7 ms·

The M1 also has overclocked memory (by spec, DDR4 only supports 3200MHz), and the 5800X isn't a 700$ CPU, actually it's at 450$ (and it will fall even further s

The M1 also has overclocked memory (by spec, DDR4 only supports 3200MHz), and the 5800X isn't a 700$ CPU, actually it's at 450$ (and it will fall even further soon, I bought a 3900x recently for below 400$).

Scarbutt 6y ago
Still... $450 for the CPU only vs a $999 laptop, for most use cases the apple's MBA offers much more value and will have slower depreciation.
- superkuh 6y ago
  So, like normal, the value of a Mac is in appealing to others not doing things on the computer.
  - Ar-Curunir 6y ago
    ? What part of “M1 outclasses every similar laptop” indicates to you that the MBA is a machine targeted at people who don’t do serious computer work (Whatever “serious” means)
    - coldtea 6y ago
      Parent probably associates some value in dishing Apple, the reverse-fan-boy phenomenon.
    - superkuh 6y ago
      First, the article is about performance benchmarks and how the M1 is not some magical entity like the Apple hype train has been screaming. Second, the comment I'm replying to is: >for most use cases the apple's MBA offers much more value and will have slower depreciation. You can build a fine computer with a $400 CPU and $500 left for the rest. One that will absolutely dominate any laptop over a long time span because laptops cannot dissipate heat forever (it's simple a matter of mass and shape).
- Macha 6y ago
  CPU: $450 (5800x) GPU: $150 (1650 super) Storage: $60 (samsung 970 evo 250gb) PSU: $90 (silverstone sfx 500w 80 plus gold - there's probably cheaper options but most PSUs seem sold out on amazon) RAM: $70 (16gb 3200mhz CL16, gskill or team group) Case: $70 (Silverstone tek) Motherboard: $120 (asrock b550-m itx) There's your $1000 mac killer. I wouldn't call it a sensible build, but it should outperform the mac across the board. Notably the GPU is significantly better but the closest gpu the m1 is to trading blows with is the Radeon 560 which is only $30 cheaper. Also the mac comes with 8gb ram in the base model, and 16gb is a $200 upgrade but I could not find a decent speed 2x4gb ddr4 kit as nobody wants that little ram anymore in a custom build. I could save $40 by going with a 1x8gb kit for $30, but single channel will hurt performance. I'd also consider $30 to go from the 250gb ssd to a 1tb variant, something apple charges $400 for. The reason I wouldn't call it sensible is that the 1650 super is a budget gaming card while the 5800x a higher tier cpu. If you were actually planning to build this for gaming I'd suggest dropping down to the 5600x and putting the extra $100. actually for gaming I'd even suggest squeezing the budget for a 2060 (or even better wait for the standard 3060) by dropping to basic ddr4-2133, and going for standard sized case/psu rather than the small form factor to chase the mac. On the other hand, if you're not gaming and just need a video output, save like 120 bucks and just get a gt 1030. Use that to buy some nicer RAM or more cores via a 5900x depending on what suits your workload better. Sadly you have to get _a gpu_ as Intel is falling behind and AMD won't give us high end APUs in the individual market.
  - ykl 6y ago
    The parent post appears to be discussing a MacBook Air though. The specified machine doesn’t do much good for someone looking for a laptop; I’d be very surprised if the average customer compares a MacBook Air type device with a PC desktop when shopping for a new computer.
  - stickyricky 6y ago
    Doesn't include monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, webcam, microphone, battery backup, and fingerprint scanner which would be necessary to make it "comparable" to a base model Macbook Air. It also isn't a portable, fanless laptop which has its perks.
- africanboy 6y ago
  Actually if you buy the 16gb model with the 512GB SSD you'll spend € 1.659,00 in Europe.
KSS42 6y ago
M1 uses LPDDR4X at 4267MHz. It is not overclocked.
- fulafel 6y ago
  Nitpick: It's 4266 MT/s (at 2133 MHz). DDR is 2 transfers per clock.
  - kuschku 6y ago
    If that's true, then it actually is entirely in-spec. I had read several articles claiming it was running at 4266MHz, which would definitely have been extremely out of JEDEC spec, but not unusual for current-gen DDR4 XMP profiles. Some higher-end RAM even gets above 5100MHz / 10200MT/s https://www.crucial.de/memory/ddr4/blm2k8g51c19u4b https://www.crucial.de/memory/ddr4/blm2k8g51c19u4b, so I had expected Apple to get somewhere around 7600-8400MT/s at 16-19-19-36 or better timings.

