For owners of 2020 13" Intel Macbook Pros

[coffeeplease]

Some of us were skeptical about the rollout of ARM macs. Here we are, the new Macs with M1 chips compared to the latest Intel ones blow them out of the water and seem to run smoothly (although we've yet to see if any longer term issues arise). Having purchased the base 10th Gen 13" 2020 MBP with the intention of skipping out on the first generation ARM macs, I'm starting to have second thoughts. It's insane that they're superior in both performance and battery life, and not just by a small amount. Trying to figure out what I should do with this 10th gen MBP now, options being:

1) Sell it now
Recoup as much value as possible now (current resell value looks like $1300). Get a MBA or MBP and deal with whatever first-generation issues arise. Alternatively, get the base Mac Mini for the time being, until higher end MBPs are released.
2) Wait for the higher end 13/14" MBP
I'd love a 4-port model instead of the 2 ports in the current M1 MBA/MBP. The performance is bound to be even better than the new M1 Macs which is even more exciting. Resell value will plummet by this point. Lucky to even get $800?
3) Be loyal to Intel
Stick with this last generation Intel MBP until it becomes too slow to use (3-5 years down the line). A plus would be still being able to bootcamp into Windows to play some games occasionally. At this point, I'd wager very few people would want to purchase an Intel mac. Apple would likely come close to ending supporting for Intel macs around now. Performance of Macs released at this time will be leaps ahead. Resell value would be under $500? $300?

So to those who purchased one of the Intel macs earlier this year, what are you planning to do? Have the new M1 macs made you have second thoughts?

 

[Conutz]

I’d wait to see what’s released next year and keep your current MBP. Next year‘s models will have more ports and probably better performance. As you had already planned, skip the 1st gen., you already have a decent Mac. I’m certainly holding onto my 2018 15” for now.

 

[oreganoinferno]

Second thoughts, yes. When I ordered mine in June, I decided that I'll go with a 16GB / 1TB 10gen machine to make it 'future proof', and because I want to use Windows 10. I did not expect Apple silicone to come in such a wide range and with such a performance gain (never thought about it tbh) . I expected a redesigned lineup, and since I never buy 1st gen products, I decided to buy then and not wait another approx. two years to upgrade (had a terrible 2017 MBP).
Now for the new models, I would have too much of an financial loss selling off the current one, and uncertainty of if & when Windows would become available. So I have fingers crossed for two more Intel macOS updates after Big Sur, and maybe 5 years of security updates... Let's see what happens. There are so many Intel Macs out there, Apple should not render them worthless within 5 years.

 

[coffeeplease]

I’d wait to see what’s released next year and keep your current MBP. Next year‘s models will have more ports and probably better performance. As you had already planned, skip the 1st gen., you already have a decent Mac. I’m certainly holding onto my 2018 15” for now.

I think this is what I'm leaning towards right now. If I sell and get one of the M1 macs now, I'm gonna regret it once the higher end ones are released. Just feels pretty bad that my MBP will devalue so much by then (1 year roughly).

Second thoughts, yes. When I ordered mine in June, I decided that I'll go with a 16GB / 1TB 10gen machine to make it 'future proof', and because I want to use Windows 10. I did not expect Apple silicone to come in such a wide range and with such a performance gain (never thought about it tbh) . I expected a redesigned lineup, and since I never buy 1st gen products, I decided to buy then and not wait another approx. two years to upgrade (had a terrible 2017 MBP).
Now for the new models, I would have too much of an financial loss selling off the current one, and uncertainty of if & when Windows would become available. So I have fingers crossed for two more Intel macOS updates after Big Sur, and maybe 5 years of security updates... Let's see what happens. There are so many Intel Macs out there, Apple should not render them worthless within 5 years.

If Windows does become available on ARM macs, keep in mind that x86 apps run slow under emulation in Windows from what I hear. Or maybe ARM macs are fast enough that it doesn't even matter. A part of me thinks Apple wouldn't drop support for Intel macs that quickly, given the sheer amount of them out there, but another part of me thinks they'd like to get rid of Intel support as soon as they can.

