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M1 16 64GB 2TB Review

M

Mass Hysteria

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 31, 2005
162
1
TLDR: Meh

Pros: I like the audio, definitely more depth to it. Slightly snappier finder. Battery life is twice as good.

Cons: Wifi range. I'm limited to the same room or the hall outside. Old laptop goes all around the house.
I'm not one to get swept up by all the marketing, but with the way technology progresses I was expecting to see a bit more of a jump coming from a 17 MBP . . . 2009. Which is what I'm typing from now as it works outside the office.

I've waited for ages for them to come out with something with all the ports I want (and a bit more reliability) but I'm seriously thinking of returning it until something a bit more polished comes along.

Regards
Grumpy old man

PS Is the WIFI range like that for anyone else?
 
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I have the exactly same model and wifi range hasn't been an issue for me. Only had it for half a day though, but so far it has the range is excellent.

I use an Amplifi Alien router.
 
No issue so far with Wi-Fi range in my home. Router upstairs and on other side of house from my office.

M1 Pro 16, 32 1tb
 
Is the MBP set to use a 5GHz or 2.4GHz network? 2.4GHz waveforms travel farther and can penetrate walls better than 5GHz so they have a better range, but 5GHz waveforms transmit data faster...which is moot if you have lots of walls between you and the router. Most routers are dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz (unless its tri-band 6e, then it also includes 6GHz)...these are all separate networks on your WIFI that you need to purposefully select. I suspect that your 2009 17" MBP is likely running on your 2.4Ghz band, while your 2021 16" MBP is running on your 5GHz band.
 
Last edited:
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The closer that I get to the modem on the 1st floor the better upload/download speeds I get, but my office is upstairs. I have 1gb through Verizon Fios.

Working with the eero 6 pro mesh system strategically spaced so that there’s a ‘line of sight’. I’m thinking of running a line from the 1st floor and connecting directly with the MBP using a Ethernet usb-c adapter to see if my speed improves. Otherwise, I’m really impressed with the M1 Pro.

M1 Pro 16,16,1tb
 
Hi all thanks for the replies. I've tried to find out the frequency but am having no luck, it's the tethered hot spot on a samsung a10
 
Every device in the house is fine with the range except the new laptop. Maybe it's a hardware issue?
 
Mass Hysteria said:
Hi all thanks for the replies. I've tried to find out the frequency but am having no luck, it's the tethered hot spot on a samsung a10
Click to expand...
Connect to the wifi hotspot, then hold option key and click WiFi dropdown menu in the menubar. You should see a lot more information in the menu then, including wifi frequency, channel, bandwidth, noise, RSSI and TX rate. All very useful for debugging issues with WiFi.
 
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OK thanks, 2.4Ghz. I get -37 RSSI -70db noise on the M1 right next to the phone and -40db RSSI -90db noise on the old laptop at the same distance. M1 disconnects at about 5-6m across the room. Old laptop goes for at least twice that distance (connects but is slow to refresh a website). I'd have to go outside to test further and it's too cold for that here!
 
2021 14" no WiFi issues. That said I am using an Ubiquiti AmpliFI mesh system for WiFi. I have strong signal from my back fence to down the street at the front of the house.
 
Not really an in-depth review. ?

i have be same spec and it’s worlds faster opening programs and Final Cut Pro is much faster. Games are snappier even those that run through Rosetta

ive only had it 4 days and it hasn’t left my desk so wifi hasn’t had an issue
GF has base 16 and her bedroom is on the opposite end of her house with no issues
 
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Mass Hysteria said:
TLDR: Meh

Pros: I like the audio, definitely more depth to it. Slightly snappier finder. Battery life is twice as good.

Cons: Wifi range. I'm limited to the same room or the hall outside. Old laptop goes all around the house.
I'm not one to get swept up by all the marketing, but with the way technology progresses I was expecting to see a bit more of a jump coming from a 17 MBP . . . 2009. Which is what I'm typing from now as it works outside the office.

I've waited for ages for them to come out with something with all the ports I want (and a bit more reliability) but I'm seriously thinking of returning it until something a bit more polished comes along.

Regards
Grumpy old man

PS Is the WIFI range like that for anyone else?
Click to expand...
Sounds like user error.
Do you have a wifi 6 router yet?
Who's your ISP?
Have you set your new MacBook to wumbo?
 
I've been happy with my 16 inch 16gb 1tb. Very nice device. My WIFI range has been excellent, on par or better than my other devices.

My only real complaint is I think Apple went overboard with not wanting fans running on these units and the chips get hot with continuous use without the fans engaging. Maybe they are designed for it, I don't really care, heat I the death of electronics and they will deteriorate faster under higher heat.

I downloaded a fan control software which was free. I can set the fans at 50%, they are basically silent and my unit runs about 8c cooler which is fine with me.
 
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