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M2 or M1 Pro?

G

gsal

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 1, 2019
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I’ve spec’ed an M2 MacBook Air as follows…
- 8c CPU/10c GPU
- 24GB RAM
- 512GB SSD

And this comes to £1949, which is £50 more than the base model MacBook Pro 14”. Is the 14” likely to perform significantly better? I value portability, so if performance is close I’d prefer the Air. I also will not be using multiple monitors so the ports won’t be an issue.

Any thoughts? Anything I should consider?

Thank you!
 
EDIT: Crunched the numbers based on Apple's reports about M1, M1 Pro/Max, and M2.

M2 = 18% faster than M1 CPU, 35% faster than M1 GPU.
M1 Pro: 70% faster than M1, GPU 200% faster than M1

So I think the performance difference is pretty big. I'm bad with math, but that means M1 Pro chip is going to be still like 44–52% faster than M2 in CPU, and 148–165% faster than the M2 in GPU speeds.

What'll you be using it for?

MBA has more efficiency cores so, without knowing more, I would expect the MBA would be a bit better at efficiency than the 14" MBP? Air is about 2 lbs lighter.

You're obviously getting 8 GB more RAM with the Air but depending on use case not sure how much this'll matter (16 vs 24). 14" MBP should have better graphics performance (how much hard to say at this point), but I think the M1 Pro chip will be better at that given its more GPU cores.

If you're really concerned, I honestly think you're better off waiting a bit to see what testing/benchmarks show. But if portability is your main concern then you'll save 2 lbs and have a slimmer form factor with the Air, and proooobably wouldn't have a serious downside to the Air over the 14" Pro. I still am guessing the 14" will be slightly faster at graphics processing, so like, heavy video editing may get done a little faster.

But I guess I would say: how close do you feel the M1 Air and the M1 Pro 14" MBP are in terms of performance? If that performance gap feels "noticeable but manageable," I'd go with the M2 Air. If that gap is "concerning/a deal breaker," I'd wait for benchmarks.
 
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Performance or battery life & portability?

If performance is more important go with the M1 Pro, otherwise the M2 Air
 
Right now no one here should be giving you advice on which to choose. Why? We have no idea what the real world benchmarks are. Hence, we don't have a comparison point to make an informed decision.

I would suggest that if you can wait, wait until benchmarks and reviews are out. Apple's graphs are usually on par, but reviewers have also found some discrepancies due to special situations.
 
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Hi everyone. Having a similar dilemma. Looking to replace an old 2014 Macbook Pro, which is still usable but getting frustrating even for simple tasks. Photos is my only real power requirement and this and streamed movies the only real screen and graphic requirement. Display quality is my main thing to get right. In the UK a discounted MBP 14 base model is only £200 more than a 512GB SSD M2 Air. An Air M1 (much less ££) may be all I need for the next few years but just wondering how much more I will appreciate the MBP 14 screen. Like the HDMI and SD card as well. It is reported slow and smeary but otherwise great. Worth it for M2 or Pro 14 or just be sensible with 2020 M1?
 
Dinghydoer said:
may be all I need for the next few years but just wondering how much more I will appreciate the MBP 14 screen. Like the HDMI and SD card as well. It is reported slow and smeary but otherwise great. Worth it for M2 or Pro 14 or just be sensible with 2020 M1?
Click to expand...
If it were me, I'd opt for the 14"
More storage, larger, better screen, more ports, faster processor, better thermals with the inclusion of a fan and not terribly more expensive.

Dinghydoer said:
It is reported slow and smeary but otherwise great
Click to expand...
Are you saying the 14" is slow and smeary? My needs and usage may not align to yours but for what I've been using, I love the 14" and there's been no smeary-ness with it

I don't know if its the OP, yourself or others. I'm sure I'm guilty of this at times as well, but people can fall for the new shiny object that apple just released even though other options may very well be a better fit. The MBA may very well be a great computer for you, but that doesn't discount the advantages that the 14" has over the MBA. Its your money and your decision.
 
gsal said:
Is the 14” likely to perform significantly better? I value portability, so if performance is close I’d prefer the Air.
Click to expand...
Honestly, I'd wait until third party speed tests begin to appear. It's also going to depend on how much the lack of a fan stops the M2 from reaching its potential (which is where the M2 13" MBP may come in).

It's going to depend a lot on what you're doing, how much it depends on the GPU, RAM and how much use it makes of multiple CPU cores. I suspect that it could be quite close especially c.f. the 8-core, 14 GPU M1 Pro in the base MBP 14". The M2 is probably going to win on single-core-heavy tasks, the M1 pro on jobs that can really light up all the performance cores.

If possible, experiment with Activity Monitor on your existing system and see how much your typical workload is making use of multiple CPU cores, the GPU and what the memory pressure is like.

The other thing to consider is that if you actually get a benefit from 24GB RAM on the M2, you'll probably benefit from more than 16GB Ram on the M1 Pro.

