M1 Pro vs M1 Max MacBook Pro buyers guide! Don’t pick wrong!

In this pricing guide, I'll go through the many configurations that are available on the new MacBook Pro 14 inch and MacBook Pro 16 inch, including discussing whether to get 16gb of RAM or 32gb of RAM, M1 Pro vs M1 Max, the many GPU options, and some pro tips for choosing the best MacBook Pro for you!
Links to order M1 Pro and Max MacBooks (affiliate):
14 inch: amzn.to/2Z9nX0e
16 inch: amzn.to/2ZlownT
Time Stamps
0:00 Intro
1:05 Overview comparison
3:36 14 inch configurations
6:31 M1 Pro vs M1 Max upgrades
8:40 16 inch configurations
10:24 Upgrade advice and pro tips
11:49 14” ideal configuration
12:43 16” ideal configurations
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[@lukemiani]

Which configuration do you think is the best value?

[@maxpayne7030]

The 14 inch MacBook Pro, with the 10 core CPU and 16 core GPU and 512/16 GB variant.

[@HaNguyen-im9lx]

14” Max 32GB 1 TB with 32 GB of RAM. Around $3100, same as a decent 16in MacBook Pro previous gen

[@loki.8435]

I would have chosen the base 14" M1 Max version.

[@scotlandtheinsane3359]

Once you bench them, all will be revealed!

[@ExaneYT]

I think I might go 16" 1TB

[@user-uc5xo7yu7n]

Lets be honest, most of us don't need that power. We just WANT it...

[@r11magic]

word

[@user-hc9jd1nr2n]

yes I just want that display

[@jinopaulosalazar2742]

I agree

[@vvade9789]

For an 8 year machine, you just may

[@eafortson]

I'd say most of us don't need that display more than anything. I'd happily have bought an M1 Max spec Mac mini and saved myself a cool 2k, but they knew that and that's why they didn't offer it at launch. It will come tho, and i'll probably sell this beast and get the mini and cop an air for mobile use. I don't need to render 30 streams of 4k "on the go". But I do need that power in my studio when I am producing tracks. Even if I never max it out, just the piece of mind of quiet operation and all that headroom is worth the cost of admission IMO. Those of us struggling on these 2012-2015 MBP's know that very well, and we are obviously the target market for these.

[@davidbourne6478]

MBP 16’ @$2699 looks good to me. Trouble is, I am about $2698 short! Time to start saving!

[@larssssssssssssds]

😂😂😂

[@larssssssssssssds]

@@goldeternal Right, I use the M1 air as a music producer, I do some serious work with the SLOWEST apple silicon chip. it’s fast enough for me. If you do some crazy work yeah go for it. But don’t fall for the trap and buy this as a normal consumer

[@riponrip4574]

@@larssssssssssssds Well, to be fair, it is a pro, soooo they made it for pros

[@rionvalet]

@@goldeternal he's not talking about the M1 MAX. He's talking about the M1 Pro.

[@AndreHance]

@@goldeternal Get your facts straight instead of trying to look all knowing. The model he described is the unbinned m1 pro 10+16 core w a 1tb ssd upgrade. besides the ssd upgrade it is the cheapest 16" apple silicon available. You clearly misunderstood.

[@MistrZIGZAG]

Got mine within a minute of launch. First time buying an apple product on launch day. Got the 14” M1 Pro 10/16

[@nickbjones]

Hope we get our hands on them this side of 2021

[@MistrZIGZAG]

@@nickbjones mine originally said oct 26, now it says nothing 😂😢

[@kingdrift1136]

@@MistrZIGZAG maybe because that’s what you are

[@thelastdadonearth]

@@nickbjones Apple's pretty good on delivering when they say they do. If it's just a single delivery date of October 26th, then you'll definitely get it on the day.

[@huey1153]

@@MistrZIGZAG Mine said the 26th as well, had to cancel my order because I chose the wrong storage. Now I have the 14inch. M1 Max 24 32gb and 2tb for delivery between the 5th-10th

[@AttilaKozma]

Ive watched since yesterday around 10 other reviews/impressions, but Luke, yours is the most clear headed, sober video by explaining the price configs and giving really good practicable advices. Thank you! I definetly wanna see your face expression when you’re running the first benchmarks on your fresh MBP 😉

[@craigix]

I'm gonna keep it for 8-9 years, like this maxed out 2013 I'm writing from, so I just went for the max. It'll work out at like £1 a day over the years. Totally worth it. Student discount was over £300 too!

[@TheFlamingCookie]

Same I had mine since mid 2014, I have been waiting for this one for a while now, just ordered a maxed out 16inch m1 max

[@eafortson]

Same. Man I really wish there was some way to see just how many of us where rocking the 2012-2015 and didn't buy another apple computer until now. It has to be over 60% if not more tbh. I think the people just buying in to apple, or upgrading from 2016-2019 probably jumped for the M1. On every single one of these videos about the M1 pro and M1 Max, I see comments like this. I think apple knew damn well that most of were just gonna move to desktop AMD PC's if these new macbooks didn't give us everything we wanted, and this is the result. So I am not thanking apple here lol. I am thanking people like you and me who said "no sir" for the last 10 years of apples shenanigans lol. Power to the people (pun intended).

