Are Intel Macs obsolete? Any reason to buy one in 2023+?

[MrMitty]

I have a 2019 16" Intel MBP. It has a Core i9 64GB RAM 1TB SSD and a 5600M. I bought the computer to use for learning to code (Python and SQL). It's been great except for the heat and fan noise. For example, when I have Zoom open for lectures and I'm taking notes, the fans will spin up immediately. I say Zoom but it happens with every other video conf app, including Teams and Webex. Given what I use it for, I don't experience any slowdowns but one instance is when the Mac updates. My base M1 Air installs OS and other updates almost instantly and the Intel one takes2-3x longer. 

 

So, I'm thinking about selling my Intel 16" and buying a 16" M1 or M3. Why would anyone buy the Intel machine? Is there some niche use case that I don't know about? Like being able to run Windows in Bootcamp to use analytics software like PowerBI? Or would it be just to get a good deal? 

 

I generally hate wasting money. I'm the type of person that buys a Toyota Camry and uses it for 10 years (I just got rid of my 2004 Camry in 2022.). When I bought my Intel Mac, I assumed I would use it for at least 5 years but it's only been 2. However, my M1 MBA has absolutely amazed me. It's almost never gotten hot whereas my Intel Mac heats up just updating Mac apps from the App store. So, the only reason I wouldn't sell my Intel Mac is that 1. It would be a waste of money and 2. I need to run Windows. 

[Shimejii]

Always comes down to price. Its not gonna sell that well more then likely, since m1/m2 is just far better then it at everything a mac user would ever want it to be. So you are just gonna have to price it accordingly. 

[CyberneticTitan]

Bootcamp Windows is definitely one, or any other Linux distribution. Asahi Linux is still a WIP.

eGPU support is another, so if you need any sort of AMD GPU you need to stick with Intel currently. That may or may not change if Apple decides to keep AMD for their upcoming Apple silicon Mac Pro.

There are some x86 apps that perform faster on native hardware than through Rosetta 2, but they shouldn't matter most of the time to you.

Since you're looking at a MBA, there are some functional constraints not sticking to a MBP such as the number of external displays.

 

[MrMitty]

1 hour ago, Shimejii said:

Always comes down to price. Its not gonna sell that well more then likely, since m1/m2 is just far better then it at everything a mac user would ever want it to be. So you are just gonna have to price it accordingly. 

 

I was afraid of this so given my nature, rather than take a huge loss, I'll have to use it for some time. 

[MrMitty]

3 minutes ago, CyberneticTitan said:

Bootcamp Windows is definitely one, or any other Linux distribution. Asahi Linux is still a WIP.

eGPU support is another, so if you need any sort of AMD GPU you need to stick with Intel currently. That may or may not change if Apple decides to keep AMD for their upcoming Apple silicon Mac Pro.

There are some x86 apps that perform faster on native hardware than through Rosetta 2, but they shouldn't matter most of the time to you.

Since you're looking at a MBA, there are some functional constraints not sticking to a MBP such as the number of external displays.

 

 

The 16GB MBA that I was looking at was for home use, banking, web surfing, music, etc. I like to have 2 different computers. I find that it's safer as my banking info is on a computer separate from where I code and install things I don't really understand. Also, using an MBA is much nicer in bed than a heavy 16" laptop. 

 

Those use cases are good examples. I image it would be a niche case. 

 

What do you estimate my machine is worth? I bought it for $4,500. It's literally in Mint condition since I've never taken it out of the house. I also discharge the battery every month so it only has 38 charge cycles in the last 2 years of use. 

[jaslion]

10 hours ago, MrMitty said:

Why would anyone buy the Intel machine? I

Its a mac it'll sell people still pay 400$ for 2013 mid range imacs

 

As for price? Seems top specs go for 1.5k + still

[MrMitty]

16 hours ago, jaslion said:

Its a mac it'll sell people still pay 400$ for 2013 mid range imacs

 

As for price? Seems top specs go for 1.5k + still

 

Darn! Too much of a haircut. I would feel really bad selling it for that price. I guess I'll just have to use it for a few more years. 

[jaslion]

4 hours ago, MrMitty said:

 

Darn! Too much of a haircut. I would feel really bad selling it for that price. I guess I'll just have to use it for a few more years. 

Totally normal one too. The entry level 1200 ones still go for 700 easily.

 

The more high end you go the harsher it falls

[DrMacintosh]

The 2019 16" MacBook Pro will get 1 more year of software support at most. The latest macOS versions, macOS Sonoma only supports 2018 Intel Macs and newer.

[MrMitty]

On 6/6/2023 at 2:25 AM, jaslion said:

Totally normal one too. The entry level 1200 ones still go for 700 easily.

 

The more high end you go the harsher it falls

I made a big mistake but at the time, I couldn't really tell how revolutionary Apple Silicon would be since many companies had not even developed native apps. And I needed to run Tableau and Python without workarounds like miniforge. 

[MrMitty]

On 6/7/2023 at 1:10 PM, DrMacintosh said:

The 2019 16" MacBook Pro will get 1 more year of software support at most. The latest macOS versions, macOS Sonoma only supports 2018 Intel Macs and newer.

And I read that some features in the new OS' will not even be supported on Intel Macs. 

https://www.macrumors.com/2023/06/06/macos-sonoma-features-not-on-intel-macs/ 

 

How long do you think security updates will be provided for Intel Macs? 

 

 

[jaslion]

3 hours ago, MrMitty said:

And I read that some features in the new OS' will not even be supported on Intel Macs. 

https://www.macrumors.com/2023/06/06/macos-sonoma-features-not-on-intel-macs/ 

 

How long do you think security updates will be provided for Intel Macs? 

 

 

So last time they did it powerpc macs got 4 years ish of support and were sold till about 1 year before end of life (mac pro). So like id give it 4-5 years. So basically 2025 tops.

 

Apple hates their customers and hates it when you use something long so dont expect to have much longer