Scarbutt 6y ago

Still... $450 for the CPU only vs a $999 laptop, for most use cases the apple's MBA offers much more value and will have slower depreciation.

superkuh 6y ago
So, like normal, the value of a Mac is in appealing to others not doing things on the computer.
- Ar-Curunir 6y ago
  ? What part of “M1 outclasses every similar laptop” indicates to you that the MBA is a machine targeted at people who don’t do serious computer work (Whatever “serious” means)
  - coldtea 6y ago
    Parent probably associates some value in dishing Apple, the reverse-fan-boy phenomenon.
  - superkuh 6y ago
    First, the article is about performance benchmarks and how the M1 is not some magical entity like the Apple hype train has been screaming. Second, the comment I'm replying to is: >for most use cases the apple's MBA offers much more value and will have slower depreciation. You can build a fine computer with a $400 CPU and $500 left for the rest. One that will absolutely dominate any laptop over a long time span because laptops cannot dissipate heat forever (it's simple a matter of mass and shape).
Macha 6y ago
CPU: $450 (5800x) GPU: $150 (1650 super) Storage: $60 (samsung 970 evo 250gb) PSU: $90 (silverstone sfx 500w 80 plus gold - there's probably cheaper options but most PSUs seem sold out on amazon) RAM: $70 (16gb 3200mhz CL16, gskill or team group) Case: $70 (Silverstone tek) Motherboard: $120 (asrock b550-m itx) There's your $1000 mac killer. I wouldn't call it a sensible build, but it should outperform the mac across the board. Notably the GPU is significantly better but the closest gpu the m1 is to trading blows with is the Radeon 560 which is only $30 cheaper. Also the mac comes with 8gb ram in the base model, and 16gb is a $200 upgrade but I could not find a decent speed 2x4gb ddr4 kit as nobody wants that little ram anymore in a custom build. I could save $40 by going with a 1x8gb kit for $30, but single channel will hurt performance. I'd also consider $30 to go from the 250gb ssd to a 1tb variant, something apple charges $400 for. The reason I wouldn't call it sensible is that the 1650 super is a budget gaming card while the 5800x a higher tier cpu. If you were actually planning to build this for gaming I'd suggest dropping down to the 5600x and putting the extra $100. actually for gaming I'd even suggest squeezing the budget for a 2060 (or even better wait for the standard 3060) by dropping to basic ddr4-2133, and going for standard sized case/psu rather than the small form factor to chase the mac. On the other hand, if you're not gaming and just need a video output, save like 120 bucks and just get a gt 1030. Use that to buy some nicer RAM or more cores via a 5900x depending on what suits your workload better. Sadly you have to get _a gpu_ as Intel is falling behind and AMD won't give us high end APUs in the individual market.
- ykl 6y ago
  The parent post appears to be discussing a MacBook Air though. The specified machine doesn’t do much good for someone looking for a laptop; I’d be very surprised if the average customer compares a MacBook Air type device with a PC desktop when shopping for a new computer.
- stickyricky 6y ago
  Doesn't include monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, webcam, microphone, battery backup, and fingerprint scanner which would be necessary to make it "comparable" to a base model Macbook Air. It also isn't a portable, fanless laptop which has its perks.
africanboy 6y ago
Actually if you buy the 16gb model with the 512GB SSD you'll spend € 1.659,00 in Europe.

KSS42 6y ago

M1 uses LPDDR4X at 4267MHz. It is not overclocked.

fulafel 6y ago
Nitpick: It's 4266 MT/s (at 2133 MHz). DDR is 2 transfers per clock.
- kuschku 6y ago
  If that's true, then it actually is entirely in-spec. I had read several articles claiming it was running at 4266MHz, which would definitely have been extremely out of JEDEC spec, but not unusual for current-gen DDR4 XMP profiles. Some higher-end RAM even gets above 5100MHz / 10200MT/s https://www.crucial.de/memory/ddr4/blm2k8g51c19u4b https://www.crucial.de/memory/ddr4/blm2k8g51c19u4b, so I had expected Apple to get somewhere around 7600-8400MT/s at 16-19-19-36 or better timings.