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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BlinkyBill

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#2635968 15-Jan-2021 12:02

the term is “binning”, here is one article of many https://9to5mac.com/2020/11/11/why-is-there-a-comical-difference-in-the-new-macbook-air-specs/

It’s not a big deal.

s.joseph

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#2635969 15-Jan-2021 12:03

MikeB4:

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?

Chip binning, it's very common. They won't specifically make an 8 core gpu, they test them if ones failed they lock that core and make it 7 core.

MikeB4

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#2635973 15-Jan-2021 12:07

@BlinkyBill @s.joseph Doh!!!!! I knew that Please excuse my slowness today, I blame it on pain relief 😢

nova

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#2636004 15-Jan-2021 13:12

PB Tech have the 256GB M1 Macbook Air for $1598 at the moment. I think you can get a better deal if you are a university student, but still a pretty sharp price, and cheaper than what they are selling the previous model for.

The passive cooling works well enough, and real world impact of thermal throttling seems pretty small, so I don't personally see the point in paying for the 13" macbook pro, as the upgrade is pretty slight. Better to wait for the bigger macbook pros if you really want to upgrade.

Batman

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#2636008 15-Jan-2021 13:22

MikeB4:

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.

AFAIK the Pro hasn't been updated with the M chips ... YET

Behodar

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#2636010 15-Jan-2021 13:25

The 13" Pro (which I always found to be a bit of a misnomer - it was previously just the "MacBook") has been updated, but not the 16".

nova

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#2636013 15-Jan-2021 13:28

Batman:

AFAIK the Pro hasn't been updated with the M chips ... YET

The 13" model has been updated, but there isn't a lot of difference between the 13" macbook pro and the 13" macbook air in terms of performance / specs. The pro has a bigger battery, slightly better screen, and active cooling. For a while you have needed to go to the bigger size macbook pro if you want to see a real differentiation from the macbook air.

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Senecio

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#2636064 15-Jan-2021 14:19

I got my wife the base Air before Christmas to replace her 2013 base Macbook pro that was showing its age. She loves it and we haven't found anything it cant do but would be considered a light user.

Battery life is a major plus. It probably gets plugged in every 2 weeks at present.

halper86

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#2636121 15-Jan-2021 14:48

Using a MBP M1 at the moment, very snappy, a sharp improvement on startup times compared to the last version. Now I realise I should have waited for the 14in model coming out in the next few months.

BlinkyBill

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#2636127 15-Jan-2021 15:08

nova:

The 13" model has been updated, but there isn't a lot of difference between the 13" macbook pro and the 13" macbook air in terms of performance / specs. The pro has a bigger battery, slightly better screen, and active cooling. For a while you have needed to go to the bigger size macbook pro if you want to see a real differentiation from the macbook air.

the Air screen was updated to Pro screen attributes, albeit Pro has 500 nits vs 400 for Air. I have read they are in fact the exact same screens, but can’t find the source just at the moment, so that could be a faulty memory.

MikeB4

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#2636296 15-Jan-2021 21:42

I purchased a M1 MacBook Air with 8 core GPU today. So far I am very impressed. Office 365 applications are working fine with Rosetta 2.

GSManiac

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#2636332 16-Jan-2021 07:13

Edit: wrong thread.

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