M1 trade in value and RAM question

[Black_Mage]

I’m almost ready to buy a M5 Pro MacBook Pro. I just initiated the trade in for my M1 Pro MacBook Pro. I’m going to get $445 store credit for it. Nice. I need to wait until I get the gift card before I buy it.

I'm pretty dialed in as far as what specs I want my M5 Pro MacBook pro to be except for one thing. The RAM. I want the next laptop I buy to last at least 5 years, preferably 7. I understand the importance of getting as much RAM as possible, but I am a bit put off by the $400 price tag it will cost to go from 24 GB to 48. It's not that I can't afford it, but I hesitate to spend that much on a RAM upgrade.

The most RAM intensive thing I plan on doing is possibly running Linux in a VM. The new laptop will have a 1 TB SSD, so I plan on using some of that extra space to install and learn more about Linux Mint. I haven’t decided what VM app to use yet. I am aware of VMware Fusion and Parallels.

 

[Bigwaff]

The most RAM intensive thing I plan on doing is possibly running Linux in a VM. The new laptop will have a 1 TB SSD, so I plan on using some of that extra space to install and learn more about Linux Mint. I haven’t decided what VM app to use yet. I am aware of VMware Fusion and Parallels.

How much RAM do you plan to dedicate to the Linux VM? Without understanding what workloads and activities you plan to do within the VM, dedicating 8GB to the VM should be more than sufficient, which implies 24GB RAM configuration should be acceptable. Rule of thumb: Unused RAM is wasted RAM... and money.

 

[Black_Mage]

How much RAM do you plan to dedicate to the Linux VM? Without understanding what workloads and activities you plan to do within the VM, dedicating 8GB to the VM should be more than sufficient, which implies 24GB RAM configuration should be acceptable. Rule of thumb: Unused RAM is wasted RAM... and money.

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. For less than $400, I can get a used Intel Mac laptop and just install Linux on it and not have to worry about an app to translate x86 OS to RISC or fusing with a WM. Ok, I'm going with 24 GB. I just wish Apple didn't charge so much for RAM upgrades.

It's too bad I can't get the new MacBook Pro with Sequoia. Looks like I'm getting Tahoe whether I want it or not. Hopefully, 26.5 is out by then. I'll upgrade the Studio so they're running the same version.

 

[rb2112]

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. For less than $400, I can get a used Intel Mac laptop and just install Linux on it and not have to worry about an app to translate x86 OS to RISC or fusing with a WM.

Yeah, after looking at the shiny new M5 series I instead turned to wringing more concurrent instances out of my linux box. I think given today's prices there will be many this year deciding to squeeze more out of their existing hardware, Apple or otherwise.

 

[Bigwaff]

I can get a used Intel Mac laptop and just install Linux on it and not have to worry about an app to translate x86 OS to RISC or fusing with a WM.

Which is one of reasons I bought used 2018 Mac mini i7 64GB RAM to run all the VM and Docker containers. Screen Share works well and of course SSH into VM works well to.

 

[Black_Mage]

I dropped off my old iPhone and MacBook Pro at FedEx. I'm just waiting for Apple to receive them and give me the gift card codes. The iPhone and MacBook Pro combined will give me a total of $485. That helps a lot. I love the trade-in option.

 

[raythompsontn]

I plan on using some of that extra space to install and learn more about Linux Mint. I haven’t decided what VM app to use yet. I am aware of VMware Fusion and Parallels.

I run two VMs using Parallels on my M4 MBP with 24 Gig of memory. Each VM get 6GB of memory. I am running W11 Pro and a Ubuntu Linux. Both run just fine within the VM constraints. I have not intentionally run both VMs at the same time but I see no issues in doing so as that is only half the memory of MBP.

My only complaint is Parallels. I was doing fine with a M2 MBP running Parallels. When I got the M4 MBP none of my VMs would work. Parallels needed to be upgraded and that cost me some more money. Apparently something in the M4 CPU made my VMs worthless with Parallels. Parallels was absolutely zero help solving the issue. Buying a new version, so I could get support, was the only option. The new version solved the issue.

