Keep using MacBook Air M1 as dekstop or get a desktop Mac?

[AppleFan.]

Hey everyone! I’ve been using a MacBook Air M1 both at home and away from home, but mostly connected to my Studio Display at home. Lately, I’ve been thinking about getting a desktop Mac since I spend most of my time in this setup. I will still keep the MacBook for when I am not home btw.

I mainly use lighter apps like Safari with multiple tabs, Microsoft Office apps, Teams, Mail, Spotify, and occasionally edit 4K drone footage in iMovie and CapCut. My MacBook has 8GB of RAM, and while it handles my tasks well, I do notice some slight slowdowns when I have multiple apps open. And performance seems to be slightly worse when using it with the Studio Display. But it’s not a big difference.

I’m wondering if it’s okay to use the laptop in clamshell mode for long periods. And if it’s worth investing in a desktop Mac, what configuration would be best for my needs? Or should I stick with my current setup of using the MacBook with the Studio Display?

 

[Fishrrman]

If you're just going to "do desktop things" with it, then GET a desktop.
My vote goes to the m2pro Mini...

(I'd still keep the MB around as "a spare" and for portable tasks)

 

[AppleFan.]

If you're just going to "do desktop things" with it, then GET a desktop.
My vote goes to the m2pro Mini...

(I'd still keep the MB around as "a spare" and for portable tasks)

Thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely keep the MacBook, because I need it for my portable tasks. I'll probably wait till WWDC though, because they could announce the M3 Pro Mac Mini.

 

[SjoukeW]

I would keep your current mac setup as long as it works for you. Mac's are meant to be used, not to be polished in a vitrine and only be looked at.
Before it is technically worn out and it needs replacing the world has moved on so far that you want to upgrade anyway. If Mac's weren't meant to be used in clamshell mode it wouldn't exist, imho.

 

[AppleFan.]

I would keep your current mac setup as long as it works for you. Mac's are meant to be used, not to be polished in a vitrine and only be looked at.
Before it is technically worn out and it needs replacing the world has moved on so far that you want to upgrade anyway. If Mac's weren't meant to be used in clamshell mode it wouldn't exist, imho.

Thank you for the reply. The MacBook works pretty good for me, especially when I use it on the go, but when I am at home I probably will notice and appreciate the extra performance of a desktop with more ram, but it is definetly not needed in my use case. And as you say, before it’s worn out, I will probably want an upgrade anyway.

If I were to choose a Mac desktop, what model would you recommend for my use case?

 

[SjoukeW]

If your usage doesn't change over time I would go with 16gb of ram in a next macbook air or pro if you need more processing power. I like having 1 machine to have all my files and work and not having to transfer work / files between machines.
I think it is economically feasible to have 1 heavier machine than 2 lighter machines, but that depends on your usecase.
For a 'desktop machine' I would go with a mini with at least 16gb of ram in your case.
If you start to do more video editing then the hardware requirements on storage, ram and processing power do change rapidly and then you would enter an other realm quickly.

 

[Abazigal]

At this point, maybe wait for the Mac mini to be updated with the M3 pro chip? I like the idea of the Mac mini sitting flush underneath the studio display (it fits, right?) and taking up less space overall. Though I don't know how long that will take, or if it's in the pipeline even.

 

[AppleFan.]

At this point, maybe wait for the Mac mini to be updated with the M3 pro chip? I like the idea of the Mac mini sitting flush underneath the studio display (it fits, right?) and taking up less space overall. Though I don't know how long that will take, or if it's in the pipeline even.

I will wait for WWDC to see if a new Mac Mini will be announced. It would definitely look really good with my Studio Display.

 

[chrfr]

I will wait for WWDC to see if a new Mac Mini will be announced. It would definitely look really good with my Studio Display.

It's worth waiting if you can do what you need with the current computer. From what you describe, though, there's no real benefit that the Pro chips would offer your workload.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If it's doing what you need it to do, no need wasting money on a desktop Mac too. Use what you have while it delivers on your wants/needs. Adjust how you use it to make the minimum specs you chose work better (for instance, close apps when not in use). When you replace it, pay the hefty premium to up the specs so you don't have the stuttering issues from too little RAM and/or SSD.

There's nothing wrong with using it in clamshell mode. In effect, you already have a Mac mini. It just happens to have a monitor, speakers & keyboard attached to it. That Air doesn't know or care that it isn't a desktop.

In hindsight, if I could step back and re-buy my current Macs, instead of a Mac Studio Ultra desktop, I would have probably loaded up a MBpro, purchased a good dock like maybe this one from Brydge and let it be THE Mac (desktop & mobile laptop) instead of owning two Macs.

HOWEVER, if you happen to have family/others living at home and you use a Mac as a media server to maybe AppleTVs, it's easy to rationalize a permanently-anchored (desktop) Mac at home for sharing purposes like that. If so, the FAM/roommates are not without any media for AppleTV while you are out with your laptop. Short of reasoning like this (and of course, if you are single living alone), ONE computer can easily do BOTH jobs just fine.

Save the money for your next MB and plan to get upgraded specs that can handle whatever you throw at it.