[@olegv9852]

2013 here :)

[@danielbocelli]

Yep, I’ve got a 2012 retina 15” and it’s still kicking and perfectly fine, but I want the new stuff. I got the base 16” with Max. Will ride that baby for a few years.

[@FFVoyager]

My wife is doing that. She's still using a 2012 Macbook Pro she did the same with (in early 2013). This one should last until the 2030! 😲

[@sharonb.9128]

Very clarifying. One of the things reviewers were stunned about yesterday were the prices. I don’t know why. I checked the Intel prices these machines were replacing and they matched! In fact, the top of the line $6099 new 16” MacBook Max was CHEAPER than the 16” i9 Intel version offered. When you see the price gouging going on over in the PC world it’s kinda tiresome listening to rants about Apple’s “greed”.

[@daung000]

exactly, in my area as of now the maxed out 16" i9 is priced nearly 4000usd second hand which is insane and people buy it for over 3000 all day long

[@sharonb.9128]

@@daung000 yep, and that’s second hand! The price Intel and Apple sell the NEW machines for are at times MORE expensive than these much, much better M1 Pro and M1 Max equivalents.

[@PTR2K]

Exactly! Everyone’s complaining but these new models are coming in cheaper in some cases for far more performance.

[@nicholas2458]

Yea, the intel i9 for the 16 inch all maxed out was over 8k which was crazy. Now that computer is slower than the M1.

[@mtb0x]

Also, when you factor in the fact you ‘could’ potentially use it for the next 10 years fully supported. I’m makes it actually a really reasonable purchase. I still have a 2009 MacBook Pro (updated with SSD and maxed ram) the kids use it for homework and it’s fine for most use cases. Try using a 10 year (or more) old pc laptop. It won’t be even near useable.

[@pweddy1]

"The display is not to be overlooked..." Well that's kinda the point of a display isn't it?

[@SDRIFTERAbdlmounaim]

Big brain moment 🤣

[@thebuddercweeper]

damn, I knew I was doing *something* wrong

[@MrBarchman]

😂

[@MarkHallG]

In case you overlook it they put a notch in to remember you where you have to look at lol

[@LamarMK]

The Pro and The Max are so good, it's hard to go wrong. Everybody is still trying to catch up to M1. We now have M1 Pro and M1 Max. 😂💯👍💪

[@-Sam69]

Its not even out yet and he pumped 2 videos already. Imagine all the “rumor” videos he milked before it was announced. 😂

[@amazoner0cks]

M1 MAX has 10.4 teraflops which is even more than PS5 10.2 TF GPU, I think you can even play heavy games on that chip :)

[@LamarMK]

@@amazoner0cks This is gonna be GREAT! 💯👍💪

[@RobloxRandomMadness]

@@amazoner0cks It has the potential but we probably won't be able to take advantage of this due to lack of optimization for gaming on macbooks.

[@amazoner0cks]

@@RobloxRandomMadness Can't we add windows on mac and go on from there?

[@eggshi]

You are the best at breaking this stuff down. Great video as always!

[@ExaneYT]

I've been waiting for thisssssss! Thanks Luke!

[@martinowong]

I am in total confusion between configs so I really needed a video like this

[@ArmoredMexican]

Thanks for all your videos Luke, really appreciate all the hard work you put into making and releasing these, not to mention the way you break down everything in a way easy to understand. It feels like I’m listening to a friend talk tech to me. Much appreciated Luke, looking forward to the rest of your videos :)

[@farhans.b5030]

I was really expecting your video after your last video because I was confused on getting the right configuration because it’s freaking expensive!

[@thelightspeed3d712]

Every time I picked one… I was like “oh $200 more?“. Lol.

[@saly1674]

😂

[@shivamlaxmi4012]

Hahaha same here, before I knew it I was at a total of £4700 😂

[@MrSaul-x]

Exactly what apple wants everyone to do.

[@Blztrls]

Same here and it ended up at $4300 😅

[@shivamlaxmi4012]

I ended up ordering it though..I am in desperate need of updating my 2015 MBP. It was long overdue.. 😂

[@djbobbyjay]

The 10 core upgrade on the 14 inch were my exact thoughts too with an upgraded SSD. Had to make sure I wasn't going crazy. Appreciate the video!

[@andymcloughlin7927]

Thank you Luke I had ordered one - but you made some good suggestions for the 14” so I changed my order - thank you!

[@QueenShanine]

Back to make sure I don’t have buyers remorse and made a solid decision yesterday 😂

[@pureangeles]

same lol. I maxed out, and now I’m like do I really need this? Haha

[@NomusaMagical]

@@pureangeles 😍 We typically never “NEED” next bump up but when did THAT ever matter? I did that with my iMac 24” (luv it!). Esp for us non pro users who get ALL hyped-up by KZbinrs. Even more than actual Apple Event 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@QueenShanine]

@The Spine and Brain Centre I bought a 14” M1 pro MBP. Thought about the base but got one step above it. 10/14 32gb 512gb. Considered a terabyte but got my Samsung External SSD. Had to be somewhat practical when the M1 would have been enough being a nonpro and all 😂.

