Is M1 MBA 8/256 enough for me?

[Mariogolf]

Is M1 MBA 8/256 sufficient for me?
I am a lawyer. I want to use it for email, ms teams/google meet, web browsing (many tabs), researching and taking notes (no games, video editing, etc.). I plan to use Microsoft 365 a lot. How does it work on macOS compared to windows?

What makes me want MBA is battery life, no fan and good overall price (I should sell it after 7 years without problems).

 

[g35]

For that usage and keeping 7 years I’d probably get 16 GB.

I’d wonder if it can still handle browsing with lots of tabs by the time you sell it, assuming web pages are a lot heavier 7 years from now.

Personally I got 8 and it’s fine but I don’t make heavy use of tabs

 

[g35]

For that usage and keeping 7 years I’d probably get 16 GB.

I’d wonder if it can still handle browsing with lots of tabs by the time you sell itnassuming web pages are a lot heavier 7 years from now.

256 GB should be enough assuming no video, games, or big apps other than the types mentioned

If you need to store lots of video for your clients I’d upgrade the storage too

 

[micmax]

Definitely 16 GB. Have 3 browsers with about 60-70 tabs open, without editing programs or the like. Got the M1 8C / 16/512 Air. Great performance, including GPU. Made the thermal pad mod. Does not get warm and is silent. Zwift (Virtual cycling) max. Details, approx. 78 ° C maximum after 3 hours.

You just have to get along with OSX. Many write, no problem. I have had Macbooks for many, many years and I am also very familiar with Unix and Linux. I prefer to work productively with Windows desktops, but this is also due to the two monitors that I have available there. I use my Macs only for media stuff, YT, reading, websurfing. All others windows or Linux.

M1 as such is highly recommended.

 

[dingus]

Instead of trying to sell a 7-year-old Mac down the line why not just trade it in after a couple years for a new unit? Apple's trade-in values are very decent and you can pretty much stop worrying about future-proofing your purchase with pricey upgrades.

 

[Mariogolf]

Thanks, I’ll go for 16 GB of RAM as you suggest. Are there any issues with one drive from Microsoft on macOS? Any sync problems or delay?

 

[micmax]

Thanks, I’ll go for 16 GB of RAM as you suggest. Are there any issues with one drive from Microsoft on macOS? Any sync problems or delay?

No, One drive works well.

 

[doolar]

Your usage for work reminds me of mine - with one caveat and that's "many tabs". I usually keep a maximum of ten tabs open in Safari. I have the base 8/256 Air for work and have experienced zero problems. My personal 8/512 Air is fast too, I've even run some games (Civilization VI primarily) on it and experience zero problems.

I think you'll be just fine with 8 Gb, but sure - if you're keeping it for that long you might benefit from 16 Gb ram.

 

[Mariogolf]

Now I use windows laptop with 8 GB of RAM and I don’t see any problems even when I have 50+ tabs opened in opera. I suppose that macOS has better RAM management / doesn’t need so much memory. That’s why I consider base MBA… I’m confused now?

 

[grandM]

Why does a lawyer need Office 365?

 

[xraydoc]

Now I use windows laptop with 8 GB of RAM and I don’t see any problems even when I have 50+ tabs opened in opera. I suppose that macOS has better RAM management / doesn’t need so much memory. That’s why I consider base MBA… I’m confused now?

You can do the same on macOS with 8GB of RAM, too. But you said you wanted to plan to keep the machine for many years. In that case, it would be better to increase the RAM and storage space as future versions of apps and macOS aren't going to use less RAM or less space (same for Windows machines). And since you can't increase RAM or storage after you buy the machine, it makes sense to upgrade at the start.

However, often people may be better served by buying the base model now and replacing it with a new base model every couple years instead of trying to "future proof" by spending twice as much to keep for 2-3x longer.

 

[Mariogolf]

Why does a lawyer need Office 365?

I use what my clients use?

 

[grandM]

I use what my clients use?

As your question goes. We can advise you. We charge 200 USD an hour. Research is charged too. If we must make hard copies they come down to 2 USD a sheet. We can ship it to you for an additional 125 USD. The advice given comes without any liability. We do not promise any result. The fee handles a commitment to doing our best. In return we'll proudly declare you a most respected client.

 

[tis]

It’s good enough, and more. Don’t let other people make you buy more than you need. The base model is a monster. It takes some serious video editing work to start seeing it hiccup a little vs a 16gb model.

 

[LeeW]

If you are going to keep it for many years and there is no reason not to, I still recommend the 16GB, that is where your bottleneck will be if there is one. The 8GB will be good enough for now, maybe not later as you add more apps, do more things and so on.

The CPU will hold up well for years, you can add external storage if you need more but RAM is always where people have regret as seen many times on this forum.

 

[tis]

If you are going to keep it for many years and there is no reason not to, I still recommend the 16GB, that is where your bottleneck will be if there is one. The 8GB will be good enough for now, maybe not later as you add more apps, do more things and so on.

The CPU will hold up well for years, you can add external storage if you need more but RAM is always where people have regret as seen many times on this forum.

