Replace MacBook Pro with MacBook Air. Bad idea?
Discussion
Currently using a 2017 15" MacBook Pro...
2.9GHz Intel Core i7.
16GB RAM.
512GB SSD storage
Thinking of replacing it and considering a new 13.6" MacBook Air...
Apple M2 chip with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine.
16GB unified memory.
512GB SSD storage.
The new 16" MacBook Pro weighs almost twice as much as my current one and costs £1,000 more than the MacBook Air I'm considering, so if the Air will do then job it's actually a better solution.
Screen size isn't an issue as I'll hook it up to a 27" monitor for the stuff that needs a big screen.
The main workload will come from producing music in Logic Pro. I do all my work work with plug-ins - no recording audio and no controlling external instruments via midi - so probably the worse case scenario in terms of CPU load, however, my current Mac copes fine and the MacBook Air looks better on paper.
Any thoughts?
2.9GHz Intel Core i7.
16GB RAM.
512GB SSD storage
Thinking of replacing it and considering a new 13.6" MacBook Air...
Apple M2 chip with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine.
16GB unified memory.
512GB SSD storage.
The new 16" MacBook Pro weighs almost twice as much as my current one and costs £1,000 more than the MacBook Air I'm considering, so if the Air will do then job it's actually a better solution.
Screen size isn't an issue as I'll hook it up to a 27" monitor for the stuff that needs a big screen.
The main workload will come from producing music in Logic Pro. I do all my work work with plug-ins - no recording audio and no controlling external instruments via midi - so probably the worse case scenario in terms of CPU load, however, my current Mac copes fine and the MacBook Air looks better on paper.
Any thoughts?
I did similar at the start of the year (2016 MBP with same spec)
Here are my Geekbench 6 scores from the two machines, plus my work MB Pro M2 for comparison:
CPU scores are single- and multi-core
Compute scores are OpenCL and Metal
Conclusion: if you can do it on a 2016/7 MBP, you can do it much better on MBA M2
Here are my Geekbench 6 scores from the two machines, plus my work MB Pro M2 for comparison:
| Macbook Pro 2016 | MacBook Air M2 2022 | MacBook Pro M2 14” | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | i7-6820HQ | Apple M2 8-core | Apple M2 Pro 10-core |
| Memory | 16GB 2133MHz | 16GB 5200MHz LPDDR5 | 16GB 5200MHz LPDDR5 |
| GPU | Radeon Pro 455 | Apple M2 8-core GPU | Apple M2 Pro 16-core GPU |
| NVMe SSD | Apple SM0512L 512GB | Apple AP1024Z 1TB | Apple AP0512Z 512GB |
| Geekbench 6 CPU | 878 / 3046 | 2544 / 9582 | 2613 / 12156 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU Compute | 12930 / 17114 | 23683 / 39159 | 43003 / 73023 |
CPU scores are single- and multi-core
Compute scores are OpenCL and Metal
Conclusion: if you can do it on a 2016/7 MBP, you can do it much better on MBA M2
ilikepeas said:
Do you need a laptop? Otherwise I'd just get a Mac mini and it will have a load more ports
In that case I'll add my Mac mini M2 Pro to the comparison| Macbook Pro 2016 | MacBook Air M2 2022 | MacBook Pro M2 14” | Mac mini M2 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | i7-6820HQ | Apple M2 8-core | Apple M2 Pro 10-core | Apple M2 Pro 10-core |
| Memory | 16GB 2133MHz | 16GB 5200MHz LPDDR5 | 16GB 5200MHz LPDDR5 | 16GB 6400MHz LPDDR5 |
| GPU | Radeon Pro 455 | Apple M2 8-core GPU | Apple M2 Pro 16-core GPU | Apple M2 16-core GPU |
| NVMe SSD | Apple SM0512L 512GB | Apple AP1024Z 1TB | Apple AP0512Z 512GB | Apple AP1024Z 1TB |
| Geekbench 6 CPU | 878 / 3046 | 2544 / 9582 | 2613 / 12156 | 2607 / 12128 |
| Geekbench 6 Compute | 12930 / 17114 | 23683 / 39159 | 43003 / 73023 | 44173 / 73727 |
I replaced a 2018 Macbook Pro (i5 8gb) with an M1 Macbook Air (16GB ram - was an 'uncollected' custom order from a local retailer so got a discount).
The M1 Air is the best laptop I've ever had, and does everything I need it to do effortlessly. I can work all day when travelling without running out of juice, it never seems to lag or chug, and it's completely silent.
