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Flip Flopping between macOS and Windows
- Thread starter LiE_
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Fully back on Mac now 😎
The M5 13 MBA is lovely! It lives under my desk shelf next to my M4 Mini.
I ran some more experiments and I can run my trading setup on one monitor now. Best is 4k native but 3,000 x 2,000 works well too. I can get this at native 4k at 1.25 scale on Windows or on my M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16 with a custom scaling factor.
The reason I wanted two displays is that native resolution of 4k at 14 inches is too small for browsing, email and writing so the idea was a second monitor at a more casual scale. Ideally, I could use virtual desktops if virtual desktops could have per-desktop resolutions but that isn't supported by any operating system that I know of.
So the idea was to back off from full native to find a compromise between usability and detail and 3Kx2K seems to be it. So I'll give this a try for a week, both with the MacBook Pro and the Yoga. I suspect that I'll prefer the Yoga for portability.
While at Costco this morning, I looked again at the Neo and the M5 Air 13 and M5 Air 15. The M5 Air 15 is close to the resolution that I'd like and it's light at 3.3 pounds. I just should stop looking at hardware for a while.
The reason I wanted two displays is that native resolution of 4k at 14 inches is too small for browsing, email and writing so the idea was a second monitor at a more casual scale. Ideally, I could use virtual desktops if virtual desktops could have per-desktop resolutions but that isn't supported by any operating system that I know of.
So the idea was to back off from full native to find a compromise between usability and detail and 3Kx2K seems to be it. So I'll give this a try for a week, both with the MacBook Pro and the Yoga. I suspect that I'll prefer the Yoga for portability.
While at Costco this morning, I looked again at the Neo and the M5 Air 13 and M5 Air 15. The M5 Air 15 is close to the resolution that I'd like and it's light at 3.3 pounds. I just should stop looking at hardware for a while.
eltoslightfoot
macrumors 68040
I really was shocked at how much bigger a 15 inch MBA was over the 13 inch. It's a lot more to deal with.
You really see it in the weights of portable monitors. 14 inch is usually 1 pound. 17.3 inches is usually 2.4 pounds.
1BadManVan
macrumors 68040
The weight of the air 15 doesn't bother me at all, but the size for the way I use it is just too big lol. It is surprising how much bigger it feels to use.
The Air 15 weighs less than the Pro 14. That's why I was looking at it. The objective reality after I changed how I run my software, is that I don't need a new laptop.
But it's a lot of fun looking.
1BadManVan
macrumors 68040
yea I just try not too look too hard or it turns into more than just looking lol.
Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
I have to weigh my current 14 inch laptop. It's heavier than an air but not uncomfortable when travelling. My cameras on the other hand, if I take them all are quite hefty. ha ha.
Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
F/S one Dell 8940, 10700 processor, 128gb of ram 2 tb SSD, 2tb HDD, 2070 super yours for only 3500 dollars american!.
Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
Speaking of Flip Floping. I just went on CPU monkey to compare my current systems to the A18 Pro. The A18 Pro is faster at EVERYTHING. Moving to the Neo for the wife and myself. We will both get 512gb models to get touch ID, and larger storage space for software. I have a USB C mobile dock I will take with me for connectivity. Just be done with it. Cheap, easy and a great built pc.
I will move my Desktop to a mini Pro. I would get the wife a iMac Refurb, however she needs to use it as a monitor for work when she works from home. So I think I will setup a dock for her to use her Neo as her home pc at the desk as well.
I will move my Desktop to a mini Pro. I would get the wife a iMac Refurb, however she needs to use it as a monitor for work when she works from home. So I think I will setup a dock for her to use her Neo as her home pc at the desk as well.
My Yoga 14 is just under three points and I consider it light because it's not that large. I frequently carry it open with one hand. I do this with my MacBook Pro 16 but I can feel the leverage against my fingers. The MacBook Pro 14 is 3.4 or 3.5 pounds.
This is why I was thinking about the Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14 as it weighs 2.2 pounds. There should be five 14 inch Panther Lake laptops coming out this quarter at 2.2 pounds or less. My guess is that a nicely outfitted X1 Carbon will be around $3,500.
