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You aren't getting an M2 for a price like this. This is not a bad price. The only thing that concerns me is they don't put in battery cycle count or battery health percentage. And there's also no procedures described what their refurbishment process might be besides just turning it on and cleaning it off.
Will the 8GB of RAM age this laptop quickly? Just for daily use and the like
you can get geeksquad refurbished at same price range or M2 air at 600.
My last two open box laptop from BB had been $ht show so ymmv like an excellent condition had scratched up screen without any accessories. BB agent was bad when asked about accessories which contradicts what their grading condition is listed online but was supportive to take it back right away with full refund.
And i have using the M1 8gb Air from 1st month of their launch - which was also open box from BB and got 15% discount within 1 month of launch and it had 1 or 2 battery cycle back then and had charger still wrapped up from Apple. it have worked fine for browsing, college coding projects. I used to have Chrome frequently crashing about couple of years back which I assume was likely due to power hungry Chrome and 8gb RAM but now when I look back, I don't recall that happening in over months or maybe year or two..so some update from Chrome or maybe MacOS update have resolved that. So for regular use, M1 8gb is still solid machine. I do see SWAP memory usage about 1-2gb frequently and people used to say that this will shorten the life of SSD due to increase in write/read cycle but my machine is still rocking solid after 4.5 years of usage and I still get over 5 to 7 hours of battery life compared to 8 to 10 hours when it was new. My previous Lenovo thinkpad used to give 3 hours battery usage when new and about an hour after 3 years of usage so this 5 to 7 hours is still good enough for me to not to charge at airport etc. I have about 600 battery cycle and 83% capacity left - if it helps.
Last edited by holly_molly March 23, 2025 at 09:28 AM.
Will the 8GB of RAM age this laptop quickly? Just for daily use and the like
8gb of ram was the "bare acceptable minimum"....back in 2015. It's 2025. It's a laughable joke, only viable for those who "barely use" their machines.
I wouldn't touch anything less than 16gb. Which makes all these aging 8gb machines ewaste, since Apple makes it LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade ram (like every other consumer laptop out there).
8gb of ram was the "bare acceptable minimum"....back in 2015. It's 2025. It's a laughable joke, only viable for those who "barely use" their machines.
I wouldn't touch anything less than 16gb. Which makes all these aging 8gb machines ewaste, since Apple makes it LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade ram (like every other consumer laptop out there).
Spoken like a person who has never owned let alone used an M-processor MacBook. MacBooks use RAM differently than Windows laptops (not something new now) and 8GB RAM, while definitely low, will suffice nicely for basic productivity, web browsing, and media consumption for 4-5 years. The M1 is still better than many Intel or Ryzen processors at this price point, not to mention significantly better battery life, sound and display.
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Spoken like a person who has never owned let alone used an M-processor MacBook. MacBooks use RAM differently than Windows laptops (not something new now) and 8GB RAM, while definitely low, will suffice nicely for basic productivity, web browsing, and media consumption for 4-5 years. The M1 is still better than many Intel or Ryzen processors at this price point, not to mention significantly better battery life, sound and display.
RAM is RAM.
Anyone who says "8gb" is enough is selling you bunch of lies. You'll simply hit the swap on the SSD much more frequently, causing excessive wear and tear. Granted, most Maccies only lightly use their machine for 2-3 years before buying the newest, latest model...so they'll never be impacted by the consequences of such corner cutting.
But if you use your machine for anything more than "OMG I GOT MAIL?" and watching Netflix, you'll be grossly disappointed with 8gb back in 2015 and more so now in 2025.
Anyone who says "8gb" is enough is selling you bunch of lies.
...
But if you use your machine for anything more than "OMG I GOT MAIL?" and watching Netflix, you'll be grossly disappointed with 8gb back in 2015 and more so now in 2025.
It's a media consumption device with a keyboard. The M1 MacBook Air has better sound output and a better performing SSD than the entry level M2, but no one is doing rocket science with this one. It'll still work fine for streaming and email in five years.
I'd be more worried about the battery cycles remaining on a used device.
It's a media consumption device with a keyboard. The M1 MacBook Air has better sound output and a better performing SSD than the entry level M2, but no one is doing rocket science with this one. It'll still work fine for streaming and email in five years.
I'd be more worried about the battery cycles remaining on a used device.
don't know why people downvoted my comments...600 cycles in 4.5 years and battery life is 82% with 5+ hrs internet usage...
Spoken like a person who has never owned let alone used an M-processor MacBook. MacBooks use RAM differently than Windows laptops (not something new now) and 8GB RAM, while definitely low, will suffice nicely for basic productivity, web browsing, and media consumption for 4-5 years. The M1 is still better than many Intel or Ryzen processors at this price point, not to mention significantly better battery life, sound and display.
Take into consideration that the GPU uses a portion of that 8 GB of RAM so it's more like 6 GB, throw a couple spread sheets and dozen web browser tabs and you'll be getting out of memory errors like one of staff on her Mac Mini. There's a reason Apple stopped selling 8 GB models.
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It is overpriced though, you can get the M2 for this price.
It is overpriced though, you can get the M2 for this price.
My last two open box laptop from BB had been $ht show so ymmv like an excellent condition had scratched up screen without any accessories. BB agent was bad when asked about accessories which contradicts what their grading condition is listed online but was supportive to take it back right away with full refund.
And i have using the M1 8gb Air from 1st month of their launch - which was also open box from BB and got 15% discount within 1 month of launch and it had 1 or 2 battery cycle back then and had charger still wrapped up from Apple. it have worked fine for browsing, college coding projects. I used to have Chrome frequently crashing about couple of years back which I assume was likely due to power hungry Chrome and 8gb RAM but now when I look back, I don't recall that happening in over months or maybe year or two..so some update from Chrome or maybe MacOS update have resolved that. So for regular use, M1 8gb is still solid machine. I do see SWAP memory usage about 1-2gb frequently and people used to say that this will shorten the life of SSD due to increase in write/read cycle but my machine is still rocking solid after 4.5 years of usage and I still get over 5 to 7 hours of battery life compared to 8 to 10 hours when it was new. My previous Lenovo thinkpad used to give 3 hours battery usage when new and about an hour after 3 years of usage so this 5 to 7 hours is still good enough for me to not to charge at airport etc. I have about 600 battery cycle and 83% capacity left - if it helps.
I wouldn't touch anything less than 16gb. Which makes all these aging 8gb machines ewaste, since Apple makes it LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade ram (like every other consumer laptop out there).
I wouldn't touch anything less than 16gb. Which makes all these aging 8gb machines ewaste, since Apple makes it LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade ram (like every other consumer laptop out there).
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Anyone who says "8gb" is enough is selling you bunch of lies. You'll simply hit the swap on the SSD much more frequently, causing excessive wear and tear. Granted, most Maccies only lightly use their machine for 2-3 years before buying the newest, latest model...so they'll never be impacted by the consequences of such corner cutting.
But if you use your machine for anything more than "OMG I GOT MAIL?" and watching Netflix, you'll be grossly disappointed with 8gb back in 2015 and more so now in 2025.
...
But if you use your machine for anything more than "OMG I GOT MAIL?" and watching Netflix, you'll be grossly disappointed with 8gb back in 2015 and more so now in 2025.
I'd be more worried about the battery cycles remaining on a used device.
I'd be more worried about the battery cycles remaining on a used device.