I've made a lot of tech purchases since I've last posted in this thread, lmao. On that list are a teal iPhone 16, an ASUS ProArt OC 4070 SUPER and a base model silver M4 MacBook Pro. I'll post pics of the GPU box once I get back to my apartment in a few hours, but in the meantime, here's my new phone and my experiences with it thus far.
Shot on iPad Air 5th gen.
While a single-generation phone upgrade wasn't a logical decision by any means, I've still been enjoying my new phone. The main difference in my daily usage has been the bigger storage capacity I got - 256GB vs the 128GB I had before. Being able to actually download a decent selection of apps and games has been way more convenient, and IMO, that was a decent reason to upgrade by itself.
The difference between the A16 Bionic and the A18 has also been noticeable for me, mainly because I do a lot of mobile gaming. More influential, however, has been the decreased overheating due to the metal-encased battery. It hasn't been a night and day difference by any means, but it's definitely noticeable and highly appreciated since I often use my phone without a case. Though I did get an Apple-branded "lake green" case for my new phone, which has been really nice to use and gives me peace of mind in case I drop the thing.
Other than that, not many differences. Apple Intelligence...
exists, I guess, but it's made very little impact in my daily usage. I can appreciate Apple not wanting to overstep their bounds when it comes to AI, but their focus on privacy has made what AI they do offer way less interesting to use.
As for the new GPU, there's an embarrassing story to accompany that purchase. Basically, I destroyed the thermals on my previous RTX 3070 by removing the stock thermal paste and being too incompetent to know what to do to restore them. Hotspots on the 3070 were breaching 90 degrees Celsius and I had no idea what to do, so I just got the SKU I thought would match my price range, preferred resolution in 1440p and desired future-proofing headroom the best. That ended up being a brand-new 4070 SUPER; I admittedly avoided the used market this time because I wanted the experience of a new card.
The card's really nicely built despite having a plastic shroud, and doesn't overheat at all - in fact, the thermals are way more than adequate on the new card. More importantly, the performance bump is noticeable, too. For example, for whatever reason, Zenless Zone Zero is really intensive on PC, and I often couldn't sustain 60 FPS in that game with my prior 3070 without stuttering. The 4070 SUPER is more than adequate for 60 FPS and beyond,
so long as I'm not multitasking too much while playing the game. (Hey, I have a terrible attention span; leave me alone
)
Finally, the main reason why I decided to get a new MacBook Pro is because the M4 models start at 16GB of RAM. My current MacBook Air only has 8GB and it's miserable at times. So all things considered, a new laptop was a smarter purchase than getting a new phone just for more storage.
Additionally, I'll be getting a massive display upgrade with the 120Hz option + 1000 nits of brightness in direct sunlight, plus more performance with the M4 SoC and active cooling. Plus more ports, and IMO, the recent MacBook Pro's just look more premium. But I'll see how I like it once it arrives on Friday.