 

[AppleFan.]

If it's doing what you need it to do, no need wasting money on a desktop Mac too. Use what you have while it delivers on your wants/needs. Adjust how you use it to make the minimum specs you chose work better (for instance, close apps when not in use). When you replace it, pay the hefty premium to up the specs so you don't have the stuttering issues from too little RAM and/or SSD.

There's nothing wrong with using it in clamshell mode. In effect, you already have a Mac mini. It just happens to have a monitor, speakers & keyboard attached to it. That Air doesn't know or care that it isn't a desktop.

In hindsight, if I could step back and re-buy my current Macs, instead of a Mac Studio Ultra desktop, I would have probably loaded up a MBpro, purchased a good dock like maybe this one from Brydge and let it be THE Mac (desktop & mobile laptop) instead of owning two Macs.

HOWEVER, if you happen to have family/others living at home and you use a Mac as a media feeder to maybe AppleTVs, it's easy to rationalize a permanently-anchored (desktop) Mac at home for sharing purposes like that. If so, the FAM/roommates are not without any media for AppleTV while you are out with your laptop. Short of reasoning like this (and of course, if you are single living alone), ONE computer can easily do BOTH jobs just fine.

Thank you for the advice. It is true that my MacBook is just like a desktop when connected to my display. It is very convenient to have 1 computer that can be both a desktop and a laptop!

That dock looks really covenient and I might get one if I decide on not getting a deskop Mac.

What configuration would you recommend for my use case to get when I decide to upgrade? I have 8GB of RAM and it works pretty good, I would probably benefit from some more RAM though, but I don’t NEED it. We have a 16GB M1 iMac at home and it looks like it handles multiple apps open at the same time better, but haven’t used it enough because it’s the computer of a family member so I’m not sure.

 

[astrorider]

If you can avoid the complexity of maintaining two separate Macs (keeping things like apps and their settings in sync, etc.), by having a single Macbook with the specs you need that you can take on the road when needed, it's a great setup.

 

[AppleFan.]

If you can avoid the complexity of maintaining two separate Macs (keeping things like apps and their settings in sync, etc.), by having a single Macbook with the specs you need that you can take on the road when needed, it's a great setup.

How much RAM would you recommend for my use case? this is the only Mac I have owned and it has 8GB, so I don’t have alot of experience with 16GB or more.

 

[za9ra22]

How much RAM would you recommend for my use case? this is the only Mac I have owned and it has 8GB, so I don’t have alot of experience with 16GB or more.

Good general advise it to aim for the model you can afford, so while 8GB is likely all you're going to really need with your use case, 16 is better if your budget goes that far.

Extra memory won't in itself give you any better performance or capabilities. All it does is give you wiggle room for more sophisticated software should you decide you need it in the future. An example being that you might maintain a library of photos and do a fair bit of image editing in Photos at present, where 8GB is plenty, but in a couple of years you might decide that an Adobe package might suit more complex needs, in which case 8GB might be a bit restrictive - or even limit your options.

 

[astrorider]

How much RAM would you recommend for my use case? this is the only Mac I have owned and it has 8GB, so I don’t have alot of experience with 16GB or more.

I hate to overspend so I'd personally open up Activity Monitor on your current Mac, select the "Memory" tab, and do the most taxing thing you do with your computer (probably editing your drone footage). If you see the "Memory Pressure" at the bottom show yellow/red, you'd probably benefit from more than 8GB, so get 16GB on your new Mac. During the 2 week return policy, after you've used Migration Assistant to setup your new Mac, run the same test and make sure your memory pressure stays green. If it doesn't, you can always return the 16GB Mac and buy the next higher memory configuration, but my guess is 16GB will work great for you.

 

[AppleFan.]

I hate to overspend so I'd personally open up Activity Monitor on your current Mac, select the "Memory" tab, and do the most taxing thing you do with your computer (probably editing your drone footage). If you see the "Memory Pressure" at the bottom show yellow/red, you'd probably benefit from more than 8GB, so get 16GB on your new Mac. During the 2 week return policy, after you've used Migration Assistant to setup your new Mac, run the same test and make sure your memory pressure stays green. If it doesn't, you can always return the 16GB Mac and buy the next higher memory configuration, but my guess is 16GB will work great for you.

When I start using alot of apps at the same time and/or edit my drone footage, the memory pressure can get yellow. But for now it is working fine without issues. In the future when I get a new Mac, I will check if the memory pressure stays green, if not I will return it and get one with more ram. Thanks for the advice.

 

[williamofockham]

in my opinion, free so probably worthless, as long as yje os and your apps/tools load you are good. I think the shortest period of time owning/using a single apple product was an original iMac (about 5 years before a screen/power issue appeared - I think that was due to vibrations due to transporting it). As long as you can support your client/boss/whatever there is no reason to change - if the eyes are going get a big secondary display and hope it is reusable with your next upgrade or as a tv.

 

[rocketbuc]

We have the same discussions and considerations in our family. My wife prefers a two-Mac setup. She is using an older MacBook Pro (2016, non-Touch bar) on the go but enjoys a loaded M2 Mac mini 16GB/1TB.

