Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

15” MBA M4 to M5 for college student worth upgrade?

F

FredLynn

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hello,
I purchased a 15” MBA M4, 24gb, 512gb last summer. I used it to work for a few months then retired. Our grandson who lives with us is going to college this fall and we had always thought we would buy him a new MBA as graduation gift. I talked with him about just taking my laptop as it is like new and I honestly rarely use it. I use my iPad most of the time. My husband has an ancient iMac I could use if needed, or I thought of getting just a base neo with the touchpad for me. I could trade it in to Apple for 785, but feel would lose a lot of money. I just feel somewhat guilty of giving him “used” when we always talked about new.

Long story but mainly is it worth it for college student to have M5 over M4? Any insight is appreciated.

Thank you!
 
Honor is your bearing.
If you 'thought' but have not 'promised' then give him the M4, it is an awesome machine.
He will be very happy!

If you made it a graduation promise, as I did for my daughter when she went to college, then I would recommend following through with the original intent.
Small things define you, not in the eyes of others, but in your own.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: roman.stapunov, rb2112, richmlow and 3 others
Yes, that is what bothers me. I will probably trade it in for a new one for him. He said he would happily take mine, as we have had some unexpected expenses, and could get him a new one in a year or two.

If I trade it in, with the new M5, would the base 15” be adequate? I had upgraded to 24gb and 512gb, which I believe the M5 already has.
 
We will go ahead and trade the M4 in prior to graduation. If someone could respond on specs seems like base M5 is about what we already have in M4.

Thank you. I feel better already.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 960design and richmlow
FredLynn said:
Yes, that is what bothers me. I will probably trade it in for a new one for him. He said he would happily take mine, as we have had some unexpected expenses, and could get him a new one in a year or two.

If I trade it in, with the new M5, would the base 15” be adequate? I had upgraded to 24gb and 512gb, which I believe the M5 already has.
Click to expand...
Base M5 is 16/512. Not 24/512.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredLynn
FredLynn said:
Hello,
I purchased a 15” MBA M4, 24gb, 512gb last summer. I used it to work for a few months then retired. Our grandson who lives with us is going to college this fall and we had always thought we would buy him a new MBA as graduation gift. I talked with him about just taking my laptop as it is like new and I honestly rarely use it. I use my iPad most of the time. My husband has an ancient iMac I could use if needed, or I thought of getting just a base neo with the touchpad for me. I could trade it in to Apple for 785, but feel would lose a lot of money. I just feel somewhat guilty of giving him “used” when we always talked about new.

Long story but mainly is it worth it for college student to have M5 over M4? Any insight is appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

My advice: be sure to check the general computer recommendations of the university and the specific hardware + software requirements of the academic department or program before making any moves.

Also, Apple is improving its Mac hardware security beginning with the M5 processors. The feature is called Memory Integrity Enforcement (it's already in the A19 and A19 Pro). If you are technical, Apple has a blogpost about it here:
security.apple.com

Memory Integrity Enforcement: A complete vision for memory safety in Apple devices - Apple Security Research

Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) is the culmination of an unprecedented design and engineering effort spanning half a decade that combines the unique strengths of Apple silicon hardware with our advanced operating system security to provide industry-first, always-on memory safety protection...
security.apple.com security.apple.com

For everybody else, MIE is a feature that is considered a must-have by many security professionals.

__________
ETA: if you decide to buy a new machine, be sure to compare the prices offered by the university to those at off-campus retailers.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: FredLynn and _Mitchan1999
FredLynn said:
Yes, that is what bothers me. I will probably trade it in for a new one for him. He said he would happily take mine, as we have had some unexpected expenses, and could get him a new one in a year or two.

If I trade it in, with the new M5, would the base 15” be adequate? I had upgraded to 24gb and 512gb, which I believe the M5 already has.
Click to expand...
He will be perfectly well served by your M4 and instead of replacing it, you can help with some other college expense which will inevitably arise in a year or two

Like a mattress for the off campus apartment. Or a fridge or microwave.
 
  • Like
  • Wow
  • Love
Reactions: Student of Life, FredLynn, Ethan.Albano and 5 others
FredLynn said:
Hello,
I purchased a 15” MBA M4, 24gb, 512gb last summer. I used it to work for a few months then retired. Our grandson who lives with us is going to college this fall and we had always thought we would buy him a new MBA as graduation gift. I talked with him about just taking my laptop as it is like new and I honestly rarely use it. I use my iPad most of the time. My husband has an ancient iMac I could use if needed, or I thought of getting just a base neo with the touchpad for me. I could trade it in toHey everyone! Just jumping in here since I've always been deep in the Apple ecosystem. I saw a few mentions of the new MacBook Airs and I get why they’re popular. Personally, I've been using a 14" MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon for a while, and it's been a beast for graphic design projects. I guess it depends on what you need—if you're doing heavy design work, the Pro might be worth it for the extra power.
Click to expand...

