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Buy m2 pro MBP 14 now or wait for M3?
- Thread starter kofman13
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The advice you will get is always the same: If you need a new computer, then buy what is available now. If you don't need a new computer, then don't buy one.
Upgrade only when you can identify a specific problem you have that is solved by upgrading.
Waiting for the "nest big thing" is never productive because as soon as the M3 s released there will soon be an "Me-Pro" and then you can figure the M4 can't be too far away. So wait for the M5. Buying just so that you have bragging rights to the best Mac is a never-ending game. But only if the new Mac solves a real problem.
I am literally thinking of making this purchase today. Funny you posted this. Best Buy has the 14" M2 Pro on sale for Plus members (which I am) for $1750, plus they will give me $500 for my 13" M1 MacBook Pro that I have had for 2 years and paid around $1,000 on a Best Buy sale tax free
. Out the door for me, the M2 Pro comes out to $1350~ so really thinking about heading to the store in the next couple hours.That's a steal, I'd definitely jump on it for that price.I am literally thinking of making this purchase today. Funny you posted this. Best Buy has the 14" M2 Pro on sale for Plus members (which I am) for $1750, plus they will give me $500 for my 13" M1 MacBook Pro that I have had for 2 years and paid around $1,000 on a Best Buy sale tax free
It's a very nice laptop, mine actually feels noticeably faster than the 13" base M1 in most day to day tasks.
There is literally nothing that an M3Pro will be able to do that an M2Pro cannot already do. The M3Pro might have better efficiency and perhaps a 20-30% max speed boost (if what you're doing is CPU limited), but I doubt it will make a meaningful difference for most general computing tasks. Plus - if M3Pro doesn't come out this year, then you will be waiting for nothing.
I have an M1Pro from a couple of years ago and this thing still screams. There's literally nothing that I do with which makes me wish for a faster computer. I don't think I will be tempted by M3Pro either, because there is so much overhead still available that I don't know what I would do with it. If you're coming from Intel prepare to have your mind warped - these machines are excellent.
I have an M1Pro from a couple of years ago and this thing still screams. There's literally nothing that I do with which makes me wish for a faster computer. I don't think I will be tempted by M3Pro either, because there is so much overhead still available that I don't know what I would do with it. If you're coming from Intel prepare to have your mind warped - these machines are excellent.
I would wait. The pro will come with a 3mm chip which is expected to have 25%-50% performace increase
The m3 pro is expected to have 3mm which is a huge upgrade from the m2 pro. It will be a LOT faster
I'm not saying it won't be faster, but there's enough of a performance overhead for it not to make a difference to daily computing. Apple silicon has made it so that an M2Pro is only better than an M2 when doing things like video rendering or other intensive tasks.
For example, my base spec. 8GB M2 Air is absolutely just as fast as my M1Pro (16GB/1TB) for almost everything I do. Even video editing and Logic Pro. The only difference is with export times where the Pro is faster, but not noticeably so.
Point is that yes, M3Pro will be faster. Even a lot faster as you say. But will it make a difference in use? Probably not unless you're running benchmarks all the time. OP is wondering if they should wait for M3Pro. Personally, I would say no. No-one outside of Apple knows if it will even be released this year. In the meantime they are missing out of 'months' of quality time with a discounted M2Pro.
In that case it would be better for him to get an M1 14 inch macbook pro.
That's up to OP. An M1Pro is pretty much more computer than almost anyone needs right now. It's what I would do...
The only reason i don’t recommend a macbook air is because OP probaly wants the bigger and better screen. Otherwise m2 is on pair with m1 pro for cheaper even in the best available configuration (better gpu and cpu 24gb ram 2tb ssd and 24gb ram
for music production you can buy the M2 pro and you will be fine
M3 should be more relevant for video production, editing and so on...but thats just speculation
Well im getting the closest option to the macbook pro. If OP wants he can get the 15 inchYou sure not a MBA 15?
Thanks for all the advice!
My main workstation for professional audio production is a M1 Max Studio 32GB.
