I am a Computer science degree student in search for a laptop i hate windows machine and their lagging , i would rather use parallels anyway onto the subject i am in between an m3 macbook air 8gb or an m2 8gb or 16gb . cant affford the extra price for the m3 16gb. i want it to be futureproof for atleast 4-5 yrs . i learn plenty and i already do 5-6 programming languages and study a lot on youtube but i dont need much storage as i need maximum like 200gb so 256 does fine. I want the maximum i can get for my money so what should i choose between them.I need to make this purchase within this month any help is much appreciated
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NEED SERIOUS ADVICE ASAP 🥲
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Get the one with more memory.
m2 vs m3 won't be much difference but 8 vs 16 will be.
m2 vs m3 won't be much difference but 8 vs 16 will be.
I would advise against considering any models outside of your budget, eliminating the M3 with 16GB. The M2 and M3 MacBook Air differences are negligible, in both the processors themselves, and features (WiFi 6E vs WiFi 6). Agree with Ghokun, M2 with 16GB will be a better machine.
Just be aware... If you use Parallels, you will have to run the ARM version of Windows or Linux. That will affect what programs you can use and what architecture you compile for. The VM may actually be slower than a native x64/x86 computer in some cases if it needs to do emulation. Does your school recommend a certain computer for your degree, or do they offer any discounts?
I don't think you seem to use the HP of the processor. Like most of us the bottleneck tends to be the ram. I'd go M2.
edit/Add: Yes make sure you use the https://www.apple.com/education/ you should have $50 -$100 reduction so that would help plus whatever the current back to school promo is.
edit/Add: Yes make sure you use the https://www.apple.com/education/ you should have $50 -$100 reduction so that would help plus whatever the current back to school promo is.
I would recommend the M2, 16GB RAM. However, I would strongly recommend at least 512GB storage. Reasons for this include:
1. Future versions of macOS will (very likely) require ever-increasing amounts of storage.
2. Having all your important files, etc on cloud services (only) and/or on slow external storage devices is not the
optimal situation for CS students.
3. Your computing needs over time will likely increase over time.
4. Future versions of mission-critical software will (very likely) require ever-increasing amounts of storage.
Good luck in your purchasing decision!
richmlow
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Get a side job/gig for a few weeks to get yourself out of the Apple "maximize for them shareholders" pinch. If you are buying for the long run, you are not buying specs that are "good enough" for 2024. Instead, you are buying for 2030-2035. Be sure you get enough horses to not find yourself having to replace the entire computer sooner than you expect. Unlike those PCs, you can't fatten RAM or internal SSD later.
Speaking of PC: since price is influencing this decision so much, did it influence the last computing decision that got you the PC? If you put a Mac budget towards a PC, you will buy a LOT of PC. As you see already, just the RAM or SSD upgrade can buy up to a whole PC. With value concerns, the money you are about to spend will buy a LOT more PC "guts" than Mac. Nearly 50¢ of every dollar you put towards a new Mac isn't buying any part of that Mac. Instead, it will just fall through into the great profit margin vaults at Apple HQ. Robust PC competition won't have big fat, super-sized margins, so that more of your money can go towards the PC itself. You'll also find that the ability to shop around for RAM & SSD will allow you get much more of both if you want it in 2024... or readily add it later should you need it then. Apple is the lone "company store" for both, so you pay 3X-5X market because you have no other choice if you want a Mac.
I've been an Apple guy for a couple of decades but- like you- needed some Windows too and opted to pick up a Mac Mini-like PC for "old fashioned bootcamp." For what Apple wants for an 8TB SSD upgrade, I got a full gaming PC with 10TB SSD, 64GB RAM, a good graphics card, etc. I find Windows 11 to be just fine, NOT "lagging" and, of course, anything Windows will run on an actual PC vs. the hit or miss nature of ARM Windows emulation. AAA games are immediately available instead of hoping they might come someday to Mac. Etc.
You seem pretty locked in on a Mac but you might want to give a quality PC one more bit of consideration... especially if you want to spend a Mac budget on your next computer.
Speaking of PC: since price is influencing this decision so much, did it influence the last computing decision that got you the PC? If you put a Mac budget towards a PC, you will buy a LOT of PC. As you see already, just the RAM or SSD upgrade can buy up to a whole PC. With value concerns, the money you are about to spend will buy a LOT more PC "guts" than Mac. Nearly 50¢ of every dollar you put towards a new Mac isn't buying any part of that Mac. Instead, it will just fall through into the great profit margin vaults at Apple HQ. Robust PC competition won't have big fat, super-sized margins, so that more of your money can go towards the PC itself. You'll also find that the ability to shop around for RAM & SSD will allow you get much more of both if you want it in 2024... or readily add it later should you need it then. Apple is the lone "company store" for both, so you pay 3X-5X market because you have no other choice if you want a Mac.
