Macbook Pro 13' 2017 i5 looking to upgrade 14' M1 Pro or Macbook Air M1 or M2

[elementalwingma]

I bought a 2017 256GB 8GB ram model early 2018 after deciding to upgrade from my old 2011 model which served me very well. The 2017 on the other hand was alright, although I had various issues (thank jesus I had Applecare+) I've been considering whether to hold out another year or go ahead and upgrade now. I purchased a 14' 512/16GB ram model a few days ago on sale from Best Buy for $1800 and first impressions are that although it definitely isn't as light as the previous model, the screen and keyboard as well as responsiveness are great. I have two weeks to decide, but I was curious to if anyone had any thoughts on it. My 2017 while it is a bit slow and gets hot time to time it still works pretty much fine for my basic needs (Youtube, Microsoft Office, etc) . Since I was pretty much planning to upgrade anyways i figured this computer might be a better long term investment to last for the next several years.

Anyone that was in a similar situation to mine? And if they were and don't mind sharing their decision-making process I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[ssmed]

I have the 14 inch and also previously the M1 (now moved to a colleague). The combination of keyboard, screen and ports is for me, really good. I am not a great fan of the notch as I use quite a few 3rd party apps that use the right hand side of the menu bar and have needed to rewrite a couple of applications to work well. I was never that keen on the alternative non-mechanical function keys. I am thinking this will be a keeper.

 

[russell_314]

My 2017 while it is a bit slow and gets hot time to time it still works pretty much fine for my basic needs (Youtube, Microsoft Office, etc) . Since I was pretty much planning to upgrade anyways i figured this computer might be a better long term investment to last for the next several years.

It sounds like the base model Air would be more than enough for basic use like this. If you like to keep 50 tabs and 20 other things then 16 GB of RAM. You could go with the new Air but since you've already been using the new Pro screen you probably would miss that.

Investment? No... It's not crypto or stocks. It's more like a tool such as a hammer. It's useful if you get the right one you need but it's not going up in value during your lifetime. Maybe if you keep it in the box sealed some crazy collector might buy it but I wouldn't count on that.

 

[elementalwingma]

It sounds like the base model Air would be more than enough for basic use like this. If you like to keep 50 tabs and 20 other things then 16 GB of RAM. You could go with the new Air but since you've already been using the new Pro screen you probably would miss that.

Investment? No... It's not crypto or stocks. It's more like a tool such as a hammer. It's useful if you get the right one you need but it's not going up in value during your lifetime. Maybe if you keep it in the box sealed some crazy collector might buy it but I wouldn't count on that.

I actually failed me mention it in my post but last year holiday season I snagged an M1 Air for $850 used it for a few weeks and honestly while it was great my only problem was with the screen. Didn't get as bright and colors looked more washed out even compared to my old Pro. Ended up bothering me enough to where I brought it back.

But outside of that I think you're right. I keep nowhere near that amount of stuff open, but I often got the low memory alert on my 2017 8GB just having a few things open so that's when I figured I would want at least 16 GB going forward regardless, even though the base model M1 air I had for a while didn't seem to break a sweat ever.

If I go to the M2 Air with the same 16 GB/512 GB configuration it will basically run me just about $200 less than it so that's where I was trying to sort out my thoughts a bit more before. Although if I got the Air I could use that extra $200 to give it 24 GB of RAM...The screen and speakers have already spoiled me though, massive difference from my 2017.

I definitely see what you're saying maybe that was the wrong use of words on my part. Maybe longevity might be a bit closer to what I was meaning.

 

[elementalwingma]

I have the 14 inch and also previously the M1 (now moved to a colleague). The combination of keyboard, screen and ports is for me, really good. I am not a great fan of the notch as I use quite a few 3rd party apps that use the right hand side of the menu bar and have needed to rewrite a couple of applications to work well. I was never that keen on the alternative non-mechanical function keys. I am thinking this will be a keeper.

Hey man I appreciate you sharing your experience with it. Yeah I definitely am yearning for that new keyboard after having mine replaced i think 3 times within 4 years and although it is definitely a bit heavier and bigger I think I'll get used to it the more I use it. Promotion alone similar to the iPhone 13 has made it hard to go back, although on a laptop it's not as jarring as it was on my prior iPhone 7+. Extra ports are awesome too.