Source
r/macbookpro•
nutshell89

MBP M1 3.2 GHz 8g RAM vs MBP Retina 13 Inch Touchbar Intel Core i7 2.80 GHz 16G RAM

Help

So my 2013 MBP has packed up. Looking for a replacement. My 2013 model had 16g Ram and i7 processor.

I primarily used it for photoshop and illustrator. When using larger photoshop project files my MCP would get very loud and hot! It performed adequately but god damn it would heat up. Battery was also a bit meh... but it was getting old.

So I don't know what to prioritise...

M1 processor with Lower RAM

OR

i7/i9 processor with Higher RAM

I have a budget of around £900... Happy to buy refurbed.

Posted Jun 20, 2022, 10:15 AM UTC

26
avinchavhan•

There’s no contest, go for the M1. It is common knowledge due to higher RAM speeds and better RAM management Apple’s M-series (and A-series) RAM behave as if it’s twice the capacity compared to it’s competitors.

The only thing that should sway your decision making IMO is how well the app that you’re primarily going to use is optimized for Apple Silicon.

3
nutshell89OP•

Thanks. I will primarily be using photoshop and illustrator... But from what I am reading everything is moving towards becoming better suited for Apple SIlicon

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
notemark•

I can't personally speak for the RAM limitations of 8Gb but I have heard that the memory management in the M1 notebooks is really good.

I move from an early 2020 Core-i7 13" MBP to and M1 13" MBP (16Gb) on release for the same criticism that you had above, very loud and incredibly hot, would hit 99°C on first boot as the fans only kicked in once the OS had loaded then with fan control software I could keep it down to 89°C during sustained workloads.

Much happier with an actively cooled M1, is there a good returns policy from where you are buying?

If there is a no hassle return policy I would try the M1 to see if the reduced RAM is an issue and if it is return it for the i7 model.

2
kelvin_bot•

99°C is equivalent to 210°F, which is 372K.

^(I'm a bot that converts temperature between two units humans can understand, then convert it to Kelvin for bots and physicists to understand)

1
nutshell89OP•

I like the idea of having a laptop that doesn't burn me when I use it for too long

I haven't fully decided on where i am going to buy it from yet. open to recommendations! (im UK based). But will most definitely be a refurbished one to fit my budget

1
I-figured-it-out•

Photoshop will only continue becoming better tuned for Apple silicon. So m1. And yes the m1 will work just as hard, but it will not cook itself to death doing so. Try to find the budget to buy more ram, and at least a 512GB ssd. This will give your new m1 a much longer useful working life and save you cash in the long run. Neither extra ram or ssd will make the m1 seem faster, but you will have vastly faster performance to an intel, and room to grow.

1