People always use this argument, and it never pans out. Every other aspect of the computer will get outdated before the computer will be bottle necked from limited RAM. Save the $200 now, invest it, and upgrade your computer a tad bit sooner. Your screen will be outdated, the keyboard will show wear, and your battery will need changed before the 8gb of RAM slows your computer down. I had 16gb of RAM back in 2011, and still don’t need that much RAM a decade later.

 

[JPack]

Get the 16GB model for best performance.

The system already uses more than 8GB today if you're using Zoom, Teams, Acrobat, and a bunch of open tabs.

 

[Mariogolf]

Look at this. Looks good.

 

[LeeW]

People always use this argument, and it never pans out. Every other aspect of the computer will get outdated before the computer will be bottle necked from limited RAM. Save the $200 now, invest it, and upgrade your computer a tad bit sooner. Your screen will be outdated, the keyboard will show wear, and your battery will need changed before the 8gb of RAM slows your computer down. I had 16gb of RAM back in 2011, and still don’t need that much RAM a decade later.

People also use that argument to stay with 8GB. Just like when M1 came out everyone was making stupid claims like 8GB on M1 is the same as 16GB on Intel which was utter BS. Reviewers were quick to say 8GB was all anyone would need. But once they had a while many were posting "Oh, yeah, actually 8GB may not be enough".

If it's enough for you that's fine. You do you. Let everyone else make an informed decision.

 

[tis]

People also use that argument to stay with 8GB. Just like when M1 came out everyone was making stupid claims like 8GB on M1 is the same as 16GB on Intel which was utter BS. Reviewers were quick to say 8GB was all anyone would need. But once they had a while many were posting "Oh, yeah, actually 8GB may not be enough".

If it's enough for you that's fine. You do you. Let everyone else make an informed decision.

Reviewers base RAM needs based on high level video and picture editing. Something 95% of the public doesn’t do. Don’t forget that the 8gb machines still got the job done, regardless. They didn’t fail at the most extreme tasks, either. The OP is doing things that an 8gb machine will do with ease.

I don’t need to justify an 8gb machine as you seem to imply. I can afford anything Apple manufactures…with ease. I’m just not someone that tells others to waste their money when I know it would be a waste. A consumers money should be spent on only what they need, the leftover invested, and then spent again when their needs change. They shouldn’t waste money now in expectation that maybe 5 years from now they’ll save 10 seconds doing a task with 8gb of extra RAM that’s sitting at idle 99.99% of the time.

 

[Mariogolf]

So I decided I’ll take 8/256 M1 MBA. It will be my first Mac ever so I’ll check if the system is for me.

It should be sufficient for my current needs. Regardless, if this base MBA occurs not enough in the future, I’ll take new one in next 3-5 years.

Thanks for all your comments.

 

[steve217]

So I decided I’ll take 8/256 M1 MBA. It will be my first Mac ever so I’ll check the system is for me.

It should be sufficient for my current needs. Regardless, if this base MBA occurs not enough in the future, I’ll take new one in next 3-5 years.

Thanks for all your comments.

Good choice, OP.

Report back after you get the machine and use it a while.

 

[theunk]

Always find these discussions interesting. I bought an 2018 i3-8gb-128gb Mini a few years ago. I down graded from a mid 2010 imac i7-32gb-1Tb 27” screen. I do not do a lot of heavy lifting, unless editing photos. But, being from the OS/2 world of days gone by, am just to comfortable having a totally cluttered desktop. I learned early in that t(e 128gb main drive was a bad idea. Not enough swap space. I moved my Photosand Music libraries to iCloud, attached a 1 TB SSD and this little box scoots along just fine. I run the Parallels Free Memory tool. Since freeing up 20GB of main drive space, it never shows less than 1.2 - 1.5 GB of free ram.
I have a 2017 iPad pro 10.5” which is ok, but for the past while I have been doing a lot of remote group activity which has me jumping around in multiple google drive accounts, gmail accounts, word docs and regular apple mail etc. I find the ipad just to limiting, or perhaps my ability to adapt is to limiting. I have alway felt much more comfortable in macOS than either of the mobile platforms. Strangely, other than screen size I like IOS over iPadOS.
So I am trying to understand the best bang for buck features of MBA vs MBP.
I think the OP is on the right track. Also, if there is ever a need to dip back into the Windows world, Windows 10 in a Parallel's VM is a pleasant experience. I am not sure if they have it completely fine tuned for the M1 yet, but they will get there.

 

[KindJamz]

I just got my M1 air. It’s my first mac s f so far so good. Watching lots of videos

I went with the 8/256 plenty for my use. Light browsing. Email etc.

Should last me 5-6 years before a upgrade is needed.

 

[theunk]

I twisted and turned on this and ended up ordering a base Pro 14". To level the field, I priced an Air with 16GB and 512GB SSD. With this configuration, the difference was $CAD700.00.
The SOC is significantly more robust, but how do you price that? Same for TB4 ports.
The return of the Magsafe 3 charging port returns quick charge capability and frees the TB4 ports to manage data only.
The Air will require a dock or external hub to access HDMI, SD Cards and earphone. The cost of a good docking station appears to be in the $200.00+ range.
The downside is I will not see it until mid-December.