Macbook Air M2 13 inch or Windows laptop with i7 and 16GB of RAM?

[Zest28]

It is $1,179 with the upgrade of $180. I don't really want to spend over $1000 for this laptop especially since its only secondary.

The M1 MBA is only $660. It comes with a fast SSD so if you run out of memory, it won't impact the performance as much unlike the M2 MBA which has a slow SSD.

2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID. Works with iPhone/iPad; Gold

Apple’s thinnest and lightest notebook gets supercharged with the Apple M1 chip. Tackle your projects with the blazing-fast 8-core CPU. Take graphics-intensive apps and games to the next level with an up to 8-core GPU. And accelerate machine learning tasks with the 16-core Neural Engine. All with...

www.amazon.com

 

[Closingracer]

If it's secondary, why not just get the M1 MacBook Air instead? Then your 16GB RAM bump is nominal (and even moreso if purchased as an Apple Certified Refurbished Mac [which you can still get educational discounts on AppleCare+ for])!

Because that is still $1079 dollars and that's $200 or so more than what I spent on the M2 MacBook Air I spent at Bestbuy and that is with Apple Care Plus ( yearly) I paid $949 for the M2 Air. The M1 Air with the upgraded men is $1079 and then add the $69 ( I think it's $69 for the M1 Air?) for the yearly Apple care plus cost.

 

[Zest28]

Because that is still $1079 dollars and that's $200 or so more than what I spent on the M2 MacBook Air I spent at Bestbuy and that is with Apple Care Plus ( yearly) I paid $949 for the M2 Air. The M1 Air with the upgraded men is $1079 and then add the $69 ( I think it's $69 for the M1 Air?) for the yearly Apple care plus cost.

You can buy it for $660. Check out my link that I posted earlier.

And you don't need to upgrade the memory of the M1 MBA because it is has a fast SSD (unlike the M2 MBA which has a slow SSD).

 

[Closingracer]

The M1 MBA is only $660. It comes with a fast SSD so if you run out of memory, it won't impact the performance as much unlike the M2 MBA which has a slow SSD.

2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID. Works with iPhone/iPad; Gold

Apple’s thinnest and lightest notebook gets supercharged with the Apple M1 chip. Tackle your projects with the blazing-fast 8-core CPU. Take graphics-intensive apps and games to the next level with an up to 8-core GPU. And accelerate machine learning tasks with the 16-core Neural Engine. All with...

www.amazon.com

The "fast" and "slow" SSD on the M2 MBA is blown out of proportion TBH. Unless you're reading and writing large files constantly I'll be ok. Also the M2 Air is the model I want since it has a 500 nits max brightness vs the 400 on the M1 which is something I rather have than a faster SSD anyways.

Also Apple Care Plus is something I want for the piece of mind anyways.

 

[Closingracer]

Because that is still $1079 dollars and that's $200 or so more than what I spent on the M2 MacBook Air I spent at Bestbuy and that is with Apple Care Plus ( yearly) I paid $949 for the M2 Air. The M1 Air with the upgraded men is $1079 and then add the $69 ( I think it's $69 for the M1 Air?) for the yearly Apple care plus cost.

And as I already stated I don't want the M1 Air nor do I want to buy it used at amazon. I A) require the higher brightness screen and B) Want apple care plus.

 

[Zest28]

The "fast" and "slow" SSD on the M2 MBA is blown out of proportion TBH. Unless you're reading and writing large files constantly I'll be ok. Also the M2 Air is the model I want since it has a 500 nits max brightness vs the 400 on the M1 which is something I rather have than a faster SSD anyways.

Also Apple Care Plus is something I want for the piece of mind anyways.

It's not blown out of proportion at all. Sure, have fun relying on disk swapping with a slow SSD.

I would have bought the $660 M1 MacBook Air any day of the week over the M2 MBA if I was tight on money. But have fun overpaying for a machine that will perform worse in some cases than a $660 M1 MBA.

