Is there any reason to still buy an Intel Mac? Is there any price at which it makes sense?

[Mity]

The only two reasons I can come up with are if you need to run Bootcamp and software engineering.

I was able to pick up the discontinued 2020 10th Intel Core i5 13" 16GB 512GB model for $1000 brand new. I will only be using it for entertainment / streaming videos at night. I'm currently using a Windows machine and the fan is audible even without watching any videos. I'm wondering if I should wait for the 2022 Macbook Air or start using the 13". I still have it boxed so I can return it / sell it online.

 

[fa8362]

If it's cold and you don't have any heat, the Intels make sense.

 

[prism]

I would say $0 is a fair price ?

 

[GrumpyCoder]

Running VMs for x86, using software with instructions that Rosetta 2 can't emulate and eGPU support. Guess that's it.

 

[iObama]

The difference in day-to-day feel and thermals between Intel and Apple Silicon is night and day for me, to the point where I'd take 8GB and 256GB at the same price point.

 

[Flabasha]

If you game in Windows.

And if a notch breaks your brain.

 

[Dovahkiing]

If you game in Windows.

And if a notch breaks your brain.

I'm not sure about the benchmarks, but I would not be surprised if M1P can virtualize Windows, run a game, and still beat an Intel MBP.

 

[TopToffee]

Is there any price at which it makes sense?

Well I sold my Late 2016 15” 2.7/16/512 to someone last week for £950.

Made sense to me.

 

[smirking]

Is there any price at which it makes sense?

Well I sold my Late 2016 15” 2.7/16/512 to someone last week for £950.

Made sense to me.

Holy crap. I feel bad for the buyer.

The only two reasons I can come up with are if you need to run Bootcamp and software engineering.

Well, they're still perfectly good computers that run MacOS.

Oddly enough, the Intel MBA isn't fading nearly as fast as the Intel MBP and the Intel MBA has had more time to bite the dust. The official trade in quote for a 256GB 2018 Intel MBA is $420 whereas the trade in value for my 2018 32GB 2TB Vega 20 15" MBP is $950.

 

[TopToffee]

Holy crap. I feel bad for the buyer.

Me too a bit to be honest, but it was an open eBay auction, what was I gonna do?

 

[smirking]

Me too a bit to be honest, but it was an open eBay auction, what was I gonna do?

I had a 2016 MBP myself and I also sold it for a lot more money than I expected to, but it was a couple of years ago.

I got almost $2000 for it and did it when eBay had a promotion on high dollar items so I netted almost $1900.

I'm actually considering taking the Apple trade-in for my 2018 this time around at only $950. I'll be lucky to get $1250 this time around.

If I were around physically for that 2016 you just sold, I'd be like "Hey come over here! I'll give you a 2018 for that same £950!"

 

[TopToffee]

I had a 2016 MBP myself and I also sold it for a lot more money than I expected to, but it was a couple of years ago.

I got almost $2000 for it and did it when eBay had a promotion on high dollar items so I netted almost $1900.

I'm actually considering taking the Apple trade-in for my 2018 this time around at only $950. I'll be lucky to get $1250 this time around.

If I were around physically for that 2016 you just sold, I'd be like "Hey come over here! I'll give you a 2018 for that same £950!"

Well then I'm quite glad you weren't!

I had an offer for £1 final value fee too, which was nice

 

[FaceChart2]

I am going to try to offload my 2018 Intel Mac mini on Ebay soon. It is the i7, 64GB, 10gbit ethernet, 1TB version. We will see how valuable people feel it is....

 

[Dovahkiing]

Good luck folks.

I bit the bullet and I think I'll accept Apples trade in offer for my base model 2019 16" ($1210). Looking on eBay, there are some of these for sale at ~$1350. After eBay fees, Apples offer isn't so bad.

I think the worst hit will be on the more recent Intel macs. Why pay $1700+ for an used Intel mac, when a new ARM mac is only a few hundred dollars more? I think probably this will have less impact on the older Intel macs that were already worth ~$900 a month ago. People in that market aren't interested in paying 2K+ for a new machine anyway.

 

[Kylo83]

Boot camp gaming is worth it and it’s thinner and nicer

 

[Abazigal]

The only two reasons I can come up with are if you need to run Bootcamp and software engineering.

I was able to pick up the discontinued 2020 10th Intel Core i5 13" 16GB 512GB model for $1000 brand new. I will only be using it for entertainment / streaming videos at night. I'm currently using a Windows machine and the fan is audible even without watching any videos. I'm wondering if I should wait for the 2022 Macbook Air or start using the 13". I still have it boxed so I can return it / sell it online.