Myself on the other hand, I opted for a one-Mac setup. My M2 Air 16/512 is powerful enough for all my needs whether at home (clamshell mode, docked) or when I need to keep working on the go.

My recommendation to you would be: Continue to use your MacBook Air, leverage the Studio display at home when docked, and upgrade that Mac when you feel like it no longer provides the power you need. This way you only have one computer and only one upgrade cycle to worry about.

 

[rocketbuc]

Bonus tip: How about you do a clean install on the M1 Air to start fresh and remove all temp files, old stuff, cached files, etc. that you don't need? Could be the performance booster that you are looking for.

 

[AppleFan.]

Bonus tip: How about you do a clean install on the M1 Air to start fresh and remove all temp files, old stuff, cached files, etc. that you don't need? Could be the performance booster that you are looking for.

I reallly appreciatie the reccomendation to go for a one Mac setup. after reading all the comments, for me it makes the most sense to go for the one Mac setup. And I think it is pretty convenient. I was worried about it being docked for multiple hours sometimes, but many people here say it won't be a problem and I have never had any heat issues.

I was actuallly thinking about doing a clean install on my Mac for a while now, because I have been using it for more than 2 years almost daily, and never have done a clean install.

What would be the best way to do this? Ofcourse, I want to get rid of all the temp files, cached files and other files I don't need, but I don't want to lose my important files. Do I make a Time Machine backup and erase the Mac? Will that get rid of the temp and cached files?

 

[dandeco]

For now I use my M1 MacBook Air (16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD) as both my laptop and a desktop hooked up to an older Apple Thunderbolt Display, especially since I'm still cutting down on spending after getting a "new" car. Later this year (like maybe later in the fall) I hope to get an M2 Pro-equipped Mac Mini, or an M3 version if that's out, with 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, and take my computing experience even further, since I already do quite a bit of multitasking and digital media work.

 

[AppleFan.]

For now I use my M1 MacBook Air (16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD) as both my laptop and a desktop hooked up to an older Apple Thunderbolt Display, especially since I'm still cutting down on spending after getting a "new" car. Later this year (like maybe later in the fall) I hope to get an M2 Pro-equipped Mac Mini, or an M3 version if that's out, with 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, and take my computing experience even further, since I already do quite a bit of multitasking and digital media work.

How is the performance on your M1 Macbook Air? Is it enough for your use case? Are you noticing stutters? Or is the M2 Pro Mac Mini more of a “want” instead of a ”need?”

 

[chmania]

What would be the best way to do this? Ofcourse, I want to get rid of all the temp files, cached files and other files I don't need, but I don't want to lose my important files. Do I make a Time Machine backup and erase the Mac? Will that get rid of the temp and cached files?

Try this shareware app to find any file. It won't delete anything itself. Once you find the files, folders, apps you don't need, you have to delete them manually. Anyway, read FAQ there. It won't run in the background.

By the way, look in System settings > Login items > and disable and delete all that's there. That way you can get rid of 3rd-party apps running in the background eating up RAM and energy.

 

[astrorider]

I reallly appreciatie the reccomendation to go for a one Mac setup. after reading all the comments, for me it makes the most sense to go for the one Mac setup. And I think it is pretty convenient. I was worried about it being docked for multiple hours sometimes, but many people here say it won't be a problem and I have never had any heat issues.

I was actuallly thinking about doing a clean install on my Mac for a while now, because I have been using it for more than 2 years almost daily, and never have done a clean install.

What would be the best way to do this? Ofcourse, I want to get rid of all the temp files, cached files and other files I don't need, but I don't want to lose my important files. Do I make a Time Machine backup and erase the Mac? Will that get rid of the temp and cached files?

I don't think I've done a clean install since the early 2000s and everything's running great I've configured so many system/application preferences over the years so things work the way I want, the idea of doing it all again sounds painful.

Instead, during software upgrades if I get an alert about some file/extension that's not compatible or needs to be updated, I will update it or remove it then. I think the EasyFind app is better than using the Finder's search if I need to find all files related to some software. I also assume Migration Assistant doesn't migrate system components that are not needed, like Intel specific files after upgrading to an M-series Mac, or files specific to an old OS.

Likewise, you can take a look through Activity Monitor's CPU and Memory tabs to see if anything is taking up a lot of resources, and Google to find what it is and if it's needed. However, the M-series Macs are so fast and quiet it's hardly the issue it once was.

 

[dandeco]

How is the performance on your M1 Macbook Air? Is it enough for your use case? Are you noticing stutters? Or is the M2 Pro Mac Mini more of a “want” instead of a ”need?”

So far it works very well. There are very rarely any stutters. And it renders audio and video projects fairly quickly.
The Mini is more of a "want", which is why I'm willing to wait until I've saved up enough much later this year to buy one, as while having a laptop is nice to run in clamshell mode, I would like to also have a dedicated desktop, and the M2 Pro Mini's four Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, along with buying one with a 1 TB SSD, are also attracting me (my M1 Air's 512 GB SSD only has 65 GB of free storage left).