M1 Vs M2 MacBook for Student Work

monkeyoutlet on 30/07/2023 - 22:17

Hi all,

I am tossing up between the M1 and M2 Macbook options at the moment and am not sure which I should be going for. I am a student and mainly use my PC for most of my work but will require a laptop for the portability anyway. I do need decent battery life (lasting half-full days) as my previous laptop would usually die after only 2 hours. My use case is of a regular student including things like word processing, browser tabs, Microsoft programs, Endnote and maybe some light gaming from time to time (not AAA games). I usually have many browser tabs open at one time if it factors in too (>40~). I will be finishing up my degree mid-year next year but will not be needing the laptop for work.

First, just deciding between the M1 and M2. I have heard great things about the M1 and its efficiency and that the M2 is not as cost efficient. I do slightly prefer the build aesthetic of the M2 but this doesn't factor in too much. I am leaning towards the M1 at the moment but wanted to find out if it is still the most suitable option even with the newer M2 ones out.

Second, I have heard bad things about constant memory swapping for these Macbooks especially for the 8GB option so I am not so sure whether I require the 16GB. Similarly, still deciding on whether I need the extra storage to compensate too + provide storage space in general (256GB vs 512GB).

I am working off the education store prices at the moment but please advise if there are any upcoming sales which might make the Macbook prices even cheaper. Also, my budget tops out at $1500-1800~. Feel free to suggest other laptop brands/models too, but I will say I am only heavily leaning to the Apple Macbooks because of the good battery life.

Thanks all!

Computing Apple Computer Laptop

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 30/07/2023 - 22:22
    +4

    Going by your write up, just get the most expensive model in your budget. I’d recommend a surface personally but sounds like you already sold yourself on a Mac.

    • monkeyoutlet on 31/07/2023 - 14:05

      I might still consider other brands if it fits well for my use, I'd rather use Windows too since I've never used an iOS computer before. Which surface models were you thinking of?

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 31/07/2023 - 14:15
        +1

        surface laptop. if you went with pro with decent spec is over 2k by the time you shell out for keyboard.

        not really apples to apples though if going pro.

        • Ahmed01 on 02/08/2023 - 18:16
          +2

          Having used three different surface laptop 5s at my workplace, I personally wouldn’t recommend a surface as it’s not worth shelling out $2k to purchase a laptop with the battery only lasting a mere 3 - 4 hours and this is after keeping all start-up/background apps turned off, having latest firmware updates, brightness on low and battery saver on. Can not deny however that Microsoft’s customer service is amongst the best out of all companies but in terms of battery life, their devices do tend to fall short. Apple MacBooks on the other hand, specifically M1 or M2, will easily last you over a day when fully charged.

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 02/08/2023 - 18:25

            @Ahmed01: Dang, we’ve had nothing but good experiences with our 3 and 4s. My iPad Pro m1 still tiding me over so I didn’t get myself a 5. Looks like I dodged a bullet…

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 30/07/2023 - 22:24

    I’ve got the M1 and it does not lag one bit. Personally I think your better off going an M1 mac and saving the money for a bigger upgrade maybe 5 years from now as the M1 can handle basically anything.

    • monkeyoutlet on 31/07/2023 - 14:06

      Thanks, just to clarify, this is the base model M1?

  • orbz on 30/07/2023 - 22:30
    +2

    M1 + RAM upgrade is a good idea

    • pinchies on 30/07/2023 - 22:51
      +1

      Seconded. 16GB is far far far more important for the experience than the minor bump from M1 to M2. As for storage, you can't upgrade it later on, so 512gb really should be a serious consideration at least.

      • monkeyoutlet on 31/07/2023 - 14:20

        Okay yep, seems like the RAM upgrade might be a good idea. Just if I get an M2, would the RAM upgrade still be worth or is the improvement not as noticeable as with the M1?

        • pinchies on 31/07/2023 - 14:44

          Applies to both — 8GB is not enough on M1 or M2. Essential for both in my opinion, even for moderate productivity work. If you start working across multiple programs and multitasking, 8GB gets chewed up pretty quick. The ram is also unified — so it has to be shared for both CPU and GPU as well.

  • Ynk on 30/07/2023 - 22:51

    If your budget is tight go for the M1 with the 16gb ram upgrade. This is the sweet spot. Also buy the 10% off apple gift cards available at the moment and order via the edu store for a further discount.

    • monkeyoutlet on 31/07/2023 - 14:17

      Thanks will have a look. With the 10% apple gift cards, which deal are you referring to? Only the flybuys apple gift card deal comes up in the search I think. Also is Applecare worth to get too, do most people usually purchase it?

  • sumyungguy on 30/07/2023 - 22:58

    I'd go M2 base model from Apple's refurb store, save the extra cash.

    • monkeyoutlet on 31/07/2023 - 14:12

      Will have a look. Does the 8-core to 10-core GPU also make a big difference in terms of activities requiring it?

      • sumyungguy on 31/07/2023 - 14:59

        Depends on what you're doing with it. If you're not rendering video or 3D modelling then it's possibly overkill. See the video I linked below which suggests you may not really need any more than the base model (per @StiffHindQuarters). It's a Windows/PC paradigm to want to buy more RAM and updgade stuff. I've owned more Macs than I can count and have never purchased build-to-order options.

  • SydStrand on 30/07/2023 - 23:48
    +4

    Don't buy the 8GB spec in 2023. You will feel this out of the box, let alone the 5+ years most people hold onto their laptops.

    • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2023 - 00:43
      +2

      I am on 8GB RAM with 256GB HDD and enough for all basic tasks and most of my coding related tasks.

    • Ahmed01 on 02/08/2023 - 18:43
      +1

      Unless you’re going to use some heavy CPU intensive software, don’t listen to people saying 8GB RAM isn’t enough. I have a MacBook Pro M1 with 8GB ram and 256GB storage and it handles anything I throw at it.

      I don’t usually open a lot of tabs, maybe the max I’ve opened is about 25 and it handled that along with other apps open without a single lag.

      Apple really optimised their chipsets to work impressively well under heavy loads. If however, you were to go with a windows laptop, then adding that extra ram makes sense but M1 and M2 MacBooks don’t need all that extra ram.

      With your budget however, you can easily get a MacBook M1 with 16GB of ram if that is what you want to go with.

  • payless69 on 31/07/2023 - 09:14

    Given the current situation:
    Futureproof yourself with a brand new M2 and extra memory. A truly insane machine well worth taking good care of.

    • monkeyoutlet on 31/07/2023 - 14:13

      Okay so M2 + extra memory, is the GPU upgrade worth getting too?

  • sumyungguy on 31/07/2023 - 10:24
    -1

    MacOS uses RAM more efficiently than Windows. Here's an informative opinion on 8GB vs 16GB:

    • sumyungguy on 31/07/2023 - 15:14

      … and BTW the earth is a sphere.

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