Apple MacBook Air: 13.6", M2 Chip with 8-Core CPU and 8-Core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB $1299

Verdancer

Dec 21, 2023

53 Posts

Joined Oct 2023

Dec 21, 2023

Verdancer

Dec 21, 2023

53 Posts

Is this the one with the bad SSD chips?

3

CalmCemetery341

Dec 21, 2023

31 Posts

Joined Nov 2023

Dec 21, 2023

CalmCemetery341

Dec 21, 2023

31 Posts

Quote from Verdancer

:

Is this the one with the bad SSD chips?

It's not bad. 256GB models are slower than 512GB and more, because industry stopped to make 128GB chips and it's not possible to use parallel using of memory on 256GB laptops no more.
The same speed as in past and better could be achiev on 512GB (256GB x 2) and more.

Ps. for this reason M1 256GB could be quicker than M2 256GB.

18

1

anthem_the_cat

Dec 21, 2023

887 Posts

Joined Oct 2006

Dec 21, 2023

anthem_the_cat

Dec 21, 2023

887 Posts

Quote from Verdancer

:

Is this the one with the bad SSD chips?

Since it's 512GB, then it uses (2) 256GB NAND chips. So it's good!

3

ErronB

Dec 21, 2023

117 Posts

Joined Oct 2015

Dec 21, 2023

ErronB

Dec 21, 2023

117 Posts

If you need the 13 inch this is the one to get, but i'd rather spend the extra $150 and get the 15 inch version which Best Buy usually have on sale for about $1450. The bigger screen size is well worth the upgrade cost IMO.

5

2

No-Sticker-Price

Dec 21, 2023

73 Posts

Joined May 2021

Dec 21, 2023

No-Sticker-Price

Dec 21, 2023

73 Posts

Best Buy selling the base M3 MBP 14" for $1350 right now. If you're just using this for content consumption, web browsing, office apps, probably worth spending the extra $50 for the M3 and the MUCH higher quality screen, chassis, connectivity, speakers, and battery life. You'll only get 8gb of ram, but from test driving the base M3 I can attest that the dynamic caching is not just fluff, it will feel quite speedy for general computer tasks. But if you know you need 16gb, then better to go with the Air.

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1

13

mrwhitewalker

Dec 21, 2023

3,299 Posts

Joined Nov 2013

Dec 21, 2023

mrwhitewalker

Dec 21, 2023

3,299 Posts

Quote from No-Sticker-Price

:

Best Buy selling the base M3 MBP 14" for $1350 right now. If you're just using this for content consumption, web browsing, office apps, probably worth spending the extra $50 for the M3 and the MUCH higher quality screen, chassis, connectivity, speakers, and battery life. You'll only get 8gb of ram, but from test driving the base M3 I can attest that the dynamic caching is not just fluff, it will feel quite speedy for general computer tasks. But if you know you need 16gb, then better to go with the Air.

Yea but 8GB of RAM. Anyone that says thats enough in 2023 is a shill. It wasnt barely enough 8 years ago

37

6

SkillfulLinen237

Dec 21, 2023

186 Posts

Joined Mar 2021

Dec 21, 2023

SkillfulLinen237

Dec 21, 2023

186 Posts

Saw this alert pop and was like, yay!…and then saw it was for the 13"!…so close!

_jenn

Dec 21, 2023

406 Posts

Joined Jun 2008

Dec 21, 2023

_jenn

Dec 21, 2023

406 Posts

Quote from No-Sticker-Price

:

Best Buy selling the base M3 MBP 14" for $1350 right now. If you're just using this for content consumption, web browsing, office apps, probably worth spending the extra $50 for the M3 and the MUCH higher quality screen, chassis, connectivity, speakers, and battery life. You'll only get 8gb of ram, but from test driving the base M3 I can attest that the dynamic caching is not just fluff, it will feel quite speedy for general computer tasks. But if you know you need 16gb, then better to go with the Air.

8GB RAM shared with the video framebuffer is an absolute deal breaker.

13

1

_jenn

Dec 22, 2023

406 Posts

Joined Jun 2008

Dec 22, 2023

_jenn

Dec 22, 2023

406 Posts

Quote from No-Sticker-Price

:

I definitely agree, that's why I didn't keep it but went with the M3 pro 12 core CPU. But after trying one, I definitely think a general laptop consumer who just browses the web and uses some office tools or watches youtube will be fine with it. They won't know they're getting hosed on ram, but they'll notice the much better speakers, screen, and battery life.

Obviously you don't agree that it's a deal breaker, because you keep advocating for an 8GB MacBook Pro in late 2023.

That might be defensible if we're talking about a sub- $900 MBA, but absolutely not for a $1400 purchase.

15

3

redcloudmkii

Dec 22, 2023

324 Posts

Joined Mar 2014

Dec 22, 2023

redcloudmkii

Dec 22, 2023

324 Posts

Quote from No-Sticker-Price

:

I definitely agree, that's why I didn't keep it but went with the M3 pro 12 core CPU. But after trying one, I definitely think a general laptop consumer who just browses the web and uses some office tools or watches youtube will be fine with it. They won't know they're getting hosed on ram, but they'll notice the much better speakers, screen, and battery life.

