Top M4 PRO vs Base M4 MAX Pro Photo & Video Test, is the $1000 Upgrade Worth it?

[@JohnWilliams-gy5yc]

Woah! Probably the most comprehensive M4 config showdown on the planet hands down. Respect. 💗👍🏻

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@Pedro-xl6se]

This is exactly what I was searching for, scary specific

[@ArtIsRight]

Nice!

[@johnathanireland]

this was INSANELY informative. theres no way theres a more comprehensive comparison. this helped me incredibly. thank you.l

[@ArtIsRight]

You're very welcome!

[@JoATTech]

If you wondering which of these two: M4Pro with 48GB or M4Max with 36GB is better for Davinci Resolve. Then answer is on Black Magic Design forum (and below). It's recommended to have 1.5GB RAM per GPU core for Davinci Resolve. If you have less RAM then you have high probability of swapping. So M4Pro with 48GB fits that rule (20 GPU cores), the binned M4MAX is below 1GB per GPU core so it's not recommended for more advanced projects. Should be fine for something basic though. So for M4MAX 64GB is the recommendation for Davinci Resolve because it has 40 GPU cores.

[@quicogil4565]

Probably the best M4 video I've seen yet! I'm happy I got the M4 Pro 14/20 in the 14 inch version, it's a beast for what I do.

[@glennclarke9442]

Me tooooooo!

[@glennclarke9442]

Art, I always gather a lot out of your information. Thank you.

[@StelmachsWorld]

Definitely gonna be upgrading my m3 pro. Turns out i needed more ram than I thought. I’ll be trading it in for an m4 pro with 48gb. Thanks as always for the extremely thorough buyers information!

[@ramakrishnakamsala8549]

Thanks!

[@ArtIsRight]

You bet!

[@RobStill]

Very helpful, thank you for your attention to detail!

[@ArtIsRight]

You're very welcome!

[@Harvey_Fayna]

This is exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks for the comparison video.

[@ArtIsRight]

Thanks for watching!

[@KhaliDALKhafaji]

this video is the most incredible one that i have ever seen and it was fully satisfied, I am going to buy the m4 pro with 24 ram is very enough to me

[@micahchaffin1793]

I would LOVE to see your guide for setting up as a new machine as mentioned at @5:55 - I'm upgrading from a 2019 intel MacBook to an M4 Pro and I want to make sure it runs the best it can. Thank you SO much for your incredible work, you deserve every view and more!

[@ArtIsRight]

Working on that, time is not on my side right now.

[@micahchaffin1793]

@ All good I’m sure you’re so busy! Thank you for what you do :) Do you happen to have any recommendations of what I should look into to setup my machine then? Or do you think your video will be out within the next 7-10 days or so? Either way, thank you so much!

[@glennclarke9442]

Totally agree with your sentiment.

[@lisadorn4152]

Exactly what I was looking for in helping me make my decision. Thank you!

[@ArtIsRight]

You're Welcome!

[@MichaelAnderson-l3k]

TOTALLY worth it! Mini Pro has faster SSD and with my OWC Envoy Ultra I get same speeds as I do with internal SSD. I assume that applies to MacBooks also. Makes selecting images in LrC catalog appear instantly. No waiting on anything if you also have 48GB of memory.

[@ArtIsRight]

k

[@ntompson000]

Like many, the big conundrum for me is M4 Pro 48 GB RAM vs M4 Max 36 GB. They’re close enough in price that the question of RAM vs GPU cores is tough. Both are future looking: 36 GB is enough now, as is 20 GPU cores. But over time, likely to see more of both get used. I’m mostly LrC with a bit of Photoshop. 45MP camera. To be honest, the main frustration for me isn’t how long import / export is, it’s how often LrC chugs loading photos, moving sliders and navigating the UI.

[@ArtIsRight]

that happens even with the ultra

[@jacquesgude]

Great video and very helpful, Art! I've been using an 16" M1 MBP with 16GB RAM, which was fine when shooting my Leica Q, Q2, Q2 Mono and Hassy X1D II (50 MP images). Once I added the Hassy X2D (102 MP images) to replace the X1D II, things slowed down considerably in LRC and PS. Based on what I've learned here in your video, I'm now leaning toward the 16" M4 Pro 14‑core CPU, 20‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine with 48GB unified memory and 1TB SSD storage. Hope that will carry me for the next 5 years or so, hopefully more.

[@ArtIsRight]

It will work and carry you just fine, and in about 3-4 years in, you'll notice the slow down again.

[@lennarthardkop]

Exactly what I was looking for. Got the base M4 Max with 16“ and felt uncertain afterwards, if I got the right machine.🎉

[@ArtIsRight]

nice

[@easylearning6536]

So,,, did you feel you got the right one?

[@CrnaInBela]

Looking at Lightroom Classic Export 1K; How can there be such a big of a difference between MM M4P 12/16 24GB 512GB - 7:58 and 14MBP M4P 12/16 24GB 512GB - 16:42? Isn't that performance supposed to be pretty much the same because it's the same processor?