Apparently, you may be able to find some cheap intel Macs on eBay (cheaper then equivalent windows PCs, it seems), so it can be worthwhile to pick one up on the cheap, but I wouldn’t buy one from Apple at this juncture.

 

[Mity]

If you game in Windows.

And if a notch breaks your brain.

I was thinking the same thing about the notch. However, the more I look at the 14" next to the 13" side by side, the notch in this case makes sense. The huge bezels on the 13" look strange. It makes perfect sense to have the menu options placed there.

 

[Mity]

Why pay $1700+ for an used Intel mac, when a new ARM mac is only a few hundred dollars more? I think probably this will have less impact on the older Intel macs that were already worth ~$900 a month ago. People in that market aren't interested in paying 2K+ for a new machine anyway.

Don't the M1 Macs only have 2 TB3 ports? If one port is for charging, that leaves only 1 for peripherals. If you use an external 4K display, that becomes an issue.

The Intel ones have 4 TB3 ports and support 2 4K monitors or 1 6K monitor.

 

[Dovahkiing]

Don't the M1 Macs only have 2 TB3 ports? If one port is for charging, that leaves only 1 for peripherals. If you use an external 4K display, that becomes an issue.

The Intel ones have 4 TB3 ports and support 2 4K monitors or 1 6K monitor.

The new M1 pro macs have 3 TB4 ports, each with their own dedicated bus. Intel macs have 4 TB3 ports, but only 2 busses (the ports in the same side share)

The M1 pro can drive 2 6K displays and M1 max can drive 3 6K displays

 

[Flabasha]

I'm not sure about the benchmarks, but I would not be surprised if M1P can virtualize Windows, run a game, and still beat an Intel MBP.

The benchmarks I’ve seen show that the new Pros are insanely good (natch) at editing, rendering, etc. Looks like a 2X boost for Premiere, Resolve and other creative apps, which is nuts. But gaming… is not great. Basically mid-tier Windows laptop-level at twice the price. And that’s native, so add a huge performance hit for virtualuzing Windows… I think playing Windows games on these MBP’s is a no-go.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Don't the M1 Macs only have 2 TB3 ports? If one port is for charging, that leaves only 1 for peripherals. If you use an external 4K display, that becomes an issue.

The Intel ones have 4 TB3 ports and support 2 4K monitors or 1 6K monitor.

If you really need that support for that many monitors, you can easily pick up a CalDigit TB4 dock or hub.

The Intel Macs have only 2 Thunderbolt controllers, even though there are 4 ports. The M1 Macs (not sure about new Pro/Max models) also have 2 Thunderbolt controllers, although only two ports, but can expand via dock/hub.

I‘d much rather have a M1 with a hub/dock for more monitors, vs. just going with an Intel model due to more built-in physical ports.

 

[Mity]

The new M1 pro macs have 3 TB4 ports, each with their own dedicated bus. Intel macs have 4 TB3 ports, but only 2 busses (the ports in the same side share)

The M1 pro can drive 2 6K displays and M1 max can drive 3 6K displays

I was referring to the M1 Macs given the price range. The M1 Pro and Max are not even on the same level as the 10th Gen Intel models.

 

[Mity]

The benchmarks I’ve seen show that the new Pros are insanely good (natch) at editing, rendering, etc. Looks like a 2X boost for Premiere, Resolve and other creative apps, which is nuts. But gaming… is not great. Basically mid-tier Windows laptop-level at twice the price. And that’s native, so add a huge performance hit for virtualuzing Windows… I think playing Windows games on these MBP’s is a no-go.

Max Tech just uploaded a review about an hour ago comparing the new 14" with the old 10th Gen Intel 13". The Benchmarks are insanely superior.

 

[SoN1NjA]

If you game in Windows.

And if a notch breaks your brain.

Bootcamp is so **** though, I would not spend my hard earned money on a device that up until ~2 months ago didn't even have the Windows Precision trackpad drivers and still doesn't have many other standard drivers. Bootcamp is an added value, not a feature lol

Not to say I haven't gotten my use out of Bootcamp, I 110% have, but it's pretty miserable. I remember carrying around a 2018 15" a couple years ago in my backpack and the display/laptop didn't go to sleep so it just kept circulating hot air on itself and the fans were going crazy lol

 

[EnderTW]

If you can get it for cheap, sure go for it. It's not like the computer just stopped working. I'm installing a bunch of applications and importing to lightroom, the computer is absolutely silent.. insane.