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16” MacBook Pro 24/2 buy now or wait?

musicmachine

musicmachine

macrumors member
Original poster
Buy now or wait until back to school promotion for free AirPods? Worried price is going to go up. $179 off app3 is what I was initially waiting on plus education discount. But since Microsoft and Samsung just raised prices I’m thinking about going ahead now just in case Apple does the same.
 
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Considering the $280 increase in the 1TB S11 Ultra, while the 512GB model only saw an $80 hike, it might be an ideal time to make a purchase. However, if Apple only raises the price by $100, it might be prudent to wait. It seems that the higher-tier storage options are experiencing substantial price increases, and the 2TB option would be particularly hard hit if they do. Since I already own the app2, I don’t think it’s worth the risk just to get the app3. I could get by with the 1TB, but I’m trying to future-proof myself for the next 5-7 years with the 2TB. I guess I’m seeking some validation. Talk me into it or out of it.
 
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musicmachine said:
I could get by with the 1TB, but I’m trying to future-proof myself for the next 5-7 years with the 2TB. I guess I’m seeking some validation. Talk me into it or out of it.
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That’s pretty much where I am. I’m about to pull the trigger on a 16-inch MacBook Pro. I could go for a standard build with 18-core M5 Pro chip, 48 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. I’m sure I could get by with that. But, like you, I’m now thinking in terms of 5-7 years before replacement rather than 3-5 years. So, for $600 more, I can buy the same MBP with 64 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage. On a purchase that already passes the $3000 mark, that’s not that much more money. But, on the other hand, it’s always just a few hundred dollars more with Apple, isn’t it? 😉

EDIT: I went to the Apple store today. It turns out the 64GB/2TB build that I was thinking about would take at least a month to get. I had a long, friendly conversation with three employees about whether it was worth waiting for the device. All three, who seemed to know what they were talking about and understand what I was seeking, thought I would be overpaying for specs I’m am not likely to use. They all see the 48GB/1TB build as a 7-year-plus machine. So that’s the one I walked out of the store with. BTW, I have a Mac Studio with a 1 TB SSD. It has more than 10-thousand photos on it - and another 10-thousand songs… plus documents. I haven’t even written over 256 GB on the SSD yet. It was time to stop imagining I need much more than I really do. Hope this helps with the OP’s decision.
 
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One downside of investing in a long-term machine is that the itch to upgrade does not go away .... 😉

PS I've finally persuaded myself that I don't need, & therefore should not want, a 16in M5 MacBook Pro, as my current 'future-proof' 16in M1Max 32GB 1TB, which I bought in October 2021, is still more than sufficient, although with occasional frustration on storage and 82% battery health (after > 1,000 cycles). A new battery and I think I'll manage to put balm on the itch but know it will return at the next launch.
 
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StrollerEd said:
One downside of investing in a long-term machine is that the itch to upgrade does not go away .... 😉

PS I've finally persuaded myself that I don't need, & therefore should not want, a 16in M5 MacBook Pro, as my current 'future-proof' 16in M1Max 32GB 1TB, which I bought in October 2021, is still more than sufficient, although with occasional frustration on storage and 82% battery health (after > 1,000 cycles). A new battery and I think I'll manage to put balm on the itch but know it will return at the next launch.
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I gave into the itch when battery on the M1 fell below 80% & the rumours about impending DRAM shortages & Apple price rises increased.

Upshot, to keep this short, is I now have an M5Pro with 48MB & 1TB bought ‘nearly new’ at a good price & with AppleCare+ It also came with a bonus: 148W charger & cable 🙂

The M1Max MBP with 32GB RAM (& now with new battery) goes to a relative in exchange for the previously cascaded mid-2015 MBP which I will use for older (but valued) Intel-based software.

Happiness shared
 
StrollerEd said:
One downside of investing in a long-term machine is that the itch to upgrade does not go away .... 😉

PS I've finally persuaded myself that I don't need, & therefore should not want, a 16in M5 MacBook Pro, as my current 'future-proof' 16in M1Max 32GB 1TB, which I bought in October 2021, is still more than sufficient, although with occasional frustration on storage and 82% battery health (after > 1,000 cycles). A new battery and I think I'll manage to put balm on the itch but know it will return at the next launch.
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I've just noticed that @rb2112 has just liked this post I made back in May ....

I have a confession: I gave way to the itch and bought a 16in M5Pro 48GB MacBook Pro, telling myself that such a but was wise given prospect of rising prices (esp RAM) and that I could cascade my forever 16 M1Max 32GB to a close relative making us both happy 😉

And yes, I did invest in a new battery when it did fall below 80% but that is part of the gift - don't tell HMRC as then it should pass under the radar of Inheritance Tax 😉
 
Bought a 16" M3 Max a couple years back with the same 5-year mindset, and it's held up better than I expected. The thing I underestimated was how much thermal headroom the 16" chassis actually buys you — I do long ProRes exports off battery and it barely warms up.

