MacBook Air M1

[Spookytree]

I’m in the market for about MacBook Air m1 currently. I already have a i9 MacBook Pro 16 inch and I’m tired of carrying it because it’s huge. Should I get a m1 for basic work, like MS Office, Youtube, and note-taking, or cheap out and get something like a 2017 MBP? Not looking to spend more than 450$

I’m not looking for a replacement for my i9, it’s got a TB of storage and an EGPU that I can’t use with Apple silicon. Would the m1 also be Over-kill? The laptop I’m going to buy is going to out last my i9, since my i9 is still my main computer, with all my editing tools.
Any other suggestions for student MacBooks?

 

[Howard2k]

For $450 you should be able to get a nice M1 Air. The only potential downside is that it's a good chink of the way through the support cycle, and eventually Apple will stop offering software updates and h/w repairs. There are ways around both of those things though, usually, but it's not totally trivial.

 

[jeffmr4]

I'd say go for it. The M1 Air will seem a lot faster (and run a lot cooler) than your current setup. Try to get one with 16GB RAM if you can. Sometimes you can find these on eBay.

 

[Spookytree]

I'd say go for it. The M1 Air will seem a lot faster (and run a lot cooler) than your current setup. Try to get one with 16GB RAM if you can. Sometimes you can find these on eBay.

Is 16 gb worth the extra for light use?

 

[jeffmr4]

No, not really. It's just for a little bit heavier work and future-proofing.

 

[Howard2k]

If you plan to be all in on Apple Intelligence, I'd go 16GB.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

I’m in the market for about MacBook Air m1 currently. I already have a i9 MacBook Pro 16 inch and I’m tired of carrying it because it’s huge. Should I get a m1 for basic work, like MS Office, Youtube, and note-taking, or cheap out and get something like a 2017 MBP? Not looking to spend more than 450$

Definitely look at a used or refurb M-series MBA. They're way more capable than the Intel series at this point.

 

[Spookytree]

If you plan to be all in on Apple Intelligence, I'd go 16GB.

I don’t . But I think I’ll go with a m1 MacBook Air. I’m Canadian so I’m looking at Canadian pricing, so ~500$ cad.

 

[Spookytree]

Update: I found a really good deal on eBay for a M1 MacBook Air Base. It was listed for parts. Little did they know it was wiped and just needed a fresh reinstall. Paid 165 USD + shipping and tax. It looks to be in amazing shape. It even comes with the original charger. Glad I was able to find it.
These are some pictures from the listing:

 

[Dallas-Star-202504]

I would said get at least 16gb ram, so maybe used m2?

 

[Spookytree]

I would said get at least 16gb ram, so maybe used m2?

Look at the post above, I already bought one. And I don’t plan on using it as a main machine

 

[smirking]

Is 16 gb worth the extra for light use?

8GB is totally fine for "everyday computing" use. I ran a 13" 8GB M1 MBP as hard as I could when it first came out and it did so well I nearly decided to replace my loaded 2018 i7 MBP with it.

That was a MBP and not an Air, but especially with those initial models, there wasn't much daylight between an Air and a MBP.