watchmainspring
macrumors 65816
You can get the new air with 16gb of ram and with the M1 chip it arguably behaves like 32gb. It's insanely fast. Noticeably snappier than the i9 MacBook Pro.
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Is $4K for MacBook Pro 16-inch 2.4GHz i9 64GB 4TB 5600M 8GB too much $ and overkill too?
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DesertNomad
macrumors 6502a
In September I bought a 16" MBP 64GB, 4TB, 5600M and am happy with it. In a few years I might buy a 16" M2 or whatever come out but for now I can run my XDR display and still run Windows under Parallels when I need to.
I moved up from a. 2014 15" MBP.
I moved up from a. 2014 15" MBP.
I had thought of doing the same thing, hence the OP. But, now that I'm hearing so many good things about the new Apple silicon chip, I'm leery about blowing my wad on Intel. Lord knows they have had a great run lol.
watchmainspring
macrumors 65816
Yeah this morning my i9 was very sluggish under load. My m1 air has never shown any signs of fatigue; it's crazy.
Definitely don't pay that for an intel machine now. Intel only has MacOS support for 2 more years, and even then, $4k is a lot.
watchmainspring
macrumors 65816
I remember that powerpc was a solid architecture for many years after the Intel switch.
Bear in mind I'm trying to budget for CT sales tax, AC, and a machine that'll last too 🙂. Base model ought to be good enough, but then I have been known to do some stupid things, like get into shooting view cameras and drum scanning 8x10 chromes lol. I can just see myself getting into RAW video. Would be the end of me for sure! Thanks for the advice.
Wasn't the power PC the old light colored tower, before the more modern colorful blue and clear plastic one with the handle on the top front? It's been forever my memory doesn't recall which was what, but I was always buying into the newest iterations with glee as things progressed. I remember the first iMacs. They were so innovative lol.
watchmainspring
macrumors 65816
Powerpc was the architecture before Intel. The last iteration was the G5. It was solid for it's time. It had many manifestations but the G5 never made it into a mobile computer. G4 did until the end.
Intel is going to have support for much longer than that. Apple is not going to drop support on systems under AC+; in 2021, that's a class action lawsuit waiting to happen. As of right now, AC+ takes systems into 2024. Apple will almost certainly sell refurbished Intel Macs for at least another year or two, which will also be eligible for AC+. That takes us to 2025-2026. Further, if Apple plans to continue selling the Intel Mac Pro, that could take the timeline even further. They aren't dropping macOS support for the current Intel Macs anytime soon, especially given Intel Mac sales will probably continue for several years.
Pilot Jones
macrumors 6502a
I would mirror the sentiments of some other people in this thread as well.
If you're willing to splash that much money on a device, I would hope you intend on keeping it a long while. It would really be prudent to wait for the new Apple Silicon Macs if you can, since this isn't just the case of waiting for a minor update. They're completely overhauling the guts of the machine to the point where it'll make more than a substantial difference, especially for pro users.
It's not really a matter of Intel getting support for the next few years or not. It's just about making sure you have the best, most optimized work experience going forward for the next few years.
If you're willing to splash that much money on a device, I would hope you intend on keeping it a long while. It would really be prudent to wait for the new Apple Silicon Macs if you can, since this isn't just the case of waiting for a minor update. They're completely overhauling the guts of the machine to the point where it'll make more than a substantial difference, especially for pro users.
It's not really a matter of Intel getting support for the next few years or not. It's just about making sure you have the best, most optimized work experience going forward for the next few years.
My 2015 MBP still has AC+ until April. I am going to put up a thread about what I ought to do, e.g.., sell it while it has coverage, as there might be someone savvy out there who would know how to maximize the AC+ benefits before they expire, or try to do that myself and run it into the ground....
"Splash"... lol. It's funny, as it is brutally hard to buy a machine from Apple. They have it figured out so well: just a little more RAM, a little better video card, just a tad more room on the SSD. I have had a lot of the MBPs, from base to pretty loaded. I remember having a 17" (I think). It was heavy, I'm pretty sure the screen alignment would get a little wonky on me. But I was making money in print publishing, had to do most of my own page layout, so that was my go-to for when I wasn't at the ranch. Then my printed mag biz started to wane with the onset of that industry's disruption. I tried to adapt. I had websites since the days when hard coding pages and programs like Hot Dog were around. I can still remember walking into the ISP in my town and paying them for a domain with a check! It was early, but I saw the writing on the wall, and even knowing this, I was never able to make money in "digital". You've got to have a huge audience. I was very vertical and niche, and too small. Anyhow, I then tried to co-brand my websites and print with a YouTube and cable show. I'd send DVDs to local stations in nearby markets, etc. All of that scrubbing of footage, trying to edit in Premiere, the disastrous idiocy of my ineptitude combined with the ever-evolving tech landscape, had me pouring loot into devices of all kinds, especially when it came to kitting out a baby video production set-up.
I always believed the best investment was in yourself, although I am among the least gifted or talented people on earth! I just try and try. I'm getting into old goat territory and as my brain power and skillset's relevance diminishes, I ask myself: do I cut back on the little bit of extra RAM? Should I cheap out on the video card? Will I run out of space on my SSD and continue to be the fool I have always been when it comes to back-up workflow?
"Splash" is a funny word, as you are right: it's a wet hot mess when things go badly, or you see your 1000s in gear depreciating like lightning!
I dished out a ton for my 2011 iMac. I knew video rendering and storage were big so even paid for some help via these forums to replace the Superdrive with another SSD, had them Raid striped 0, etc. The machine was a bear for a long time, and now it sitting in my attic waiting for me to attempt a graphics card swap, as it has become comatose.
I agree about having the best experience, and if that means I must splurge (and I think tax and AC+ is about $700 of that $4K, so is $3300 for the machine that lavish?), I'm thinking time is running out for me why not lol....
Sorry you removed you post, but love that cat shot in your Avatar ;-)
So I sniffed out the Air at Costco and online. Didn't realize it only came in 13". I don't know the stats, the actual real difference between 13 and 15", but any loss of real estate is tough as I use InDesign and other programs with lots of sidebars.... Don't think 13" is gonna do the trick, but maybe I get one as an interim machine, and try to pix my iMac. If the iMac dies, I invest in another of those, although they are huge. I've actually adjusted to smaller 15" screen now. 13" might be a .... stretch ha ha
watchmainspring
macrumors 65816
yeah I am currently using my 16". I would not advise the air for substantial productivity. It's a great little workhorse that would make a great desktop with an external display.
Yeah, the AS only being available in 13” in the big downside currently.
I have a 2018 13” MBP and a 2017 15” MBP and switching between them the 13” can feel kind of cramped. The 15” is much roomier and easier work on IMO. The 13” is of course more portable.
I’ve thought about switching to an AS MBP, but I think I’ll wait for for a larger size AS MBP (15“ or 16”), or finding a nice deal on a current 16” MBP.
Having usb-c ports on only one side is also a bummer as both of my current MBPs have 4 TB3 ports.
I have a 2018 13” MBP and a 2017 15” MBP and switching between them the 13” can feel kind of cramped. The 15” is much roomier and easier work on IMO. The 13” is of course more portable.
I’ve thought about switching to an AS MBP, but I think I’ll wait for for a larger size AS MBP (15“ or 16”), or finding a nice deal on a current 16” MBP.
Having usb-c ports on only one side is also a bummer as both of my current MBPs have 4 TB3 ports.
Not expensive if it makes you money now. Get a new 16 when it comes out if it makes sense. If it makes you more money.