I've been an Apple guy for a couple of decades but- like you- needed some Windows too and opted to pick up a Mac Mini-like PC for "old fashioned bootcamp." For what Apple wants for an 8TB SSD upgrade, I got a full gaming PC with 10TB SSD, 64GB RAM, a good graphics card, etc. I find Windows 11 to be just fine, NOT "lagging" and, of course, anything Windows will run on an actual PC vs. the hit or miss nature of ARM Windows emulation. AAA games are immediately available instead of hoping they might come someday to Mac. Etc.
You seem pretty locked in on a Mac but you might want to give a quality PC one more bit of consideration... especially if you want to spend a Mac budget on your next computer.
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I actually thought about getting a PC or just any windows machines but they are a hassle to work with even the core ultra ones dont compare with mac battery lifes and portability , i even tried to use my friends laptop which is an ho spectre 360 even i couldnt handle the power drops when it was removed from the charging station , as far as PC goes yes i can get a better one for the price of a mac but when you need a bike you cant buy a house right i hope that analogy is clear , what i need isnt stationary i should be able to carry it and even though i could get a PC for insane deals and better specs than a macbook the fact of the matter still remains that it isnt a macbook or portable if that makes sense the only windows laptop other than this i think i would go for might be the razer blade or the thinkpad carbons but both of them are unreliable in real life use case scenarios compared to a mac which delivers outstanding perfomance with outstanding battery life in my opinion which all the other counterparts lack
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Reads like you are completely sold on Mac. Get the extra job or save up for a few more weeks and pay the premium to buy a Mac that can last vs. a “good enough” Mac for 2024.
If you don't go for a used or refurb mac, do be sure that you are shopping on Apple's Education priced site:
Education Pricing and Student Discounts
Receive a discount on a new Mac or iPad for your studies with Apple Education Pricing. Available for students, teachers and staff.
www.apple.com
As a CS student you might also consider a laptop running Linux. I would be surprised if a CS program required software that only ran on Windows. You can get many of the advantages of MacOS with Linux if you are willing to put in the elbow grease (i.e. do manually what macOS does behind the scenes but actually as a CS student this may be educational). So instead of letting macOS seemlessly optimize energy use to get the best battery life, you might have to manually throttle the CPU up and down, etc.
And though in theory your CS program should be focused on the theory and algorithms remember the difference between theory and practice is greater in practice than in theory.
TL
NR is that the cheapest Mac laptop will probably meet your needs. 16GB would be highly recommended but 8GB should do the job. I'd repeat others' concerns about the 256GB SSD - I think XCode needs about 40GB to install unless you want extra hassle slimming it down, and if you run Parallels you end up with large disc images taking space. Also remember that you shouldn't be running with your drive anywhere near 100% full - especially with a SSD, which needs free space to function. These things shouldn't be a dilemma in 2024 but, hey, complaints on a postcard to Apple for charging $200 extra for < $100 worth of RAM and the same again for an extra 256GB of flash. Step #1 is to check whether the university has any particular recommendations/requirements for what type of system you need and/or get feedback from other students on what actually works. That includes systems for submitting course work etc. as well as the CS curriculum. If you're already a year in, think about what options/courses you might be taking in the future: they might have specific requirements. Odds are that any exotic hardware will be provided in the labs, but being able to work on your own hardware might be an advantage - or maybe not.
If you do need to use Windows regularly for coursework then do yourself a favour and get a Windows laptop because the best computer/OS is the one that runs the software you need. You want to be studying the course, not how to get particular bits of software running on your Mac.
Also: repeat after me: "Visual Studio for Mac and Visual Studio Code are not Visual Studio" - and any course that assumes you're using Visual Studio will probably also assume that you're on x86.
Of course, if it's a proper computer science degree then all you should need is an infinite roll of paper tape and a marker pen.
- but, seriously, it's unlikely that the actual coding will be particularly demanding and, in theory, a Mac should be an ideal tool for the job since it is running Unix.I'm not for one moment suggesting that a Mac isn't suitable for CS but check.
Odds are that a used/refurb M1 MBA will do what you need for your course and work just as well in 4 years time as it does today, doing the same things that it does today. 16GB & 512GB SSD would be better - since it's very likely to become the standard spec for new Macs on that timescale (with Copilot+ PCs now starting at 16GB, any M4 Mac with less than 12GB would be laughable). On past performance, Macs get new versions of the OS for at least 4 years after Apple stop selling them and critical updates for a couple of years after that.
But, you're doing a CS degree - in 3 years time you might be specialising in AI development, augmented reality, designing CPUs, writing the definitive book on the history of 8-bit computing... or just using your degree certificate to get promoted to senior assistant manager at MacDonalds (to fund your VR gaming habit). You don't know what gear you'll need or whether or not you'll need to own it yourself.
...but seriously, "future proofing" is an expensive hobby that doesn't always pay off - it's not fair but it's something to do when you have spare cash. If you have any sort of usable laptop at the moment then it would be best to save up until you can at least comfortably afford a 16MB/256GB M3 and have looked in to what you actually need for your course. If you must have a laptop today, get something that will do the job today and don't over-extend yourself financially.
