MBA M1 as first MacOS device for dev use case?

[tomstone74]

Hello,

I'm forth and back on what to order as my first MacOS device for a dev use case, just for fun - outside my day job, want to learn Swift/Xcode (having a strong Java background), a bit of photo/video editing. Was close to order a new MBP, see also my MBP thread (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/first-macos-device-mbp-14-16-dev-use-case-xcode-swift.2319794/), but perhaps I should get the cheapiest MBA M1 as my first MacOS device and see how it goes. The laptop will be plugged in 90% of the time to a single 2560x1440 monitor and I won't travel with the device, but still opting for a laptop and not for a Mac Mini M1.

For consuming content on the couch (streaming, reading PDFs etc ...) I do have an iPad Pro 12,9" 2018 also purchased a MagicKeyboard ~ 1 year ago, which is rarely used.

Anybody using a MBA M1 (with an external monitor) for software engineering? What dev stack with what MBA config?

Thanks

 

[Shirasaki]

Storage can be as little as 256GB if you dont develop something super impressive. However I still recommend 16GB of RAM for MacBook Air unless your use case is super light. SSD wearing out early is not fun.

 

[LeeW]

I develop using Swift/Xcode, LAMP for web development. I have an MBA 256GB/16GB connected most of the time to a 34" LG 3440x1440. The MBA works perfectly for that. Even better being its low power means all I need is a USB-C cable from the monitor to the MBA to provide video and power so no need for a power brick.

The MBP whilst I have been considering but resisting it is just overkill for development in my view as long as you get 16GB Ram. You can pick them up cheaper either in the refurb store or at other retailers, there is money to be saved on these devices right now.

 

[tomstone74]

I could get an refurbished MBA M1 SG with 8c/7c/16G/256G from apple.at at 1159 EUR. Refurbished, ain't available with 512G at the moment, as it seems. Still not sure if I should invest into a MBP 14" base config 16G/512G though

 

[Hunter5117]

How is the MBA when compiling? Does the lack of fans cause it to throttle and slow things down excessively?

Just asking.

 

[LeeW]

How is the MBA when compiling? Does the lack of fans cause it to throttle and slow things down excessively?

Just asking.

I generally find it takes more than 10 minutes of pushing the device before it gets hot enough to throttle. Can't say for certain but I suspect all it does is pull back on the performance cores only. As always depends on your use case. I don't find it to be an issue.

 

[LeeW]

Still not sure if I should invest into a MBP 14" base config 16G/512G though

If you are looking for enough people to sway you in a particular direction it will happen eventually. Buy the MBP, you can return it within 14 days if you are not happy with it. For a 1st macOS device though I don't recommend it until you are comfortable you really do want a Macbook. Either make use of the 14-day return on the MBP or buy an MBA from the refurb store and you still have 14-day return on that.

 

[Hunter5117]

The 13" MBP (not Air) is a very sweet machine. I just bought one to replace my 12.9" IPP and I can't say enough how impressed I am with it.

Problem is that with 16/512 you are only $300 from the base model 14" which does have a lot of nice extra features and the slightly larger/beter screen, 4 ports, HDMI etc. If it was me I would pay the extra $300 for the newest model but you would not go wrong with the 13" either. I know a lot of people love love love their MBAs, I just like the fans in a laptop if I am doing more than email and web surfing.

 

[tomstone74]

For a 1st macOS device though I don't recommend it until you are comfortable you really do want a Macbook. Either make use of the 14-day return on the MBP or buy an MBA from the refurb store and you still have 14-day return on that.

Fair enough. As a first MacOS device and new to XCode/Swift, I'm not sure if 14 days is sufficient for a qualified decision. I think I will pick the refurbished MBA M1 16G/256G or monitor the Apple Refurbished store for the next days for a 512G, as this would give me a bit more confidence to justify a new device even a bit longer.

Thanks!

 

[jdb8167]

How is the MBA when compiling? Does the lack of fans cause it to throttle and slow things down excessively?

Just asking.

It does throttle on large builds but so what? The builds still complete and if you measure the slowdown it is about 15%. XcodeBenchmark here with results.

 

[petterihiisila]

I'm pushing a 16 GB / 1 TB M1 Air heavily on a daily basis, and I've yet to feel productivity hiccups due to throttling. It generally doesn't even get warm. Single core is on par with M1 Pro/Max. It's noticeably more responsive than the i9/16"/5500M I had before.

I use these computers for compiling code made by others, and for 3D (WebGL) and 2D graphics (various), plus office and design tasks.

The CPU alone doesn't seem to ever make it throttle. Those unusual workloads that maximize both the CPU & GPU for 10...15 minutes, then some frame rate degradation can be seen with 3D graphics. Give it half a minute and it's ready to go again. I encounter these, if I do a long screen capture of something being rendered live in 3D on an external 5k display, while the RAM is near full, causing swapping, with lots of apps working in the background. Anything less than that, no issues.

To be clear, burst-type work even for CPU+GPU combos is OK for forever. No throttling, it keeps going. Temps are usually in the 60....70 °C range max, when heavy work is intertwined with short breaks, for example for I/O or network delays. The Air is mounted vertically in a Brydge dock. Not sure how much role it has, probably not much.

I've had one finger on the purchase button for M1 Pro/Max, because it's new and shiny. But watching the tests, it's really hard to justify the 3x price jump. The main difference for my line of work would be RAM. I do occasionally redline the 16 GB. The GPU if fast enough for what I do, and the multicore result isn't THAT much better in M1 Max/Pro, only the GPU is.

The M1 Air may have other problems, but throttling isn't one of them!