[@MM-MLT]

@@QueenShanine smart 👍

[@lonelycake4114]

@@QueenShanine You could have gotten the 10/16 for next to nothing…😬

[@MightyJabbasCollection]

I wasn't really thinking of upgrading, but this has to be the biggest upgrade ever for Apple's portables. I realized I could get enough for my 16" MBP (which I've always felt was really a bit too big and heavy) that I could get a low-end 14" for not very much more money, and the difference in performance and features is pretty stunning.

[@Elexsaria]

Waited to place my order because I wanted to hear your recommendations. Completely trust your judgement. Thank you!

[@knp4242]

Exactly the review I am looking for. Thx!!!

[@MrAGame]

I went with the 16" sweet spot 'middle' configuration: 10 cores, 16 GPU, 1TB. In AUS it's a $900 jump to to 24 cores which is a bit too much for me. Plus at the end of the day, I'm just editing 1080p60 footage so i don't think I'll be having any issues in FCPX with this configuration :)

[@kumarabhishek6709]

M1 is more than enough for 1080p , this configuration will eat 4k all day long.

[@jillianoromano]

Did you go for 32 GBs of RAM?

[@jillianoromano]

@tinonn Loke Oh for sure haha. I was just curious 😂

[@RealWorldReview]

Editing 4K60fps video I am constantly ramming into my 2TB max lol but all I want it to be able to add titles and not have my computer freak out

[@RealWorldReview]

@@kumarabhishek6709 I edited 1080p60 on a 2015 MBP 15 inch, so even an M1 would suffice lol

[@oscarmedina7368]

I did this before but I haven’t upgraded from my 2012 retina MacBook Pro 15” and it was maxed out. Sure pricey at the time but got nearly 9 years out of it all through school/college and even work life. Gonna get me a 14” pro max silicon with 32gigs 2TB SSD. That’s the perfect fit for me.

[@glennframpton8756]

I have a mid 2012 15 inch, lasted so well, time for an upgrade

[@2012Zyle]

I’m so glad to see my 14 inch configuration to be validated. One thing to note is if you use the apple education discount, you get a discount no just on the base price, but also off of every upgrade you make to it

[@rodrigo4379]

My 2014 macbook pro 15 inch is still going strong everyday. I might sell this one and get a 16 inch maxed out. But I will miss this machine, it has been with me for a long time and we passed trought a lot together. Loved the video Luke!

[@xmodMAN76]

i went with the absolute base 14 inch; my M1 macbook air does nearly everything i need it to do. when manipulating big files in blender, it can use up to 30gb of memory swap and it gets a little slow if i have photoshop open at the same time. figured going from the 8gb ram to 16gb ram would be all i need. not to mention going from 7 gpu cores to 14 gpu cores too

[@zachtravers1]

I ended up getting the $2499(2299 with student discount) 14" with the 10/16 core M1Pro, 16GB, and 1TB. I think that was the sweet spot for me coming from my 2019 base 16". I found the 16" to be a little too big for me but I got it because it was more powerful than the 13". Now that the 14" can be specd to 16" levels I went down to the 14".

[@daviddandrea5139]

I went for 10/14, otherwise exact same scenario, education discount also applies to teachers :)

[@Tainoblazed]

I pretty much specked mine out exactly as you did. Makes me feel more comfortable doing so. I wanted to see it for myself

[@wfw1103]

Thank you, Luke. This is the best review for Macbook Pro buyers so far on KZbin!

[@laurencoll7015]

This was exactly what I was looking for thanks! I’m a new graphic design student and I needed a new computer ASAP but I wanted to it to last me a few years . I definitely want the 16” and I knew I was upgrading to 32 ram and I wasn’t sure if it was worth it to upgrade to the m1max and was really unsure so this video was super helpful . I’m wondering if upgrading to the 32 gpu m1 max would be a waste without the 64 ram? I’m not super tech savvy as I am still learning. I read online someone say it’s better to upgrade to 32 core gpu but since I’m only getting 32 ram wasn’t sure if that be a waste ?

[@King_K_Rool_]

I feel like the 14 will be super popular, i know alot of people who went for the 15s over the 13s back in the day simply for the quad cpus and dedicated graphics but longed for the portability. Now the 14 can be just as powerful people are gonna go mad for it!

[@arjugogoi932]

We will see. Apparently Dave 2D is theroising that the 16 inch is gonna be more powerful because it will have more power supply than the 14 inch. Also the maxed out 14 inch is gonna throttle compared to the maxed out 16 inch.

[@bibasik7]

@@arjugogoi932 I think that the only reason why the 16" has a bigger charger is because it needs have the same speed fast charging as the 14", but with a larger battery, which requires more wattage.

[@erickpadilla9826]

@@bibasik7 Yeah this very likely. 96 W is almost 70% of 140 W and the batteries are 70Wh and 100Wh respectively I think. This proportionality can’t be a coincidence

[@johnmknox]

Do you think people will need portability? Or will most people still be working from the same location? The world doesn't look like it is going to return to normal at the pace we would like. By the time it does we may be a few years down the line.