Hope this "advice" isn't too late.
DO NOT buy ANY Mac with only 8gb of RAM. If you do, you will regret it sooner rather than later.
DO buy a Mac with 16/18gb of RAM, particularly if you're going to run a virtual machine.
Repeat this to yourself 3 times as you click your shoes together:
"16 is the new 8"...
DO NOT buy ANY Mac with only 8gb of RAM. If you do, you will regret it sooner rather than later.
DO buy a Mac with 16/18gb of RAM, particularly if you're going to run a virtual machine.
Repeat this to yourself 3 times as you click your shoes together:
"16 is the new 8"...
My thoughts: get the most-configured PC you can for your budget. It will keep you in great stead during your coursework. As you approach graduation with a job offer in hand, get whatever you need then against your new budget. I suggest it is that simple.
I whole heartedly agree with this according to what I've seen on my son's course.TL
Step #1 is to check whether the university has any particular recommendations/requirements for what type of system you need and/or get feedback from other students on what actually works. That includes systems for submitting course work etc. as well as the CS curriculum. If you're already a year in, think about what options/courses you might be taking in the future: they might have specific requirements. Odds are that any exotic hardware will be provided in the labs, but being able to work on your own hardware might be an advantage - or maybe not.
If you do need to use Windows regularly for coursework then do yourself a favour and get a Windows laptop because the best computer/OS is the one that runs the software you need. You want to be studying the course, not how to get particular bits of software running on your Mac.
Also: repeat after me: "Visual Studio for Mac and Visual Studio Code are not Visual Studio" - and any course that assumes you're using Visual Studio will probably also assume that you're on x86.
Of course, if it's a proper computer science degree then all you should need is an infinite roll of paper tape and a marker pen.
I'm not for one moment suggesting that a Mac isn't suitable for CS but check.
Odds are that a used/refurb M1 MBA will do what you need for your course and work just as well in 4 years time as it does today, doing the same things that it does today. 16GB & 512GB SSD would be better - since it's very likely to become the standard spec for new Macs on that timescale (with Copilot+ PCs now starting at 16GB, any M4 Mac with less than 12GB would be laughable). On past performance, Macs get new versions of the OS for at least 4 years after Apple stop selling them and critical updates for a couple of years after that.
But, you're doing a CS degree - in 3 years time you might be specialising in AI development, augmented reality, designing CPUs, writing the definitive book on the history of 8-bit computing... or just using your degree certificate to get promoted to senior assistant manager at MacDonalds (to fund your VR gaming habit). You don't know what gear you'll need or whether or not you'll need to own it yourself.
...but seriously, "future proofing" is an expensive hobby that doesn't always pay off - it's not fair but it's something to do when you have spare cash. If you have any sort of usable laptop at the moment then it would be best to save up until you can at least comfortably afford a 16MB/256GB M3 and have looked in to what you actually need for your course. If you must have a laptop today, get something that will do the job today and don't over-extend yourself financially.
I can't express it better so simply: this advice is solid gold.
Why? He’ll be out of school in a few years and his salary will be through the roof and his employer will pay for the latest Mac for him.
But my opinion is 16 GB of RAM is the most important thing. I’ve never used Parallels but when I used VMWare Fusion on my Intel Mac, my 8 GB RAM became two machines with 4GB of RAM per machine. Two 8GB machines is definitely usable now but I don’t think two 4GB machines will perform well these days.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
You are answering your own question: In a few years, 2 8GB machines now will be like those 2 4GB machines you are faulting, which many people would have argued were “definitely usable” a few years ago.
I still think OP should stick with a (quality) PC myself but OP wants Mac now.
I still think OP should stick with a (quality) PC myself but OP wants Mac now.
Definitely would recommend the option with more RAM, especially if you're going to be running a VM.
Computer science degree student that has teachers.
Why wouldn't you ask your teachers what's required?
Why wouldn't you ask your teachers what's required?
CS Student? Why not just use Linux on a PC notbook and save like $1K?
I was a CS student some decades ago and worked in the field for a long time. Even today we mostly use text windows and the terminal. CS work, unless you are training new AI models does not need much of a computer. A large screen is more important.
But more recently I was back in school as a grad student and my kids are college-age. One thing that got me back to Macs from Linux is that students, even CS students mostly do other things. Mostly they take general ed classes like everyone else and they need to write papers, take note and so on. You are a university student first and a CS major second. I think iPads work best in the classroom and then some kind of notebook for outside the classroom and a really big monitor in the place you live so you can have a larger screen for projrects. The Mac is best at all this "not CS" stuff. The Mac is also OK at the "CS Stuff" because under the hood it is UNIXand very Linux-like. It really is the best of both worlds.
Had you said you were a Comunications Arts student, I say get a bigger notebook with a larger screen and so on. But CS students do their projects at 2:00 am on Saturday at home and the larger monitor works for that. For day to day use the smaller the computer the easier it is to carry, an iPad makes a lot of sense.