forum thread Posted by Dr.W • May 1, 2025
May 1, 2025 4:34 AM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
forum thread Posted by Dr.W • May 1, 2025
May 1, 2025 4:34 AM
Apple MacBook Pro (Refurb): 16", M1 Max, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD $1439.99 at eBay
$1,440
$2,699
46% offeBay
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank LavenderPickle7682
Let me break it down:
- the M1 Max single core is slightly slower than the M4, but it's so close, you'd be hard-pressed to see the difference in real life use.
- the M1 Max multi-core is just as good & better than the M4 (depending on the benchmark test being used). If you're in a real life usage scenario that uses the extra video encoders, you will see a performance gain over the M4.
- The M1 Max is inside a Macbook Pro chassis, which has active cooling (fans). This means it can sustain these levels of equivalent (or better) performance near indefinitely. The M4 base in a non-cooled chassis (M4 Air 13" or 15", for example) gets heat-soaked really quickly, leading to thermally throttling the performance. It happens really fast with multi-core performance, but a little slower with single core. In short, M4 Airs will experience thermal throttling under heavy loads.
- This is a 16" Macbook Pro with enhanced screen, speakers, and microphone + a larger trackpad. A 13/15" M4 Air will be smaller, and they don't have those premium tier components. Don't get me wrong, the Air isn't a slouch -- it's some of the best ultraportable hardware to be had at the $1000 pricetag. But the MBP is in an entirely different quality class.
- Last but not least -- you're getting a 1tb drive and 64gb of ram. That's a massive upgrade to the base specs of the M4 Air -- which you can only max out to 32gb of ram. The extra ram will help performance in a variety of high-stress applications. What Apple charges for extra storage in a new machine is almost criminal.
The closest machine to the specs of the deal above is the 15" M4 Air w/ 32gb ram + 1tb ssd, which will run you $2000.
Simply put, this is an excellent value at sub-$1500, and it will outperform any M4 Air. I'd suggest going with an M4 Air only if you are on a strict $1000 budget or absolutely need the weight + size reduction instead of performance.
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