If you're using it for work I would go with an M1 Pro as the minimum, because you may want to use two external monitors down the track, and 16GB of RAM would be the minimum/sweet spot. I would go a base model M1 Pro if you can find one (Apple refurbished has them all the time). It gets you a Pro chip, 512GB storage, and 16GB RAM without gouging you with upgrade costs like a base M1/M2 system upgraded would.
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Best M series chip for mixed office use
- Thread starter dj95
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Yes, except if it is needed for some of those GPU areas that Apple provided in the new M3 chips. Though, it doesn't sound like he needs those ... not a content creator.
Chiming in very late, but any M-series Mac will make light work of your stated needs. 8GB will be fine too but that's an unpopular opinion around these parts so buy more RAM if your budget allows and sleep soundly.
I have an M1Pro that I've had for over 2-years now and slices through my daily work of heavy MS Office use, a gazillion emails, too many other apps, PDFs and spreadsheets open, MS Teams, Zoom, a huge Devonthink database, some light coding, elentysomethingstupid number of browser windows and tabs. It never gets slow or unresponsive.
What's funny is that I've run this same workload on the base M2 Air and it's similarly fast and capable. Apple silicon is amazing.
I have an M1Pro that I've had for over 2-years now and slices through my daily work of heavy MS Office use, a gazillion emails, too many other apps, PDFs and spreadsheets open, MS Teams, Zoom, a huge Devonthink database, some light coding, elentysomethingstupid number of browser windows and tabs. It never gets slow or unresponsive.
What's funny is that I've run this same workload on the base M2 Air and it's similarly fast and capable. Apple silicon is amazing.
Late to the party. If the OP is still in search for a machine, then according to the presented needs/requirements, I would suggest a machine with M3 SoC (because it is still fast enough in multi-core speed, almost on par with the binned M2 Pro with 10 cores, yet noticeable faster than M1 in single-core speed), 24 GB of memory (the max available for M3, because some applications like Chrome are memory-hungry and you would like to ensure a smooth, not-holding-you back operation of the machine and as little disk swapping as possible), and 512 GB of storage (for larger capacity space, faster read/write speed, and probably slower wear compared to the base 256 GB, which, however, could be an option as well if, for example, the OP is tight on budget - you can always find workarounds such as cloud storage or external storage, which is not the case with the memory).
If you prefer a laptop, personally, I would not go for a M3 MBP. IMHO (and this is only me), it is overpriced for what it offers. In my view, M3 fits better an MBA. Therefore, I would wait for M3 MBA (probably 15" for your workflow). However, I should mention that the MBP provides better screen and more connectivity options (although the MBA screen is very nice as well), so if these are important for you, than there is nothing wrong with the M3 MBP besides the price. Also, in general, MBP has better thermal management than MBA (1 fan in 14" MBP and 2 fans in 16" MBP vs. no fans/passive cooling in MBA), i.e., under heavy workload, there is a higher probability for throttling when it comes to MBA than to MBP (that doesn't mean that the MBA *will* throttle, only that it is more probable).
If you are up for a desktop, an M3 iMac with the aforementioned specs could be the way to go - the specs you need, as argued above, plus a fantastic (IMHO) monitor. Unless you want something bigger than 24", it is a very good deal (and it frees you from the search of a monitor). Personally, I don't see a reason to wait for an M3 MM, besides the flexibility to buy the monitor you like. I would go for a MM only if I wanted the Pro version of the M3 SoC, which, as of now, is not available in an iMac.
These are my two cents, i.e., my recommendations and the reasoning behind them. Of course, opinions vary extremely and other recommendations are as valid as those - or even more.
If you prefer a laptop, personally, I would not go for a M3 MBP. IMHO (and this is only me), it is overpriced for what it offers. In my view, M3 fits better an MBA. Therefore, I would wait for M3 MBA (probably 15" for your workflow). However, I should mention that the MBP provides better screen and more connectivity options (although the MBA screen is very nice as well), so if these are important for you, than there is nothing wrong with the M3 MBP besides the price. Also, in general, MBP has better thermal management than MBA (1 fan in 14" MBP and 2 fans in 16" MBP vs. no fans/passive cooling in MBA), i.e., under heavy workload, there is a higher probability for throttling when it comes to MBA than to MBP (that doesn't mean that the MBA *will* throttle, only that it is more probable).
If you are up for a desktop, an M3 iMac with the aforementioned specs could be the way to go - the specs you need, as argued above, plus a fantastic (IMHO) monitor. Unless you want something bigger than 24", it is a very good deal (and it frees you from the search of a monitor). Personally, I don't see a reason to wait for an M3 MM, besides the flexibility to buy the monitor you like. I would go for a MM only if I wanted the Pro version of the M3 SoC, which, as of now, is not available in an iMac.
These are my two cents, i.e., my recommendations and the reasoning behind them. Of course, opinions vary extremely and other recommendations are as valid as those - or even more.
This statement is factually wrong, M2 pro beats M2 max in price. Moreover, M2 Max is overkill for the uses OP mentioned. Probably "office use" mean different things to you, but typical "office use" does not typically include any scenarios making use of that many cpu and gpu cores, like compiling or video rendering.
To OP, really, any M1 or M2 chip will do. Better opt for 16gb ram, which probably limits you in finding used lower models, so in this sense an M1 or M2 pro chip is probably more easy to find. Also, the base chips are limited to 2 monitors (so 1 external monitor if a laptop) while the pro chips to 4 monitors.
An m2 pro mac mini will be perfect. Even an m1 mac mini with 16gb ram will be pretty much fine if you can find one, except if you want the option for more monitors. Maybe when the M3 mac minis will be out soon there will be more M1/M2 mac minis out there.
I’m in IT (systems analyst/integrations) and my work Mac is a 14” M2 pro with 32gb ram and it’s a workhorse. I’d say I typically have 20-40 chrome tabs, teams, outlook, occasional MS document or two, and occasionally remote management software and it handles the load beautifully. If your allowances are there in the budget I would easily recommend 32gb of ram. I think any M series processor will do what you’re needing and would focus on giving yourself as much ram overhead as you can for all the multitasking.
I know browser and SaaS platforms aren’t equivalent to like heavy editing software, but they do add up and it sounds like you have a role like me where you’re bouncing around a lot. I think you’d appreciate the overhead breathing room. 16 bare minimum for sure.
I know browser and SaaS platforms aren’t equivalent to like heavy editing software, but they do add up and it sounds like you have a role like me where you’re bouncing around a lot. I think you’d appreciate the overhead breathing room. 16 bare minimum for sure.
Any M1, the only time I really so any real hiccups is much more intensive task like video stuff, editing stuff, Xcode, Visual Studio, certain higher end games like the Resident Evil series and it still works just fine for the most part in those situations. I will say the biggest hog on the computer seems to be Safari which from my understanding is better at memory management than Edge or Chrome, but I don't really use Edge and Chrome all to much.
Maybe since I first got it certain apps bounce more than once on the dock, but I can't really think of to many times I've seen the spinning beach ball maybe every so often and its briefly.
Maybe since I first got it certain apps bounce more than once on the dock, but I can't really think of to many times I've seen the spinning beach ball maybe every so often and its briefly.