I've tried optimizing my workflow with the iPad Pro and Pencil, too. It’s been a game-changer for sketching ideas on the fly. Not 100% sure it fits everyone's needs, but for me, it bridges the gap between doodling and serious design work. Tbh, still figuring out how to make the most of Apple’s Sidecar feature—anyone else finding new uses for that?
FredLynn said:
Apple for 785, but feel would lose a lot of money. I just feel somewhat guilty of giving him “used” when we always talked about new.

Long story but mainly is it worth it for college student to have M5 over M4? Any insight is appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredLynn
With all respect, if you consider it as a specific graduation gift for him I would upgrade to some M5 "looking forward". If you are just generously letting him take your underused very nice M4 this one will do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredLynn
T
Mega ST said:
With all respect, if you consider it as a specific graduation gift for him I would upgrade to some M5 "looking forward". If you are just generously letting him take your underused very nice M4 this one will do.
Click to expand...
Theres something special and selfless about a grandparent who gives away his computer so his grandchild will have a computer for college.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredLynn
He would be better off with the 24/512gb config of your current m4 mac depending on what he needs it for in college. Extra ram is always better, more future proof and it can't be upgraded later. So going to a base M5 would actually be a downgrade for him if he needs it for any type of heavy multi tasking or running multiple apps.

I'm sure he would be very happy with your M4, its still a very fast and capable machine. That's why its not generally recommended to upgrade from an M4 to M5 unless specifically you under spec'd your current M4 and needed the extra ram or storage, but the chip upgrade alone is not worth the extra expense.
 
  • Like
Reactions: roman.stapunov and FredLynn
FredLynn said:
Yes, that is what bothers me. I will probably trade it in for a new one for him. He said he would happily take mine, as we have had some unexpected expenses, and could get him a new one in a year or two.
Click to expand...
If he is understanding of your situation and he'd happily take your M4 MacBook Air, then I would go that route. You could sweeten the offer by throwing in $100 or $200 cash if you still feel bad, though I don't see why that would even be necessary.

If it were me, I'd be more than happy to take over your M4 MBA

FredLynn said:
Our grandson who lives with us
Click to expand...
especially if I've been living with you, I'm guessing, room and board free?

If you do a factory restore, it will be as good as new.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredLynn and brilliantthings
M4 is more than adequate. The one you have has great specs. M5 would be an unnecessary upgrade for very little gain. As a guide, most users wait at least three years before upgrading.

Some people care about "new". I couldn't care less.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredLynn and Wizec
Congratulation on retirement! Stated above erasing all contents and settings and wiping down with a microfiber would allow him to be greeted with a shiny, like-new device and a 'Hello' screen. If you still have the box he'd get an unboxing experience sans the tear strips. Transfer what's important or an entire back-up for your future MacBook should you decide on another down the road.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredLynn and Ethan.Albano
sw1tcher said:
If he is understanding of your situation and he'd happily take your M4 MacBook Air, then I would go that route. You could sweeten the offer by throwing in $100 or $200 cash if you still feel bad, though I don't see why that would even be necessary.

If it were me, I'd be more than happy to take over your M4 MBA


especially if I've been living with you, I'm guessing, room and board free?

If you do a factory restore, it will be as good as new.
Click to expand...
We are also his guardians and have raised him most of his life. He said he’d be happy with my MacBook and would maybe just take some new AirPods.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 960design, Alameda, richmlow and 2 others
kate_58 said:
I've tried optimizing my workflow with the iPad Pro and Pencil, too. It’s been a game-changer for sketching ideas on the fly. Not 100% sure it fits everyone's needs, but for me, it bridges the gap between doodling and serious design work. Tbh, still figuring out how to make the most of Apple’s Sidecar feature—anyone else finding new uses for that?
Click to expand...
We gave him a new iPad Air and pencil at Christmas. We thought would be easier for notes in class, and then the MacBook for reports, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 960design and richmlow
FredLynn said:
We gave him a new iPad Air and pencil at Christmas. We thought would be easier for notes in class, and then the MacBook for reports, etc.
Click to expand...
Well it sounds like he's been well taken care of and very understanding of the situation, so don't let guilt guide you to an unwise purchase decisions and further hurt yourself financially when there is a perfectly viable option sitting right in front of you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 960design, brilliantthings, Alameda and 1 other person
FredLynn said:
Hello,
I purchased a 15” MBA M4, 24gb, 512gb last summer. I used it to work for a few months then retired. Our grandson who lives with us is going to college this fall and we had always thought we would buy him a new MBA as graduation gift. I talked with him about just taking my laptop as it is like new and I honestly rarely use it. I use my iPad most of the time. My husband has an ancient iMac I could use if needed, or I thought of getting just a base neo with the touchpad for me. I could trade it in to Apple for 785, but feel would lose a lot of money. I just feel somewhat guilty of giving him “used” when we always talked about new.

Long story but mainly is it worth it for college student to have M5 over M4? Any insight is appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
Our child inherited our 2017 Air, 2nd year into engineering program and is doing just fine. No need for brand new if it was not promised. Children's (1) appreciation of well-meant gifts and (2) ability to function/succeed without the newest and bestest are 2 other considerations. Oh (3) understanding & sympathizing (selflessly) regarding YOUR budget-considerations. Lotta wins here with providing them a used but fully working computer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredLynn
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back