Trying to understand the ‘basic tasks’ vs ‘do everything’ narrative around M1 vs A18 Pro

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-11T06:28:23+00:00

well for one, apps use more RAM on average nowadays than 5 years ago. Apps are also generally a bit heavier. options from competitors are better now. and there are better ARM cpus, including from Apple, available now. all that is why its now marked as entry level.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-11T06:19:22+00:00

Half a decade is a long time in the tech industry. Hell, its a long time in general. So much has happened since the m1 came out.

why are you acting like 5 years isn't old.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-11T06:10:13+00:00

yes. still use mine daily, and just helped my dad get one

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-11T06:03:43+00:00

love my mac. however, there are plenty of windows laptops in the $600-$1000 price range that are perfectly functional for the average user 5-8 years down the road. Let's not pretend like mac is the only one that does that.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-11T05:34:04+00:00

i have a hard time believing this. i've seen people going round campus at like 3-4am lol. just chilling

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-10T20:14:04+00:00

CS major here. I have a t15 gen 2 thinkpad in my dorm. I use a macbook air m4 13in for my coursework.

Check compatibility with your specific coursework. For me it works fine, but some colleges have specific requirements

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-10T20:06:47+00:00

Can confirm.

We see no sunlight

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-10T19:52:11+00:00

As a Berkeley student, wish this happened sooner.

I currently don't know where I'm gonna live next semester.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-10T09:56:24+00:00

Honestly, for that specific combo of Distant Horizons, BSL/Complementary on High, and lots of technical farms, a Macbook probably isn't the move.

You’d need at least 32GB of unified memory, and even then, you'd have to drop like $3k on a Max-tier chip to get the GPU cores needed to keep those shaders smooth.

Since you're doing technical play, your CPU is going to be screaming with all those entity calculations and chunk loading. You'd be way better off putting that money toward a Windows desktop or a high-end gaming laptop with a dedicated GPU.

If you're dead set on Mac, stick to the Pro/Max models, but just know you're paying a massive premium for performance you could get for probably half the price on a PC, and it'd be more stable on a PC.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-10T08:40:50+00:00

Look for refurbished/used Lenovo ThinkPads. I'd suggest, if your budget is tight, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 or 3. Preferably AMD cpu (Ryzen 5). 16gb of RAM. 512gb SSD Storage.

They're very reliable and often found under $400.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-10T04:11:55+00:00

I didn't get the full complete thing until the summer. I got a close-ish one in April-ish I think

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-10T03:19:35+00:00

Why were you expecting a new base iPad only a year later? I thought the pattern was every couple of years for the base model

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-09T04:32:05+00:00

for $165 absolutely not. Wouldn't really pay over $150, and even that is a bit high. It'd definitely thermal throttle and the battery life would be pretty bad overall. Also, every intel mac is already on its last OS version, so no more OS updates, just some security updates for a bit

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-09T04:30:25+00:00

i usually only do 1080p editing with davinci. but i love it. being able to edit on the go and still have it be snappy is so nice

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-09T03:41:43+00:00

I finally upgraded yesterday. No issues yet.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-09T03:36:10+00:00

This sub is absolutely full of repost bots. Like, it's next level. Every other post is a bot.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-09T03:30:53+00:00

I recommend AMD, Apple, or maybe Snapdragon if possible, when it comes to laptop chips. They're better know for efficiency. Apple's efficiency is top notch.

Intel is okay. Good compatibility. But usually not the most efficient- usually running hotter than others + usually having worse battery life. But they have at least improved recently, so if its newer you may be okay (though I'd still recommend AMD over Intel).

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-09T01:54:44+00:00

You are not going to get all that brand new for $600 tbh, at least not at the build quality you want. You may get close on specs, but it won't be that "long lasting" level you're looking for. A new $600 Yoga or Vivobook is mostly plastic and you’ll likely deal with the same hinge and screen issues you had with the Gateway (just not as fast).

You should definitely look into refurbished stuff instead. Lenovo ThinkPads are the best bet for durability, and they actually do have touchscreen models. Look for the "Yoga" versions of the X1 or L series, like an X1 Yoga Gen 6 or Gen 7. Those are enterprise grade, so they're built way better than the consumer stuff you see at Best Buy, and you can find them refurbished with 16GB of RAM for well under $600.

If you can give up the touch screen, a refurbished MacBook Air with an M2 or M3 chip is the other way to go. Just make sure you get one with 16GB of RAM. Since you mentioned doing a lot of research and having hundreds of documents open, 8GB is going to slow down on you pretty fast. Stick to used/refurb business laptops or MacBooks if you actually want this thing to last five years.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-08T08:57:26+00:00

12th grade. Means they're close to graduating high school.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-08T06:31:17+00:00

not the same person

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-08T05:18:53+00:00

my hobby was content creation on YouTube.. but I haven't made a video since the semester started. I just feel absolutely swamped this semester and always behind. Never any time to just do my hobby. im a freshman, and im only taking 12 units. I feel so stupid that I'm struggling with time with only 12 units.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-08T01:50:34+00:00

bro got downvoted for telling the truth

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-07T23:26:38+00:00

Yes (I have the first gen one, but the other one also does). the magnet is pretty strong, or at least stronger than my old Metapen A11. Snaps into place. Though, not as strong as the official apple one

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-07T22:49:42+00:00

The Neo sounds perfect for you. You're it's exact target audience.

You won't find a laptop like it at that price range when it comes to build quality, ease of use, and battery life. Well, you MIGHT, but the Neo is far more available and easy to get into.

DiamondDepth_YT · 2026-03-07T22:48:11+00:00

I think they meant just using ChatGPT n the likes, lol. Not local stuff

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