Totally out of my depth

[rdemauro]

Would anyone be able to help me make some decisions? Basically, I no longer even know what I'm looking at anymore and the only thing I KNOW I need is at least 1TB of storage. The last Mac that I bought for myself was a 2009 iMac when I was in grad school (and worked part time at an Apple Store). It did pretty well for me for about 8 years but when I upgraded my digital camera a couple years ago, it couldn't even import the photos, let alone process them.

I've been able to bridge the gap using the laptop provided to me by my job - a 2016 13" MBP 2 Ghz Dual i5, 8gb RAM - and a couple portable HDDs, but obviously I need to be using my own computer for my personal work and this is...not an ideal situation. I was ready to pull the trigger on a refurbished MBP a couple weeks ago when I found out about today's event and decided to wait. But honestly, I don't even know how to compare computer to computer or what constitutes a "sustained workload" vs. short bursts, what kind of system resources I need for what I do. The 2016 MBP does well enough so I know anything I get will be leaps and bounds above what I'm working on now anyway but I also would like something that will last me 4-5 years since this is a significant expense for me.

My heaviest use is probably light video editing - I shoot and edit about 1-2 30 minute video tutorials a month using iMovie and about 1 5-6 minute dance performance video every couple of months and would like to learn how to do key screening for some of those.
I also shoot portraits, in RAW, with a midrange mirrorless camera (Fuji X-T20) and retouch and edit them both in Lightroom and Photoshop but I'm not typically going crazy with loads of layers or anything. I use Illustrator regularly for relatively simple files to be used on a laser cutter.

Prior to the pandemic, I taught in a makerspace - basic 3D printing, primarily using TinkerCAD, laser cutting and engraving, primarily using Illustrator but sometimes Inkscape and GIMP (neither of which have ever run properly on my MBP), and custom embroidery using Illustrator and Embird. I'd like to personally learn how to use more 3D modeling software to create more complex files for 3D laser engraving - probably Blender.

I can't really wait for additional line refreshes next year, nor can I really afford anything over $2000. $1600 was kind of where I was aiming. And I need a laptop rather than a desktop because I need to bring it to the makerspace with me. I'm trying to figure out if I would be perfectly happy with the entry level MBA and just upgrading the storage, or if I should invest in the MBP because of the fan, or if I would be really remiss in not also upgrading the RAM, or if I would be better off hunting the refurb store for a MBP.

 

[BB1970]

Honestly. A MBA would probably do you fine. You can also get one and give it a shot for like 14 days (really hammer away at it and see what it can do) and if it’s not enough, upgrade to the Pro... but given your particular uses, I don’t think you'd need one. All the reviewers will be getting theirs next week and go through all the geek bench, and Final Cut footage (using 4-8k) so you can wait to see those. And what’s really wild, is you can probably get away with an iPad Pro or even Air (assuming your specific software needs allow for it). But by judging what you described, an all a rounder like an MBA should be totally fine.

 

[brianmowrey]

MBA with 16GB and 1TB plus Apple Care breaks your budget. You can try to live with 8GB for 3D modeling or skimp on Apple Care, but either sacrifice is a risk. Add to that, the ports are very constraining. Want to use a logi mouse so you can move your camera in Blender? No problem, just plug it in to one of your seventeen chained docks and dongles that will only take ten minutes to sort and pack on your way out the door every day. Have fun losing your SD card inside the $100 dock the first time you forget it somewhere, and someone getting at all your photos.

Same disadvantage applies to the MBP within your budget.

You're better off getting a used 2013-2015 but with 16GB, which will have USB, SD, and HDMI, or any 2012 pre-retina MBP, which you can upgrade yourself with regular screwdrivers, adding up to 16GB and any 2.5" SATA hard drive you want, with still $1000 leftover on your budget, and which support Catalina, so all the apps you use now will still work for a few years at min. The 2013-2015 are better for external displays, and they will have Big Sur support, but are still more expensive and less upgradeable/repairable.

In summary, what the M1 adds in terms of processing power isn't really useful to your work-use. What it adds in pricing is. But that advantage is undone by the premium Apple places on the storage upgrade.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I would buy one of the following Macs that came out today:

- Higher End MacBook Air (with M1)
- Lower End 13" MacBook Pro with M1
- Higher End 13" MacBook Pro with M1
- Lower End Mac mini with M1

And make sure you spec it with 16GB of RAM and one tier of storage larger than you think you'll need.

If you're using software for which there isn't an Apple Silicon version for and that runs poorly or not at all in Rosetta 2 and/or you want Boot Camp, I recommend either the Intel 10th Gen based 13" MacBook Pro from earlier this year or the 16" MacBook Pro.

 

[rdemauro]

In summary, what the M1 adds in terms of processing power isn't really useful to your work-use. What it adds in pricing is. But that advantage is undone by the premium Apple places on the storage upgrade.

What is that processor good for then?

 

[brianmowrey]

What is that processor good for then?

3D animation? Anything that’s pushing the Intel 16” MBP to draw more power than USB-c can supply? One struggles to find a utility to the new era outside of cost and gaming. I think it’s great that Macs are becoming more adept at gaming. But if the advances in baseline cost are walked back by price-gouging in the internal storage realm, then there’s no value-add at all.

 

[SonofSpingo]

MBA with 16GB and 1TB plus Apple Care breaks your budget. You can try to live with 8GB for 3D modeling or skimp on Apple Care, but either sacrifice is a risk. Add to that, the ports are very constraining. Want to use a logi mouse so you can move your camera in Blender? No problem, just plug it in to one of your seventeen chained docks and dongles that will only take ten minutes to sort and pack on your way out the door every day. Have fun losing your SD card inside the $100 dock the first time you forget it somewhere, and someone getting at all your photos.