 

[Closingracer]

It's not blown out of proportion at all. Sure, have fun rely on disk swapping with a slow SSD.

It is. unless you're reading and writing large files it's basically a moot point. But I will have fun. I am also using 0 Swap memory anyways so there is none going on. This is a glorified Chromebook for me.

Slower SSD sure but using the word "slow" is still wrong

 

[Zest28]

It is. unless you're reading and writing large files it's basically a moot point. But I will have fun.

Slower SSD sure but using the word "slow" is still wrong

Ok, just buy the M2 MBA and don't buy the $660 M1 MBA.

 

[Closingracer]

Ok, just buy the M2 MBA and don't buy the $660 M1 MBA.

I was never going to buy it. I would never buy a used product from amazon anyways. Not having a warranty .. yeah no

 

[HawkTheHusky1902]

I was never going to buy it. I would never buy a used product from amazon anyways. Not having a warranty .. yeah no

I dont know, but Zest28 is right. The SSD is speed is not overexxagerated at all. The diference between the m2 mba and the m1 mba in speed of the ssd is about half. Thats not a small difference. Look at Max Tech’s comparison about it on YT. If he was paid to show that he would be promoting the m2 mba, not the m1 mba, becuase the m2 is more expensive, so Apple would pay him more for promotion.
Also, i understand youre hellbent on the m2 mba, bt have you seen the thermals of it? 102 degrees CELCIUS?! It gets wayyyyyy too hot, because they removed the heatsink on the m2 model, and replaced it with a thin graphene sheet lol, on a bigger laptop with a more powerful chip…the m1 mba on the other hand handles thermals much much better for a fanless laptop, and using Turbo Boost Switcher concurrently with a thermal pad you can install very easily into the m1 mba, it sustains very impressive temperatures, and much cooler than the m2 mba. Also, if you want new and not used, ever heard of Best Buy? They constantly have good deals on the m1 mba, with AppleCare and Student discounts, for like 799 or even less, or on Amazon you can get the m1 mba for 799 now, new!
So, you do you, but i woud not get the m2 mba at all. Even if you say youre not thinking about buying it, it sure looks like you are in favor of it more than anything else. Furthermore, the difference between 400 nits and 500 nits is negligible.

 

[Closingracer]

I dont know, but Zest28 is right. The SSD is speed is not overexxagerated at all. The diference between the m2 mba and the m1 mba in speed of the ssd is about half. Thats not a small difference. Look at Max Tech’s comparison about it on YT. If he was paid to show that he would be promoting the m2 mba, not the m1 mba, becuase the m2 is more expensive, so Apple would pay him more for promotion.
Also, i understand youre hellbent on the m2 mba, bt have you seen the thermals of it? 102 degrees CELCIUS?! It gets wayyyyyy too hot, because they removed the heatsink on the m2 model, and replaced it with a thin graphene sheet lol, on a bigger laptop with a more powerful chip…the m1 mba on the other hand handles thermals much much better for a fanless laptop, and using Turbo Boost Switcher concurrently with a thermal pad you can install very easily into the m1 mba, it sustains very impressive temperatures, and much cooler than the m2 mba. Also, if you want new and not used, ever heard of Best Buy? They constantly have good deals on the m1 mba, with AppleCare and Student discounts, for like 799 or even less, or on Amazon you can get the m1 mba for 799 now, new!
So, you do you, but i woud not get the m2 mba at all. Even if you say youre not thinking about buying it, it sure looks like you are in favor of it more than anything else. Furthermore, the difference between 400 nits and 500 nits is negligible.

It is overblown way out of proportion. UNLESS you are writing large files onto it for most people doing basic things on it you'll be 1000% fine. Also MaX Tech I classify as an Apple Fanboy. I watch it but like every other YouTuber you're taking something and making it a problem just to make it one. Is it slower? yes. Will most people see it? probably not. I don't write large files and I do 95% of what I need in the cloud based storage. Which is also why I am fine buying a Macbook even though my main device is a Windows machine and I own a Pixel Phone and watch. My primary use case is for online school and I need a bright screen. Sure I could spend $700 more or so for a Base model MBP with its better screen but why?

