Moving to a Macbook

Rexxar · 17 Nov 2023 at 09:54

Looking at making the move from a windows laptop, to a macbook. Slightly confused by the number of options available however.

Currently using a 15" XPS , which although it has a great screen and battery life, i do find it too big for carrying around with me. So i guess that puts me in the 13"/14" screen territory

I see that 13" and 15" are the only options for the macbook air, and that if i wanted a 14" , i would have to go to macbook pro

Can anyone comment on the differences between the 13" and 14" screen sizes ? Aspect ratio etc ? Is there much of a difference?

I don't think i need the processing power of the macbook pro, as i still have my desktop for any serious photo/video editing, but open to opinions here, i don't want to spend more for something i'm not going to use, but if it's a significantly better machine then open to going higher up the range.

So opinions please, 13" vs 14" ? Or are macbooks light enough to stick with 15" screens? And are there any major benefits to going for a macbook pro (Processing power aside?) I want something i can actually use on my lap without it getting hot or a fan kicking in, and i like the magsafe tech so assume i need to be looking at m2/m3 ?

Sorry bit of an "all over the place" post, new to the world of mac!

Thanks

ChrisD. · 17 Nov 2023 at 10:09

The screen on the Pro is far nicer, plus more IO. You can use it on your lap without it getting hot. What are fans? Never heard mine. Bliss computing.

rumple9 · 17 Nov 2023 at 10:20

Thoughts and prayers

Feek · 17 Nov 2023 at 10:41

Rexxar said:
So opinions please, 13" vs 14" ? Or are macbooks light enough to stick with 15" screens? And are there any major benefits to going for a macbook pro (Processing power aside?) I want something i can actually use on my lap without it getting hot or a fan kicking in, and i like the magsafe tech so assume i need to be looking at m2/m3 ?

What's your budget?

ChrisD. said:
The screen on the Pro is far nicer,

But that doesn't make the Air a bad screen. It's not like ten years ago when the screen on the Air was actually rubbish, it's very good.

ChrisD. · 17 Nov 2023 at 11:05

Feek said:
But that doesn't make the Air a bad screen. It's not like ten years ago when the screen on the Air was actually rubbish, it's very good.

Yes that's true, but the extra resolution on the 14" combined with the real estate makes it much nicer to use IMO. I went from the M1 13" Air to the M1 14" Pro and it was a great move.

beachBOYken · 17 Nov 2023 at 11:40

I went from an iMac to a MacBook, think the iMac screen was 21.5, anyway now have a 14" MacBook Pro, I like the screen size, I wouldn't want to drop any lower though. 14" seems like the sweet spot to me, perfect size at a desk or on your lap.

So I would go for the 14" or 15" depending on your budget.

Feek · 17 Nov 2023 at 12:14

@Rexxar, You're picking a really good time to do this, Apple extend the no quibble return period at Christmas so you get a lot of time to play with it.

Rexxar · 18 Nov 2023 at 20:41

Feek said:
@Rexxar, You're picking a really good time to do this, Apple extend the no quibble return period at Christmas so you get a lot of time to play with it.

Didn't know about this, that's a great point thanks.

R:E Sizing vs Budget - It's not a cost thing, but i realise my XPS 15 was overkill for what it gets used for and i value portability over weight, but obviously don't want to go to a screen that is too small. I did use a 13" laptop for a while (work machine) but that was pretty much used for emails and little else. Does sound like i should be looking at 14" then and that takes me into "pro" territory.

Is there a minimum ram/storage i should be speccing on this as it's not user-upgradable like windows machines usually are? Also want something that won't work too hard and get hot.

ChrisD. · 18 Nov 2023 at 21:03

Rexxar said:
Also want something that won't work too hard and get hot.

Don't worry about it getting hot, this isn't x86/Windows.

Now you have the form factor, pick the best spec for your budget. Even the base CPUs are crazy quick, so maximise RAM IMO, followed by storage especially if you don't have a fast internet connection NAS.