The 2TB vs 1TB call is the one that outlives any single chip generation. Going 2TB removes a whole class of scratch/cache friction you feel every week. If you're set on the 16", I'd take the storage bump over more RAM in most scenarios.
 
benholt said:
Bought a 16" M3 Max a couple years back with the same 5-year mindset, and it's held up better than I expected. The thing I underestimated was how much thermal headroom the 16" chassis actually buys you — I do long ProRes exports off battery and it barely warms up.

The 2TB vs 1TB call is the one that outlives any single chip generation. Going 2TB removes a whole class of scratch/cache friction you feel every week. If you're set on the 16", I'd take the storage bump over more RAM in most scenarios.
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I failed to heed that 2TB advice ... occasional regret prompts review of backup strategy which includes an offline shelf
 
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StrollerEd said:
I've just noticed that @rb2112 has just liked this post I made back in May ....

I have a confession: I gave way to the itch and bought a 16in M5Pro 48GB MacBook Pro
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well, I'm not going to take back my like 🙂 .... I do understand, it is tempting given the current unusual market to buy M5 before prices go even higher. My family is in a debt reduction phase, so every time I think of how much thousands of dollars would set me back I close all my Apple refurb store / OWC refurb / Ipowerresale windows where I am checking out the prices of the M5s. I also remind myself, if the current machine still can do everything....no need to upgrade.

Enjoy your new rig! btw, given your previous M1 battery cycle count, best practices to keep it on charger when possible to minimize cycles.
 
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rb2112 said:
well, I'm not going to take back my like 🙂 .... I do understand, it is tempting given the current unusual market to buy M5 before prices go even higher. My family is in a debt reduction phase, so every time I think of how much thousands of dollars would set me back I close all my Apple refurb store / OWC refurb / Ipowerresale windows where I am checking out the prices of the M5s. I also remind myself, if the current machine still can do everything....no need to upgrade.

Enjoy your new rig! btw, given your previous M1 battery cycle count, best practices to keep it on charger when possible to minimize cycles.
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Thank you for your understanding ... 😉

As for battery, I opted for a replacement battery prior to cascading the M1 MBPro to daughter - in exchange for the 15in (mid-2015) MBPro I bought new in 2017 and had previously cascaded to her after buying my 16in M1Pro back in 2021. I will be using that older MBPro to run older Intel-based software.

I am confident that my daughter will continue to enjoy the M1 MBPro for several years to come, as you will be able to do. And in a year or so, the prices of those M5 models should come down 🙂

The M5 I bought was a 'return' but still boxed and sealed. Not sure what the story was but I'm supposing someone either 'needed' an even better spec or could not pay ...
 
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benholt said:
Bought a 16" M3 Max a couple years back with the same 5-year mindset, and it's held up better than I expected. The thing I underestimated was how much thermal headroom the 16" chassis actually buys you — I do long ProRes exports off battery and it barely warms up.

The 2TB vs 1TB call is the one that outlives any single chip generation. Going 2TB removes a whole class of scratch/cache friction you feel every week. If you're set on the 16", I'd take the storage bump over more RAM in most scenarios.
Click to expand...
If I buy a Max chip again, it will be in a 16inch chassis. My 14in is always a jet engine whenever I do something heavy on it
 
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I bought an M4 Max MBP completely maxed out aside from the storage, which I left at 1TB; at the time, I was thinking that it would likely be cheaper to have, say, dosdude1 upgrade the storage to 8TB should I ever feel the desire, and it would be cheaper.

I haven't regretted it, especially since I bought it for school, got a $500 discount on it through the Education store, and a month later, prices rose for my config by about that same $500 or so.
 
RetroDan said:
I bought an M4 Max MBP completely maxed out aside from the storage, which I left at 1TB; at the time, I was thinking that it would likely be cheaper to have, say, dosdude1 upgrade the storage to 8TB should I ever feel the desire, and it would be cheaper.

I haven't regretted it, especially since I bought it for school, got a $500 discount on it through the Education store, and a month later, prices rose for my config by about that same $500 or so.
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Mine is 512GB because it was always enough on the laptops I got at work so I had the same thought as you. It's always at <100GB free and I am thinking that 1TB is the bare minimum nowadays with how much crap we keep on our computers
 
rb2112 said:
I do understand, it is tempting given the current unusual market to buy M5 before prices go even higher.
Click to expand...

I just did that with my Apple Watch. Since the original Ultra is not supported by Watch OS 27, I decided to go ahead and trade it in now. While a new Ultra could come out by the end of the year, I did not want to risk the price increasing while the trade-in value for my current watch decreased.
 
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