Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
Heads up, this deal has expired. Want to create a deal alert for this item?
expired Posted by jcrandall6 • Jan 24, 2025
expired Posted by jcrandall6 • Jan 24, 2025

Apple MacBook Pro Laptop: M4, 14.2" 3024x1964, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD (Late 2024)

+ Free Store Pickup

$1,350

$1,600

15% off
Micro Center
76 Comments 58,279 Views
Visit Micro Center
Good Deal
Save
Share
Deal Details
Micro Center has Apple 14.2" MacBook Pro Laptop (Late 2024 Model) on sale for $1349.99. Select free store pickup where available.

Thanks to community member jcrandall6 for finding this deal.

Note: Availability for pickup may vary by location

Colors Available: Specs:
  • Apple M4 chip w/ 10 CPU cores, 10 GPU cores, and 16 Neural cores
  • 14.2" Liquid Retina XDR 3024x1964, 120Hz, 1000nits sustained display
  • 16GB Unified Memory RAM
  • 512GB Solid State Drive Storage
  • Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax 2x2 MU-MIMO + Bluetooth 5.3
  • 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View
  • 6-speaker high-fidelity system with Force-cancelling woofers
  • 3-mic studio-quality array with high SNR and directional beamforming
  • Backlit magic keyboard w/ Touch ID & Force touch trackpad
  • Ports:
    • 3x USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports
    • 1x SDXC card slot
    • 1x HDMI 2.1
    • 1x Headphone/mic combo
    • 1x MagSafe 3
  • macOS operating system
  • 72.4 Wh Lithium-Polymer battery w/ 70W USB-C power adapter
  • 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61" (3.4 lbs)

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this Deal:
    • This price is $50 lower than the previous FP deal.
  • About this Product:
    • 1-year warranty
  • About this Store:
    • You can view Micro Center's return policy here.
  • Additional Notes:

Original Post

Written by jcrandall6
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Micro Center has Apple 14.2" MacBook Pro Laptop (Late 2024 Model) on sale for $1349.99. Select free store pickup where available.

Thanks to community member jcrandall6 for finding this deal.

Note: Availability for pickup may vary by location

Colors Available: Specs:
  • Apple M4 chip w/ 10 CPU cores, 10 GPU cores, and 16 Neural cores
  • 14.2" Liquid Retina XDR 3024x1964, 120Hz, 1000nits sustained display
  • 16GB Unified Memory RAM
  • 512GB Solid State Drive Storage
  • Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax 2x2 MU-MIMO + Bluetooth 5.3
  • 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View
  • 6-speaker high-fidelity system with Force-cancelling woofers
  • 3-mic studio-quality array with high SNR and directional beamforming
  • Backlit magic keyboard w/ Touch ID & Force touch trackpad
  • Ports:
    • 3x USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports
    • 1x SDXC card slot
    • 1x HDMI 2.1
    • 1x Headphone/mic combo
    • 1x MagSafe 3
  • macOS operating system
  • 72.4 Wh Lithium-Polymer battery w/ 70W USB-C power adapter
  • 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61" (3.4 lbs)

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this Deal:
    • This price is $50 lower than the previous FP deal.
  • About this Product:
    • 1-year warranty
  • About this Store:
    • You can view Micro Center's return policy here.
  • Additional Notes:

Original Post

Written by jcrandall6

Community Voting

Deal Score
+39
Good Deal
Visit Micro Center

Leave a Comment

Unregistered (You)

Top Comments

DrCJ87
261 Posts
145 Reputation
M3 Pro vs M4 - review consensus is that CPU performance is functionally the same (M4 is a bit snappier, faster at some tasks, but it's close). The advantage the M3 Pro has is in GPU performance. I don't really view 2gb extra of RAM as that big of a deal, but it is more.

Otherwise, the M4 will have an extra year of support (most likely), a slightly improved display with the quantum-dot tech, runs cooler under load, and has better battery life. The M3 Pro has two fans instead of one so it's a little quieter under load, and it's $100 cheaper.