Remember that the M1 Pro isn't just about speed: you've got an extra Thunderbolt/fast USB port and support for 2 external displays. On the other hand, the M2 Air is smaller and lighter.
 
Dinghydoer said:
Hi everyone. Having a similar dilemma. Looking to replace an old 2014 Macbook Pro, which is still usable but getting frustrating even for simple tasks. Photos is my only real power requirement and this and streamed movies the only real screen and graphic requirement. Display quality is my main thing to get right. In the UK a discounted MBP 14 base model is only £200 more than a 512GB SSD M2 Air. An Air M1 (much less ££) may be all I need for the next few years but just wondering how much more I will appreciate the MBP 14 screen. Like the HDMI and SD card as well. It is reported slow and smeary but otherwise great. Worth it for M2 or Pro 14 or just be sensible with 2020 M1?
Click to expand...
The MBP gives you a better HDR screen, better speakers, faster USB-C ports, more than one external display, SD and HDMI, and a USB-C port on the right side so you can charge with the cable on that side.

The M2 Air gives you smaller size, lighter weight (especially if you carry the power brick), better battery life, and colors.

I didn't mention power because for your uses the M2 Air would actually be slightly faster, but really both will give you more than enough power for at least five years.

I'm not bothered by the notch, but you might be. If so, the Air will always show it slightly because it can't achieve pure black.

It really sounds like the MBP is the best choice for you, unless the Airs features are really compelling.

PS> I didn't mention the price because you know what you can afford.
 
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14” MBP is better in terms of performance ofcourse.

The 13” MBA will also thermal throttle under sustained load.
 
Honestly it's too early to say, we only got promotionnal material and very shallow hands on 'tech journalists' reports. Like we have no idea, maybe the cooling of the new air enclosure is a game changer for sustained load or could be a disaster -was there pictures of the inside shown?-

Wait for tear down videos and proper tests, not just benchmarks.

I personally like to read notebookcheck for throughout reviews, check ifixit to see build quality (like we see how more durable and repair friendly the m1 pro is compared to the m1 air, something apple doesn't show on their website because it might be too technical)

And I also enjoy the youtuber 'ArtIsRight' that I found thanks to this forum, because he was the only youtuber that I know of that demonstrate that yes, ram can be critical in specific workflows while so many clueless youtubers that now nothing but basic video rendering said the difference between 8 and 16 was negligible.
 
Depends on your usage and needs but I’d still get a M1 Pro as A M2 Pro won’t be available until the Spring of 2023. I don‘t foresee Apple making the M2 anywhere near as fast or efficient as the M1 Pro and M1 Max because they’ve literally just released Mac Studio and have yet to update the Mac Pro… Also we must remember that the M2 is on the same 5nm process as the M1. With that being said the M1 Pro, Max, and Ultra will still be king… At least for another 8-9 months that is.
 
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Get the 14" M1 Pro, you can get it from retailers even cheaper. You will save more than 50.
 
I was debating this and decided to get the 14 MBP 10/16 16GB, 1TB. Price delta made no sense to an upgraded MBA.
 
You haven't said what you'll be using it for (always a bad start), but what I will say is the following.

  • The MBP has 8-performance cores and 2-efficiency cores, compared to the MBA's 4 and 4. CPU performance on the MBP should be greater.
  • Running multiple displays requires more VRAM and GPU power, but I would suggest you're about even here.
  • For £50 more you could get a larger, brighter mini-LED Pro Motion display, SD card reader, more Thunderbolt ports, HDMI, active cooling and more. Whether you need these or not is up to you.
  • The MBA is slightly smaller and a lot lighter.
Speccing up the new MBA does make it appear 'poor' value compared to a MBP, but it all comes down to how you value the advantages of either product.
 
As is always the case, if you have to ask then you only need the cheaper machine.

If you need multi-core performance than M1 pro. If you need single core performance than the M2.

If you don't know, then just buy a M1 MacBook Air.
 
medicalapple said:
I was debating this and decided to get the 14 MBP 10/16 16GB, 1TB. Price delta made no sense to an upgraded MBA.
Click to expand...
I am still not sure; I was looking at 14 MBP 10/16 16 or 32 GB (unsure), 1 TB v/s M2 MBA 24 GB with 1 TB. I tend to keep my machines for a while.
 
I’m sticking with the M1 for now. Quality has been garbage for everything else.
 
This is a hard decision, wait for M2 Air ( which likely will be mid to late July) - OR just get the 14 Pro now... use for everyday computing.
 
kp98077 said:
This is a hard decision, wait for M2 Air ( which likely will be mid to late July) - OR just get the 14 Pro now... use for everyday computing.
Click to expand...
I'm getting the 14 Pro now. I want a computer that'll last me for at least the next 5-6 years and the higher hardware quality and ports and faster sustained speed of the 14 Pro will for sure do that for me.
 
I would choose the M1 Pro 14'. It's a better machine (although heavier and with somewhat worse battery life).
 
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