I tried VMWare but their convulted website, travesty of installation instructions, was not something on which I wanted to waste my time. Parallels worked and the cost was less than my billable time that would have been spent dealing with the insane methods of VMWare.

 

[raythompsontn]

I dropped off my old iPhone and MacBook Pro at FedEx. I'm just waiting for Apple to receive them and give me the gift card codes.

Apple does not see the devices. The devices are processed by a third party company.

I hope you have pictures of the devices before you sent them in. When I sent in my M2 machine the company that processed it said the screen polarizing layer was delaminated and dropped the trade-in from $600.00 to $115.00. What the image showed was a reflection of one of the overhead lights in the company's facility. I suspect they pull this crap to lowball the amount sent to Apple for the trade, sell the computer for the higher value and pocket the difference. I had to fight Apple for the true value and without the pictures I had taken I would have been out about $485.00.

 

[Black_Mage]

I hope you have pictures of the devices before you sent them in.

That's a great idea, and I did that the last time I sent something in for trade-in. I didn't this time. Taking pictures just slipped my mind this time. I hope I don't regret it. The next time, I might even take a video proving it still works.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Oh man, reading this I’m glad my trade in will be verified at the Apple Store today.

 

[lewchenko]

I only do trade ins if I can take it to store. Way too many cases of people being quoted one thing and then getting a message about apparent damage etc when sending by post.

Even on a 24GB mac you could easily run a Linux VM with 6 to 8GB and probably not notice any impairment. Depends what you want to do in the VM ultimately.

 

[Black_Mage]

FedEx shows that the iPhone and MacBook Pro have been delivered. Now to play the waiting game to see how much I get for them.

 

[Beau10]

That's a great idea, and I did that the last time I sent something in for trade-in. I didn't this time. Taking pictures just slipped my mind this time. I hope I don't regret it. The next time, I might even take a video proving it still works.

Next time, just go into an Apple store with the device. I've always done that, it's quick and efficient and you have the option to reject the offer if they choose to lowball you (haven't had that happen yet).

 

[Black_Mage]

Next time, just go into an Apple store with the device. I've always done that, it's quick and efficient and you have the option to reject the offer if they choose to lowball you (haven't had that happen yet).

I would do that if I didn't have to drive an hour just to get to an Apple store.

 

[Black_Mage]

Good news! I just got the gift card for the iPhone, and I got the full estimate of $40. Hopefully the same thing happens for the MacBook Pro! BIG MONEY BIG MONEY! Papa needs a new laptop! 🤞

 

[Black_Mage]

More good news. I got an email confirming that I am going to get a gift card for the full estimate of $445. Even though things worked out for me, I still strongly recommend everyone take pictures and maybe even a video of a device before you trade it in, even if you plan on taking it to an Apple store. What if an employee accidentally drops it while they are in the employee only area of the store? I was foolish for not doing that, so I am even more grateful that everything worked out for me in the end.

Also, this is a good reason to take care of your devices because the trade-in option is awesome. Even if you don't take advantage of it, Macs hold their value if you want to sell an old device on eBay.

 

[1BadManVan]

More good news. I got an email confirming that I am going to get a gift card for the full estimate of $445. Even though things worked out for me, I still strongly recommend everyone take pictures and maybe even a video of a device before you trade it in, even if you plan on taking it to an Apple store. What if an employee accidentally drops it while they are in the employee only area of the store? I was foolish for not doing that, so I am even more grateful that everything worked out for me in the end.

Also, this is a good reason to take care of your devices because the trade-in option is awesome. Even if you don't take advantage of it, Macs hold their value if you want to sell an old device on eBay.

Yup, took great care of my m2 air, apple was going to do $535 trade in for it (CDN) but decided to sell it on marketplace and got $900 for it within 24 hours. They definitely hold their value pretty well and sell it pretty quick

 

[Black_Mage]

Ok, I ran into a frustrating problem. My purchase kept getting declined. Long story short, after calling Apple customer service, they figured out that the problem was not my card. I checked my Wallet app and didn't see any declined transactions. Apparently, something on their end was declining my purchase because gift cards were used. *Sigh* Why give me gift cards and then decline the purchase? 😡

After being transferred to someone in post-sales, he said that I should get an e-mail within 24-48 hours letting me know I can use the gift cards to make the purchase. This all seems familiar as if I had had this problem another time I used a gift card to make a big purchase.