[@MrCaps-sq4bk]

@@johnmknox It depends on the type of occupation that you do, I guess if you work at a tech or corporate environment, then I think that the hybrid work environment is here to stay. I don't think that it's going to stay full-remote, but however; it is possible now to truly work anywhere at anytime. A business could just operate remotely, if they can. For the person that lives far from work or prefer to work from home, that's now more possible. A person could live in a area that he or she wants to live in, and could work without traveling to work on a day-to-day basis, avoid traffic and the cost of going to work. Regardless, it's a more flexible way to work, and for some, a preferred way. Personally, if you go to work on a daily basis, then a smaller size would be better, but then again, both would be considered portable, because of their weight, and while the 14in MacBook Pro is lighter, the 16in MacBook Pro is just as portable as well. The question is, do you more portability or do you more screen size? that's the question.

[@TheStringBreaker]

*Much needed! Solid vid!*

[@nicholaspetre1]

This is actually pretty good analysis of this tricky apple pricing. Thank you so much for being so pedantic and doing that for us. Really

[@subhra123100]

Hey Luke! Thanks for this video. I actually ordered your recommended 14'' macbook yesterday. But I really found myself wondering whether I should have gone for the extra $100 for the 16 core GPU. I almost cancelled my order today. But thank god for this video. Really appreciate it man! Keep making awesome content.

[@collinzheng7518]

SAME OMG. only thing different is I didn't do the 1tb since I dont really need it

[@zildog]

Good video. I really agonized over this (spent an hour on the phone with a sales rep in Tokyo) but stumped up for the 14" with 10/16, 32GB RAM and 1TB of storage. I also got 10% off for my educators discount which made the deal even sweeter! I figure that Memory =/> Speed > Storage, in that order so there was no logical reason to go to the M1M and with what I do on the daily, that configuration is MORE than enough to handle what I'm going to throw at it for the next few years at least. What he didn't bring up at all was the fact AC+ is crucial and I have it on ALL my devices - better to insure against shit happening and that's another $250 on top. As it was, my spec list (including the 96W charger) came in UNDER $3000 which was perfect as that was my max budget. It's not always about the money after all and Apple has absolutely homered this lineup out of the stadium. Cant wait to get mine in a couple of weeks!

[@martinogold]

That really helped, I am now 99% sure about what I'm going to order. Thanks fella 👍

[@ibrahimdodo623]

I needed this. Thanks Luke.🙏

[@mith6936]

can't wait to see benchmarks for thees new m1s

[@apexcapital1328]

14” 10/24 Max chip with 1T for me. Way overkill for what I need, but knowing I have the power if I ever need it is insurance.

[@TheMetalMag]

once again you are a good seller! I must admit you are fast brainer, just saw it yesterday and you already did the comparison to help us choose! well done.

[@johnbailey2933]

I enjoyed your video, I'm definitely upgrading my INTC MBP13 to a 14". The most confusing part to me is choosing one of the 5! SOC options. You choose the 10-14 option without much justification. How does one decide which of those options makes sense? I guess if you have to ask, you probably don't need the more complex SOCs? I'll probably go with the 8-14 SOC.

[@zyghom]

I shall stay with M1 13" for long time - there is not even 1 application that I suffer with. Even (surprisingly) 8GB of RAM is enough.

[@ashtonoakstand21]

I was so hyped for these new Macbook Pros, but now that they’ve been dropped I realize I don’t actually need that much power for my workload. I’m actually gonna “downgrade” to the M1 Air! But these new bois look pretty great for those who need more powerful machines. :)

[@haakenoefstaas5847]

Exactly what I have been thinking. For me the choice is between the Macbook pro (M1 pro) base model or the Macbook Air M1.

[@PJ-vz1pu]

But hey, the M1 air is probably going to drop in price, at least in the used/refurbished areas. And the original M1 is still a beast

[@DocNo27]

The M1 Air is an amazing machine. If I could have gotten more RAM I'd still be using it. I have realized that with the 16" MBP not only am I getting a new laptop to replace my 2015 Macbook Air, but a machine that will be able to replace my Mac Pro as well as Windows gaming machine. Now that's value (and convenience!).

[@jjchockey]

Ya I dont think people realize just how fast these new chips are. Go to the apple store and compare the $999 Air to a $3000 16” intel MacBook Pro and the Air is easily way quicker for most basic tasks. Not even close. I was shocked.

[@LennyTurner]

Loved your review Luke thank you :)

[@mehmetkizilaslan7123]

The very first 14” ideal configuration you showed is the best one I think

[@gigago2529]

Luke is gonna make tons of videos to compensate his MacBook buying expenses

[@LinuxDog]

LTT bought every single configuration xD

[@gigago2529]

@@LinuxDog they spend 20k if I’m not mistaken

[@officialjng1161]

@@LinuxDog so did Max Tech

[@nshusa99]

Bought the 14", maxed out processor, 32 GB ram, 1TB SSD, it was $3299

[@kevk4908]

God damn y'all rich in the comments. Recently bought the 2020 MacBook pro 13 inches, 16 GB ram, 1TB SSD. 🤔 thinking about trading it in for the new 14 inches, 16 GB, and 1TB SSD.

[@eduardgi7780]

@@kevk4908 Tbh at that point the price hike is probably not worth it..

