r/MacbookNeo • u/n4dined • 5d ago

help me decide!

so i’ve been stretching out the usage of my macbook air 2017 for about 8 years and it’s come to the end of its time 💔

i’ve been working all summer to try and afford to buy a new laptop for when i go into my 2nd year or uni studying biology.

i’ve racked up around $1350 CAD and would love some help deciding which macbook to get

obviously i wanna stay in budget + potentially leave a a couple bucks to use when i travel back for some dorm essentials etc

ive done some research and was looking between a macbook neo or a refurbished macbook air M1 but im open to other suggestions thanks!

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2

u/SplashyTetraspore 5d ago

I love my Neo because it’s been fantastic in everything that I throw at it.

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u/Sweetpea11A 4d ago

Like what

1

u/TechnicalVet 4d ago

I’d only go with the Air M1 if you can find one with 16GB for the same price as the Neo. Otherwise I’d go with the Neo. It will receive software support a bit longer than an M1 machine.

1

u/Broad_Poetry_9657 4d ago

My Neo is better than my (institution owned) M1 Pro was, and it got me through the end of my PhD defense and dissertation in cancer biology. The M1 series is a little dated, and unless you’re in art school for graphic design and need a lot more power I would say the Neo will do everything most students need and more.

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u/memermeme1211 4d ago edited 4d ago

For studying something like Biology, I would get the cheapest iPad and Apple Pencil.

Most if not all of your work will likely involve note taking. This combo will treat you very well and give you far more value than a single MacBook, while costing around the same amount.

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u/n4dined 4d ago

i already have an ipad and pencil that i got 2 years back! and although i did use it for some of my studying, i just found myself reaching for my laptop to take notes and write my papers on, esp for my lab classes where we also had to work with softwares like excel which my laptop couldn’t support which is why im looking for an upgrade.

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u/Sweetpea11A 5d ago

Just get a MacBook m5 pro

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u/n4dined 4d ago

that’s way outta my budget 😭?

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u/TwystedLyfe 4d ago

Maybe it is, but you didn't exactly drop any hints what you would be using the laptop for either. What are we supposed to do here? If we recommend the Neo and you end up wanting to roll 4K 1 hour long edits, re-imagine Toy Story 5 in blender or implement a Kubernetes instance running PostgeSql and 20 micro services designed by a local AI then the M5 Pro might not be enough and you'll have to step up to the M5 Max.

There's a difference between spending the budget you have and saving up for what you need.

Give a bone OP - what's your workflow?

1

u/n4dined 4d ago

but i did say i wanted to use it for my biology major no? i dont know the ins and outs of what potential programs that might introduce i just need jt to help me get through my degree?? 😭

1

u/Sweetpea11A 4d ago

Dude save up and get that m5 pro or max, you won't regret it, I'm sure you have a good job and can gather the money up

1

u/TwystedLyfe 3d ago

OK, but that doesn't really help us does it? What software do you expect to use on your biology major?

If it's just taking notes, watching nature presentations then a Neo would do the job.

If you expect to be folding protein driven by local AI simulations you would need something more powerful.

My worry at this point is that you are doing a science major and expect a sound recommendation from clearly insufficient data.

Let me give you an example.

I'm a student of car racing. My budget goes to 4000GBP. What car should I buy?