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#1838791
I'm looking to replace my old MacBook Pro, which is coming up to ten years old and is showing signs of old age. I'm not a 'power user' or a gamer, but I do like to edit videos (not professionally!) and the old MacBook is struggling with this now. I also have an additional screen plugged in (Thunderbolt) and run hard drives for video footage, back up etc.

I thought buying a new MacBook would be easy - but I'm rather confused!

I'm after another machine which I hope will give another decade of service or so - so I thought that the latest MacBooks from Apple, with their new M1 processor would be the way forward and offer some form of future proofing with regards to OS and other software upgrades. But - the older MacBooks with Intel chips offer four Thunderbolt ports compared to only two on the newer M1 Macs and seem to offer better memory options. The Intel ones are also actually quite a bit more expensive and I guess have more power than the more modern M1 MacBooks.

Would the Flyer resident Mac experts go with M1 or Intel if buying a new MacBook for themselves?

Many thanks.
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By VRB_20kt
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1838799
Right now I'd go for an M1. Faster and cheaper. Also has the benefit of a degree of future-proofing since it's obviously the direction that Apple are moving. Intel is old tech in a lot of respects. They run hot and slow.

On a personal level I'm waiting for the "M2" or whatever comes along next. I feel that the M1 is a brilliant first attempt but that the next one will be significantly better,
#1838825
Other than having an additional screen I could have written that first paragraph myself.

Having been looking I concluded the smaller Pro with the M1 has limit of 16GB memory, which is on the bottom end for 4K editing. The 16 inch Intel version would do the job if spec'd right, but as @VRB_20kt says is old tech before you buy it. I understand the larger MacBook Pro will be updated to the M1 in Sept. I'm holding out until then, unless I opt for a PC meantime. :wink:
By Fellsteruk
#1838842
Agreed!!

My iMac went pop recently, too old to fix but 10years is decent.

Was gonna replace but I’m hanging out for better Mac options as I’m currently torn between a Mac mini or a dell Alienware machine on AMD...

I’m defo an Apple user throughout but the new stuff is so hard to upgrade almost impossible in some cases :( which I don’t like
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By rikur_
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1838860
M1 is the way to go.
But wait until July if you can ..... the current Macbook Pro is the tail end of the current model. The new model is due out in 'Q3' which is rumoured to have various improvements such as a slightly larger and mini-LED screen and the right ports so you don't need a collection of adapters.
Also, there are still a few niggles as we wait for developers to ship universal apps that run smoothly on M1 without Rosetta, but hopefully everything major will be done by the summer.