[@alexmeek610]

@@kevk4908 return it or sell it second hand you will only get like 700 or so from Apple

[@amazoner0cks]

Why 14' not 16'? :)

[@nshusa99]

@@amazoner0cks personal preference but I have a 15” currently and it feels too big when I carry it around. I like the portability of the 14”. For the large screen I usually plug in a large external monitor when I’m at my desk. So don’t need the larger screen on my MacBook.

[@mistrplow]

yay. get to watch it again! Was watching it when you took it down yesterday. lol

[@PeterEller]

Nice! I ordered the same one you did! minutes after the keynote ended!! I am really looking forward to seeing those 32 GPU cores working with the new blender 3 coming out in December just in time for the arrival of the new mac. I also ordered a new LG 32UL950-W for a full one cable setup so I can finally retire by 2015 MagSafe MBP . I am also wondering if that new MagSafe cable will work if I plug it into the back of the new monitor or only with the charging block Cheers!

[@johnkilmerstone]

Please review the Macbook Pro 14" base model!

[@mikemuponda1781]

Bought a base 14" for my new business, if I want a specd out model I have to earn it through my business 🤷🏾‍♂️ 🤞🏿

[@ExpressionOfNothing]

I guess that the 16“ is thicker and has the bigger power brick, since it will have better cooling and higher power limits than the 14“. Also the jump in performance when going from M1 Pro to M1 Max on the 14“ is actually smaller when studying Apples performance comparison graphs that appear shortly before the end of the keynote.

[@alaskafishing]

My 17" was $2500 in Late 2011, been waiting to upgrade since 2015 but never liked the keyboard then touch bar, and being able to add an SSD and more Ram in my 2011, it was solid. But now 10 years later we have the Mac I've been waiting for 16" 32 core GPU 64GB Ram 2TB SSD, overkill for me but when you think 10 years it was a no-brainer.

[@AyoHues]

It’s going to be interesting to see if the lower capacity battery, smaller power brick, tighter chassis & smaller fans in the 14” affect the performance vs a similar chipset spec 16” and if Apple have lowered the TDP output to compensate. I went 16” -16 core GPU -16 GB as I can’t justify the cost/use case for the megatron 32 core, much as my ego really wanted to. 😜

[@quentindupont8208]

what is your use?

[@QuickSiR]

I thought about replacing my 2013 MBP but clearly, I can't afford these prices. Looks like a great product tho. 👍

[@sivabudh]

I also have 2014 MBPs.

[@Thai.H]

Damn I would think you would of saved up for it bro

[@QuickSiR]

@@Thai.H I can't bring myself to spend 4k on a laptop.

[@user-wd9jd6zc6h]

@@QuickSiR Anyone who don’t know what to do with those machines shouldn’t buy it,,, don’t fall for marketing of Apple.

[@Thai.H]

@@QuickSiR just drop it and keep it for 10 years

[@studystudygostudy4536]

I like your video, Your video clean and directly to the point. Nice job

[@Baronsamedi1804]

That was incredibly helpful.

[@jf_1337]

This is my first Mac ever. Went with the 16" with maxed out specs, mainly for coding, machine learning and Unity development. Let's see if Apple can convince me.

[@semlali06]

what unity game are u making ? is unreal and unity and blender optimised for M1 chips ?

[@ophrasbankaccount7716]

wyt 8 months later

[@jf_1337]

@@ophrasbankaccount7716 I've sent it back 1 week later. Impossible to work with for Coding. So many flaws in even their native applications (xcode had a ton of issues/bugs). Unity and Webstorm randomly crashed occasionally. When charging the whole case is slighlty vibrating, which makes it so uncomfortable to work on when travelling. After connecting it to my MSI ultrawide 34" I couldn't even change scaling of the monitor, since it doesn't support "Pro-Motion". There are a few Github Repos which solve that issue, but tbh. if I spent around 5k on a high end device, I want a flawless user experience, which by far, I did not get. The Power of the chip tho is absolutely amazing. They really nailed it here. Anyway, I went back to Windows/Linux and will probably never enter the Apple ecosystem anymore. I was really disappointed.

[@ophrasbankaccount7716]

@@jf_1337 damn, here i was getting it for my last year of computer science. Vibrating while charging might’ve been static charge.happens with my ipad as well. appreciate the quick reply sport.

[@iedutu77]

Interesting question for a follow-up video: Let's say I want a 14" only (not 16, not M1 13.3). I have a choice between the M1 Pro and the M1 Max. If money is no problem, which one will bring the best value? By value I mean -- battery life (1), performance (2), noise level (3). I am aware the MAX has a double memory bandwidth and a larger die, but how does that translate into real-world performance? Will the MAX drain the battery faster than the PRO, will the machine get hotter/noisier? I am very interested to see a video loop test on a M1PRO vs a M1MAX with the same specs otherwise, in a 14" chasis. My use-case: I use the machine mainly for dev (C++/PHP - both local and remote deployments), then for travel (train mainly but plane as well), some gaming (Civilization VI, StarCraft II level), some word processing and finally, watching HBO/Netflix/KZbin. I do not do any heavy video editing. photoshop, etc. I am aware a M1 would be enough, but I hate the TouchBar with a passion, plus I want ports.

