Need advice on macbook choice
Hi everyone, im new to posting on reddit,
I’m coming from Windows and I’m currently looking at getting a MacBook as my next laptop. My last Windows laptop lasted around 10 years. I changed the battery 3 times, possibly because it heated up too much and degraded the battery faster.
My current setup:
- Desktop PC with RTX 3060 12GB
- Several 60Hz monitors
- Old Windows laptop that I’m looking to replace
My use case:
I’m currently working as a researcher and university student, so my daily work involves a lot of reading, spreadsheets, Google Docs, PDFs, and enough browser tabs to make my Windows laptop turn into a fireball.
I need very good battery life because I sometimes travel around to work outside my room (yet portability or weight is not a problem). I know the MacBook Air battery life is already very good in practical use, probably around 10 hours which is good enough.
Most of the time I work at my desk, but I also want a laptop that lets me work around the house, in the living room, or outside for a change of environment. I spend a lot of time on a computer, probably around 12 hours per day.
Besides research work, I also do some casual video editing for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Nothing professional, mostly for fun, content creation, and maybe affiliate content. I also do some light coding and automation projects once in a while for personal use.
The model I’m considering:
| Model | Price | Difference vs Air |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air 15” M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD | RM6,799 | Baseline |
| MacBook Pro 14” M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD | RM7,449 | +RM650 / +9.56% |
| MacBook Pro 14” M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD | RM8,399 | +RM1,600 / +23.53% |
I'm going to use credit card, 0% installment, 36months.
For relative reference, my net monthly salary is RM2,500. Expect to get other better job in about 4 month (end of contract).
My question:
Is the MacBook Air 15-inch with 24GB RAM good enough for this kind of workload, or should I consider the MacBook Pro instead because I use my laptop for long hours every day?
I also care about longevity. I’m hoping to keep the laptop for many years, maybe 5–8 years if possible. Will prolonged use over the day will make it overheat and damage the battery too soon?
My personal opinion the Macbook air is good enough, but my concern is the heat.
I've bought 13-inch Macbook air 24gb couple weeks ago, return it because its too small, also notice it heat up a bit(uncomfortable to touch, but not yet burning my finger like windows did) when using Davinci, browser (about 20 tabs) and file explorer.
Would appreciate advice from people who use the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro for similar work. Open for any advice, financial advice included, this is my first time using credit card for big puchase like this hehe.
TLDR:
Windows researcher, long hour consumer level laptop usage, limited budget, concern about longevity and battery life and thermal condition of the laptop. macbook air vs macbook pro.