

 

[JamesTheMac]

If sustained high performance isn't a concern (and I don't think it will be for Fusion360). I'd spend the money saved on the Air for extra RAM and SSD capacity. The advantage of having a larger SSD, might be speed, as some have said. But for longevity, the larger SSD will spread the wear, and in theory last longer operating at maximum performance. Given that SSDs are no longer replaceable on Apple devices, but have a finite life in terms of writes, if you plan on keeping the machine for a few years, is certainly worth considering, especially as there is a (currently) 74-page thread on this site discussing what some are experiencing as high SSD writes/wear.

You can always buy an Air with the higher specs, run some projects through it within the first 14 days. And if you are experiencing any throttling, return it and change for the Pro.

 

[5425642]

If sustained high performance isn't a concern (and I don't think it will be for Fusion360). I'd spend the money saved on the Air for extra RAM and SSD capacity. The advantage of having a larger SSD, might be speed, as some have said. But for longevity, the larger SSD will spread the wear, and in theory last longer operating at maximum performance. Given that SSDs are no longer replaceable on Apple devices, but have a finite life in terms of writes, if you plan on keeping the machine for a few years, is certainly worth considering, especially as there is a (currently) 74-page thread on this site discussing what some are experiencing as high SSD writes/wear.

You can always buy an Air with the higher specs, run some projects through it within the first 14 days. And if you are experiencing any throttling, return it and change for the Pro.

The write thing is nothing to worrry about.
It’s bug that affects some but not all.
And I can say that it’s intel software with rosetta2 that causing it.

 

[5425642]

I mean... I said 30-40%, and that's what the posted drive speed benchmark supported.

Can you provide me with a link that show this numbers?

 

[JamesTheMac]

The write thing is nothing to worrry about.
It’s bug that affects some but not all.
And I can say that it’s intel software with rosetta2 that causing it.

Agreed.
Agreed.
On the final point though, skimming through that other thread, there seems to be a bit more to it than Rosetta. Hence the 80-page discussion on the various contributory factors.
Anyway, the point being made was that opting for a larger SSD might be beneficial for longevity in both the additional capacity as software gets more bloated, and for also being able spread the wear; which might also be a consideration if the machine was being kept for a long time, or passed to other family members etc.

 

[darngooddesign]

Ok, I had the 512GB ssd for my intel 2020 MacBook and now I have 256GB on my m1 and my m1 is faster then the Intel maybe it’s because of other components I don’t know but still it’s not slower then the intel one.

Be pretty silly if Apple’s new computers were slower than their old ones.

 

[darngooddesign]

Can you provide me with a link that show this numbers?

No. i didn’t bookmark it.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Both the Air and Pro are inaudible most of the time, but under heavy load (i.e. CPU at 100 % -- rendering video, compiling code, computing stuff) the Air starts to throttle and the Pro spins the fan. Choose what you prefer.

Both RAM options are workable, depends on how memory heavy the CAD software is. The storage is up to you, but I'd go with the Air. It's noticeably cheaper, smaller, and lighter and unless you really hammer the CPU non-stop it's able to cool itself nicely and it doesn't throttle at all.

Yea, anybody rendering 8K video on a normal basis, get the Pro. The Air gets pretty hot doing so, although it still does the task with no hiccups. I just wouldn't trust the Air getting hot on a normal basis. But you can render 4K 60fps all day without it even feeling warm.

 

[MBAir2010]

Go with the Pro
and ditch the PC gaming computer idea and get a nice set of golf clubs!
you can play all year round!

 

[ImaginaryNerve]

Can you provide me with a link that show this numbers?

Its not MBP vs MBP, but MBP vs Mini --- the MBP has 256GB and the Mini has 512GB. I ran these tests myself and posted them in another thread.

The MacBook Pro, 256GB got:

2088.3 Write
2810.7 Read

--

The Mac mini 512GB got:

2878.6 Write
2853.0 Read

--

What I can say is with my workflow and "real world" usage, I don't notice the difference between the two drives that can't be attributed to other factors. I do a lot more network data transfer between my Mac mini and my Windows 10 Desktop PC -- both of which are connected via ethernet cable to the router whereas the MBP is Wifi, so the Mac mini will definitely be faster (wired vs wireless).

All that said, I do sort of wish I went with the 512GB on my MBP, but it was kind of an angry/impulse purchase that I don't regret at all. My next MBP/MBA will definitely have more storage but the 256GB is quite manageable. I've a 128GB USB Type-C pen drive that works well if I need to offload anything though I haven't needed it yet.

 

[mrgreen4242]

Thanks everyone. My 16/512 Air is out for delivery right now. I am a little apprehensive about heat (my hands get sweaty lol) but I love the idea of a machine that makes 0 noise and is a full third lighter than my current portable.

 

[xraydoc]

Thanks everyone. My 16/512 Air is out for delivery right now. I am a little apprehensive about heat (my hands get sweaty lol) but I love the idea of a machine that makes 0 noise and is a full third lighter than my current portable.

Unless you're running sustained CPU/GPU loads, there's no heat. On my M1 MBA, I use basic desktop apps (Word, PowerPoint, Mail, Safari, Preview, GoodNotes) plus some work with Osirix & Horos (RAM and GPU intensive). Both on the internal display as well as docked to a desktop monitor. No heat. Maybe gets warm if the battery is charging at the same time.

 

[BigMcGuire]

You're going to be surprised at how cold this thing runs. I've been reading heavily and the case is super cold to the touch (cold metal feeling all the time) even doing semi-stressful things. Well, at least I am, lol.