Budget 90k+ Macbook M4 line up worth the wait for a fresher in CS?

J

jakehifi

Recruit
Hi Forum Members,
I am looking to give my niece a macbook. She is enrolling for CS so the scope of usage would be a minimum of 4 years.
I want to get technical inputs if it would worth the wait to give the latest line up instead of choosing current m3 ones since Apple is infamous for slowing their old gen devices with OS updates to market their newer gen "faster". Would an M3 powered Macbook pro survive 4 years without lagging or lacking of doing anything a CS student required to do?
 
Yes for atleast 6 years it's good. Using an M1 as my work daily driver since last 2.5 years and it still feels the same as it was when i got it, the performance and the battery.
 
It really doesn't get that "slow". Still I think you should wait and buy the M3 version as it will be available for cheaper when the newer version releases and that way you can snag a good deal. I am sure some will be available on the fourm too. Otherwise you can always buy the newer version, just don't buy the M3 at retail or regular discounted price right now.
 
There will be massive changes w.r.t Neural engine on M4 as Apple is now investing heavily in AI. If it not urgent, as new laptops are just months away, wait!
Also, M4 would be more efficient than M3. M3 MBPs used to heat up more and there were instances where heavy workloads would cause laptop to heat up. Dont know if Apple released any microcode updates to throttle a bit. They did it to A17 Pro chips on iPhone 15 Pro series.
Do not buy one with non-Prom M* chip.
Do not buy the base config.
You need at least 16GB memory and 512GB storage.
Factor in Apple Care + for Mac cost when you are buying. This is mandatory. Repairs without Apple Care plus is not easy on purse. I have seen people move to WIndows laptops from Mac when the motherboard of Mx Mac had issues and they did not take Apple Care plus. Yes, it costs less to buy a Windows laptops in case where you have to do major repair or replacement to MBP motherboard.

As for lag, I have an Intel Mac from 2018 and still, it just works. My pesonal macbook is powered by M2 Pro and it is insanely fast. When it comes to a Mac, you do not have to worry about speed/lag.
 
desiibond said:
Do not buy one with non-Prom M* chip.
Click to expand...
why avoid the non pro? are the differences that drastic? I have used a base M2 and it seemed fine to me granted I havent dived into the Apple ecosystem at all. OP would have to easily shell out 2L+ for the config you are specifying and considering its for a student, it does seem a little drastic
 
altair21 said:
why avoid the non pro? are the differences that drastic? I have used a base M2 and it seemed fine to me granted I havent dived into the Apple ecosystem at all. OP would have to easily shell out 2L+ for the config you are specifying and considering its for a student, it does seem a little drastic
Click to expand...
M3 MBP with 16GB/512GB config has 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine. This costs 1.9L rupees.
M3 pro MBP with 18GB/512GB base config has 11‑core CPU, 14‑core GPU and 16‑core Neural Engine. This costs 1.99L.

For just 10k more, you are getting better CPU, GPU and little bit more memory. Other changes include an extra Thunderbolt 4 port. Another major difference is that M3 chip supports single external display while M3 Pro supports two external displays. This is without doing jugaad to support more displays. All this for just 10k more.

Here is the shocker though. A 15" M3 MBA that costs less than the M3 MBP has bigger display and has same performance as MBP. The only major differences between the two are HDMI port, SD slot (a dongle/dock can rectify this) and 120Hz display. It is thinner, lighter though it has 1" bigger display.
 
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desiibond said:
M3 MBP with 16GB/512GB config has 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine. This costs 1.9L rupees.
M3 pro MBP with 18GB/512GB base config has 11‑core CPU, 14‑core GPU and 16‑core Neural Engine. This costs 1.99L.

For just 10k more, you are getting better CPU, GPU and little bit more memory. Other changes include an extra Thunderbolt 4 port. Another major difference is that M3 chip supports single external display while M3 Pro supports two external displays. This is without doing jugaad to support more displays. All this for just 10k more.
Click to expand...
ah the Apple ladder, say no more lol
 
First I would try to see where her interests lie in, if it includes heavy processing tasks like ML or maybe video editing only then I would suggest the pro lineup otherwise even a base model would do great for at least 5-6 years sure for future proofing get the 16gb/512gb version but beyond that diminishing returns. Most people won't even notice the difference between M3 and M4. Also I would highly suggest using student ID to get one as it gives extra discount and free airpods, which if not wanted you could easily sell.
Once you get in the trap of spending a little more for extra features , it's a spiral better to set a hard budget limit like 1.3-1.5L.
 
There's always something better around the corner. No point in waiting if you need it now. Base models are good enough for casual or semi pro stuff (just get 16GB ram), unless she is going to work with a lot of ML/AI, for which wait for M4.
 
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