16" M2 Max 12/38 64GB 2TB vs 16" M3 Pro 12/18 36GB 1TB

[beace]

Hi, I'm looking to buy my first MacBook and I'm not sure what is the best option for me and my requirements.

I'd like it to last a long time, and I would be learning programming and coding on it, no photo/video editing or gaming.

My main concern is the fans turning on, I live in a dusty environment with cats and I want the fans turning on as little as possible because of this.

I know the M3 Pro has more effeciency cores so it might be better at this but I'm unsure. Can I just safely turn the fans off using a program with no ill effects?

16" M2 Max MBP with 64GB RAM and 2TB SSD - £3399

16" M3 Pro MBP with 36GB RAM and 1TB SSD - £2679 (or £3329 for 2TB)

I know it's overkill for my needs but I honestly don't mind spending the extra money for a laptop that will last me to the end of the decade.

If anyone could weigh up the pros and cons for me and recommend one to me I would appreciate it!

 

[chrfr]

They'll only run the fans when actually needed; most of the time the fans are off altogether, and you need them to run when the computer is actually hot.

 

[profcutter]

For the use case you describe, any of the above are truly overkill. You could really get the base model of any MacBook Pro. As for storage, I mean I use over 1TB of storage, so I’m locked into BTO models. If you aren’t using more than 1 TB of storage, why not just get a basic model? You can always add external storage if you need it. Large internal storage is largely for folks like me who are commuting long distances and need all the data at hand all the time, or if you’re doing field recording or editing and need portable massive storage for video.

 

[picpicmac]

I shared this video in some other threads, but it applies here:

Art has done many comparisons of these M3 machines, found in several of his videos.

The 12/18 version of the M3Pro seems to be a good compromise of performance and price, though as Art points out (I linked the time in the video to the discussion) that the base M3Pro (11/14) is even a better bargain.

And as he also points out, you can always add an external SSD to save money, and if you hold your machine for a long time you're likely to use external SSDs anyway.

 

[Basic75]

For the use case you describe, any of the above are truly overkill. You could really get the base model of any MacBook Pro.

I mostly agree, I'd just get more than 8GB of RAM.

 

[profcutter]

I mostly agree, I'd just get more than 8GB of RAM.

Agreed. But I think some of the pro models come with 16, no?

 

[Basic75]

Agreed. But I think some of the pro models come with 16, no?

Yes. It's just the 14" MacBook Pro with M3 processor that comes with 8GB as base, but it can be configured to 16GB or 24GB. The M3 Pro and M3 Max chips start with 18GB and 36GB, respectively.

 

[profcutter]

Yes. It's just the 14" MacBook Pro with M3 processor that comes with 8GB as base, but it can be configured to 16GB or 24GB. The M3 Pro and M3 Max chips start with 18GB and 36GB, respectively.

Right so in this case, a base model 16” pro would do the trick.