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14-Inch vs. 16-Inch MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide 2024

fenderbass146 said:
I made the jump to a 14" and am thrilled with it, best laptop I've owned. WindowsARM via Parallels has been fantastic. I've only run into one thing giving me issues and that was some goofy powershell addon
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Very interesting. You’re way ahead of me with your testing WoA. My main need for Windows is to run VisualStudio. I’ve been searching about for other users who have tried this but so far haven’t found much feedback. It’s getting to the point where I need to get my hands on an M2 and just give it a go.

I might dip my toe with an M2 MacMini. But ultimately I do need to be mobile with an AS laptop.
 
not sure if mentioned in this thread but the first post is wrong on the mbp pro 14 m2 max specs... it says it and the 16 max have 38-core cpu, but apple's info says the 14 has 30-core and the 16 has 38, so another difference, but the 14 max is still one impressive beast.
 
donster28 said:
The base 14" is all you need folks! Don't get into the hype and buy the most expensive configuration because next year there'll be a better one! That's how I justify my base 14" purchase hahahaha....
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Please don't tell us what we need. Next year will be a better one, what kind of twisted logic is that? So I have to spent entire year with inferior power just because there will be better next year? So what? If it will be that much better I will get the new one next year, but I need all the power this year also..

I'm switching from M1 Pro to M3 Max. I couldn't justify switch to M2 Max, but M3 Max is way too awesome to skip.
 
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Great comparison! The weigh and size of the 16" in very important to note. While the 2019 was super thin, the M series design is very thick and is more like the PowerBook, it's huge. But personally I want a computer that's basically a desktop, but that I can take with me from time to time, and the 16" is perfect for that.

I wonder if 18 GB is enough for color grading. I've had a 32 GB i9 for 4 years now, and it's been good, but I have no idea if I really needed the 32 GB, or if I would have been fine with 16. 36 GB just seems like an enormous amount of RAM, not sure if it's worth the ultra high price.
 
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mcilwraith said:
damn. im not sure which way to go. I have used 15" MBPs for about 20 years. was kind of waiting for the 16" but its very expensive. would I be happy with a 14"? its strictly a stay at home machine, so I dont need portability. and my eyes are going (age), I like the big screen, but cant use an external. 14" or 16"?? Hmmmm.
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16" M1.
 
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donster28 said:
The base 14" is all you need folks! Don't get into the hype and buy the most expensive configuration because next year there'll be a better one! That's how I justify my base 14" purchase hahahaha....
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Correct. Unless you want a bigger screen! Or.... Space Black :D
 
Why has this thread changed from a discussion about a previous article to one comparing the newly announced M3 MBPs? I'm seeing tons of comments from October 19, 2021, some from 2022/early 2023 then BAM!, the rest are from today (Fri, Nov 3, 2023).

Do they recycle old threads for new articles?
 
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14" MacBook Pro with M3 is a good MacBook. 16" is good but is much heavier.
 
you should wait for this until everything is released to the public for a more elaborate comparation
Because im expecting that M3 Max from 14" to run differently compared to the 16"
 
8 Gigs of RAM in 2023 in a 1850,- Euro Laptop. Yikes. At least Apple is sticking to their MO of showing you their middle finger somewhere.

Cheapest model with more RAM is only 550,- Euro more expensive. Bargain giving today's RAM prices - not.
 
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crsh1976 said:
I'm very happy they made all CPU/GPU options available on the 14-inch model, rather than having to get the bigger and more expensive model to get the fastest processor available.
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Exactly - that is why I got a 14 inch … surprised however about this „high“ power mode - strange that this is not available on the 14 inch
 
donster28 said:
The base 14" is all you need folks! Don't get into the hype and buy the most expensive configuration because next year there'll be a better one! That's how I justify my base 14" purchase hahahaha....
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Better yet, don't get sucked into the M3 hype and take advantage of the many deals on a real "Pro chip" Macbook and get an M1 Pro for hundreds less than the crippled base M3 "fake Pro" model.
 
joecomo said:
Exactly - that is why I got a 14 inch … surprised however about this „high“ power mode - strange that this is not available on the 14 inch
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Back when the M1 Pro came out, there were some very extensive video reviews done on the cooling systems in the 14" vs. the 16". They are not equal. It was found the cooling system in the 16" was superior (mostly due to the fact the heatsinks are larger I suppose), finding that extreme workloads had the fans in the 14" on high RPMs yet same workloads on 16" had fans either OFF or on lower RPMs. I would guess high power mode causes more heat and since the 16" handles it better, it's only on the 16" version.
 
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dmylrea said:
Back when the M1 Pro came out, there were some very extensive video reviews done on the cooling systems in the 14" vs. the 16". They are not equal. It was found the cooling system in the 16" was superior (mostly due to the fact the heatsinks are larger I suppose), finding that extreme workloads had the fans in the 14" on high RPMs yet same workloads on 16" had fans either OFF or on lower RPMs. I would guess high power mode causes more heat and since the 16" handles it better, it's only on the 16" version.
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I understand why, but it's still kinda sad because the 14" size is much better.
 
PowerMac5500 said:
Weight was never a concern when this machine was conceptualized. At some point, I bet someone on the design team said "Let's make it heavier." The reason I say this are those impressive feet.
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Now I wonder how lighter will it become if we remove the feet
 
sw1tcher said:
These chips are for Apple's "Pro" machines. Apple is not targeting the Pro user with the Mac mini.

That said, I'd love to see a M1 Pro in the Mac mini as well.
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… but not targeting the pro user with the 24” iMac either but put in an M3 regardless. I have an M1 mini too. The reason for not including in the scary fast M3 series update is probably … maybe … because an $$ M3 Max mini would be just as fast as an $$$$ M2 Mac Studio Ultra.
 
dmylrea said:
Back when the M1 Pro came out, there were some very extensive video reviews done on the cooling systems in the 14" vs. the 16". They are not equal. It was found the cooling system in the 16" was superior (mostly due to the fact the heatsinks are larger I suppose), finding that extreme workloads had the fans in the 14" on high RPMs yet same workloads on 16" had fans either OFF or on lower RPMs. I would guess high power mode causes more heat and since the 16" handles it better, it's only on the 16" version.
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could be the case - but in the earlier models the 14 inch didn’t even get the max, so the difference in cooling efficiency might be less in the current models
 
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