 

[Black_Mage]

After dealing with a very frustrating fraud-prevention encumbrance last night and having to call customer service, I got an email saying everything should be cleared for me to make the purchase last night at 9:29 PM, but it still didn't work. I went to bed a little upset thinking maybe this is something that Tim Cook needs to know about. Using gift cards should not be this difficult to use, and there should be a way to link gift cards to Apple accounts so they know if they are being used by the person who should be using them.

Anyway, I just tried again a few minutes ago, and success!

So what did I decide? *Drum roll*

Why 48 GB of RAM? Because the idea of buying a Mac with anything less than 32 GB of RAM in 2026 honestly gives me anxiety. That's the curse of not being able to add more RAM later. It's the only thing I miss about Intel Macs. I'd rather have too much RAM than too little, and that is especially true with any computer that can't be upgraded later. I might try testing LLMs that I can run locally if I ever figure out how to do that.

I plan on keeping this laptop for a long time. I believe 7 years is a realistic goal.

Here is a comparison of my old and new MacBook Pro

• M1 Pro -> M5 Pro
  • 8 core CPU -> 15 core CPU
  • 14 core GPU -> 16 core GPU
• 16 GB RAM 200 GB/s -> 48 GB 307 GB/s RAM
• 512 GB SSD - 1 TB SSD
  • I would have been fine with 512 GB, but that wasn't an option
  • I have no idea how much faster the SSD is until I get it and run a benchmark app
• Display 14.2" MiniLED
  • The only real difference is the Nano-texture display
  • I look forward to seeing if the additional $150 display upgrade makes a difference
• Wireless
  • Wi-Fi 6 -> Wi-Fi 7
  • Bluetooth 5.3 -> 6
• Battery up to 17 hours -> up to 22 hours
• Space gray -> space black
  • I have been wanting space black ever since it was announced

You better believe I will buy AppleCare for it. This is the most expensive laptop I have ever purchased if you compare dollar amounts without including inflation.

Some of you may be wondering why I am not waiting for the rumored M6 MacBook Pro which might include a tandem OLED display and a totally new design. MiniLED is more than good enough for me, I like the current design, and this is going to be a huge upgrade for me. I don't want to wait anymore, and there's a rumor that the M6 MacBook Pro might be delayed.

 

[maerz001]

Good news! I just got the gift card for the iPhone, and I got the full estimate of $40. Hopefully the same thing happens for the MacBook Pro! BIG MONEY BIG MONEY! Papa needs a new laptop! 🤞

What iphone gets u $40? 🙂

Sure u won’t be able to get more money from ebay?

Never did a trade in, as it usually sucks money wise. Always sold on ebay without issues

 

[Black_Mage]

What iphone gets u $40? 🙂

Sure u won’t be able to get more money from ebay?

Never did a trade in, as it usually sucks money wise. Always sold on ebay without issues

It was the 8+ that I kept as a backup phone. I'm surprised I got anything for a phone that old.

 

[Black_Mage]

Update. ETA is now May 4. I don't know why it's getting here so much faster than the initial estimate, but I am grateful. I really miss having a laptop.

 

[Black_Mage]

I love how my delivery keeps getting faster. Friday is a perfect day for delivery. Just in time for me to stay home all weekend and enjoy the new MacBook Pro.

 

[Black_Mage]

Color me surprised. It arrived today via UPS. So the original estimated shipping date was May 11-13, and it arrived on April 30. Nice. Talk about underpromise and overdeliver. It's a beautiful machine. The Nano-texture display doesn't eliminate glare, but it helps a lot. After I get it set up, I'll run World of Warcraft on it just to see how it performs.

 

[Harddrive]

congratulations and Parallels is the way to go for VM's.