I bought an M3 with 16gb ram and have had it for about a week. It's a huge step up from my old Intel mac, but it just doesn't feel as fast as I was expecting when it comes to running Adobe CC and Autodesk stuff.

I have 6 more days to return and am considering switching it for a M3 Pro with 18gb ram, but the store is out of the silver models. I'm considering going for the Space Black since it's in stock but I've seen dozens of posts about how they start showing scratched after about a month.

I'm curious if the finish is really as bad as people make it out to be. My computer mostly lives on a desk and is only transported in a foam/neoprene sleeve. I'm meticulous about my computer and it shows. Given this, how likely would I be to run into issues with the SB finish as opposed to the SG or silver? I would appreciate some thoughts!

ETA: Thank you all so much for the thoughts! It sounds like Space Black isn't anything to worry about for anyone who's generally careful with their laptop. I certainly don't mind SB and the scratching issue was the ONLY thing that scared me away. I'm going to the store tomorrow and gladly taking the SB if they don't have the silver back in stock yet :)