[@ArtIsRight]

I'll have to check that again, we'll see

[@KaitlynMcLachlan]

@@ArtIsRightplease update! That indeed is significant. Hoping a typo/error!

[@BearHandsGaming]

i noticed that too and wonder if anyone also seen that, weird that the Mac mini was like twice faster than a macbook pro with the same specs 12/16 24gb 512. and it is mor weirder that the mac mini m4 10/10 16 512 is faster than macbook pro m4 pro version lol 10:15

[@CrnaInBela]

@@ArtIsRight Thanks!

[@CrnaInBela]

@@ArtIsRight Did you manage to check the results? Is it an error?

[@nasview9481]

Awaiting comparison between M4 Pro 48GB and M4 MAX 36GB

[@ArtIsRight]

waiting for someone to send me a loaner to test

[@nasview9481]

Love from India 💞

[@davidstowephotography]

So glad I found your channel! Exactly the information I want to see as a professional photographer who dabbles in video! Hoping you have time to check your testing times for the Lightroom Classic Export as the times don't make sense compared to MM M4M etc?? Can you confirm if this is correct?

[@RP-hk6ko]

Thank you. This is easy to follow and very informative, especially with the comparison chart, without the unnecessary (and sometimes fake) overenthusiasm from other tech KZbinrs. A bit of feedback, I suggest using a percentage improvement as well. For example, in the LRC export test, M4M was 3 minutes quicker, which may not seem much, but that's a 20% increase in performance. Thank again

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@fentyl]

the most comprehensive comparison I've seen lately about Macs! Although I prefer gaming benchmarks I must admin that You did and excellent job! well done (especially pointing out what is more important on which tests :: RAM/CPU/GPU/SSD :: !

[@ArtIsRight]

I appreciate that!

[@marcocru]

Just ordered my Xmas present ! MP Pro , 16 inch , 14CPU 20GPU ,48GB RAM , 1T SSD and nano texture + Apple studio Display ! with black friday discount of 10% ❤. As a professional photographer working with more than 1000 files a week in LR and move from my 2020iMac5Kintel i7 I’m sure i couldn’t do a better choice! thanks so much of all the effort you put in your video , you are the best for LR Classic content! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@ArtIsRight]

this is huge!

[@piovalenzuela7749]

What a comprehensive review for photographers using Apple!

[@BrockGunterSmith]

HUGE THANK YOU for identifying the specific tasks and workflows that are impacted by RAM, CPU + RAM, CPU + GPU …etc. The bottom line is that this type of specificity is what actually matters when it comes to decision making. The ideal online tool would be one where you select say the top 3 apps you use, and identify the 1 or 2 functions within each app where the most of your time is spent waiting (obviously only apps and their functions that have been tested across the machines a person wants to compare) and have a cost/benefit analysis shown. I’m not saying YOU have to do it. You have enough on your plate already 😄 But if you come across someone with the time and skills, something like that would be AMAZING.

[@ArtIsRight]

You're Welcome!

[@Shawshank00]

Thanks for this. I bought both machines to test out (coming from M1 Max). The M4 Pro 14/20 is enough for me. Hence i'm packing up the M4 Max to send back to Apple. WIll use the change to buy Applecare and Apple stock.

[@ArtIsRight]

👍🏼

[@vivek_v]

I debated this for such a long time before settling with the M4 Pro. Watching the video now to see if I made a good decision...

[@ArtIsRight]

there you go!

[@davidligon6088]

Very helpful video. I’m trying to decide when to upgrade my M1 Max, 10/32, 64, 4T. I’m finding Lightroom is now pegging the GPU a lot of the time with my A7RV RAW processing. I live in Encinitas, and can loan it to you, but but it looks like you have a 16” in my config.

[@ArtIsRight]

I do have the same M1M, I am looking for various M4P or M4M with more RAM, however, I thank you!

[@123Smadin]

Thanks so much to compare these two options

[@ArtIsRight]

You bet!

[@faazali]

Best comparison video! Thank you!

[@maxhill9254]

Excellent analysis, very helpful ☺

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@ayanserwan]

Thank you for the video! I’m torn between the 16-inch Binned M3 Max 36/1TB for $2,899 and the 16-inch M4 Pro with 24/1TB for $2,699. I primarily use it for 4K editing in Final Cut Pro X, so I’d appreciate your thoughts on which one would be better for my needs.

[@ayanserwan]

And the 6-inch Binned M3 Max 36/1TB for $3,199 :/

[@ArtIsRight]

If you do that go with MAX

[@mutovkin]

The best series of videos for photo/video reviews of M4 devices. Thank you! Found this channel looking for Topaz labs apps benchmarks search. Would be great to know how those apps perform on pro vs max. Can’t decide if I should get Mac mini or wait for Studio…

[@ArtIsRight]

Welcome!

