Macbook Pro: M4 v. M4 Pro : Happy v. Unhappy with Decision?

[rwh63]

Teeing up a purchase soon. probably gonna go refurb from Apple. the base M4 would probably do everything I need it to do for years to come (i keep my stuff for a long time). Cost consideration is mostly between 512 v. 1 tb storage. The Pro chip models have certain advantages that may make it attractive. it is about a $200 step up in price between base 512 and 1 tb, then base pro 512 and 1 tb. base 512 is about $1350, 1 tb is about $1530, base pro 512 about $1700, etc.

wondering, are people who bought the base happy with it, or wish they had stepped into the pro, and vice versa?

probably have to pick up a hub to deal with current use of ethernet, usb-a, firewire, etc.

 

[raythompsontn]

In my opinion, the only real advantage to the M4 Pro for most users is the Thunderbolt 5. That may become relevant in a few years. For most users it will not be relevant. Yes, the M4 Pro has about double the memory bandwidth. For most people the speed difference is not going to matter. The M4 Pro can handle more memory, but at a significant cost in Apple dollars. Your feeling that the base M4 will do what you need is probably spot on and should make your decision for you.

 

[dizmonk]

Teeing up a purchase soon. probably gonna go refurb from Apple. the base M4 would probably do everything I need it to do for years to come (i keep my stuff for a long time). Cost consideration is mostly between 512 v. 1 tb storage. The Pro chip models have certain advantages that may make it attractive. it is about a $200 step up in price between base 512 and 1 tb, then base pro 512 and 1 tb. base 512 is about $1350, 1 tb is about $1530, base pro 512 about $1700, etc.

wondering, are people who bought the base happy with it, or wish they had stepped into the pro, and vice versa?

probably have to pick up a hub to deal with current use of ethernet, usb-a, firewire, etc.

I went with an M4 Nano Refurbed 16gb/1tb. My primary reasons were the increased battery life of the M4 (not the M4 Pro) and I have no need for the power of the Pro.

 

[TechRunner]

I considered an M4 Pro for a few minutes, but my uses didn't require the step up, so I stuck with the base 14" M4 MBP. Very happy and expecting a solid 5+ years from it.

 

[ashman70]

I got the base M4 14' and the only thing I would do differently is bump the RAM from 16 to 32, otherwise I'm very happy with it.

 

[A1423]

I personally look at what I need now, and buy 2-3 steps above it. It’s served me well. I always have a fast reliable device and it takes everything I’ll throw at it.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I always buy the most computer I can reasonably afford. So in this case, M4 Pro (14c/20gc) with nano texture.

I do this so that I don't have to think about it for years to come.

 

[ISKOTB]

Yes, I loved the M1 but 16” was a little too big for me, so traded it in to the 14”/M4p/1TB/48GB

 

[AdamNC]

Ram is something you can never have too much of if you keep your computers a long time. I would get a base M4 with as much ram as you can afford and the 512SSD. You can always use an external drive.

 

[dinobear]

Upgraded from 2019 intel MBP with 64GB Ram. I love having all the ram so i went with M4 Pro and got 48gb Ram. Weird after owning my previous MBP for 5 years my upgrade to M4 actually has less ram. First time that's ever happened. But very happy with M4 Pro.