Honestly, it's splitting hairs at this point. The M3 Pro is probably a better deal since it's $100 less (if that were an option when I was buying I probably would have gone for it), but I can also understand wanting the newest machine that will run cooler and have longer battery life.
DrCJ87
261 Posts
145 Reputation
Lowest price for this yet, it's a hell of a laptop and the base M4 is plenty of performance for most people. I've really enjoyed mine.
jcrandall6
118 Posts
89 Reputation
I'll add two things:

M3 Pro battery is around 18 hours, M4 non-Pro battery is around 24 hours.

The M3 Pro deal for $1,250 on clearance at Costco is long gone from most locations. Some have been able to price match at Best Buy, but that is becoming less likely by the day given there is no stock left at most Costco's.

75 Comments

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Jan 24, 2025
140 Posts
Joined Dec 2015
Jan 24, 2025
3860
Jan 24, 2025
140 Posts
This is insane--must be slow sales on base M4. I bet a ton waiting to see the specs on the new M4 MacBook Air. I know I am.

If M4 Air is hobbled by bad thermals, base M4 Macbook Pro might be the sweet spot in the lineup for price/performance. At this price, why bother paying hundreds more for more ram or another 512gb of storage. M4 Pro though is a big leap with 4 extra performance cores and the MC price on it is not bad.

Even better will be the Open Box MC prices. They usually are about 10% less than MC's retail price so you might be able to snag a base M4 MacBook Pro open box for $1215!
Original Poster
Pro
Jan 24, 2025
118 Posts
Joined Jun 2014
Jan 24, 2025
jcrandall6
Jan 24, 2025
Original Poster
Pro
118 Posts
Quote from 3860 :
This is insane--must be slow sales on base M4. I bet a ton waiting to see the specs on the new M4 MacBook Air. I know I am.

If M4 Air is hobbled by bad thermals, base M4 Macbook Pro might be the sweet spot in the lineup for price/performance. At this price, why bother paying hundreds more for more ram or another 512gb of storage. M4 Pro though is a big leap with 4 extra performance cores and the MC price on it is not bad.

Even better will be the Open Box MC prices. They usually are about 10% less than MC's retail price so you might be able to snag a base M4 MacBook Pro open box for $1215!
I'm thinking the MBA M4 13" will be on sale for $899 within a month or so of launch based on what we've been seeing recently. If you want 512GB figure $1,099 on sale. WIth that in mind, the upgrade from MacBook Air to MacBook Pro for base M4 with 512GB is $250 ($1,099 vs $1,349 in this thread).

The benefits are:
Higher resolution / higher brightness screen
Better sound (noticeable)
Additional Ports (HDMI, SDXC, not sure if the new MBA will have two or three thunderbolt/USB)
Fan for cooling (desirable for even moderate workloads)
Bigger Battery (24 hours on the MBP, I'm guessing MBA will be around 20)
Possibly better webcam but I think a good chance the MBA gets that upgraded
Faster charger (70w vs 35w)

Downside: Heavier and thicker
Better Keyboard maybe (at least I've read reports that the pro keyboards are better)
Jan 24, 2025
72 Posts
Joined Nov 2018
Jan 24, 2025
bluecamel
Jan 24, 2025
72 Posts
Quote from wiseghost :
I wish 1tb was on sale
1TB should be the base.
2
Pro
Jan 24, 2025
261 Posts
Joined Dec 2020
Jan 24, 2025
DrCJ87
Pro
Jan 24, 2025
261 Posts
Quote from jcrandall6 :
I'm thinking the MBA M4 13" will be on sale for $899 within a month or so of launch based on what we've been seeing recently. If you want 512GB figure $1,099 on sale. WIth that in mind, the upgrade from MacBook Air to MacBook Pro for base M4 with 512GB is $250 ($1,099 vs $1,349 in this thread).

The benefits are:
Higher resolution / higher brightness screen
Better sound (noticeable)
Additional Ports (HDMI, SDXC, not sure if the new MBA will have two or three thunderbolt/USB)
Fan for cooling (desirable for even moderate workloads)
Bigger Battery (24 hours on the MBP, I'm guessing MBA will be around 20)
Possibly better webcam but I think a good chance the MBA gets that upgraded
Faster charger (70w vs 35w)

Downside: Heavier and thicker
Better Keyboard maybe (at least I've read reports that the pro keyboards are better)
I've tried both, the Pro's keyboard is definitely better, little deeper travel. Screen is also 120Hz vs 60 on the Air; it would be amazing if they'd make the Air's screen faster but I don't see that happening yet.
Jan 24, 2025
78 Posts
Joined Dec 2014