[@AA-rc8uy]

Thank you for your hard work and dedication. Your presentation is top-notch, and it’s even better than Apple’s own.

[@ArtIsRight]

I would not put it that way but I thank you nonetheless :)

[@henryvanderspek1643]

Great video. Thank you! 🙌🏻

[@ArtIsRight]

You're Welcome!

[@Altabozz]

Amazing analysis, bravo 👏👏👏

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@truthseeker6804]

i like your soc recommendation chart. the best.

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@JoATTech]

Please someone send him M4Pro with 48GB RAM :D. I'm torn between M4Pro 48GB and M4Max binned 36GB :D. 36GB does not seem to be future proof :(, but double the media engines is so tempting :D.

[@Ivan_1986]

@@JoATTech Yes, calling 24 GB M4 Pro chip (with 512 SSD) top spec is a very far reach. Would need to have 48 GB and at least 1 TB SSD for sure.

[@_TT90]

@@Ivan_1986I think he meant top SKU. Bumping up the M4 Pro to 48GB will be a custom order.

[@Ivan_1986]

@@_TT90 got it. I think all MacBook Pros I’ve ever bought were custom order. So for me it’s rather Apple giving opportunity to get the exact model you need. Started with Late 2013 MBP 15" with top specs, but without dedicated Nvidia GPU (only Integrated Iris 5200). That one resulted in a fast dead silent notebook. My wife is still using it - rand like a champ)

[@darkredwine]

that would make no sense. go up to 64gb on the max and then i can tell you go for the max

[@JoATTech]

@@Ivan_1986 Yeah I would go for 1TB SSD, to be able to have whole project on the internal drive. Usually my video projects are below 500GB (unless BRAW used :D). And yes, 24GB is not enough in my opinion, but maybe 36GB would be enough? My PC has 32GB of RAM and 16GB of VRAM, so 48 in total. And it's enough. I guess Davinci on Apple silicon is so optimised that should use less memory (PC kinda doubles RAM and VRAM).

[@palash]

Immense thanks, Art, for this and your other exceptionally painstaking and helpful videos. I'm confused by the segment from 14:25 - am I being very dumb or are those bars the wrong way round? i.e. Surely - as your voice says, and as one would expect, the M4M 14/32 36GB 1TB performs this task faster (specifically, taking 8 seconds less) than the M4P 14/20 24GB 512GB?

[@ArtIsRight]

I haven't had time yet but I have to validate that again. Based on what is shown here the data is correct.

[@resonance3486]

Amazing work!

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@semperfitygaming5619]

Been waiting for this video! I have the m4 pro 48GB RAM and it’s been crushing LRc. Haven’t gotten into PS yet but expecting similar results. It’s great to see the Pro model slot into the better category for the photo stuff I do. I only dabble in video occasionally so don’t really need the 2x media engines of the max. Another homerun video!

[@ArtIsRight]

Nice!

[@SoftwareManiacLSM]

IMHO, I "only" use OWC external drives. I'm sold with their quality and performance. Support, rare that I needed it, seems incredible, too.

[@ArtIsRight]

good

[@TheGoldenrun]

Bro you are great, with practice comes perfection. Keep the good criticism and completely ignore the unfriendly ones, they are useless anyways.

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@glennclarke9442]

Yep. You are spot on.

[@kjltube]

As a part time photographer who does occasional video, I’m not seeing much point in getting the 48Gb version of the M4pro over the 24Gb. I’d argue the cpu upgrade to the higher gpu core count in the m4 pro seems to be more useful for an event photographer as noise reduction would be a task I’d perform more frequently than 56Gb file export or panorama merge which is something I’d only do once in a blue moon.

[@ArtIsRight]

we all have a choice, my logic is undeniable

[@kjltube]

@ you have said many times, look at the tasks you perform to gauge what power you need. This is totally correct of course. My only point is the tasks that require a larger amount of ram than 24Gb are not performed frequently by most people. If they run crazy amounts of apps at the same time then yes it can make a difference here, but seriously apps open and close so quick on these machines how difficult is it to close some during a certain task and reopen them in a flash afterwards?

[@jarhead4657]

@@kjltube 32 GB is the sweet spot for you. What you are not getting is that OS X will use the ram it finds for all sorts of things.

[@kjltube]

@@jarhead4657 Maybe, but there is no 32Gb option, only 48Gb in the M4 Pro, and this costs C$500 which is over 25% of an increase in the overall price. i have iStat menu loaded on my MM M4P 24Gb... time will tell if it is enough.

[@regulartxdude7813]

Just what I was looking for! Subscribed. I am exporting 4k home video to 4k h.265/HEVC in a mp4 container and it's painfully slow using my 14" Macbook Pro M3. I am hoping to see an M4 Ultra Studio announced in the near future. Does the GPU on the Studio computers help out in export or just the specific silicon for h.265/HEVC encoding in the Max?