I want something capable that fills an occasional portable/mobile production need. My current mac laptop is a base model 2019 i5 macbook pro 13 inch 256/8gb which is "usable" but so much worse than my Max Studio that everytime i go to it its so painful on big projects. Even the loud fan at all times is already annoying aside from the speed. I spend majority of the time on my mac studio so i dont need a beefy desktop replacement Mac laptop. which is why im eyeing the base model 14 inch M2 pro. I would spring maybe even for the M2 air because its cheaper and the slim form factor is tempting. but i went to the store to test the speakers in the m1 air, m2 air, and both were really bad compared to 13/14/16 inch Pros with open speaker grilles. And when i do produce or work on a laptop i often am not using headphones so the speakers matter.
On a side note, part of my wariness of buying it now was that the "m3 would come soon". i looked at all the dates of macbook releases, averaged out the days between each one and i calculated that M3 for macbook air and regular 13 inch pro would probably be announced october 10th. and M3 Pro for 14/16 inch would be projected for at LEAST late april. I was originally thinking new 14/16 with M3 Pro in october which is why i was hesitating but i forgot M3 Pro comes later long after base M3.
I might get the M2 pro soon! i can also benefit from education back to school deal as well since i work in a school
My main workstation for professional audio production is a M1 Max Studio 32GB.
I want something capable that fills an occasional portable/mobile production need. My current mac laptop is a base model 2019 i5 macbook pro 13 inch 256/8gb which is "usable" but so much worse than my Max Studio that everytime i go to it its so painful on big projects. Even the loud fan at all times is already annoying aside from the speed. I spend majority of the time on my mac studio so i dont need a beefy desktop replacement Mac laptop. which is why im eyeing the base model 14 inch M2 pro. I would spring maybe even for the M2 air because its cheaper and the slim form factor is tempting. but i went to the store to test the speakers in the m1 air, m2 air, and both were really bad compared to 13/14/16 inch Pros with open speaker grilles. And when i do produce or work on a laptop i often am not using headphones so the speakers matter.
On a side note, part of my wariness of buying it now was that the "m3 would come soon". i looked at all the dates of macbook releases, averaged out the days between each one and i calculated that M3 for macbook air and regular 13 inch pro would probably be announced october 10th. and M3 Pro for 14/16 inch would be projected for at LEAST late april. I was originally thinking new 14/16 with M3 Pro in october which is why i was hesitating but i forgot M3 Pro comes later long after base M3.
I might get the M2 pro soon! i can also benefit from education back to school deal as well since i work in a school
I know many like to give that advice but, TBH, I've always found that too pat by half, since it reduces this to a binary choice: Either you need it (so buy it) or you don't (so don't). Life isn't usually like that. Sure, we sometimes buy due to clear need ("my refrigerator broke and can't be repaired"), but most typically upgrading is a matter of balancing convenience and cost: I don't "require" a new computer, but something faster would be a nice.
Take my situation. I've got an 2019 i9 iMac with 128 GB RAM. It works well, but I would certainly like something faster; I tire of the frequent spinning beachballs, but I can still get my work done fine in spite of them. Plus it would be nice if my Mathematica calculations competed more quickly, especially the ones that now take a few minutes when I'm trying to use the machine interactively. I'll probably upgrade when I decide the new Macs offer enough added speed to balance the cost. Thus, at the time I do that upgrade, it won't be because I "need" a new computer, it will be because I've decided the added benefit is sufficient to justify the price.
And, as you can infer from what I just wrote, I disagree with the idea that "Waiting for the 'next big thing is never productive". I do exactly that: Wait for the next big thing until the next big thing is big enough, at which point I buy it.
Yes but not all updates are as major. For example waiting for apple silicon was much more worth it than waiting for M2 from to M1. And M4 will likely be similar to M3 so not worth waiting for as much.
The base M3 will be the first to launch, so the M2 Pro/Max models will still be current product. M2 Pro and Max didn't launch until January of this year, so they still have another 6-12 months before they get updated based on the M1 and M2 product cycles.