LiE · 18 Nov 2023 at 21:04

15” MacBook Air 16gb RAM with 512GB or 1TB depending how much cloud vs local file storage.

silvagti · 18 Nov 2023 at 21:18

LiE said:
15” MacBook Air 16gb RAM with 512GB or 1TB depending how much cloud vs local file storage.

+1 That's what I would buy. I have an 13" M2 (16Gb/521Gb SSD) but would have opted for the 15" air had it been available at the time.

Unless you know you need the additional power of the Pro/Max models the Macbook Air is plenty powerful enough for just about everyone IMO. I guess there'll be an M3 refresh of the Air at some point soon but possibly not until early 2024.

MacRS4 · 18 Nov 2023 at 21:22

I'm fortunate enough to regularly use several different units - currently on my desk for example I have an M2 Air (I'm using it right now) an M3 Max 16", and on my desk at work a 14" MBP (and an Ultra). I've also used a few M2 15 Airs. I have to say I don't really 'get' them, I can't think of a use case for me.

The Air units are fabulous machines for general office type stuff, and I'll often take my 13" M2 Air when I'm out and about going to multiple sites for example. Weirdly, the 14" screen does feel like it has a lot more estate, even though in reality it's about 15% larger - it feels a more.

If I had to choose one, and travel/portability was a requirement, I'd 100% go with the 14" Pro. It's just a nicer machine than the Air - the screen for example is ace. Or rather I notice how poor the Air's screen is in comparison when I switch back.

It's not that the Air screen is bad - it's just that the pro is better; hope that makes sense!

Edited to add, I think the 14" is about 15% more screen estate than the 13", and the 15" Air about another 15% again. Unless I'm being maths-wine impaired anyway.

silvagti · 18 Nov 2023 at 21:31

silvagti said:
+1 That's what I would buy. I have an 13" M2 (16Gb/521Gb SSD) but would have opted for the 15" air had it been available at the time.

Mind you, assuming you want 16Gb/512Gb the M3 Macbook Pro 14" is only ~£100 more than the Macbook Air 15" with the same spec? Given the newer M3/Pro chip it's probably worth the extra money TBH as the Air still has the M2.

Depends whether you prefer the extra CPU/GPU power and better display/sounds/ports of the 14" Pro or the larger display and lighter weight of the 15" Air I guess.

LiE · 18 Nov 2023 at 23:51

You could also keep an eye out for a deal on the m1 14 pro.

Refurbs come in and out of stock and are well priced.

Refurbished 14-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Pro Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 14‑Core GPU - Space Grey

M1 Pro takes the exceptional performance of the M1 architecture to a whole new level for pro users. Even the most ambitious projects are easily handled with up to 10 CPU cores, up to 16 GPU cores, a 16‑core Neural Engine, and dedicated encode and decode media engines that support H.264, HEVC and...

www.apple.com

Costco had these in stock recently, may come back. Wonder if they have them in stock in some stores.

Apple MacBook Pro, Apple M1 Pro Chip 10-Core CPU, 16-Core...

Shop Costco.co.uk for the latest Apple MacBook Pro, Apple M1 Pro Chip 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 16 Inch

www.costco.co.uk

Rexxar · 19 Nov 2023 at 11:23

LiE said:
You could also keep an eye out for a deal on the m1 14 pro.

Refurbs come in and out of stock and are well priced.

Refurbished 14-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Pro Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 14‑Core GPU - Space Grey

M1 Pro takes the exceptional performance of the M1 architecture to a whole new level for pro users. Even the most ambitious projects are easily handled with up to 10 CPU cores, up to 16 GPU cores, a 16‑core Neural Engine, and dedicated encode and decode media engines that support H.264, HEVC and...

www.apple.com

Costco had these in stock recently, may come back. Wonder if they have them in stock in some stores.

Apple MacBook Pro, Apple M1 Pro Chip 10-Core CPU, 16-Core...

Shop Costco.co.uk for the latest Apple MacBook Pro, Apple M1 Pro Chip 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 16 Inch

www.costco.co.uk

Thanks, Costco's black friday event starts tomorrow so i'll keep an eye on the deals coming through.

