I got my first Mac a week ago, MacBook Pro with basic M3 chip with 8GB of RAM. I am a first-year student, studying computing for business. I do not run any serious pro apps and do not play games on it (maybe some small indie projects), and my budget was very strictly limited and I couldn’t spend more. I didn’t experience any issues with it and didn’t feel any lack of performance or anything. This is my first and only laptop so I couldn’t wait any more as I needed it for college. Asking because everyone says that 8GB is waste of money, but if I don’t really know why do I need a more powerful Mac, did I really made a mistake for buying basic M3 ? Should I have waited and bought on M3 Pro chip ?
If anything, I think you would have been better served with a M2/8GB/512GB MBA. Especially if you can find it lightly used.
And by better served I mean keep more money in you pocket. When I was in college (cue breeze and flashback music) I had more time than money. So what if your project converges/completes in 45 minutes instead of 25? And you had to try it 6 times?
But that student loan interest will follow you around for a long time. Or even worse, you take on a part time job and start trading away the most unique period of your life (maybe even GPA) at an abysmal rate. ($15/hr now versus $50/hr after a quality graduation).
It’s best to leave the battery at around 50% constantly. Too high charges (100%) or too low charges (less than 20%) for extended periods of time are bad for the battery. Of course, its almost impossible to ensure that your battery is at 50% at all times
I use a battery regulatory app called “AlDente.” It basically stops the battery charging once it reaches a specific amount. I keep the limit at 75%. It’s not too high and it’s enough if I ever want to unplug it and take it somewhere.Yeah, good info but not the topic.
To be honest apple isn’t stupid they didn’t make a very expensive laptop that won’t their applications. You might find trouble with 3rd party apps, but even then it’s multi tasking that will be the issue. From reviews I’ve seen the 8gb is probably enough for most use cases and from the sound of it you aren’t going heavy load at this stage. Also as a student you have that most valuable resource - time. If things take longer or you can only do one thing at a time, so be it! Enjoy your new machine and stop looking at reviews or opinions on base M3 and 8 Gb.
Thank you, the words that needed to be heard, after the euphoria of the new device subsided a bit, I started to have my doubts, but now I feel like I made a right choice, especially since the best MacBook is the one you own, not the one in the shop))
Lots of people will say this was a mistake. They are wrong.
You’re a student who doesn’t need a huge amount of computing power, so the specs are fine for you. This laptop was a great choice for this use case, because of the great screen, battery life and frankly stunning great big speakers. Most students don’t have TVs, so actually these benefits far outweigh sinking money into computing power that you don’t need. (Yes the air has great battery too, not the point here).
It’s unlikely that you’re going to really tax the processor/ram in this machine and it’ll provide an enjoyable media experience throughout your degree.
Thank you, wise words, I had doubts but now I feel that I made a right choice and there were no need to spend more. Enjoying my new Mac and happy to become a part of a community. It is so much more comfortable to use than a Windows machine))
No, you didn’t make a mistake. 8gb works just fine for many people. I have a 2017 MacBook Pro with 8gb and it still works great all these years later (after A LOT of use). Enjoy your new computer☺️
I’ve got an M1 air with 8GB that I’ve been using since I started uni a couple years ago, still awesome. Don’t worry, you made a great choice.