[@JoATTech]

I still wonder which one would be better M4Pro with 48GB or M4Max with 36GB ... I'm using Davinci Resolve with not very complicated edits. PS and LR.

[@asdf-y7i]

in my opinion, if your workloads don‘t contain complex one, just go cheaper model

[@JoATTech]

@@asdf-y7i Timelines are not very complex, but the exports sometimes takes up to 40 minutes on my RTX 4080 :D. Cause sometimes I have very long form videos :D If MAX will cut it in half, than :D

[@alternativestudio9807]

very good question indeed ! also what about the fan noise ?

[@mvp_kryptonite]

Can you hold out for the Studio M4? I think there will be better Max chip and tempting Ultra configurations. I’m on a 14 MBP M1 Pro non binned with 32gb ram. No memory pressure but still swap gets used (just this week 26/32 and 4 swapped). My next device must have 64gb. My main tool however is dpp with a bit of Ps and Pr but a desktop doesn’t suit me currently

[@JoATTech]

@@alternativestudio9807 Max tech have some comparisons on fan noise. And binned M4Max should be a bit quieter than full M4Max, but what I've seen on YT M4Pro is a lot of quieter than any M4Max, even on 16MBP.

[@LoftyVisions]

Thanks for this video, just what i needed! I had already returned my M4M 14/32 1tb before i saw this video and was considering the top M4P instead. Now i know i made the right decision, thank you 👍😁

[@ArtIsRight]

No problem!

[@JohnnyMcPro]

My M2 Ultra still killing it for hard batch tasks. 🤘🏼

[@ArtIsRight]

Totally!

[@Skaratak]

Thank you! Exactly the choice of me (and many people I guess) - though the top M4 Pro comes with 48GB not 24GB. Also, some 3D, noise/heat and battery comparison tests would have been nice.

[@ArtIsRight]

Top SoC, this happens every cycle

[@chrisbogart687]

Thanks - makes my upgrade logic look good. I went for the 14" M4 Pro MacBook Pro unbinned with 20 GPU and two more performance cores, 48G of memory and 1TB SSD. I have Thunderbolt 4 external SSDs and a hub with SD reader. So that is my field computer for video work. I have a M1 Studio Max that I am waiting for the M4 Studios to be released. Waiting patiently and trying to decide if the M4 Ultra may be the best long term solution based upon the M2 Studio with Ultra for use in my video studio. .

[@ArtIsRight]

nice

[@BenjaminStraue]

I have the choice of getting the MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro processor and 48GB RAM or the M4 Max and 36GB RAM. I will use the laptop mainly for photo editing and 8k video editing. Which configuration is better and how much RAM should the MacBook have for these requirements?

[@andreas1701d]

Tha k you so much for all the effort you put into these videos. They're so informative! I'm wondering about playback speed in premiere pro. Specifically for 4k60 10 bit 4.2.2 footage shot with a Sony fx3, would an m4 pro with 48gb do the job or would the m4 max with 64gb make a drastic difference in that regard?

[@ArtIsRight]

They are about the same for 4K

[@andreas1701d]

@ArtIsRight Much appreciated; keep up the great work!

[@gayanlalinda7844]

I love this comparison ❤

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@stevenf9298]

Curious on your thoughts for M3 Max 30GPU vs M4 Pro 20GPU in the 14" chassis? Seems M4 Pro is 15-20% better CPU but M3 Max 15-20% GPU. If it's just on those, I'd probably choose M4 Pro as it's mostly Audio editing (Ableton Live) and live-stem DJing (AI - quite heavy CPU usage in Rekordbox) however the fact the M3 Max's all come with 36GB ram vs 24GB in the M4 Pro has me wondering if that's the right call, I don't really know what the extra ram would allow for me use-case. Not many people have been mentioning this match-up, but the pricing is super close now and it's got me dithering. Anyhow, your benchmarks comparing the generational machines has been super helpful, thank you!!

Thanks for your incredible work!! I doubt between MacBook Pro 14'' M3 Max 14/30 , 36Gb RAM, 1Tb ssd vs MacBook Pro 14'' 14/20 , 48Gb RAM 1 Tb ssd for getting a smooth edition in Lightroom CC with 25 MP files catalogs and thinkin´ about the future... what would you recommend?

[@ArtIsRight]

They are both going to be fine.

@@ArtIsRight Thanks for your answer. At the end I´ve found a M3 Max 16/40 with 64Gb RAM and 512SSD at the same price 😅

[@jaimeduncan6167]

The Jar is great for people who can't take a constant plea. Love your work.

[@ArtIsRight]

thanks

[@benni7082]

Would you prefer the MacBook Pro with the larger M4 Pro 48gb RAM and 2tb SSD or the smaller M4 max with 36gb and 1tb? I mainly do video editing and photo editing. Thanks in advance.

