I'm still rocking a 2007 custom built desktop w/ an overclocked Intel E8500 Core2Duo. In 2012, I upgraded the hd to an SSD and the GPU with an Nvidia GT640, and converted it into a rock solid Hackintosh.
My other computer is a 2013 15" Macbook Pro with maxed-out specs that was purchased for me by my company.
Both systems are stable and fast to me. My main applications are Firefox, Sublime Text, Xcode, and Iterm2. I don't do gaming or video editing. I dabble with ML via Colab Pro. The only thing I'm unpleased about is the Macbook is about 64°C when it's connected to my Apple Thunderbolt monitor and 2 other monitors, so a laptop cooler is a necessary part of my set up. I wouldn't get rid of this notebook unless I had to, which I will be forced to real soon because Apple won't update the OS (stuck on Big Sur), so Xcode is forever stuck on 13.2.
I'm in California, btw. I haven't used the M1. Besides running cooler, I can't imagine an M1/M2 feeling very much different.