[@mariokart260898]

I have similar use cases, and I went with the 14 inch 8/14 model. I believe it is the best value for the performance and display you’re getting. Additionally if you feel that an M1 would work well for you, this M1 Pro 8/14 would definitely be more than enough.

[@piratapro_4kFPV]

I just need to know if it can handle some sick video editing.! All these upgrades driving me crazy

[@loopba]

Ordered your exact 14 spec yesterday 👌

[@shirokuro73]

Great video! But now you have me rethinking my purchase aargh. I went 14", 10/16 Pro, 32GB, 1 TB for $2899. My reasoning was that while I would LOVE the extra graphics cores of the Max, I won't be doing heavy video editing, or, because it's a Mac, much gaming. If this were an Intel Mac and I'd be bootcamping Windows, I would absolutely have gone for the max graphics, for gaming. But now you have me thinking about that $200 or $400 upgrade to the 10/24 or 10/32 Max. I don't neeeeeeeed it, but as you pointed out, it's a good deal when I've already upgraded the RAM. As for why I upgraded the RAM - future proofing really. I don't see 16GB causing me any problems in the near future, but if I were to keep it for a few years, 32 could definitely come in handy. But aargh the Max..... What to do, what to do......

[@arnawis8]

Same

[@bigbob7021]

I bought 14" 24gpu/32gb ram/1tb ssd. pretty happy with the decision after watching this. I wanted 32gb ram and thought might as well upgrade the gpu to the max spec. Im hoping the laptop lasts me for next 5 years or so

[@VeggiesEatMyMeat]

The exact same specs I was thinking about going with mine. $3K is pretty damn pricey but I haven't upgraded since 2013 so I'm majorly overdue.

[@jeromedetroost]

Thx for thé vidéo ! You mean that with the base model we can only have one additional display ?

[@gamestricks5880]

Really appreciate your work and affort! I can't wait to find out with you if it really is the most powerful and power-efficient that ever walk on earth...

[@TheItssM]

i think the magic number for buying the new MacBook Pro’s are , 10 - 16 - 16 (CPU - GPU - RAM) … i think that will be enough for most consumers

[@kombe971]

It’s not for consumers it’s for professionals

[@DavidBarnettInfoSec_Guy]

One interesting thing to note, on the 16in models, there is a weight difference between the M1Pro and the M1 Max, which makes me believe there are bigger fans in the M1Max.

[@alexmeek610]

Or the heat pipes have been increased

[@Vikram-Agrawal]

ayy i feel so validated that’s the 16” config i ordered

[@RejeanDumouchel]

Thank you your video is very informative.

[@AJPark-xw7zr]

Finally waiting's over. I'm gotta buy base-line MacBook Pro 14-inch. It'll be definitely enough for Light Logic Pro X & Light Gaming.

[@Izeezus]

The base m1 air already performs logic so well for me, so you'll be good for sure with the base 14

[@subhra123100]

But do consider upgrading the CPU though! GPU shouldn't matter that much. But getting better performance should be on the cards since you will be getting this for atleast 4-5 years

[@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP519]

Feel like this would be overkill for those tasks

[@AJPark-xw7zr]

@@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP519 miniLED display is inevitable.

[@chivatech]

I’m going to wait until the reviewers start using these machines with real case scenarios. M1 Max is tempting but might be overkill.

[@rickturnquist6909]

I’d go for the same configuration you did. Haven’t talked myself into it yet 😎

[@Allwin360]

Great explanation and video.

[@sinatabanfar4253]

Thank you Luke for another great Video! Just wanna aks if you think any performace difference between Base 14" (8 core CPU / 14 core GPU) with (10 core CPU / 14 core GPU)? your opinion will help me alot!

[@zahrose]

Which did you go for?

[@jamesnavarro9442]

My biggest personal dilemma was deciding between 16/32gb of RAM. My 2013 11" Air has 4gb so either way will be a huge upgrade, I think 16gb will suffice.

[@loughrey101]

16gb is more than enough

[@terriblet9810]

I'm buying the same 16" as you are Luke. It's sitting in my cart and I've been staring at it, I haven't spent this much on a single computer since about 1992!

[@RewardThe]

Great advice about getting the 24 core Max. Thanks

[@user-td9jw4eh5s]

I'm gonna keep it for 5+ years, so I'll take 16'' Max with 64GB and 1TB

[@ThatStella7922]

6:50 they’re GIGABYTES per second not megabytes

[@ilgaralizada7206]

Thank you very much for this video Luke ! What kind of configuration do you suggest for Xcode IOS development?

[@paulborneo7535]

Great guide! Thanks.

[@JNPhotography]

Ordered the 24 gpu 16 32GB 1TB. Feel like it’s a good middle ground. Late November delivery is killing me though

[@calebshort6924]

hello my friend -- I chose exactly the same configuration, puts me at some ease hearing someone else do the same. From what I understand, what's important here for peak performance is getting the max chip over the pro chip -- to choose 32 gpu or 64gb ram is really just to upgrade multitasking, which is not near as important to me as just ensureing peak performance for focused use of high power creative apps -- so I think we chose wisely, speccing out the peak performance all the way, and saving money on what will probably only really be noticeable with intense multitasking

[@Mmachine88]

I ordered the same specs! Middle tear boyssss

[@JNPhotography]

@@Mmachine88 Sensible af bro

[@levihambrick]

Apple literally gave us everything we wanted with these new MacBooks and M1 chips, and I am SO EXCITED.