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

Jan 24, 2025
823 Posts
Joined May 2017
Jan 24, 2025
twinturboz
Jan 24, 2025
823 Posts
Quote from CharlesCCC :
this or wait for 15in MBA m4 ?
But then you wouldn't get the 120hz display, better speakers or a SD card slot that can also be converted to additional storage. If you use it for heavier workloads the air models throttle back performance also.
Jan 24, 2025
47 Posts
Joined Jul 2015
Jan 24, 2025
Rocky_1
Jan 24, 2025
47 Posts
Quote from ScottD2993 :
16gb ram!?!? Can this even do a web browser?
Apple Silicon chips require less RAM compared to Intel-based systems for equivalent or superior performance due to their fundamentally different architecture and design philosophy. Here's why:

1. Unified Memory Architecture (UMA)

Apple Silicon uses a Unified Memory Architecture (UMA), where the CPU, GPU, and other components share a single pool of high-speed memory. This has several advantages:
• Eliminates Redundancy: Data doesn't need to be copied between separate memory pools (e.g., CPU RAM and GPU VRAM), reducing overhead.
• Higher Efficiency: All components access the same memory directly, minimizing latency and maximizing performance.

In contrast, Intel systems often have separate memory pools, requiring more RAM to handle the same workload efficiently.

2. Memory Bandwidth

Apple Silicon chips feature extremely high memory bandwidth, particularly in higher-end models like the M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M2 Ultra. This allows them to move data quickly even with smaller amounts of RAM:
• Faster Data Access: High bandwidth compensates for smaller memory capacity by ensuring data flows faster.
• Efficient Resource Utilization: The combination of bandwidth and UMA allows Apple Silicon chips to use every bit of RAM more effectively.

3. Hardware-Software Optimization

Apple designs both the hardware and software (macOS and iPadOS) to work seamlessly together:
• Optimized Memory Usage: macOS is fine-tuned for Apple Silicon, managing memory more efficiently than general-purpose systems like Windows.
• Better Caching: Apple Silicon's architecture relies on large, fast caches, reducing the need for frequent memory access.
• Task-Specific Design: Many tasks are offloaded to specialized cores (e.g., Neural Engine, video encoders) that use less RAM.

Intel-based systems often rely on third-party operating systems, which aren't as tightly integrated with the hardware.

4. System-on-a-Chip (SoC) Design

Apple Silicon chips integrate multiple components, including the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and I/O controllers, on a single chip. This integration improves performance and reduces memory requirements:
• Lower Latency: On-chip communication is faster and more efficient than between discrete components.
• Reduced Overhead: The SoC design eliminates some of the inefficiencies found in systems with separate components.

5. Advanced Power Management

Apple Silicon is highly energy-efficient, which impacts memory usage:
• Efficient Memory Access: Reduced power consumption means less need to load and unload data from RAM frequently.
• Background Task Optimization: macOS intelligently prioritizes active and background tasks, reducing unnecessary memory usage.

6. Swap Memory Performance

Apple Silicon leverages fast SSDs and optimized swap memory management:
• Efficient Swap Usage: When physical RAM is full, macOS uses SSD-based virtual memory more efficiently, mitigating performance drops.
• Fast SSD Speeds: Apple's high-speed NVMe SSDs make swap memory almost indistinguishable from RAM in many tasks.

Conclusion

Apple Silicon chips require less RAM than Intel-based competitors because of their unified memory architecture, high memory bandwidth, efficient hardware-software integration, and advanced chip design. This enables better performance and resource utilization, making tasks that would traditionally need more RAM on an Intel system run smoothly with less memory on Apple Silicon.
2

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Jan 25, 2025
1,595 Posts
Joined Dec 2007
Jan 25, 2025
popomama
Jan 25, 2025
1,595 Posts
Is SSD on M4 MBP upgradable by myself?
Pro
Jan 25, 2025
261 Posts
Joined Dec 2020
Jan 25, 2025
DrCJ87
Pro
Jan 25, 2025
261 Posts
Quote from popomama :
Is SSD on M4 MBP upgradable by myself?
Nope, hasn't been for years now.
Pro
Jan 25, 2025
261 Posts
Joined Dec 2020
Jan 25, 2025
DrCJ87
Pro
Jan 25, 2025
261 Posts
Quote from ScottD2993 :
16gb ram!?!? Can this even do a web browser?
I must be getting older, I can't tell whether this is a troll, a joke, or a legit post.