Same disadvantage applies to the MBP within your budget.

You're better off getting a used 2013-2015 but with 16GB, which will have USB, SD, and HDMI, or any 2012 pre-retina MBP, which you can upgrade yourself with regular screwdrivers, adding up to 16GB and any 2.5" SATA hard drive you want, with still $1000 leftover on your budget, and which support Catalina, so all the apps you use now will still work for a few years at min. The 2013-2015 are better for external displays, and they will have Big Sur support, but are still more expensive and less upgradeable/repairable.

In summary, what the M1 adds in terms of processing power isn't really useful to your work-use. What it adds in pricing is. But that advantage is undone by the premium Apple places on the storage upgrade.

What you need to remember is that mid-2015 Retina MBPs are not upgradable. The RAM Is soldered in place and the SSD used is again very difficult to replace as Apple have used some odd configuration. Go look it up. Before buying secondhand do research on the particular model you have your eye on as Apple have made upgrading a minefield as it varies so much from model to model.
i agree with the sentiments of the original poster, buying a new Mac is not simple. Having been a Mac user since the days of the Mac Plus making decisions on a new computer these days is not easy. If I were you I’d wait for tear down reports before making a move. Theory is all very well but what is required is real world data on performance. Though looking at the specs of the new machines and their limit on 16GB at first I took that to be a deal breaker but it may not be as big a problem as one may think given the claims of increased CPU and graphics performance. Check this out...

I too am looking to replace a fully speced out 2013 iMac, which given its age still manages to rip through multiple 85MB RAW files with ease. Where it does really slowwwww down is running AI powered apps like Topaz noise reduction when it crawls.
The last thing is Applecare. Having bought many Macs over the years , both laptops and desktops I’ve never felt the need for AppleCare given the inherent reliability of the machines. From my experience build quality is one thing Apple gets right......but that would be your call.

 

[hobowankenobi]

If it were me, and I was trying to maximize budget and usable life span, I would consider the new MBP 13" with 16GB, and 256GB of storage. Even the MBA should do you fine, although with video editing, it may be throttled more due to limited (fanless) cooling. We should see some real-life tests within the next two weeks to see if there is a substantial difference in performance between the M1 MBA and MBP under heavier workloads.

I would buy a small, fast external SSD for storage if I wanted mobility, and/or I would use a NAS at home for data storage and archives. Keep in mind internal or external, one still needs at least one other separate storage device for backups.

Sure, you can go with 500GB, 1TB, or more internally, but eventually, everybody runs out of storage if you are creating content (photos, video, music, etc). So unless you are 100% sure you only need a specific amount of storage, the day will come that you need more space. With no upgrade path, that means external or updating to a newer Mac.

While one can get good bang for the buck on late model intel Macs, they are almost certainly not going to have as long a usable life span. If a great deal was found on an Intel Mac, keep in mind it will be a transitional computer; it will be worth nearly nothing in a couple of years as the market demand for legacy Macs falls off.

 

[hobowankenobi]

3D animation? Anything that’s pushing the Intel 16” MBP to draw more power than USB-c can supply? One struggles to find a utility to the new era outside of cost and gaming. I think it’s great that Macs are becoming more adept at gaming. But if the advances in baseline cost are walked back by price-gouging in the internal storage realm, then there’s no value-add at all.

Have to disagree. Higher performance with less power draw (less cooling, less noise, longer battery life) is always useful. Video editing, in particular, has always been CPU intensive. No reason to think this will change.

Historically, software always moves to use available resources, as do OS updates. Unless one is ready to freeze their workflow tools—never updating OS or software—newer faster hardware is always useful and device life-extending.

 

[pmiles]

Please keep in mind that any software not written in universal will have to use Rosetta 2 to run on the new ARM Macs. That means, in emulation mode. You're used to running the software in native mode. As to what performance hits it takes running in emulation, we don't know. Only way to know is to actually test it. Apple's big song and dance was testing software written in universal so it runs natively on the ARM architecture and highly optimized for Big Sur. Big Sur is going to run better on the new ARMs because it was written specifically for them.

Until people start testing software that is forced to run in emulation mode, you won't know if you slowing yourself down or staying about the same.

One thing that is perfectly clear is that these new ARM Macs are introductory Macs... meaning they are going to be replaced by more robust models sooner rather than later. So it's more likely you will be upgrading them sooner than you would have if we weren't in such a transitory state with Apple right now.

A safe bet would be a used Mac for lower price point and known performance with the software you already run. The new Macs are the Wild Wild West... until they start to get a foot hold and developers catch up.

 

[brianmowrey]

Have to disagree. Higher performance with less power draw (less cooling, less noise, longer battery life) is always useful. Video editing, in particular, has always been CPU intensive. No reason to think this will change.

Historically, software always moves to use available resources, as do OS updates. Unless one is ready to freeze their workflow tools—never updating OS or software—newer faster hardware is always useful and device life-extending.

Ah, true - I was forgetting to score the battery life improvement for the M1.

Of course the gains for video editing are indisputable. My position is that for a user who wants an all-purpose machine, who will not be working in Raw-space, those gains are less valuable than a USB-A port, or the freedom to upgrade RAM and internal storage at market rates. Since the M1 does not live inside a machine that provides those things, it is burdened.