forum threadDr.W posted Today 05:36 PM
Item 1 of 3
Item 1 of 3
forum threadDr.W posted Today 05:36 PM
Apple MacBook Pro (2019/Refurb): 16" 3072x1920 IPS, i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Radeon Pro 5300M 4GB Graphics, Gray $416.67
$417
$2,000
79% offeBay
Get Deal at eBayGood Deal
Bad Deal
Save
Share
Leave a Comment
19 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank VVX
2019 i7 Benchmark (1300 single core, 5200 all cores)
https://browser.geekben
2020 M1 Pro Benchmark (2300 single core, 8200 all cores)
https://browser.geekben
The M1 (even like an M1 Air) is going to be nearly twice as fast for most single-core work (ie, basically everything you care about).
The only concern would be battery life and the quality of any replacement (if replaced)
2019 i7 Benchmark (1300 single core, 5200 all cores)
https://browser.geekben
2020 M1 Pro Benchmark (2300 single core, 8200 all cores)
https://browser.geekben
The M1 (even like an M1 Air) is going to be nearly twice as fast for most single-core work (ie, basically everything you care about).
The M1 Pro you compared this with costs around $600+ and that too with only 16GB RAM; that's $200+ more than this.
A processor alone doesn't make the laptop.
The only concern would be battery life and the quality of any replacement (if replaced)
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
2019 i7 Benchmark (1300 single core, 5200 all cores)
https://browser.geekben
2020 M1 Pro Benchmark (2300 single core, 8200 all cores)
https://browser.geekben
The M1 (even like an M1 Air) is going to be nearly twice as fast for most single-core work (ie, basically everything you care about).
The good:
- The butterfly keyboard issue is resolved in this model (and moving forward). The older butterfly keyboard had super low travel, felt like you were typing on concrete, and could break a key if so much as a speck of dust got under the keycap. No joke. It was awful, and many people delayed buying a Macbook because of it. This mac fixes that problem (amazing how a "good" is simply "doesn't have a problem the previous model had"!).
- The audio is genuinely top notch. I can use the internal speakers and microphone as a replacement for higher tier external ones, and I lose very little in the process. They're that good (and this is a trend continued through the M-series 16" Macbook Pro models).
The bad:
- It's slow compared to the M1 Air. Like nearly half the speed. It's figuratively "night and day".
- It's a space heater. Just idling, it puts out a LOT of heat. Great in the winter though if you have cold hands!
- Battery life is abysmal on its own....and compared to the M1 Air, it's insultingly bad.
- It stutters. I've never had a mac NOT be silky smooth in the normal UI before this (unless I was REALLY pushing the machine), but this one stutters randomly under no load.
- It crashes. Yes. I had significantly more crashes EACH MONTH on this machine than I had in 7 years total on a 2013 15" Macbook Pro. And I didn't treat that 2013 MBP nicely either. Guess what, THE 2013 MBP STILL WORKS.
And the ugly:
- As soon as the M1 came out, the older machines lost their resale value overnight. Yes, today we accept that Macs don't resell for large sums of cash, but this was the first time in something like ~15 years where you couldn't recoup a nice chunk of your original purchase price through reselling/trading it in.
My 2 cents: I would NOT buy one of these machines at ANY price. Take your budget, and put it towards literally any M1 Air or M1 Pro/Max. You'll get a better machine. The only way I'd suggest one of these is if you know without a doubt you need an Intel-based mac for your unique circumstances (such as software that's incompatible on the M1).
The M1 Pro you compared this with costs around $600+ and that too with only 16GB RAM; that's $200+ more than this.
A processor alone doesn't make the laptop.
The processor change made such a massive difference -- thermals, system stability, power draw, battery efficiency, etc.
It's very clear you haven't used either machine in the slightest, since if you have, you would know just how meaningful of the change this was in the lineup of Macbooks. You didn't even know how much ram the M1 Air could have. Please don't spread misinformation.
Parallels is a subscription, but VMware Fusion is now free (though future support may be limited given the nature of how VMware is currently operating).
Another option would be looking at Valve's Steam Deck handheld. It's a custom OS sitting on top of a Linux install, and it's pretty amazing for the price. You have a LOT of control over how you can use it, and it interfaces well with monitors/TVs/keyboards/mice/etc through a dock/port extender. It's not a massively powerful handheld compared to most desktops with a dedicated multi-hundred dollar GPU...but I've found very few people to be unhappy with the Steam Deck. It even runs mildly taxing games pretty acceptably, which is amazing for how optimized the system is.
Paired with an external 1080p screen, it would be ok for older games (AAA games before 2019) in windows or Linux.
But the heat problems with this laptop are the issue, the CPU fans kick in very early. The body is thinner that current M series and yet the processor is way less heat efficient.
There are way better gaming laptops for $400 out there. Build quality and screen won't be as nice, but games wilL run smoother.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Leave a Comment