Have you ever read my post? I BOUGHT IT FROM BESTBUY. I have Best Buy total tech and have Apple care plus on it included. And no the difference between 400 and 500 nits of brightness is NOT negligible. I already did side by side comparisons and at max brightness you can clearly tell the M2 is brighter clear as day. That is more important than the SSD speeds.

 

[HawkTheHusky1902]

It is overblown way out of proportion. UNLESS you are writing large files onto it for most people doing basic things on it you'll be 1000% fine. Also MaX Tech I classify as an Apple Fanboy. I watch it but like every other YouTuber you're taking something and making it a problem just to make it one. Is it slower? yes. Will most people see it? probably not. I don't write large files and I do 95% of what I need in the cloud based storage. Which is also why I am fine buying a Macbook even though my main device is a Windows machine and I own a Pixel Phone and watch. My primary use case is for online school and I need a bright screen. Sure I could spend $700 more or so for a Base model MBP with its better screen but why?

Have you ever read my post? I BOUGHT IT FROM BESTBUY. I have Best Buy total tech and have Apple care plus on it included. And no the difference between 400 and 500 nits of brightness is NOT negligible. I already did side by side comparisons and at max brightness you can clearly tell the M2 is brighter clear as day. That is more important than the SSD speeds.

Ok, you do you. We cant convince you, you have to decide! But then what is important to you? Brightness, thats it? And RAM? You can get a m1 mba with 16gb of ram for less than the equivalent m2 mba! With that money you can get a usb hub for more ports, a mouse, trust me youll want a mouse, and an iLapstand.

 

[HawkTheHusky1902]

It is overblown way out of proportion. UNLESS you are writing large files onto it for most people doing basic things on it you'll be 1000% fine. Also MaX Tech I classify as an Apple Fanboy. I watch it but like every other YouTuber you're taking something and making it a problem just to make it one. Is it slower? yes. Will most people see it? probably not. I don't write large files and I do 95% of what I need in the cloud based storage. Which is also why I am fine buying a Macbook even though my main device is a Windows machine and I own a Pixel Phone and watch. My primary use case is for online school and I need a bright screen. Sure I could spend $700 more or so for a Base model MBP with its better screen but why?

Have you ever read my post? I BOUGHT IT FROM BESTBUY. I have Best Buy total tech and have Apple care plus on it included. And no the difference between 400 and 500 nits of brightness is NOT negligible. I already did side by side comparisons and at max brightness you can clearly tell the M2 is brighter clear as day. That is more important than the SSD speeds.

Also, say that when you will be moving stuff between a usb stick and an external SSD lol

 

[Closingracer]

Ok, you do you. We cant convince you, you have to decide! But then what is important to you? Brightness, thats it? And RAM? You can get a m1 mba with 16gb of ram for less than the equivalent m2 mba! With that money you can get a usb hub for more ports, a mouse, trust me youll want a mouse, and an iLapstand.

LOL. Why would I get a MBA M1 with lower brightness? The M2 is the bare minimum.

 

[Closingracer]

Also, say that when you will be moving stuff between a usb stick and an external SSD lol

The Base model could have 128GB of SSD storage I wouldn't care. I pay for One drive storage for a reason.

 

[HawkTheHusky1902]

LOL. Why would I get a MBA M1 with lower brightness? The M2 is the bare minimum.

Why dont you get a cheap Chromebook if you use cloud storage and dont care about anything related to hardware, except RAM lol
They have great battery life, too. LMAO

 

[Closingracer]

Why dont you get a cheap Chromebook if you use cloud storage and dont care about anything related to hardware, except RAM lol
They have great battery life, too. LMAO

Because I don't want a Chromebook?