[@ArtIsRight]

for video I would choose the MAX

[@Obikenobi93HD]

I had an M2 15 inch MacBook Air, but after thinking about it, I decided to trade it in for a M4 Pro MacBook Pro Base version, I decided to not upgrade the ram or SSD since I had a external drive and 24gb RAM is already really good enough when running multiple applications, unless of course I randomly open every app in the system to cause the memory to spike but I usually just use 1 or 2 apps most of the time or multiple browsers windows open so it was worth it since I technically got it for under 2000 bucks with the trade in

[@ArtIsRight]

nice

[@CardinalVibes]

Great video. I wish I lived closer, I would gladly lend you my m4p 48GB. I’m dying to see the results, especially given the outcome of many of the test in this video. Not that it would change anything for me. I’m locked in now. Interesting nonetheless.

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you! I wish you were close too!

[@boristahmasian9604]

Hi Art, on the heat and throttling issue on the 14MBP M4M vs the 16MPB M4M. I remember 14MPB M1M had heat issues and fans kicking in fairly quickly under load. Is it still the case with the M4 generation of MacBooks? For portability and extra utility, I am thinking of upgrading my M1Studio Max (10/24, 64GB, 1TB) to a 14" M4 Pro or Max. I like the portability of the 14" vs the 16" I just don't know if I will encounter heat issues on the 14". Thank you for your reply.

[@ArtIsRight]

the nature of the 14" models is that fans will kick in sooner. But the time variation between the 14" & 16" to finish the task is going to be about the same within the margin of error

[@boristahmasian9604]

@@ArtIsRight Thank you.

[@ShartedKegs]

Just picked up a 14" M4 max coming from an i9 MBP, mostly using davinci and modeling software such as fusion and blender. But where I have been really blown away is slicing models for 3D printing in Lychee. Noone has really touched on performance for 3D printing but the export times are literally 20x faster

[@ArtIsRight]

Yes Intel to Apple Silicon is Night and Day

[@fmarinosfromafar9512]

I've really enjoyed this series of tests, thanks for your dedication to the cause, Art! Given my video workflow is all 4K (well, 4.5K footage for 4K and 1080p ProRes and H.264 delivery) and rarely involving heavy graphics or a super-complicated timeline, my M1 Max 16" MBP (10c/24c) handles this with ease. The only thing I'm (slightly) regretting now is not having gone for 64GB of RAM at the time of purchase - both for a little more performance in RAM-oriented tasks and also to help when juggling a couple of different things I've noticed the memory pressure go quite high. Given the marginal improvements of the maxxed out Max chip over the 14c/32c, it's a shame that there isn't a higher RAM option for this chip - hopefully it returns for the M5 or M6 when I'll be ready to upgrade!

[@ArtIsRight]

I hear you

[@LesGypsyFox]

M1Max around 1500$ or m4 base model with nano texture (next m4 air should have it). I can’t decide 😮😮

[@AndrejsZavadskis]

a lot of interesting to see base model compared to pro and max

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@jimtipton8888]

Hi Art, thanks for all the work you put into these. I upgraded to the M4 Pro 14/20/24/1TB. As an observation, my 1TB SSD read/write match those of the M4 Max you tested. An improvement over the 512GB base. Also, I'm a RAM skeptic, have you ever seen the torture tests Max Tech or Created Tech did on the M1 series comparing 16 GB vs 32 GB? The 16 GB (using more swap) keeps up admirably. Could some of the differences in these to machines be because of SSD speed? Thoughts?

[@jarhead4657]

The Max tech "torture test" was bullshit. Haven't seen the other.

[@ArtIsRight]

Good to know, thank you for the info. I did a comparison between 16 & 32 GB on the M1 Gen with LRC and mine was worse. It grinds 16GB down quite a lot. SSD speed can be a factor but it was not really an issue in M1 gen

[@jimtipton8888]

@@ArtIsRight That's interesting Art. Happy Thanksgiving my friend!

[@tsu-haoya7448]

Wondering if you pick Top M3Max 64G/2TB over TopM4Pro 48G/1TB thanks.

[@108u9]

Hi Art, came across a video talking about setting up and moving the ‘Home’ folder to a bus powered external storage in order to save on upgrading the internal storage capacity and possibly put that money to upgrading the RAM instead. Any thoughts on this?

[@ArtIsRight]

I have done this before, there are a lot of unintended consequeces and to be honest - long term is not worth the trouble. I would not do this. Yes Apple does charge a premium for their SSD but my advise is to get what you need. External home folder can be a nightmare if SSD disconnect, failed, etc.