[@jjchockey]

EXCEPTTTT. That fucking notch. This laptop was sooooo close to perfect until I saw the frickennn notchhhh. WHY!!! I have never once looked at my iPad and thought ooo I wish I had slimmer bezels. I would much rather have 2mm bigger bezels than a fucking black chunk of my screen missing screaming in my face.

[@DocNo27]

@@jjchockey I felt the same - until you notice in Apple's pictures the notch disappears into the menu bar in dark mode, and it's above full screen 16:9 video. I suppose if you don't like dark mode it would be doubly insulting. Luckily I prefer dark mode so I probably won't even notice it, especially on the 16" If it was present in 16:9 full screen video I'd be right there with you; thankfully it's not.

[@shayach7983]

@@jjchockey That notch just flat out pissed me off. Wtf was apple thinking ALMOST enough to make me refrain from purchasing. Absolutely outrageous lol

[@christfollower8902]

Thanks for another good one. Those recommendations you made toward the end of the video 11:53 - 13:11 , what type of users did you have in mind? Video editors (e.g. 4k/8k raw)? or just general users?

[@MoisesBowe]

Luuuke! Thank for the video! I almost choosing the same as you, but instead of 64ram I am going with 2tb ssd as 7.4gb/s is faster that any other external ssd(? I am doing right?

[@HiFiInsider]

I hope Mac mini Pro will come in a press release next month.

[@NatGreenOnline]

me too

[@thatonerandomginger]

I ordered the 16” 32 core processor with 32gbs of unified memory and 1tb of storage. Im tempted to cancel and go with the 64gbs of memory to be fully maxed out but 32 already seems way overkill for my needs. I’m coming from a 2017 i5 iMac so this things gonna be mind blowing for me 😂

[@miirzyah]

Thats solid bro i grabbed the same specs! 16" m1 max 32/32 1tb. I normally use external so im good on storage plus cloud. & if 16GB of m1 ram was already killing it, 32gb id say is a safe bet for me as well, 64 for my use would be overkill! u nvr wanna invest in something u wont use

[@DanielGuzman83]

Do it!! Spoil yourself. You’re spending a lot anyways, might as well go all out

[@Tainoblazed]

I had the exact same setup and canceled and got the 64gb ram. I figured why not it’s already expensive. Might as well go all out instead of regretting because I can never upgrade the ram. The extra is about 340.

[@miirzyah]

@@Tainoblazed lol, i thought about it as well, $400 to the $5000 is truly not a big deal since the m1 max is already damn expensive and if ive cashed out that much, its a small price to pay for the full ram capacity, but it comes down to the workflow i have, and there would be no way i could use the full 64gb of ram! thats one side of the coin, the other is im getting mine oct 26, and i really dont want to wait till dec just for a ram upgrade i dont need lol! hope u enjoy ur mbp! ✌️

[@christianjohnson3205]

Coming from a 2017 I7 and I’m so nervous about not being able to upgrade the ram later so I’m going with 64Gbs and the 32 core gpu. I also only delete the the 500Gb ssd because I use external hard drives for security reasons. Hopefully now I can start considering gaming : D

[@minhasp1]

Thank you for the good information. I ordered 16 inches M1Max pro .

[@TheTallMan67]

great analysis, thanks

[@wajdiballout]

As a programmer who likes to edit some photoshop photos every now and then, I’m gonna get the 10-14 and 16 gb ram version of the 14 inch

[@dennisp8520]

The ram was the area that I was most concerned with but just ended up opting for the 16gb version and calling it a day

[@asdbef3667]

Dont get it..you will regret it

[@wajdiballout]

@@asdbef3667 okay

[@Paatriick32]

Why didnt you get for the 32gb ? I am also a programmer (still in uni) and I am thinking about getting the 32gb but apple charges so much for a update

[@asdbef3667]

@@Paatriick32 thats why i say..you regret buying their stuff They are greedy as hell

[@chomym]

At relatively equal prices - do you think it makes more sense to get the 8 core CPU / 14 core GPU with 32 GB RAM or to get the “full” M1 Pro with 16 GB?

[@DocNo27]

Depends. If you have applications or use cases that require 32 GB of RAM today, then DO NOT skimp on the RAM. Yes Apple SOC has some efficiencies with RAM compared to Intel, but they aren't earth shattering - and far from the "half" that a lot of people love to claim. I returned my M1 Macbook Air since I discovered the whole RAM doubling thing was a myth. I'm glad I waited; these machines look like they are going to be amazing!

[@chomym]

@@DocNo27 Thanks! I went for the base model CPU/GPU with 1 TB storage and 32 GB RAM. I can’t think of anything I do that would use this much RAM now - but I’m hoping to keep this laptop for a while. My thinking was in the future I’d rather have tasks run 20% slower due to a slightly less powerful chip than have crashes due to insufficient RAM.