 

[HawkTheHusky1902]

Because I don't want a Chromebook?

You want battery life, and you consider anyone who points out differences as overexxagerating it and an Apple Fanboy

 

[Yebubbleman]

What is the point tho when I can get a M1 MacBook Air Base model for $749 brand new or regularly at $799 meanwhile refurb is $849 with student discount.

Pretty sure you've got those prices reversed. Brand new, it's $1000. Academic, it's closer to $850, and refurb, it's closer to $750. Refurb is always cheaper than academic, which is always cheaper than new.

 

[Closingracer]

Pretty sure you've got those prices reversed. Brand new, it's $1000. Academic, it's closer to $850, and refurb, it's closer to $750. Refurb is always cheaper than academic, which is always cheaper than new.

Best buy and Amazon has it on sale for $749

 

[Closingracer]

You want battery life, and you consider anyone who points out differences as overexxagerating it and an Apple Fanboy

Because they are? Also my school says Chromebook isn't an option or tablets otherwise I would of gotten an iPad pro

 

[HawkTheHusky1902]

Because they are? Also my school says Chromebook isn't an option or tablets otherwise I would of gotten an iPad pro

If you actually want people here to help you, then take their recommendations seriously. Most of them know more about Macs than you, so you should maybe listen.
There is nothing we can recommend to you anymore, because the M1 Macbook Air is the best value Mac price-performance wise under 1000 dollars, period. If youre hellbent on the m2 mba because of screen brightness, then you do you and get it, but most here are going to lead you to the m1 mba, because it is that good. I dont understand how you need more than 400 nits of brightness for school, where you will probably be spending most of your time inside, where you dont need a very bright screen, but hey, if you do, then thats that.
Also, you dont need more RAM than 8GB, i promise you, and the swap memory is very fast, and you're just like all the other students out there who think they need more than that for documents and web browsing lol...where in reality they'd be fine with an old 13 inch MBA with an i5.
Furthermore, there are several apps, both free and paid, for Macs which can blow past the limit of 400 nits on the m1 mba and make it reach up to 1000 nits of sustained brightness (if you need that for schooling), which also do not hurt the panel itself at all, since Apple designs most of its recent displays with HDR content in mind.

These Apps Can Double Your MacBook Pro's Display Brightness

Unlock the full potential brightness of your MacBook Pro display.

www.howtogeek.com

So, now there is absolutely no reason for you to not get the M1 MBA instead of the M2 MBA.
Get it and be happy.

 

[Yebubbleman]

If you actually want people here to help you, then take their recommendations seriously. Most of them know more about Macs than you, so you should maybe listen.

Most? That's debatable. There are just as many on here who could win a Mac trivia contest as there are who don't understand any of Apple's current options. Hell most people on this site gravitating toward any Mx Pro equipped Macs aren't doing so because they need the performance but because years of Apple marketing their low-end with "Pro" as a means to get the average user to think they need it have worked.

There is nothing we can recommend to you anymore, because the M1 Macbook Air is the best value Mac price-performance wise under 1000 dollars, period.

This much is totally true.

If youre hellbent on the m2 mba because of screen brightness, then you do you and get it, but most here are going to lead you to the m1 mba, because it is that good. I dont understand how you need more than 400 nits of brightness for school, where you will probably be spending most of your time inside, where you dont need a very bright screen, but hey, if you do, then thats that.

Going to second this. I have both M1 MacBook Airs and M1 13-inch MacBook Pros. I never notice the extra 100 nits of brightness on the 13-inch Pros, nor would I ever spend $100-300 on that particular feature on its own.

