New Macbook for Live (Air M3 vs Pro M4)

[magmax303]

Hi everybody,

My current laptop is slowly dying (I hope I'll be able to finish writing this thread before it dies ) and I need to order a new one.

I currently owns a Macbook Pro M1 (2021) with 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD.

I use it mostly for music production (also some streaming and web browsing but that's it).

As Push 3 SA owner, I try to use native Ableton plugins as much as possible but I also own a few VSTi : Korg M1, Serum, Diva, Kick 3 and Chop Suey. I also own a few hardware machines (mostly Elektron stuff).

I don't remember having faced any performance issues (such as CPU overload) with my M1 Pro.

That being said, I have to pick between 3 machines (cause I can buy them from my job which makes them cheaper than the showed prices) :
- Macbook Air M3 - 16 GB RAM; 256 GB SSD - 1300 € (8-Core GPU)
- Macbook Air M3 - 16 GB RAM; 512 SSD - 1530 € (10-Core GPU)
- Macbook Pro M4 (the "standard" one, not the M4 Pro) - 16GB RAM; 512GB SSD - 1930 €

What do you guys think about these ?

The M3 with 256 GB SSD is the cheapest option (I think I don't think these 2 more GPU cores anyway) but I am a bit affraid by the small SSD storage. (My current Macbook has 512 GB and is almost full (but I have plenty of old sample banks I used to buy 15 years ago and also some 4K movies).

I can afford these 3 but I don't want to spend money if that's not needed. I need something that can last 5 or 6 years with good performances, that can be brought for live performances and that is not too heavy (as I also like to work with it on my knees while hanging in the sofa )

[Rivanni]

Why is your M1 dying?

Don't go for Macs with a 256 GB SSD. Those SSDs are relatively slow, and you'll regret the limited storage space. 512 GB isn't that much, either. You'll quickly have to resort to external drives, which are way slower than the internal ones, negating the faster CPU. I'd rather buy an M3 with more storage and memory than a somewhat faster M4 with less.

Don't forget to consider factors like the number of ports for connectivity and the screen size etc. Don't blindly focus on performance.

[magmax303]

Why is your M1 dying?

Don't go for Macs with a 256 GB SSD. Those SSDs are relatively slow, and you'll regret the limited storage space. 512 GB isn't that much, either. You'll quickly have to resort to external drives, which are way slower than the internal ones, negating the faster CPU. I'd rather buy an M3 with more storage and memory than a somewhat faster M4 with less.

Don't forget to consider factors like the number of ports for connectivity and the screen size etc. Don't blindly focus on performance.

Long story short: my M1 Pro was a "refurbished" one I got from my work 3 years ago cause someone dropped it at the sea (laughable but true) so I got it for a few bucks and had to replace the screen. While doing it, the technician told me there was also some liquid near the motherboard.
3 years later with almost no problem (only the touchbar gettin' crazy sometimes), I started having some issues with the screen ("spotlights" on the bottom) then some horizontal lines blinking everywhere and finally the screen turning black while blinking. Looks like getting it repaired would have been too expensive regarding its history (the motherboard alone was like 300 bucks and the scren was more than 500).
I had it for 3 years and it worked flawesly... For like 400 € that was a bargain! I think i'll keep it to use it with an external screen but I need something transportable that's why I needed to buy a new one.

I finally opted for the M4 as it has better performances (and better cooling), better battery and better screen.(The lowest Air M3 with its 256 Gb wasn't a good idea as you said it and the difference between the 512 Air M3 and the Pro M4 wasn't that big)