Oh my gosh the drama!
I love a bit of benchmark testing as much as the next person
but in the real world, those things really don’t matter.
What really matters is how it feels to use the computer.
I wasn’t going to make this video but I got a lot of questions about why I chose the 256GB
SSD drive, given all the NOISE that people seem to be making about this.
I am Alex and I do down to earth tech videos
I am not ignoring the good work that some of these big YouTube channels
do in the testing that they do, I really think it helps people when making a purchasing decision.
What they don’t seem get (in my opinion) is that only a tiny percentage of people will notice these
“issues” that they seem to be flagging.
In one example I watched, they were quoting that the 256GB SSD drive on the M2 MacBook
was 15 seconds slower than the 512GB.
And we can argue till cows come home here but.. Realistically, that really is not significant.
So my honest recommendation (and I put my money where my mouth is) that’s the spec I bought!
But my recommendation is to only get the 512GB
or higher if you really appreciate the convenience of having local storage.
But here’s the thing, 512GB or even 1TB is much of a muchness. That space can go really quickly,
especially if you’re generating lots of high quality images or videos.
I provided a lot more real world examples in my latest video about the
different use cases which seems to be helping a lot of people in their decision.
I just find it a little bit irresponsible to say that the 256GB
is so much slower than the 512GB and is pretty much a no-go.
One thing that no one seems to be mentioning is that
app developers haven’t really had a chance to optimise their apps for the M2.
It wasn’t long ago that even Apple apps were struggling with the M1
chip. I saw that first hand with Final Cut Pro and the M1 chip.
So I think it’s a bit premature to be comparing
Adobe apps for example and saying that the 512GB model is the one to go for.
For me it’s quite simple. Apps need memory. MacOS needs a
bit of internal storage to manage those apps when memory gets busy.
But we are talking 4-5 apps running at the same time, with some high
intensive processing like RAW photos and 4K videos, 3D modelling and things like that.
If your workflow is nowhere near that sort of crazy multitasking world
then even the base model will be just fine.
The only upgrade I’d recommend — I know this is
a broad brush — and you can watch my detailed recommendation video later.
But the only upgrade I’d go for if you plan to urn some heavier graphic intensive apps
like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro is the memory. Go to 16GB RAM
That is the only upgrade I’d go for with a caveat. Keep your SSD
free of clutter. Sounds like Will Smith… KEEP YOUR SSD OUT OF…
Why is that? You haven’t done any benchmarks Alex.
You’re right I haven’t, but I’ve been burned enough by Apple
recently to know that some of these upgrades are designed to get you to spend more money.
And I’ve proven with my own workflow that editing 4K 10 bit and PRORES videos is entirely possible
with a fast, affordable external SSD drive.
I have a couple of options that I reviewed on the channel and I’d
strongly recommend to use something like the Acasis hub and SSD enclosure.
As long as you opt for fast SSDs you will be golden with something like this.
This will help you keep the internal SSD free of clutter
and let MacOS manage the memory like it’s supposed to, internally.
And this is ultimately what will help you keep the M2 MacBook Air running faster. See no drama!
16GB is definitely good enough to let you run multiple apps and have
some headroom should you need it. 8 GB is mainly for lighter use cases,
where multi tasking with high intensity apps is not needed.
Why am I not recommending the 24GB or 1TB?
Mainly because of the cost! And before I delve into that, I almost forgot…
YouTube is a bit weird sometimes and they don’t seem to show my videos to the right audience,
so I would REALLY appreciate if you liked this video,
to give a thumbs up. It really helps, I am still a small channel…
And I have be pre-ordered this machine so you can expect lots more videos about it,
the best accessories for it and things like that.
The other benefit to you is that I am here at least once a
week with a new, down-to-earth tech VIDEO for you.
Right, so why do I think that the 24GB or 1TB upgrades should
be avoided? Like I said, it’s because of the cost.
When you add those upgrades you start to get close to the M1 MacBook Pro
prices. And I just think it’s WAY too early to recommend those upgrades.
So unless you are really sold on the form factor of the M2
MacBook Air or maybe you can’t wait for those first reviews to come in..
Then I’d say waiting is the best option for you so
that you can make an informed decision in 2-3 weeks time.
Right? In other words if the M2 MacBook Air with those upgrades absolutely blows the M1
MacBook Pro out the water… then spending that extra cash might be the way to go.
Because you’d get the best of both worlds with MOBILITY and PERFORMANCE.
I will be comparing those as soon as I get mine. I will specifically be testing video
editing but I appreciate that you might not care about that, so I am accepting suggestions.
Let me know what you’d like to see me test or compare when I get my M2 MacBook Air.
I ordered pretty much the base model, with that 16GB being the only upgrade for me.
And hey… I gotta be pragmatic too. Maybe the 256GB is NOT gonna be for you, but
that’s ONLY if your workflow requires you to do things like export dozens if not hundreds
go high definition images in RAW format. At the same time as running other 3 or 4 pro apps!
Then the 512GB might be the better option, but again… If a budget is a concern
I’d wait for the first couple of software upgrades.
Why? Well because these benchmark videos on YouTube they are not very realistic…
Even the ones that show apps being open and editing photos, they’re all kind of the same photo
as well, it’s better than nothing but doesn’t really emulate a real user on the machine.
As I mentioned earlier, Adobe for example is RENOWNED for being slow in their development.
I’ve actually had to move away from Adobe because of reliability issues on the M1 chip.
So I’d not be surprised if those “MAJOR” issues with SSD Gate or whatever are simply
software optimisation issues. I am not discounting that there
could be a limitation there, but I keep going back to the real world…
And if all you have to is to close some apps or browser tabs when you are say… doing something
intensive like exporting 4K videos or lots of RAW images, I’d say it’s a fair compromise.
But if you see this as an issue because you do need to multitask and
do those exports really frequently… let’s face it, if that’s your Workflow…
Is the M2 MacBook Air really the best option for you? I’d say the MacBook Pro
would be way to go here.
Exciting times, no doubt. I can’t wait to get my hands on mine and do some proper reviews for you…
But yeah don’t let the Apple hype or the YouTube scaremongering affect your decision too much,
try and keep your decision as logical as possible with some practical examples.
Like the ones I share in this playlist here for you.
And YouTube reckons you’re gonna like this other video I did over here.
Hope to see you there.