 

[TimManzana]

Sold my base intel MBP for almost as much as I paid for it, ordering an M1 next week.

 

[DanGoh]

I got one this past August. I plan to use it till gen 3 or 4 of the new M1 Macbooks come out. Hopefully by then it'll be a 14". Yeah resell value will plummet but what are you gonna do? I need a reliable machine right now.

 

[Mike Slayer]

I ordered a maxed out (except for storage) 2020 MBP 13" in July. It was my first Apple computer I knew about the new ARM based silicon Mac's coming out and I was and still am very excited to see where it goes. My research on the new ARM based Mac's led me to the conclusion every is seeing now. They are very powerful and efficient which is way the blow intel processors out of the water. I am still very happy with my 2020 13" MBP with the i7 10th gen and 32gb of ram. I don't regret it one bit. I want to keep mine MBP until next year or 2022 and see when the high end 14" MBP comes out. That will be when I buy another MBP. I will probably keep this one so I have a back up. I am still very excited to see what the high end chips from Apple will be able to do. I will gladly spend another $3000 or $4000 on a 14" MBP in a heart beat.

 

[Conutz]

I think this is what I'm leaning towards right now. If I sell and get one of the M1 macs now, I'm gonna regret it once the higher end ones are released. Just feels pretty bad that my MBP will devalue so much by then (1 year roughly).

The devaluation is a worry, but you will likely find that the used Intel price spikes once the last new Intel Mac rolls off the line...

 

[antipodean]

I ordered a maxed out (except for storage) 2020 MBP 13" in July. It was my first Apple computer I knew about the new ARM based silicon Mac's coming out and I was and still am very excited to see where it goes. My research on the new ARM based Mac's led me to the conclusion every is seeing now. They are very powerful and efficient which is way the blow intel processors out of the water. I am still very happy with my 2020 13" MBP with the i7 10th gen and 32gb of ram. I don't regret it one bit. I want to keep mine MBP until next year or 2022 and see when the high end 14" MBP comes out. That will be when I buy another MBP. I will probably keep this one so I have a back up. I am still very excited to see what the high end chips from Apple will be able to do. I will gladly spend another $3000 or $4000 on a 14" MBP in a heart beat.

This is pretty much where I am too. I have the i7/32GB/1TB with eGPU and an M1 mini (16GB/1TB) arriving next week. The intel 13” is a very capable machine and the ability to run Win 10 in VMware fusion is handy.

I don’t plan to sell the 13” MBP anytime soon (probably keep it for the 3-year AppleCare period). I may pick up a 14” or 16” MBP with whatever next gen M chip is released next year. The intel will still be great for VMs.

 

[danf1]

I bought a new 10th Gen 2.0ghz / 16gb / 512gb MBP Pro back in May, and if I’m honest I DO regret it. I’ve been watching vids on the new M1 Macs over the weekend and honestly can’t believe the difference in performance and battery life.

Despite that, my machine is still very capable and does everything I need it to, for now. BUT, I can’t help but look at it and feel disappointed that I bought “old” tech. Yes, I know Apple technically still sells this model for £1,799 today, but who in their right mind would buy it? Unless you need to run Windows, or plug into more than one monitor, which I don’t. Also, only having 2 ports wouldn’t bother me either since I don’t recall ever using more than two at once.

So, I’ve thought about selling it, but I would be looking at losing around £400-£500, which is a lot when I’ve only had this one for 6 months. Plus, would I regret it *again* if a 14” comes out next year?

Having thought about it, I think I’m going to keep it until the redesign comes out, but when that does happen, I dont think I’ll be able to resist buying a new one. I bought my current machine with the intention of keeping it 4 or even 5 years, but realistically that just isn’t going to happen now I’ve seen what the new MacBooks can do. I knew silicon Macs were coming, but I never imagined the leap in performance and battery life would be so massive.

 

[Danny1982]

I bought a new 10th Gen 2.0ghz / 16gb / 512gb MBP Pro back in May, and if I’m honest I DO regret it. I’ve been watching vids on the new M1 Macs over the weekend and honestly can’t believe the difference in performance and battery life.