Hard disagree, for $1400+. People paying a premium for a laptop should get everything more premium than base models. If 8GB is enough, there are good gaming laptops out that will have vastly superior software compatibility and do more than just browse the web, for less than half the price. To say nothing of the default swapiness on MacOS, if they do branch out into video/photo editing, blowing through that 8GB of RAM directly decreases the lifespan of your non-replaceable storage.

9

3860

Dec 22, 2023

121 Posts

Joined Dec 2015

Dec 22, 2023

3860

Dec 22, 2023

121 Posts

Anyone think the M3 airs will be worth waiting for in a couple months over this deal? I'm leaning no, especially since this spec on a new air will be close to $1500 since Apple won't drop prices. Only rumors I'm finding are a chip swap with no other changes. It would be nice if they added a new color or made the midnight less fingerprint-prone.

Apple always making us compromise on something to get a better price, either a last gen processor or an underspecced machine with a new processor.

Last edited by 3860 December 22, 2023 at 07:48 AM.

3

2

Elon69

Pro

Dec 22, 2023

2,161 Posts

Joined Nov 2010

Dec 22, 2023

Elon69

Pro

Dec 22, 2023

2,161 Posts

Quote from 3860

:

Anyone think the M3 airs will be worth waiting for in a couple months over this deal? I'm leaning no, especially since this spec on a new air will be close to $1500 since Apple won't drop prices. Only rumors I'm finding are a chip swap with no other changes. It would be nice if they added a new color or made the midnight less fingerprint-prone.

Apple always making us compromise on something to get a better price, either a last gen processor or an underspecced machine with a new processor.

Reviews for performance M2 -> M3 doesn't seem like a big bump. Marginal and won't make a difference for most.

13" M3 Air will probably carry a higher price tag like $1100 which is $200 more than 13" M2 Air deals.

Hell even 15" M2 Air is $999!! $300 off right now! from $1299.

There is always a "should I wait" game but price look so good right now.

I am debating changing Macbook Pro 14 M1PRo to 15" Air because I want a new machine.

1

Elon69

Pro

Dec 22, 2023

2,161 Posts

Joined Nov 2010

Dec 22, 2023

Elon69

Pro

Dec 22, 2023

2,161 Posts

Quote from _jenn

:

Obviously you don't agree that it's a deal breaker, because you keep advocating for an 8GB MacBook Pro in late 2023.

That might be defensible if we're talking about a sub- $900 MBA, but absolutely not for a $1400 purchase.

MacBook lover here and I agree with you. $1400 for a 8GB even for MPro 14 is ridiclous

more ports
screen is nicer
marginal faster cpu from M2 to M3 (not M3 Pro chip)

but $1400?? even I would say wtf at 8GB. lol

That's $400 more than the 15" M2 Air deal right now? Do I want to pay 40% more for all of the MPro 14 Base M3 $1400 machine?? no way over the 15" M2 Air at $999

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1

No-Sticker-Price

Dec 22, 2023

73 Posts

Joined May 2021

Dec 22, 2023

No-Sticker-Price

Dec 22, 2023

73 Posts

Quote from Elon69

:

Reviews for performance M2 -> M3 doesn't seem like a big bump. Marginal and won't make a difference for most.

13" M3 Air will probably carry a higher price tag like $1100 which is $200 more than 13" M2 Air deals.

Hell even 15" M2 Air is $999!! $300 off right now! from $1299.

There is always a "should I wait" game but price look so good right now.

I am debating changing Macbook Pro 14 M1PRo to 15" Air because I want a new machine.

Thanks. I tend to agree just based on the testing of the M3 iMac. I am more concerned about some other upgrade or maybe whether Wi-Fi 6E will be worth it. But overall there is always a reason to wait and this is a decent deal now.

1

Product Description:	The Apple 13.6" MacBook Air now features the Apple M2 chip, which has many improvements over its predecessor, the M1. The Apple M2 integrates the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, I/O, and more into a single system on a chip (SoC), this time utilizing 2nd-Gen 5nm process technology. Tackle your projects with the fast 8-Core CPU and take on graphics-intensive apps and games with the 8-core GPU. Accelerate machine learning tasks with the 16-core Neural Engine. The M2 features a 100 GB/s memory bandwidth and was also designed to speed up video workflows by adding a next-gen media engine and a powerful ProRes video engine for hardware-accelerated encode and decode. This means the M2 can play back more streams of 4K and 8K video. Complete with a silent, fanless design and up to 18 hours of battery life, the MacBook Air is still portable, but now a lot more powerful. It also has 16GB of unified RAM and a 512GB SSD.
Product SKU:	1710331
136_2560_x_1664_liquid_retina_display:	8-Core GPU \| 16-Core Neural Engine
apple_m2_8-core_chip:	16GB Unified RAM \| 512GB SSD
bluetooth:	5.3
display_size:	13.6"
gpu:	Apple (8-Core)
inputsoutputs:	2 x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3 / USB4) / Supports Video Alt Mode
operating_system:	macOS
processor:	Apple M2
resolution:	2560 x 1664
total_installed_capacity:	512 GB
total_installed_memory:	16 GB
touchscreen:	No
weight:	2.7 lb / 1.24 kg
wi-fi:	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MU-MIMO Support

Apple MacBook Air 13.6" Laptop: M2, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD (Midnight or Space Gray)

$1,299

$1,499

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