These Apple M1 chips are out of this world

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › These Apple M1 chips are out of this world - time to switch?

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Mad Scientist
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#2617942 8-Dec-2020 10:09

tchart:

While they are fast I wouldnt quite say the "obliterated PCs" - statistics are easy to manipulate to the result you want (especially when Apple are not publishing what benchmarks or systems they used)

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3596814/new-macbook-air-is-not-faster-than-98-percent-of-pc-laptops.html

Having said that as @Batman mentioned there are other compeling factors such as power usage that interest me more that "speed".

I'm a PC user and despise Apple. But I'm not a fanboy and facts speak for themselves

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/macbook-pro-m1-benchmarks-are-in-and-they-destroy-intel

tchart

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#2618017 8-Dec-2020 11:13

Batman:

I'm a PC user and despise Apple. But I'm not a fanboy and facts speak for themselves

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/macbook-pro-m1-benchmarks-are-in-and-they-destroy-intel

Im not trying to start something, Im merely pointing out that everything is subjective.

Just to add to the mix;

1. Intel is not "on top" anymore. Anyone who buys Intel in 2020 is bonkers.

2. That article doesnt specify what chip they used for PC. It simply says Tiger Lake which includes everything from Celeron to i9. Comparing an i3/i5 vs M1 is no contest.

3. It doesnt say whether any of those gaming benchmarks are using dedicated GPU or built in graphics. We all know how good Intels built graphics are :( and the M1 has a rather good GPU on the SOC

4. The gaming benchmarks are also comparing 1920x1080 (PC) vs 1440 x 900 (Apple)

So again, dont just blindly believe everything you see.

BTW Im also considering an M1 as a daily driver. I do see the benefits but personally the performance for battery life/power draw is what Im interested in. So I do get it I just dont believe outrageous claims like "obliterate PCs" or "faster than 98% of PCs".

TwoSeven

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#2618282 8-Dec-2020 18:11

I think for web/office users or lightweight video production it seems to pretty cool. At the end of the day its a cheaper device with a longer battery life.

I liked the idea that one could run iPad apps. For the price, I’d have liked to have seen a touch capable screen.

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DeepBlueSky

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#2621350 14-Dec-2020 15:00

I picked the cheapest Air up for my wife as a Christmas gift arrived Friday now under the tree, this matched her use case really well with battery life being one of the main drivers along with being cool and quite. This is the first Apple I will have used since PowerPC days so really interested in how it goes.

All I can say is bravo Apple for forcing RISC into the Desktop Realm again, and now we hear AMD has been looking at this also and have a chip I think INTEL will be freaking out quitely they got lazy, but they also have the techs to create some great solutions so its going to a chip war over the next few years which is a win win for everyone, speeds increases are gong to be insane.

For the Desktop / Laptop space the obvious players are going to be:

Apple Silicon
Intel Silicon
AMD Silicon
Qualcomm Silcon

Plus a number or smaller players.

Its fun times.

Behodar

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#2621365 14-Dec-2020 15:29

tchart:

While they are fast I wouldnt quite say the "obliterated PCs" - statistics are easy to manipulate to the result you want (especially when Apple are not publishing what benchmarks or systems they used)

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3596814/new-macbook-air-is-not-faster-than-98-percent-of-pc-laptops.html

That article itself could be accused of manipulating statistics: It claims that it's not faster than 98% of PC laptops and then compares it against laptops which are clearly in the top 2%.

Handle9

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#2621412 14-Dec-2020 16:28

Batman:

I don't think I'd buy something 2-5X the price with no ports just to run windows on an emulator ;p

If it's 2x the price and it's twice as fast out of the box with native support for things I can learn to use and twice the battery life and half the weight - that would do it.

Currently have a intel laptop that is 15.6" weighing 1700g with 10 hr battery life with its top of the range CPU.

So if we can get to 850g and 20 hrs and twice as fast ...

That all sounds nice except of course you aren't paying 2x the price of a comparable Windows machine. Something like the Huawei Matebook is roughly similar in price to a MacBook Air/Pro.

MikeB4

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#2635884 15-Jan-2021 11:11

Who is using one of these M1 chip bases units? I am seeking real life experiences with this new silicon. I am considering purchasing either the Pro or Air to replace my Surface Laptop 3.

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stocksp

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#2635891 15-Jan-2021 11:24

Ive got a MacBook Air with the new A1. Works well. Great battery life. I dont do anything intensive on it, but really no difference to the intel units in terms of compatibility etc. I’d recommend

MikeB4

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#2635893 15-Jan-2021 11:27

stocksp:

Ive got a MacBook Air with the new A1. Works well. Great battery life. I dont do anything intensive on it, but really no difference to the intel units in terms of compatibility etc. I’d recommend

Did you get the base model with 7 core GPU or did you opt for the model up with the 8 core GPU?

CYaBro

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#2635896 15-Jan-2021 11:29

Mac Mini here, running well now.

There were a few issues when I first got it last year but there have been quite a few updates since then and don't have any issues now.
Issues were with apps that had to run with Rosetta 2 but most of them have updated now to run native on the M1.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

MikeB4

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#2635952 15-Jan-2021 11:48

I should note that my usage will be light as I use my iMac for the heavy work. One of my primary motivations of ditching my Surface Laptop 3 is my patience with Windows 10 has run out and the Surface is the only Windows PC I have.

BlinkyBill

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#2635957 15-Jan-2021 11:53

I got an 8-core Air, runs Capture 1 well, word/excel like lightning, silent, 5k monitor. I have read there’s really no perceptible difference between 8 and 7-core variants, but since the 7’s are manufacturing rejects of the same chip, I went with the 8.

I can’t see the point of the Pro unless you edit video. And then I can’t see the point of 13-inch if you edit video.

The 14 and 16-inch pro’s will be out in a couple of months.

BlinkyBill

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#2635959 15-Jan-2021 11:55

MikeB4:

I should note that my usage will be light as I use my iMac for the heavy work. One of my primary motivations of ditching my Surface Laptop 3 is my patience with Windows 10 has run out and the Surface is the only Windows PC I have.

I would go with the Air then.

I know what you mean about Window’s machines ... over-priced and restrictive.

MikeB4

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#2635963 15-Jan-2021 11:57

BlinkyBill:

I got an 8-core Air, runs Capture 1 well, word/excel like lightning, silent, 5k monitor. I have read there’s really no perceptible difference between 8 and 7-core variants, but since the 7’s are manufacturing rejects of the same chip, I went with the 8.

I can’t see the point of the Pro unless you edit video. And then I can’t see the point of 13-inch if you edit video.

The 14 and 16-inch pro’s will be out in a couple of months.

The 7 core chips are manufacturing rejects? do you have a link to this?

s.joseph

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#2635965 15-Jan-2021 12:00

Ive got the base M1 Air (7 core gpu) , even running Windows on ARM the thing flys! Super impressed.

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