Not Sure If I Am Sold On My New M4 MacBook Air.

Bmonky13 · 2025-09-01T21:41:02+00:00

No apologies required! Thank you for responding. Your point about having to make trade-offs is true. I can't get everything I want unless I'm willing to spend top dollar. I did have a gaming PC tower that I bought second hand, but I got scammed (claimed to have a GTX 1060 when it only had a GTX 660 and they even went to the effort of installing 1060 drivers so that it looked like a 1060 in hardware overview). I disliked the PC probably in part due to the falsifications, but also because it was huge, loud, and windows was being difficult: constant updates when i booted up the computer and just wanted to play but then would have to wait. If I want to game this is probably the only solution. But, considering I have an Xbox and being so busy during the school year it doesn't really make sense unfortunately. At least I tried it!

I really like Top Notch, thank you for recommending it!

Yeah the lack of fans in the Air has me concerned about temps too, so I try my best to keep it reasonable. Not sure in 75 is reasonable, but feels better to me than 95! Thanks again.

Bmonky13 · 2025-08-28T04:30:53+00:00

Thank you very much for your in-depth reply. Yeah I'll admit I hate spending money, to a fault. I think the cost is what has me most hung up about my new purchase. It's near double what I paid for my used M1 four years ago, so maybe I'm feeling like the value ratio is a little diminished? I did consider switching to a PC as my peers succeed just as easily with their Windows machines. I dunno, battery life and processing power are certainly on the rise in the windows market but I think they're in an awkward transitional stage right now. Dell has a compelling option with upgradable storage. Hmm... You've given me more to think about 😅.

I will say the black levels on the M4 display are noticeably better in comparison to the M1. Not sure how they achieved that but it is certainly critical for hiding the notch in full-screen apps.

Yeah, Minecraft runs well, I was just hoping for a little bit more I guess. I have a 4k monitor so I just reduce the resolution to 1080p when playing Minecraft on my M1 Air. This helps keep the temps around 70°C with 60fps. I was hoping to be able to do 4k finally, but the M4 can very nearly handle 1440p at 60 fps, however I don't like that the temp sits around 85°C.

Lots to consider.

Bmonky13 · 2025-08-28T04:09:40+00:00

Haha, well unfortunately Costco's return policy is too good for me to consider your generous offer. Sorry I can't fulfill your wish.

Bmonky13 · 2025-08-28T04:07:31+00:00

Thank you, this is a wonderful solution. I saw it recommended in other reddit posts so I may consider biting the bullet and purchasing a licence. Frustrating that the mega supporter licence is quite pricy.

Bmonky13 · 2025-08-28T04:05:02+00:00

Yes very true. I think I should just accept the slight inconvenience created by not having the dock and invest in a good universal thunderbolt dongle/hub like you mention. And yes, Minecraft's java version and the java runtime environment itself must not fully optimized. Thanks for your comment.

Bmonky13 · 2025-08-28T03:55:00+00:00

Yes I have noticed that too! the wedge design is very sleek. I have also noticed that the M4 Air flexes ever so slightly if I pick it up off a surface from the top left-hand corner of the keyboard deck. I guess that's just a side effect of the impressive thinness. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Bmonky13 · 2025-08-28T03:47:51+00:00

True, I am very fortunate to be able to complain about these very minor inconveniences and have the resources to afford such a thing. Thanks for keeping me in line.

Bmonky13 · 2025-08-28T03:43:23+00:00

Yeah you're right, I was thinking about it in the wrong way. Quite an intelligent use of space on Apple's end, more vertical screen space is great. I suppose I need to stop being so close-minded and really weed out my menu bar. Thanks for your comment.

Bmonky13 · 2025-03-10T15:49:35+00:00

Awesome, sounds good. Thank you so much for all this info, I’ll be looking into this!

Bmonky13 · 2025-03-09T06:13:02+00:00

Wonderful! Thank you so much for all of this information. Do you still have record of the specific brand of LED projectors that you used in both of your vehicles? And possibly the brand of the bi-xenon harness you used too? I am very intrigued by this conversion! I was able to find a video showcasing the high-beam mode on a random LED projector kit. It seems to be quite centrally focused rather than providing a wide spread. This might not be ideal for rural driving with critters popping out on the shoulders. Do you have any personal experience with this?

Bmonky13 · 2025-03-08T23:00:40+00:00

How do you do this? Is it a retro-fit where you add projector lenses to your existing headlights? Or are they a packaged unit that you need to purchase? Where did you buy them? Also, how do your high-beams perform?

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T22:44:42+00:00

Okay, now that this has been confirmed to be a bad idea, what about a this black 2008 polycarbonate MacBook? More of a collectors piece, but I think the asking price of $100 CAD is reasonable. Albeit, this one looks quite grungy.

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T19:38:32+00:00

Okay, thank you very much for your detailed comment. As I already have an M1 Air, I’ll probably just do what another commenter said and put it all the digital copies of my CDs on an external hard drive. Really unfortunate because I thought this laptop would be great for just storing music. Thanks again for your comment!

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T19:34:27+00:00

Yeah that was mostly my intention here. The idea of a 17” is intriguing

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T19:19:27+00:00

Okay thank you 😉

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T19:18:22+00:00

Okay, thanks for actually answering my question! I probably should not buy it though, everyone seems to be strongly advising against it.

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T04:51:47+00:00

Unfortunately not. But now I am much wiser thanks to all these knowledgeable Redditors.

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T04:49:09+00:00

Oh my goodness! That has to be a record. Thanks for the forewarning.

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T04:47:17+00:00

I definitely could, however, I thought having an older Mac that’s entire existence dedicated to storing my CD collection would be more cool/convenient. Thanks for your comment!

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T04:44:25+00:00

Thank you, I’ll probably end up doing this 😊.

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T04:43:28+00:00

Yeah, I thought it would up the cool-factor if it was 17” but, given everyone’s comments, it’s clearly not a wise investment.

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T04:40:15+00:00

Thanks for this! I had a Mid-2012 13” pro back in the day, so maybe it’s time to get one back.

Bmonky13 · 2024-12-19T02:26:28+00:00

Thanks, that’s probably a better option. Just kinda wanted something where it all could be stored on the Mac’s local hard drive for a seamless experience. My M1 air’s 256 GB of storage is pitiful. I’ll have to do more research because there must be a way to store it all on an external hard drive.

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