[@OTJoose]

Great video. I'd like to know about the RAM and how a 16in top of line M4 Pro (14 CPU core/20 GPU core), 48GB of RAM (bandwidth of 273GB/s), and 1TB SSD compares to a 16in base M4 Max (14 core CPU/32 core GPU), 36GB RAM (bandwidth of 410 GB/s), 1TB SSD. Unfortunately, these are the highest available RAM sizes that Apple allows us to customize for these two processors even though they are designed to handle more RAM. I wouldn't even be able to get 48GB RAM with the top of line M4 Max (16 core CPU/40 core GPU). I would have to get 64GB RAM. What are you all thinking is the best approach here? Get more RAM size with the M4 Pro or get more GPU processing power with a smaller RAM size with the M4 Max? The base M4 Max RAM does have 1.5x the bandwidth speed, but still 12GB less in size, so I'm thinking the bandwidth speed here is negligible. So this brings me to do I want more GPU processing power or RAM. Thought? Apple should allow us to customize the way we see fit. We're already paying premium high-end prices (who knows what their margins are, btw), so provide us with the premium level of service to do what we want on customization.

[@ArtIsRight]

yes this is a tough one. I would argue that if you work with large files you are going to see more benefits from Pro 48GB. If the tasks uses GPU then sure, you'll see some speed benefits. But bandwidth wise, the variation is null

[@daveseeley8689]

Wondering how performance on these M4 Max Macbook Pros compares to the top end M2 Mac Studios

[@ArtIsRight]

Look in the compilation charts

[@daveseeley8689]

@@ArtIsRight .... Thanks..... just did and spoke too soon. I'm a pro using intel top spec'd iMac Pro w 256gb Ram, and 16"MBP w 64gb and 8tb ssd..... but do moslty lots of HUGE Photoshop files and now more FCP work but short clips. Curious out having a MBP powerful enough to be my desktop too. The MS w 128gb does look like the overall champ in this vid.... but thinking that the M4 Mac Studio has to be coming very soon....

[@shem44]

I'm currently using win 11 i9 11980HK with 32 GB ram and rtx 3080 (16GB VRAM). Intend to change to Mac M4M 14/32 but it only comes with 36GB RAM. I'm mainly doing 4K video edit and is concern if 36GB unified memory is enough. There is no 48GB option unless I move up to M4M 16/40.

[@ArtIsRight]

I hear ya. 36GB should be fine unless you do a lot of process that takes RAM. This is workflow dependent

[@964cuplove]

I’m wondering if the noise(fan) is better on the pro ? And how is the battery life comparing ? I definitely want a 4tb ssd, I have lots of large files and want to NOT drag external drives around. The I do CAD and 3D and wonder if blender, vectorworks or fusion make use of the gpu cores ?!

[@ArtIsRight]

Variation is null and based on what you do I would get the MAX, choose the RAM amount that you wnat and go from there, not a lot of options at the top

[@michaell5806]

My dilemma is trying to go with the M4 Pro and 48GB from a M1 Max with 64GB RAM. Is it worth the savings or with the extra ram make that much difference with the apps Im used, which is LR, PS, and Final Cut. Thoughts?

[@theemekanwanishow]

If video rendering is important to you, the M1 Max would still be faster. Canoopsy did a test in his m4 pro 48gb RAM video and his M1 Max 64gb still rendered videos more quickly. Have a look at his channel

[@kkf12715]

M1 Max still holds up well

[@jarhead4657]

@@kkf12715 It does but I bought the lower spec Max because it's almost twice as fast at most things plus other features like better display, TB 5 etc. Finally felt like it was a worthwhile upgrade.

[@ArtIsRight]

The speed boost is going to be key here. RAM, you'll lose a little, but it won't affect most tasks in photo and video. You can see the tasks that use RAM, those are the ones that I said would be affected. Personally, if the M1M still works fine you can hold off for 1 more gen if need be

[@olegbasalai3810]

What are your thoughts on 14" m3 max 14/30 36Gb vs 14" m4 pro 14/20 24 Gb? Assuming m3 max is even cheaper than the new m4 pro model. The main usage is Illustrator and Blender in plans. Thank you!

[@chidorirasenganz]

The Max will be better because of the raw GPU horsepower and extra RAM

[@ronferry3069]

I was in the same spot and spent the last 2 weeks going back and forth. I would go with the M3 Max with extra ram. I just picked up open box 16" M3 Max 40gpu 48gb ram 1tb hd for $2,900. It was the same cost as M4 Pro with 48gb and 512gb. I think getting a clearance M3 Max is a better value. If you want latest and greatest then M4 Pro. I'm happy with my purchase, but think I would be just as happy with the M4 Pro. In the end get one and you will love it.

[@ArtIsRight]

For blender you can use the GPU, and if M3M is cheapter then that is a no brainer

[@Yusuf-nl8bj]

Thin,light chassis and Oled display is requied to upgrade ,I'm happy with 16" M1 Pro.

[@ArtIsRight]

ok

[@1967McQ]

Fantastic video! I am only using Lightroom. I have a Hasselblad with 100 MP. Huge files as well as my Canon 5D Mark Ii 45 MP. Thinking an M4 Pro with 48 gig ram might work okay? Or do you think I should make an investment in a M4 Max? Was trying to spend $3,500 or less. I do have a studio display.