The only things I don't like are that I only have 256GB storage (I mostly use cloud storage but thought of installing the odd game or two to kill time when I'm in the airport, on the plane etc but figured that would chew most of the storage) and that is not Apple's fault but mine. The lack of IO/ports is also a bit of a pain. I just have a USB-C dock setup at home connected to screen, mouse, keyboard, speakers etc and it all works well.
I agonised for ages feeling like I needed to buy the "big boy" Pro but honestly even the performance capabilities of the M1 Air are wasted on me. I'm doing spreadsheets, running heaps of tabs, even doing screen capture video and editing with no worries.
Presumably the M2 is an upgrade performance-wise, so should be even better.
The M1 Air is the best laptop I've ever had, and does everything I need it to do effortlessly. I can work all day when travelling without running out of juice, it never seems to lag or chug, and it's completely silent.
The only things I don't like are that I only have 256GB storage (I mostly use cloud storage but thought of installing the odd game or two to kill time when I'm in the airport, on the plane etc but figured that would chew most of the storage) and that is not Apple's fault but mine. The lack of IO/ports is also a bit of a pain. I just have a USB-C dock setup at home connected to screen, mouse, keyboard, speakers etc and it all works well.
I agonised for ages feeling like I needed to buy the "big boy" Pro but honestly even the performance capabilities of the M1 Air are wasted on me. I'm doing spreadsheets, running heaps of tabs, even doing screen capture video and editing with no worries.
Presumably the M2 is an upgrade performance-wise, so should be even better.
samjaynz said:
I replaced a 2018 Macbook Pro (i5 8gb) with an M1 Macbook Air (16GB ram - was an 'uncollected' custom order from a local retailer so got a discount).
...
The only things I don't like are that I only have 256GB storage
...
Presumably the M2 is an upgrade performance-wise, so should be even better.
It is, however as pointed in the thread referenced earlier, the 256GB SSD in the M2 is glacially slow (unlike the M1), so not recommended - 512GB and 1TB SSD options are several times faster...
The only things I don't like are that I only have 256GB storage
...
Presumably the M2 is an upgrade performance-wise, so should be even better.
mikef said:
It is, however as pointed in the thread referenced earlier, the 256GB SSD in the M2 is glacially slow (unlike the M1), so not recommended - 512GB and 1TB SSD options are several times faster
IIRC it’s the same for all Apple M processors systems available today be they MacBook Air or pro or Mac mini the smallest ssd’s use a single nand chip, the next size up uses two nand chips & so has ~twice the throughput.Captain_Morgan said:
IIRC it’s the same for all Apple M processors systems available today be they MacBook Air or pro or Mac mini the smallest ssd’s use a single nand chip, the next size up uses two nand chips & so has ~twice the throughput.
I thought it was only for the M2 generation where this was an issue? Certainly my M1 with 256gb feels no slower in everyday use than the one my wife's work gave her which has 16GB ram and a 512gb drive. Of course that is not a scientific measure. MitchT said:
Currently using a 2017 15" MacBook Pro...
2.9GHz Intel Core i7.
16GB RAM.
512GB SSD storage
Thinking of replacing it and considering a new 13.6" MacBook Air...
Apple M2 chip with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine.
16GB unified memory.
512GB SSD storage.
The new 16" MacBook Pro weighs almost twice as much as my current one and costs £1,000 more than the MacBook Air I'm considering, so if the Air will do then job it's actually a better solution.
Screen size isn't an issue as I'll hook it up to a 27" monitor for the stuff that needs a big screen.
The main workload will come from producing music in Logic Pro. I do all my work work with plug-ins - no recording audio and no controlling external instruments via midi - so probably the worse case scenario in terms of CPU load, however, my current Mac copes fine and the MacBook Air looks better on paper.
Any thoughts?
I also use a Mac (solely) for music production. The only thing I'd add is that my desktop with DAW and plugins reaches >550 gb before I start recording anything, so an absolute minimum I need is 1tb. (I have more).2.9GHz Intel Core i7.
16GB RAM.
512GB SSD storage
Thinking of replacing it and considering a new 13.6" MacBook Air...
Apple M2 chip with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine.
16GB unified memory.
512GB SSD storage.
The new 16" MacBook Pro weighs almost twice as much as my current one and costs £1,000 more than the MacBook Air I'm considering, so if the Air will do then job it's actually a better solution.