An M1 14" would probably do what i need it to.

rp2000 · 19 Nov 2023 at 15:16

Rexxar said:
So opinions please, 13" vs 14" ? Or are macbooks light enough to stick with 15" screens? And are there any major benefits to going for a macbook pro (Processing power aside?) I want something i can actually use on my lap without it getting hot or a fan kicking in, and i like the magsafe tech so assume i need to be looking at m2/m3 ?

Sorry bit of an "all over the place" post, new to the world of mac!

Thanks

No one mentioned a big difference between the Airs with M1/M2 vs M1/M2/M3 Pro is that you can only ever use one external monitor with the non pro chips on the Air models. Main reason I use a M1 14 Pro as opposed to the M1 Air I had prior. I rarely use 2 external screens but still.

Edit: I had both the 8Gb and 16Gb Airs and I could easily make the 8GB one choke with a not unreasonable amount of tabs open. Even if it didn't choke now, it would in a year or 2 and these types of laptops should be lasting you 5 years at least unless you're a serial upgrader.

rp2000

Moley · 19 Nov 2023 at 15:29

Can you borrow a MacBook to try out for a while?

The biggest issue you're likely to have long term is getting used to OSX over Windows and you might find you don't like it long term.

I have three laptops - an Acer Predator for Windows, a Dell XPS 13 developer edition for Linux and a MacBook Air for OSX. I switch between them as needed but always end up going back to the Acer. I also use a MacBook Pro for work (I work for a USA Tech firm so it's all Mac and Google).

Zeebedy · 19 Nov 2023 at 16:59

rp2000 said:
No one mentioned a big difference between the Airs with M1/M2 vs M1/M2/M3 Pro is that you can only ever use one external monitor with the non pro chips on the Air models. Main reason I use a M1 14 Pro as opposed to the M1 Air I had prior. I rarely use 2 external screens but still.

Edit: I had both the 8Gb and 16Gb Airs and I could easily make the 8GB one choke with a not unreasonable amount of tabs open. Even if it didn't choke now, it would in a year or 2 and these types of laptops should be lasting you 5 years at least unless you're a serial upgrader.

rp2000

i only have the 8gb RAM on my MBA M2, can run mail, safari with LOTS of tabs, discord and Apple Music etc..and it runs perfectly fine.

granted its in the orange for compression or whatever..but still is very efficient for only 8gb RAM.

Rexxar · 19 Nov 2023 at 17:56

rp2000 said:
No one mentioned a big difference between the Airs with M1/M2 vs M1/M2/M3 Pro is that you can only ever use one external monitor with the non pro chips on the Air models. Main reason I use a M1 14 Pro as opposed to the M1 Air I had prior. I rarely use 2 external screens but still.

Edit: I had both the 8Gb and 16Gb Airs and I could easily make the 8GB one choke with a not unreasonable amount of tabs open. Even if it didn't choke now, it would in a year or 2 and these types of laptops should be lasting you 5 years at least unless you're a serial upgrader.

rp2000

I did query if i'd be bothered by the lack of multi monitor support. But does that mean you have two displays including the macbook screen , or is the attached screen just a mirror ? My work machine just extends desktop so effectively get 3 screens total.

I don't plan on using it for gaming, which is partly what i intended the XPS to be used for, but it just gets too hot and i revert to the desktop... So this is all about portability and actually getting things done on the go.

Moley said:
Can you borrow a MacBook to try out for a while?

The biggest issue you're likely to have long term is getting used to OSX over Windows and you might find you don't like it long term.

I have three laptops - an Acer Predator for Windows, a Dell XPS 13 developer edition for Linux and a MacBook Air for OSX. I switch between them as needed but always end up going back to the Acer. I also use a MacBook Pro for work (I work for a USA Tech firm so it's all Mac and Google).

I can borrow a 13 M1 Air i think it is, and I'll probably take advantage of the apple no questions return policy, to try out a 14 pro.

ChrisD. · 19 Nov 2023 at 17:59

Rexxar said:
I don't plan on using it for gaming, which is partly what i intended the XPS to be used for, but it just gets too hot and i revert to the desktop... So this is all about portability and actually getting things done on the go.

What games do you play?

Regarding external monitors, any connected monitor counts as one, you can have it mirrored or extended.