[@onefilm2]

14-inch MacBook Pro M4: Should I choose the fully upgraded Pro version or the basic Max configuration? Apple M4 Pro Chip: (14-core CPU with 10 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, 20-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine), 273GB/s memory bandwidth Apple M4 Max Chip: (14-core CPU with 10 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, 32-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine), 410GB/s memory bandwidth

[@onefilm2]

For documentary filmmaking, which involves handling several terabytes of 4K raw footage and various codec formats, using FCP, PR, AE for editing, and DaVinci for color grading, while working with a 14-inch MacBook Pro connected to an external monitor: 1. Is the M4 Max necessary? 2. Can the 14-inch model handle heat dissipation effectively? 3. Does the additional GPU power of the M4 Max only make a difference during rendering/export, while offering no significant advantage during regular editing workflows? 4. If thermal throttling occurs, would the M4 Pro be a better fit due to potentially lower heat output?

[@mrparts]

wow this is so comprehensive. Iill take me a while to absorb it all :D

[@ArtIsRight]

Thank you!

[@KristianDowling]

Hi I have an M2 Pro base model with 1TB drive. Once I upgraded from a 24MP to 60MP camera, and since then I’ve had major slowdowns. My biggest gripe is that I do a LOT of dust removing using AI in Lightroom. I need my time back. It can take well over an hour to edit just one image with over 300 spot removals. Do you think the Max is going to help significantly over the Pro? Many thanks

[@edpereiraphoto]

300?! Why not just clean your sensor? Serious question

[@KristianDowling]

@@edpereiraphoto This is high-end product photography, which often requires a lot of basic retouching

[@ArtIsRight]

For that it is not so much the MAX but what you need more of is RAM. Look at your RAM usage when you are doing that, you'll see that it is off the charts.

[@onmatterthings]

Can i ask you about playback on heavy timeline davinci resolve? Between M1 Max base model and M4 Pro base, which one perform better? I know M1M have dual decoder, but M4 is having better decoder too now. Very curious because it will affect my purchasinh decision. If you reaponse to this, i will be very happy!

[@ArtIsRight]

for that probably about the same. Playback on time has a lot of variables and does not always use the encoder/decoder

[@onmatterthings]

@@ArtIsRight thank you for replying, bless your channel

[@1825OREO]

Hi Art. Waiting for your nano texture screen test!! 😊

[@ArtIsRight]

I'm working on that :)

[@easylearning6536]

A person living in SoC doing the best SoC comparison 😅👍👍

[@ArtIsRight]

haha

[@iransirijillo]

I upgraded from a M1 Pro with 16GB to the M4 pro 24GB and so far I can see an improvement when editing a batch of 2000 wedding photos, 24MP files only though

[@ArtIsRight]

Totally

[@andrehilkens3584]

What photo editing software are you using? Also what about heat and/or fan noise?

[@Moto_Yelt]

Did you go for the base on or the high end m4 pro

[@Sequel7]

I hope you got the 1 tb drive instead of 512. It’s faster and saves more space from swap during very heavy tasks. With the 273 memory speed you don’t need to upgrade memory

[@psysword]

I got my forever machine with my m3 max with 128 gb ram. I think I'm good till M7.

[@ArtIsRight]

probably

[@StudioAGK]

Do these new MacBooks with thunderbolt 5 support USB 3.2 Gen 2x2? Or are we still stuck at 10 Gbs?

[@ArtIsRight]

not sure about this, will have to test.

[@alessandroandretto9980]

For editing video with davinci is better MBP 16 entry level or Legion Pro 7 (intel 14900 e nvidia 4080)?

[@ArtIsRight]

probably close

[@Dr.Yash_Kanabar]

Can you comment on live streaming on Twitch and KZbin from the m4max macbook ?

[@ArtIsRight]

I have not done that, so I am unable to

[@Dr.Yash_Kanabar]

@ArtIsRight please try it and make a video

[@alexshdvideo]

I'm still rocking a M1 Mini. thinking of a M4 Pro Mini or wait for a M4 Studio Max. Depends upon when I'm cornered and have funds, will the M4 max Studio be ready when I'm ready? that will dictate a lot. Do you have any information/testing on Cinebench? I do a fair amount of 3d rendering. Yes I know I should get a windows machine with Nvidia 4060i or better, but I haven't committed to getting dual OS office yet. I'm hoping the M4 Max closes the distance between Mac and Windows for 3d GPU rendering. (pointless on M1 by the way, so I just use CPU rendering on my M1). My work on Davinci with 6K BRAW is a minimum quality of life use)

[@ArtIsRight]

If you do 3D I would choose MAX

[@alexshdvideo]

@ that’s why I’m holding out for m4 max studio next year. Not cornered at the moment so I can afford to wait. Probably build out a 10 gig lan network first for all my computers to share footage etc

[@jking7519]

Art, how many purple shirts do you own?

[@ArtIsRight]

too many :) I have lots of duplicates!

[@bonezed]

great stats, thanks

[@ArtIsRight]

You bet

[@AnastasTarpanov]

Great and informative video as always. I just want this to be squeezed in 5 minutes!