Screen size isn't an issue as I'll hook it up to a 27" monitor for the stuff that needs a big screen.
The main workload will come from producing music in Logic Pro. I do all my work work with plug-ins - no recording audio and no controlling external instruments via midi - so probably the worse case scenario in terms of CPU load, however, my current Mac copes fine and the MacBook Air looks better on paper.
Any thoughts?
I guess it depends how many plugins you have now, or will get in the future.
Good luck. New Air looks good.
samjaynz said:
I thought it was only for the M2 generation where this was an issue? Certainly my M1 with 256gb feels no slower in everyday use than the one my wife's work gave her which has 16GB ram and a 512gb drive. Of course that is not a scientific measure.
I may have misremembered I’d certainly check before buying either new or a s/h Mac Love my M2 MBA (writing this on it) - it's great and handles everything I need it to amazingly. Barely ever needs charging too which is great!
Personally I would do it.
Ill be replacing my 2020 27" iMac soon with an apple silicone machine I think, id ideally have liked a 27" version on the new 24 but it looks like ill be stuck with a Mini and a few screens instead (but that's ok)
Personally I would do it.
Ill be replacing my 2020 27" iMac soon with an apple silicone machine I think, id ideally have liked a 27" version on the new 24 but it looks like ill be stuck with a Mini and a few screens instead (but that's ok)
Captain_Morgan said:
I may have misremembered I’d certainly check before buying either new or a s/h Mac
No, it’s just the M2. I had the mini M1 and the 256GB SSD was around 3 GB/s. But as noted, not enough space to do much with multimedia. With a mini that can be fixed with cheap external NVMe storage, not so simple with a MBA M1maniac886 said:
I would be holding off until WWDC as a new Macbook Air 15" model with the M2 chip is rumoured to be announced.
and the M3 chip rumoured for later this year on 3nm silicon...I bought the base Studio last year its certainly enough for my needs though (Photography through Capture One and Affinity, plus iMovie)Eats what I throw at it and asks for more......
maniac886 said:
I would be holding off until WWDC as a new Macbook Air 15" model with the M2 chip is rumoured to be announced.
Holding off is always a bit of a problem for me. The M3 chip was due about now for the MacBook Pro, but now looks at least a year off.Arriving next week, a high spec M2 fully loaded MacBook Pro, and I'm sure it'll last me a while, and do everything my software needs. It'll be way quicker than my last one, in the same way that my car is! :0)
Buy when you need it and buy the best you can afford. Top tip.
Edited by GetCarter on Monday 1st May 17:58
ilikepeas said:
Do you need a laptop? Otherwise I'd just get a Mac mini and it will have a load more ports
Definitely. I got my first MacBook Pro in 2008 and I wouldn't be without one now. I can use it with a keyboard, mouse and large monitor in my creative space but also sit in a comfy chair in the lounge with it, cart it all over the place when I want to collaborate elsewhere or take it into a studio for fine tuning of music in a proper acoustically engineered setting. I wouldn't want to be without one now.mikef said:
In that case I'll add my Mac mini M2 Pro to the comparison
That's a great piece of work!| Macbook Pro 2016 | MacBook Air M2 2022 | MacBook Pro M2 14” | Mac mini M2 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | i7-6820HQ | Apple M2 8-core | Apple M2 Pro 10-core | Apple M2 Pro 10-core |
| Memory | 16GB 2133MHz | 16GB 5200MHz LPDDR5 | 16GB 5200MHz LPDDR5 | 16GB 6400MHz LPDDR5 |
| GPU | Radeon Pro 455 | Apple M2 8-core GPU | Apple M2 Pro 16-core GPU | Apple M2 16-core GPU |
| NVMe SSD | Apple SM0512L 512GB | Apple AP1024Z 1TB | Apple AP0512Z 512GB | Apple AP1024Z 1TB |
| Geekbench 6 CPU | 878 / 3046 | 2544 / 9582 | 2613 / 12156 | 2607 / 12128 |
| Geekbench 6 Compute | 12930 / 17114 | 23683 / 39159 | 43003 / 73023 | 44173 / 73727 |
steveatesh said:
maniac886 said:
I would be holding off until WWDC as a new Macbook Air 15" model with the M2 chip is rumoured to be announced.
and the M3 chip rumoured for later this year on 3nm silicon...I bought the base Studio last year its certainly enough for my needs though (Photography through Capture One and Affinity, plus iMovie)Eats what I throw at it and asks for more......
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