Despite that, my machine is still very capable and does everything I need it to, for now. BUT, I can’t help but look at it and feel disappointed that I bought “old” tech. Yes, I know Apple technically still sells this model for £1,799 today, but who in their right mind would buy it? Unless you need to run Windows, or plug into more than one monitor, which I don’t. Also, only having 2 ports wouldn’t bother me either since I don’t recall ever using more than two at once.

So, I’ve thought about selling it, but I would be looking at losing around £400-£500, which is a lot when I’ve only had this one for 6 months. Plus, would I regret it *again* if a 14” comes out next year?

Having thought about it, I think I’m going to keep it until the redesign comes out, but when that does happen, I dont think I’ll be able to resist buying a new one. I bought my current machine with the intention of keeping it 4 or even 5 years, but realistically that just isn’t going to happen now I’ve seen what the new MacBooks can do. I knew silicon Macs were coming, but I never imagined the leap in performance and battery life would be so massive.

Why do you say that you buy old tech? M1 does not make your pc hold. Moreover, why you cannot resist 4 or 5 years? What you do that M1 can do better than yours Mac? N.B: writing from 10th Gen 16Gb 512 Gb like you

 

[danf1]

A few reasons really. There are two things I don’t like about my machine. Firstly, it runs quite warm, even with just a few tabs and programs open. Admittedly, that’s not too much of an issue. Secondly, the battery life is fairly poor. I usually find myself needing to plug it in towards the end of the day. When life was “normal,” I traveled around quite a lot, worked from coffee shops, coworking spaces, etc. The newer machines fix both of those issues.

Also, the advancement is just so big and is only going to get greater. If I’d bought a Mac and the next gen model was 10% faster with similar battery life (as has been the case for don’t know how many years), I wouldn’t be in the least bit bothered that I have the older model. But the inescapable fact is that Apple Silicon is a game changer (don’t like that phrase, but in this case it’s true) and will revolutionise Macs over the coming years. I want to be part of that and find it hugely exciting. I don’t want to be stuck on inefficient Intel tech. The new entry level MBP and Air are already matching (and in some case exceeding) what’s possible with a high-end model. It’s phenomenal and great to see the Mac in such a great place after low years following the butterfly keyboard fiasco, etc. I only wish they released the chips in May. ?

 

[ilikewhey]

Why do you say that you buy old tech? M1 does not make your pc hold. Moreover, why you cannot resist 4 or 5 years? What you do that M1 can do better than yours Mac? N.B: writing from 10th Gen 16Gb 512 Gb like you

20 hours of battery life. fans constantly on

 

[Danny1982]

20 hours of battery life. fans constantly on

Ok, I think the same, but related to other tasks I think that ours MBP can do everything for about the next 4/5 years!

 

[Danny1982]

A few reasons really. There are two things I don’t like about my machine. Firstly, it runs quite warm, even with just a few tabs and programs open. Admittedly, that’s not too much of an issue. Secondly, the battery life is fairly poor. I usually find myself needing to plug it in towards the end of the day. When life was “normal,” I traveled around quite a lot, worked from coffee shops, coworking spaces, etc. The newer machines fix both of those issues.

Also, the advancement is just so big and is only going to get greater. If I’d bought a Mac and the next gen model was 10% faster with similar battery life (as has been the case for don’t know how many years), I wouldn’t be in the least bit bothered that I have the older model. But the inescapable fact is that Apple Silicon is a game changer (don’t like that phrase, but in this case it’s true) and will revolutionise Macs over the coming years. I want to be part of that and find it hugely exciting. I don’t want to be stuck on inefficient Intel tech. The new entry level MBP and Air are already matching (and in some case exceeding) what’s possible with a high-end model. It’s phenomenal and great to see the Mac in such a great place after low years following the butterfly keyboard fiasco, etc. I only wish they released the chips in May. ?

Yes of course every years the technology make progress in every field. I think that we all will be part of this new technology step. It is inevitable ?