Surprised no one's called everyone sheep yet.
Jan 25, 2025
11 Posts
Joined Jan 2025
Jan 25, 2025
TenseCemetery1952
Jan 25, 2025
11 Posts
Quote from Rocky_1 :
Apple Silicon chips require less RAM compared to Intel-based systems for equivalent or superior performance due to their fundamentally different architecture and design philosophy. Here's why:1. Unified Memory Architecture (UMA)Apple Silicon uses a Unified Memory Architecture (UMA), where the CPU, GPU, and other components share a single pool of high-speed memory. This has several advantages: • Eliminates Redundancy: Data doesn't need to be copied between separate memory pools (e.g., CPU RAM and GPU VRAM), reducing overhead. • Higher Efficiency: All components access the same memory directly, minimizing latency and maximizing performance.In contrast, Intel systems often have separate memory pools, requiring more RAM to handle the same workload efficiently.2. Memory BandwidthApple Silicon chips feature extremely high memory bandwidth, particularly in higher-end models like the M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M2 Ultra. This allows them to move data quickly even with smaller amounts of RAM: • Faster Data Access: High bandwidth compensates for smaller memory capacity by ensuring data flows faster. • Efficient Resource Utilization: The combination of bandwidth and UMA allows Apple Silicon chips to use every bit of RAM more effectively.3. Hardware-Software OptimizationApple designs both the hardware and software (macOS and iPadOS) to work seamlessly together: • Optimized Memory Usage: macOS is fine-tuned for Apple Silicon, managing memory more efficiently than general-purpose systems like Windows. • Better Caching: Apple Silicon's architecture relies on large, fast caches, reducing the need for frequent memory access. • Task-Specific Design: Many tasks are offloaded to specialized cores (e.g., Neural Engine, video encoders) that use less RAM.Intel-based systems often rely on third-party operating systems, which aren't as tightly integrated with the hardware.4. System-on-a-Chip (SoC) DesignApple Silicon chips integrate multiple components, including the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and I/O controllers, on a single chip. This integration improves performance and reduces memory requirements: • Lower Latency: On-chip communication is faster and more efficient than between discrete components. • Reduced Overhead: The SoC design eliminates some of the inefficiencies found in systems with separate components.5. Advanced Power ManagementApple Silicon is highly energy-efficient, which impacts memory usage: • Efficient Memory Access: Reduced power consumption means less need to load and unload data from RAM frequently. • Background Task Optimization: macOS intelligently prioritizes active and background tasks, reducing unnecessary memory usage.6. Swap Memory PerformanceApple Silicon leverages fast SSDs and optimized swap memory management: • Efficient Swap Usage: When physical RAM is full, macOS uses SSD-based virtual memory more efficiently, mitigating performance drops. • Fast SSD Speeds: Apple's high-speed NVMe SSDs make swap memory almost indistinguishable from RAM in many tasks.ConclusionApple Silicon chips require less RAM than Intel-based competitors because of their unified memory architecture, high memory bandwidth, efficient hardware-software integration, and advanced chip design. This enables better performance and resource utilization, making tasks that would traditionally need more RAM on an Intel system run smoothly with less memory on Apple Silicon.
I'm a Cloud Engineer/Enterprise Architect and I'm going to have to disagree with you on the "they need less RAM stuff". Otherwise pretty good information.
1
Pro
Jan 25, 2025
261 Posts
Joined Dec 2020
Jan 25, 2025
DrCJ87
Pro
Jan 25, 2025
261 Posts
Quote from Rocky_1 :
Apple Silicon chips require less RAM compared to Intel-based systems for equivalent or superior performance due to their fundamentally different architecture and design philosophy. Here's why:

1. Unified Memory Architecture (UMA)

Apple Silicon uses a Unified Memory Architecture (UMA), where the CPU, GPU, and other components share a single pool of high-speed memory. This has several advantages:
• Eliminates Redundancy: Data doesn't need to be copied between separate memory pools (e.g., CPU RAM and GPU VRAM), reducing overhead.
• Higher Efficiency: All components access the same memory directly, minimizing latency and maximizing performance.