[@carmenjohnson849]

I woke up early and purchased the mid-level Macbook Pr 16 inch with the M1 Pro chip. I then went to work as a teacher and thought about how much more I use my MB pro for teaching. I had no idea 3 years ago that I would be maxing my Mac book Pro while teaching. I am so glad i purchased high end back then. I canceled that order and purchased the Macbook Pro with Max chip 16 inches.

[@MuddyDuck...]

Not sure how this upload differs from your other ‘2nd part’ upload last night. Nevertheless it serves as another helpful recap of the myriad of SoC / VFM MBP options. 🤪 Am waiting to watch your real world comparison reviews before pulling the trigger, but am currently leaning towards the base 14” upgraded to 10 cores/1TB - as you recommended 👍

[@midhunb2710]

its funny how the maxed out 14 inch and the maxed out 16 inch only differ by like $200 the extra screen real estate and better battery life is definitely worth the $200 over the 14 inch

[@jjchockey]

Really depends what you value more. Screen size or portability. I’m probably going with the 14” for less weight and easier portability. The $200 difference does make it a very hard decision though.

[@crossroads670]

Yes it annoys me. But the 16 is too big for me. I travel a lot.

[@sebastiandalton3981]

If you get the 32Gb or 64Gb skew, you could emulate Windows really well.

[@Natzawa]

I’d like to see that. Especially emulating to play games on it. Just to see if it can play games like higher end PCs.

[@tonyburzio4107]

Except the Mac still doesn't run the viruses and ransomware that businesses need for their daily operations.

[@DocNo27]

@@Natzawa If I hadn't tried to run games on my M1 Macbook Air I'd probably still be using it. I was astonished at how many games I could get running very well under Crossover (a commercial version of WINE - well worth it!) or the ARM Windows 10 beta under Parallels. If it was for my mod/asset addiction in Cities:Skylines requiring more than 16GB of RAM I'd still be on the Macbook Air. These chips should leave the M1 in the dust. I'm not much into twitchy shooters so maybe this thing won't be so hot for those, but for AARPGs like Diablo or Grim Dawn, simulations like Cities:Skylines, Civilization 6, Stellaris, etc. it was mind boggling how well they ran on the now "mere" M1. The only problem I ran into was with Dyson Sphere program - it uses a shader the Apple GPU doesn't support so I could see the GUI and the menus, but not the gameplay area. I think I saw something where Crossover had a new version with fix for that but haven't had time to check. Guess I'll find out soon enough. I'm pretty confident I'll be able to retire my Windows gaming desktop with this beast. It would be nice!

[@emersoncastro593]

For anyone interested in the “portability” differences between the 14” vs 16”. According to Apple’s own Tech Spec page: weight difference is 1.3 lbs. width difference is 1.7 inches. depth difference is 1.06 inches. height difference is 0.05 inches. As you can see the size and weight differences are minuscule. Both machines are very ultra portable. It just comes down to your own personal preference, and how deep your pockets are. 😳😅😎

[@JohnThomas-vd8zg]

I ordered a 16 inch 10/16/16/1. I couldn't pull the trigger on going over 3k. I'm upgrading from a 2019 15 i9/16/512 so it going to be a step up.

[@JDFloyd]

I have listen to / seen several KZbinrs talk about the battery life going down on the 14" vs. 13" models. To me, in addition to all the CPU/GPU/RAM options with the 14" & 16" models, Apple is finally lining up uses cases. If battery life, and really good performance in daily tasks+ are your need, then the MBA is your choice. If performance is your choice, then you sacrifice a few hours of battery life. Besides, if you are a power user, you most likely are connected to a dock or battery anyway. Now that the 14" & 16" are the same related to system items, it is simply down to what size screen you want. All the remaining talk is simply that - Talk, for click bait purposes.

[@k.skowronski175]

It all depends on the heat!!! Can the 14" handle the M1max with full GPU and full memory?

[@ExpressionOfNothing]

According to Apples own graphics performance comparison graphs shortly before the end of the keynote, no.

[@jjchockey]

Considering they are only running 55 watts and they have a new cooling system I don’t think their will be any problems.

[@Skywalker8510]

it obviously won't be as good as the 16' but I don't think it will be too much of a hit on performance especially because of the direction apple is going with giving both of them the same apgrades.

[@Kenbark42]

@@jjchockey The M1 MAX is actually using the same amount of wattage draw as the outgoing 16" i9 and big boy dGPU. Apple pushed this thing to its thermal limits on the 16" with the m1 MAX (thank god). The 14" will certainly throttle under sustained loads with this chip. Thats what you get when you trade cooling performance for portability. It should be a surprise to no one when these are pushed and the 14" throttles with the M1 MAX. It should be just fine with the M1 PRO

[@alexmeek610]

@@Kenbark42 the wattage draw with the 2019 MacBook books wasn't the problem it was the fact intels cpus were and still are basically furnaces do to a failure to move to better architecture and relaying on increasing core counts and clock speed to push performance the m1 pro and max should be fine in both thermal envelope the amd gpus in the MacBooks didn't have a heat issue it was the cpu

[@captainlennyjapan27]

Luke, what would you recommend for developers? I was thinking about going 32gb ram since I usually use around 16gb ish ram. I don’t do gpu intensive task that often hut would Max be still worth it?