 

[danf1]

Ok, I think the same, but related to other tasks I think that ours MBP can do everything for about the next 4/5 years!

Yes of course every years the technology make progress in every field. I think that we all will be part of this new technology step. It is inevitable ?

Agreed, but I don’t want to be waiting 4/5 years to take advantage of this new tech. If I’m honest, I want it today, but I can’t justify buying a machine so soon - and one that looks identical to the one I have. But when that redesign happens, I’ll probably be making the switch. Such are the efficiencies of the new chips that they are going to eventually makes these machines even lighter/more portable while maintaining the same power and battery life. In 3 years our mid 2020 models are going to feel incredibly dated.

 

[Danny1982]

Agreed, but I don’t want to be waiting 4/5 years to take advantage of this new tech. If I’m honest, I want it today, but I can’t justify buying a machine so soon - and one that looks identical to the one I have. But when that redesign happens, I’ll probably be making the switch. Such are the efficiencies of the new chips that they are going to eventually makes these machines even lighter/more portable while maintaining the same power and battery life. In 3 years our mid 2020 models are going to feel incredibly dated.

Yes probably, but I fell the same passing from 2015 MBP 13" to 2020 MBP 13" this year

 

[christcc2]

I'm keeping mine. I'm a pro apps user, and I made an investment in an eGPU so that I can take advantage of using dedicated graphics cards for additional computational horsepower. The M1 is a fantasic intergrated GPU, but it still doesn't come close to the computational assistance from AMD's higher end (and even mid-range) graphics cards. So until eGPU support is brought back (and according to Appleinsider, the M1 Macs can see that an eGPU enclosure is there, and see the graphics card, but not activate it), I'm on Intel for now.

 

[jido]

So until eGPU support is brought back (and according to Appleinsider, the M1 Macs can see that an eGPU enclosure is there, and see the graphics card, but not activate it), I'm on Intel for now.

It does not activate the eGPU because the system does not have ARM-compiled drivers for any AMD graphics card.

 

[Broko Fankone]

100% wait for something beyond a first generation entry-level MBP. Realize this first gen of M1 is an open beta test. It's not worth paying for that. Give it some time to mature. Enjoy your 2020 MBP - it's the last and best intel macbook pro you'll have. Once they come out with new design and high-end specced M1 units, sell this and get the good stuff.

 

[christcc2]

It does not activate the eGPU because the system does not have ARM-compiled drivers for any AMD graphics card.

Right. So the question is if/when Apple will release those drivers in a future update of Big Sur.

 

[Danny1982]

100% wait for something beyond a first generation entry-level MBP. Realize this first gen of M1 is an open beta test. It's not worth paying for that. Give it some time to mature. Enjoy your 2020 MBP - it's the last and best intel macbook pro you'll have. Once they come out with new design and high-end specced M1 units, sell this and get the good stuff.

I'm agree... maybe next year will came with a new 13" (or maybe 14") design? Don't know but, of course, since my laptop go like a charm I'll continue with it!

 

[nburwell]

I'm definitely waiting. I got my 2020 Intel MBP at a pretty good price and, most importantly, it does what it needs to and then some -- especially when it comes to image processing. Although I was very tempted to upgrade to the M1 MBP, I ultimately decided to wait and upgrade in a few years.

 

[paulbrian101]

Im one of those people who bought the base early MBP 2020. I was concerned about being a beta tester for M1, but the benchmarks proved me wrong. Apps seems to work fine based on YT videos. Still thinking if Im gonna sell or not, but I feel the price for performance ratio for the M1 is great

 

[Steve686]

Get it now.

I just sold my 16" $3500 beast and got the M1 MBP with 8gb ram and 512gb ssd.

It has done nothing but impress the hell out of me.

Running my external monitor the M1 doesn't even get warm. My 16" would get nice and toasty when the monitor was in use, and would stay warm even when the laptop went to sleep. The temperature while reading the forums here and typing this is 80ºF on the area above the TouchBar. My wall right behind the MBP is 69ºF. So the computer warms to 10ºF above room temp pushing a 4k 32" ViewSonic monitor.