Also, you dont need more RAM than 8GB, i promise you,

That's debatable and honestly is highly subjective to one's data and their style of opening (and not quitting) open apps and tabs. I frequently run out of RAM on my 8GB configured M1 Macs and not from having much more than Messages, Mail, Maps, 30 Safari tabs, Facebook Messenger, Calendar all open at once. 16GB is less of a crap-shoot.

and the swap memory is very fast, and you're just like all the other students out there who think they need more than that for documents and web browsing lol...where in reality they'd be fine with an old 13 inch MBA with an i5.

Swap isn't the kind of thing you want to use as a means of being cool with not having enough RAM. You should instead have enough RAM.

 

[Closingracer]

If you actually want people here to help you, then take their recommendations seriously. Most of them know more about Macs than you, so you should maybe listen.
There is nothing we can recommend to you anymore, because the M1 Macbook Air is the best value Mac price-performance wise under 1000 dollars, period. If youre hellbent on the m2 mba because of screen brightness, then you do you and get it, but most here are going to lead you to the m1 mba, because it is that good. I dont understand how you need more than 400 nits of brightness for school, where you will probably be spending most of your time inside, where you dont need a very bright screen, but hey, if you do, then thats that.
Also, you dont need more RAM than 8GB, i promise you, and the swap memory is very fast, and you're just like all the other students out there who think they need more than that for documents and web browsing lol...where in reality they'd be fine with an old 13 inch MBA with an i5.
Furthermore, there are several apps, both free and paid, for Macs which can blow past the limit of 400 nits on the m1 mba and make it reach up to 1000 nits of sustained brightness (if you need that for schooling), which also do not hurt the panel itself at all, since Apple designs most of its recent displays with HDR content in mind.

These Apps Can Double Your MacBook Pro's Display Brightness

Unlock the full potential brightness of your MacBook Pro display.

www.howtogeek.com

So, now there is absolutely no reason for you to not get the M1 MBA instead of the M2 MBA.
Get it and be happy.

Lmaoo. I don't have a MacBook pro 14/16 and the 400 nits brightness is a hardware limitation. The MB pro panel is mini led and has a display capable of reaching it while the air doesn't support HDR

16GB of RAM should be the bare minimum and 100% not enough for windows devices . Just because I'm ok with 8GB now doesn't mean it would be in 3-4 years . I love how much you care if I get a M1. I'm not getting a M1. 100% not .

 

[HawkTheHusky1902]

Most? That's debatable. There are just as many on here who could win a Mac trivia contest as there are who don't understand any of Apple's current options. Hell most people on this site gravitating toward any Mx Pro equipped Macs aren't doing so because they need the performance but because years of Apple marketing their low-end with "Pro" as a means to get the average user to think they need it have worked.



This much is totally true.



Going to second this. I have both M1 MacBook Airs and M1 13-inch MacBook Pros. I never notice the extra 100 nits of brightness on the 13-inch Pros, nor would I ever spend $100-300 on that particular feature on its own.



That's debatable and honestly is highly subjective to one's data and their style of opening (and not quitting) open apps and tabs. I frequently run out of RAM on my 8GB configured M1 Macs and not from having much more than Messages, Mail, Maps, 30 Safari tabs, Facebook Messenger, Calendar all open at once. 16GB is less of a crap-shoot.



Swap isn't the kind of thing you want to use as a means of being cool with not having enough RAM. You should instead have enough RAM.

I just don't understand this HUGE and MASSIVE difference in brightness between the M1 MBA and the M2 MBA.
You didnt read the last part of my post, which clears up the brightness problem.
I would still get the M1 MBA with 16gb of RAM, because apparently he needs that for documents and online schooling , but yet somehow in the DPReview forums i met people who run 5000 42mp Sony A7RIII pictures full-res through Lightroom with color-correcting/masking PER DAY for 5 DAYS STRAIGHT as part of a paid shoot, and the little M1 MBA with 8GB of RAM somehow DIDNT SKIP A BEAT OR SLOW DOWN ONCE. But, everyone is different.
I recommed the M1 MBA with 16GB of RAM fully. That is my recommendation, and i would not get the M2 MBA.