One of the things that you give up with ultra-light-weight laptops is battery life.
maflynn
macrumors Broadwell
I think at this point in the world, it will be very expensive to continue flip flopping from Mac to PC.
Are you planning on gaming on either machine?
Gaming is covered now via PS5 Pro. And I agree. Bridges had to be burnt to get back here.
I took out the 2015 MacBook Pro 15 as the resolution is very close to the M5 MacBook Air 15. The Air has a few more vertical pixels because of the notch. I'm installing my trading programs on it now to see how it looks at 2,800 x 1,800. It strikes me that I may be able to just use the 2015 MacBook Pro upgraded to Sequoia via OCLP. I will see what the performance and thermals are like for this use case. If I don't like it, it would at least be a nice preview for the M5 Air 15.
I wish Apple made more SKUs.
Update: my first program is fine and it strangely seems more responsive than my M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16. Text clarity is a little fuzzy on text that is colored (numbers are either red or green depending on gain or loss). Is it usable? Yes. Is it ideal? No. 2015 MacBook Pro has 220 PPI, M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16 is 254 PPI and Lenovo Yoga 14 4k is 324 PPI. So an M5 MacBook Air 15 would not be ideal because of the lower pixel density.
It's pretty amazing how usable this 11-year-old laptop is. The downside is battery life and that it weighs about 5.5 pounds.
So I'm not buying an M5 MacBook Air 15. If they fixed the resolution, then it would be a viable option.
I wish Apple made more SKUs.
Update: my first program is fine and it strangely seems more responsive than my M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16. Text clarity is a little fuzzy on text that is colored (numbers are either red or green depending on gain or loss). Is it usable? Yes. Is it ideal? No. 2015 MacBook Pro has 220 PPI, M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16 is 254 PPI and Lenovo Yoga 14 4k is 324 PPI. So an M5 MacBook Air 15 would not be ideal because of the lower pixel density.
It's pretty amazing how usable this 11-year-old laptop is. The downside is battery life and that it weighs about 5.5 pounds.
So I'm not buying an M5 MacBook Air 15. If they fixed the resolution, then it would be a viable option.
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diamond.g
macrumors G5
maflynn
macrumors Broadwell
Well, then they could make the existing SKUs better.
What's the harm in increasing pixel density of the Air? Particularly when their competition in this space is typically offering 3k in the price range that the MacBook Air 15 sits in. The alternative is making the Pro models thinner and lighter. Some will love that and some won't.
Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
That's the upsell with apple. You want the better display. MBP. You want light, air. You can't have both. Do NOT make the pro thinner, it would ruin thermals, remove all the necessary ports and make it NOT PRO again.
I do want a 14 inch MBP, but the Neo will be the gateway drug. See if I can use macOS full time. If not, I can sell it and not be out a tonne of money. if I like it, I can trade it in on a MBP pro for me and an air for the wife if she wants a little larger display as well.
According to the rumors, they are going thiner and lighter with either m6 or m7. OLED and the other stuff too.
If Apple wants to stick to the current specs, then you have to go with Windows to get what you want.
I am considering changing my Notes to a Windows solution at this point because the better hardware options are in that space. I would really like a native solution to Notes but not a heavyweight solution like OneNote. Apple Notes is perfect for me and I can do it through the browser but I could see using a native Windows program for efficiency.
BSDnostalgia
macrumors 6502
Pardon my ignorance, but, I don't really understand the "Notes" process you are hinting at. I guess I don't really understand the basic requirement here.
Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
I am in the windows space right now. And really, Nothing out there come close to the macbooks for price vs. performance. Plus windows right now is a complete mess. Something close to a macbook pro 14 with less ports (nothing in the 14 inch space in windows even has a sd card reader anymore), is at least 80 % to 100 % more in costs to get similar performance. Apple silicon has the magic sauce for price vs performance now.
THat's why the neo is so tempting for me to try out. The A18 pro is more powerful than my current intel system I have now and it's 999 for the 512gb. A similar Zenbook A14 with 32gb of ram and a 1tb is 1499.99. However, the X elite chip is not as good as the 18 pro chip at doing creative workflows.