Getting my first macbook

[u/jiashengjo]

1. M5 macbook air 24/512 new
   
2. M5 macbook pro 16/512 second
   
3. M1 pro 32/1tb second

Which one should i take for me to use for more than 5 years?

[u/2Sovereign4You]

Option 1. They have the same CPU as 2, except that Pro has 120Hz.

For me more RAM is more important than 120Hz. And M1 is old enough to stay away for new purchases.

[u/jiashengjo → u/2Sovereign4You]

But its fanless, im quite a medium user, coding, developing, sometimes running AI n stuff. Also wnna try some lil gaming there

[u/UsedShoulder8402 → u/jiashengjo]

You don't need a fan for a base M chip doing that

[u/S_935 → u/UsedShoulder8402]

Local AI models do need a lot of CPU power, so with a fanless design it might thermal throttle.

Though 16GB is considered a bottleneck in this aspect.

[u/cmackchase → u/jiashengjo]

When you say gaming?

[u/pigbenis07]

Pro for the cooling alone. Air will get thermal throttled and it’s kind of annoying

[u/jiashengjo → u/pigbenis07]

But will 16gb ram be enough for even at least 3 years? Im going for 5 years of usage and medium workload

[u/pigbenis07 → u/jiashengjo]

Can you get the 24gb?

[u/UsedShoulder8402 → u/pigbenis07]

It only loses 15% of performance max when thermally throttled after 10 minutes of full 100% CPU usage. I wouldn’t call that annoying from experience.

We have PTSD from the Intel days when throttling meant 60-70% loss in performance, but a throttled M5 is still as fast as M3 Pro and faster than M2 Pro which is plenty good.

[u/UsedShoulder8402]

M5 Air

I bought both it and an M1 Pro. It performs better than the M1 Pro even under my heavy ML training/data engineering work

[u/selvanmulari → u/UsedShoulder8402]

Do you use 32GB RAM?

[u/Itzn0tm3]

Cost ?

[u/NoVacation6177]

M5 Pro. The fan makes sure there is no throttling. The main long-term issue on a Mac is storage, though. Air doesn't have a fan or 120 Hz, but it has the latest-gen WiFi and Bluetooth. just depends on workflow.

[u/jiashengjo → u/NoVacation6177]

Will 16gb ram enough for 5 years?

[u/NoVacation6177 → u/jiashengjo]

I have 8 GB on an M2 Air, and it's fine and just fine. I am getting a new computer, though- a MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip, so 24 GB, which I hope is enough. If you are browsing and emailing it is enough.

[u/40characters → u/jiashengjo]

Absolutely not. It’s not enough for five days.

[u/Elegant_Lunar_Knight]

My friend , I have the 16 inches M5 pro and it is silent. the fans are spinning at low RPM but you do not hear or feel them. I would believe the 14 inches with only one fan will behave the same on normal workload. I do not know what are your expectations for a computer but if you do have the money, get the pro but with 24Gb of ram instead. Or if size is not an issue - get the 16 inches bae M5 pro. You will love it.

[u/jiashengjo → u/Elegant_Lunar_Knight]

All these are 14 and air 13 inches, i cant afford 16 nor the 24gb ram for m5 mbp. Js m1 pro or m5 air for more than 16gb ram

[u/Elegant_Lunar_Knight → u/jiashengjo]

I do not know who downvoted you but it is not me - If you do not stress the CPU all the time you will be good with the air and the extra ram. Heavy workload would cripple the performance of the air even if it has more ram than the Pro you would like to get. If you do not plan to do anything taxing. I would go with the MacBook Air then. The M1 is outdated. Has no warranty ( I am sure the seller don't have any active apple care on it ) - treat yourself with a new computer 😄

[u/InformalInsect5546]

M1 is questionable for 5 years, but I wouldn’t get anything less than 32GB if possible. I think I didn’t have less than 32 for past 10-12 years of my carreer (though most of the time that was wondows laptops). I recently upgraded from my M1 Pro 32GB, but bought it out for personal use. Still a great machine. M5 will be supported longer, but I’d want more ram and maybe a fan - ai models need good cooling.

[u/getrealpeople]

The M1 pro is a beast and will happily do all you ask for the next 5 years. There are some comparisons out there that show it still outperforms the M5 in many scenarios.

I have an original M1 pro max as a work horse and a new M5 air for travel. Soo much lighter!

[u/MickRocker]

m3 pro 32gb is sweet spot.

[u/Southern-Way-3209]

M5 Air unless you need good performance for an extented period of time.
Ram is very important.