[@ArtIsRight]

You're Welcome! Yeah, unless you want me talking like a chipmunk on crack...

[@hendrikschnee7090]

Wow! Actually such a good video I found once in a lifetime I‘d almost say regarding the time differences in the different tasks within one app. For me LrC and FCPX (eeeventually LogicX too) are interesting. But it was always hard to set the performances into perspective. Personally I‘m looking for a Mac mini the first time coming from a maxed out intel MacBook Pro 15“ late 2018. Is there any possibility to get performance numbers for these two apps (LrC/FCPX) to make the gap even bigger? For the future I‘m looking for the Mac mini M4 Pro. Probably upgraded Chip, 48 GB Memory and 1 or 2 GB SSD (+external). Taking that into the comparison with my current one should create a decent gap I guess. Thank you so much!🙏🏼

[@ArtIsRight]

You're Welcome!

[@addictivities]

I want to switch to Apple. I have a windows laptop i7 core, 1T SSD and 32ram. In my case i work graphic design, illustration and motion graphics; multitasking between multiple programs all the time but i dont see myself doing movies or anything 4K 8K at least not yet. I was thinking M4 pro is a good choice economically wise but im not sure if i would be downgrading. Should i go for M4 Max then? Asking for any help really Thanks in advance

[@vincentcestmois7529]

Hi, I'm puzzled when you say that some Macs can't complete the panorama task. In my experience they can, albeit very slowly, I routinely process much bigger ones, but I keep it running the whole night. So it seems to me that more exactly they can't do it in a reasonable timeframe, but considering that a slow machine can't finish the same task of a faster one (given same ram, and ssd size), would ba a complete contradiction on how computing works.

[@ArtIsRight]

programming bug

[@spencerfr1]

With upgraded ram and storage in both, the m3 max refurbished is about same price as m4 pro. For working with large lightroom raw libraries like weddings (lots of ai masking) and multi-cam 4K Final Cut timelines (documentary films) what’s the better buy? Currently on 2019 intel i9 macbook so any silicon will be huge upgrade but want to make sure I’m not setting myself up to be behind in a few years 😂

[@ArtIsRight]

I would get more RAM. and go for the MAX at the same or similar price

[@spencerfr1]

@ yeah I ended up getting a 16in m3 max, 64gb ram, 2tb ssd for $3450 apple refurb. Thanks so much for all your hard work with these videos!

[@questo8698]

Artis so appreciate your expertise and dedication. Thinking of purchasing MacBook Pro Apple M4 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU, 16‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine 48GB unified memory 2 TB SSD storage 70W USB-C Power Adapter. Will 70 watts suffice vs. 96 power adapter. Reason is will be using with the new Benq 27 QHD which has 90 watts. Thanks.

[@leejoshua15]

Realised the m4m in the apps level chart. Meaning it’s not good enough to even be in there?

[@ArtIsRight]

I should be there, probably something that I missed, I'll chk

[@Flamamacue]

Someone loan this man a 48GB M4 Pro! The M4 Pro Mini appeals to me greatly and very eager to see how much of the difference in the M4 Max is due to the RAM increase instead of the chip. Is the wait for the M4 Max Studio worth it or will the M4 Pro suffice?

[@ArtIsRight]

depends on what you need really.

[@bonevchannel]

This was good. I went for the Max since I need to have 1TB so the jump from 512 to 1TB makes the difference 500$. Then BH have 300$ off plus the card you save 500+ dollars.

[@ArtIsRight]

Nice

[@deonharris5977]

This is detailed, exactly what i wanted, need to make a decision between M4 pro 14cpu 20 gpu 24g ram and a M3 pro max 14cpu 30gpu 36 gig ram. both are the same price, the M3 on a deal. 50% LR , 25% PS and 26% Final cut. I am leaning towards the M3max, Any thoughts

[@ArtIsRight]

Because you do video as well, I would go for MAX with more RAM at a slightly slower speed

[@mr.fernandoo]

Hey! I am planning to make the jump from Intel. I am mainly a video editor and torn between picking the following. I would really appreciate any insight into which way I should go. 1. Mac Mini - M4 Pro Chip 14‑core CPU, 20‑core GPU | 64GB RAM | 1TB SSD 2. Mac Studio - M2 Max 12‑core CPU, 38‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine | 64GB RAM | 1TB SSD The pricing is quite similar but the Mac mini comes in at £500 cheaper. Thanks!

[@ArtIsRight]

This is a difficult one, normally I would tell you to go for the "Max" because it has double the encoder decoder engine compared to the "Pro" but the current max SoC is 2 gens behind and is prices higher. So at this point Pro is better, but when the new M4 Max comes out in 3-6 months that will be the better option.

[@mr.fernandoo]

@@ArtIsRight Thank you so much for your response! I am hopefully trying to hold out but my intel PC is starting to give me problems and need a more efficient workflow! Love the content and the in-depth review!