In contrast, Intel systems often have separate memory pools, requiring more RAM to handle the same workload efficiently.

2. Memory Bandwidth

Apple Silicon chips feature extremely high memory bandwidth, particularly in higher-end models like the M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M2 Ultra. This allows them to move data quickly even with smaller amounts of RAM:
• Faster Data Access: High bandwidth compensates for smaller memory capacity by ensuring data flows faster.
• Efficient Resource Utilization: The combination of bandwidth and UMA allows Apple Silicon chips to use every bit of RAM more effectively.

3. Hardware-Software Optimization

Apple designs both the hardware and software (macOS and iPadOS) to work seamlessly together:
• Optimized Memory Usage: macOS is fine-tuned for Apple Silicon, managing memory more efficiently than general-purpose systems like Windows.
• Better Caching: Apple Silicon's architecture relies on large, fast caches, reducing the need for frequent memory access.
• Task-Specific Design: Many tasks are offloaded to specialized cores (e.g., Neural Engine, video encoders) that use less RAM.

Intel-based systems often rely on third-party operating systems, which aren't as tightly integrated with the hardware.

4. System-on-a-Chip (SoC) Design

Apple Silicon chips integrate multiple components, including the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and I/O controllers, on a single chip. This integration improves performance and reduces memory requirements:
• Lower Latency: On-chip communication is faster and more efficient than between discrete components.
• Reduced Overhead: The SoC design eliminates some of the inefficiencies found in systems with separate components.

5. Advanced Power Management

Apple Silicon is highly energy-efficient, which impacts memory usage:
• Efficient Memory Access: Reduced power consumption means less need to load and unload data from RAM frequently.
• Background Task Optimization: macOS intelligently prioritizes active and background tasks, reducing unnecessary memory usage.

6. Swap Memory Performance

Apple Silicon leverages fast SSDs and optimized swap memory management:
• Efficient Swap Usage: When physical RAM is full, macOS uses SSD-based virtual memory more efficiently, mitigating performance drops.
• Fast SSD Speeds: Apple's high-speed NVMe SSDs make swap memory almost indistinguishable from RAM in many tasks.

Conclusion

Apple Silicon chips require less RAM than Intel-based competitors because of their unified memory architecture, high memory bandwidth, efficient hardware-software integration, and advanced chip design. This enables better performance and resource utilization, making tasks that would traditionally need more RAM on an Intel system run smoothly with less memory on Apple Silicon.
Responding to a joke of a post with AI dribble. God I hate the internet now.
Jan 25, 2025
1,593 Posts
Joined Aug 2006
Jan 25, 2025
brackis
Jan 25, 2025
1,593 Posts
Anyone know of any on-sale variants that have the anti-reflective nano-tech coating on the screen?
Pro
Jan 25, 2025
261 Posts
Joined Dec 2020
Jan 25, 2025
DrCJ87
Pro
Jan 25, 2025
261 Posts
Quote from brackis :
Anyone know of any on-sale variants that have the anti-reflective nano-tech coating on the screen?
I think the odds of that will be slim - seems you can only get those from the Apple Store as a custom order. No standard SKU has it.

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Jan 25, 2025
73 Posts
Joined Dec 2014
Jan 25, 2025
Mr.Pirate
Jan 25, 2025
73 Posts
Quote from JJSparks :
My BIL ordered the $1,250 M3 Pro Costco deal price matched to BB and hasn't picked it up yet. I showed him this and he wants to know if the M3 Pro is better for him since much of the time he will have connected to a 38 inch wide screen monitor, or does the better graphics of the M3 Pro have no effect on that at all.
Using an external display does utilize the GPU, but it will probably not make a significant difference unless he is also doing graphically demanding tasks like video editing, 3d modeling, or gaming.
They are both very good laptops overall and powerful enough for most users.
I personally think this M4 is a better deal for the improved battery, upgraded camera, slightly improved display, and +1 year of updates.
But if you are primarily using it docked as a workstation the battery, camera, and display upgrades don't matter as much, so might be better to save the $100.

Leave a Comment

Unregistered (You)

Popular Deals

View All

Trending Deals

View All