Is M1 MBA better than MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017) ?

[rawdawg]

On a whim I looked up specs through MacTracker and it appears the MBA is double the performance than my MBP in it's "Primate Labs Geekbench" performance test (7283 vs 3494).

My only need for speed is using DaVinci Resolve. I will run any OS but am currently at 10.14.

I would like to run at least one external monitor and often have many HDDs going at once (which could be done through a Hub), I use a USB-C 2TB SSD for speed critical work.

Is it time to move over to M1 before Intel MBPs loose their value? Comparing the M1 MBA to the 13" M1 MBP I don't even see a reason to go with the MBP unless you need slightly better battery life? If they kill the Intel MBP I don't see a reason for a MBP at all!? Maybe just a bigger screen MBA?

 

[sevoneone]

Yes, the M1 is an absolute incredible leap in performance. Especially in something like video where Apple does a ton of optimization. Blackmagic has really embraced a lot of Apple’s tech lately and Resolve 17.1 will run native on the M1.

An M1 Mac Mini with 16GB of ram is noticeably faster/smoother than my 2018 15” MBP under load (and that is even when using non-native applications under Rosetta 2). M1 appears to be on par with the top 10th gen mobile chips from intel while using a fraction of the power. It’s incredible.

Here is what to keep in mind though... The M1 is the consumer chip, the bottom floor in terms of performance and features, designed to use as little power and create as little heat as possible. It’s the perfect chip for the Air and entry level MacBook Pro. Whatever comes to replace the high-end 13” and 16” will be designed with a lot more overhead for power and heat, which is going to mean more cpu and gpu cores along with some things I’m sure we have not even thought of yet.

If you are really anxious to get at an M1 system, I’d get a Mac Mini to hold you over until the next batch of Apple Silicon Macs are announced, then sell both your MBP and the Mini to upgrade to one of the new pro level notebooks.

 

[rawdawg]

Yes, the M1 is an absolute incredible leap in performance. Especially in something like video where Apple does a ton of optimization. Blackmagic has really embraced a lot of Apple’s tech lately and Resolve 17.1 will run native on the M1.

An M1 Mac Mini with 16GB of ram is noticeably faster/smoother than my 2018 15” MBP under load (and that is even when using non-native applications under Rosetta 2). M1 appears to be on par with the top 10th gen mobile chips from intel while using a fraction of the power. It’s incredible.

Here is what to keep in mind though... The M1 is the consumer chip, the bottom floor in terms of performance and features, designed to use as little power and create as little heat as possible. It’s the perfect chip for the Air and entry level MacBook Pro. Whatever comes to replace the high-end 13” and 16” will be designed with a lot more overhead for power and heat, which is going to mean more cpu and gpu cores along with some things I’m sure we have not even thought of yet.

If you are really anxious to get at an M1 system, I’d get a Mac Mini to hold you over until the next batch of Apple Silicon Macs are announced, then sell both your MBP and the Mini to upgrade to one of the new pro level notebooks.

Thanks! I really appreciate your advice and thoughts. I don't "need" to buy anything right now. Mostly I find myself not taking my MBP on trips because it's a bit too heavy for my bag. I am a DP so I don't edit for a living. But I use Resolve for some of my own work.

I've thought about a Mini, but again, since I don't do post as a profession I may stick to one computer.

 

[DaSal]

On a whim I looked up specs through MacTracker and it appears the MBA is double the performance than my MBP in it's "Primate Labs Geekbench" performance test (7283 vs 3494).

My only need for speed is using DaVinci Resolve. I will run any OS but am currently at 10.14.

I would like to run at least one external monitor and often have many HDDs going at once (which could be done through a Hub), I use a USB-C 2TB SSD for speed critical work.

Is it time to move over to M1 before Intel MBPs loose their value? Comparing the M1 MBA to the 13" M1 MBP I don't even see a reason to go with the MBP unless you need slightly better battery life? If they kill the Intel MBP I don't see a reason for a MBP at all!? Maybe just a bigger screen MBA?

Yes, the MBA outperforms your current laptop dramatically. And yes intel Macs will start losing their value quickly the next year or so.

You might want to consider selling and upgrading.