I am considering upgrading an M2 Pro to M4 Pro for the following reason.

[Moriske]

I am considering upgrading an M2 Pro to M4 Pro for the following reason.

- Faster export of Sony RAW images and Apple ProRAW (Batch processing).
- Faster export of 4K videos
- Pixelmator Pro (GPU accelerated)
- Manage different open browser tabs
- Different programs (multitasking) open.
- 2nd 5K screen
- Usb-C ports in front
- Smaller MM and would fit perfectly/better under the monitor

Two questions.
1) Is a 512Gb SSD in the M4 Pro as fast as a 1TB SSD of the M2 Pro. If it is as fast, to keep the price down, I could settle for an external SSD.
2) My M2 Pro is equipped with 32GB of memory, is 24GB sufficient is for the needs below?

I mainly work with compressed raw's (+/-25MB) from a Sony A7III and in iMovie with 4K video footage.
As a photo editing program I would like to buy Pixelmator Pro later.
Also some panorama or HDR editing, which unfortunately is not possible in Photomator, and convert movies to mkv, word processing, spreadsheets, YouTube and safari.

New configuration
- M4 Pro
- Memory is 24GB sufficient?
- SSD 256GB or 1TB
- 10GBE for Nas

My current configuration
- M2 Pro
- Memory 32GB
- SSD 1TB
- 10GBE for Nas

 

[FreakinEurekan]

The only of your justifications that approaches a "Reason" to upgrade is the 2nd 5K display. Is that a requirement? If so, go for it.

Some of the other justifications include multi-tasking and multiple browser tabs. If this isn't working as well as you'd like with M2 Pro 32GB, I would not suggest M4 Pro 24GB. How is your memory pressure & swap during those tasks? If any yellow/red or swap, you might want to look at 48GB or 64GB RAM. If all green you might be fine at 24GB but I would not expect dramatically better performance.

I'm a bit confused by this question:

Is a 512Gb SSD in the M4 Pro as fast as a 1TB SSD of the M2 Pro. If it is as fast, to keep the price down, I could settle for an external SSD.

So... if the 512GB is as fast as your old 1TB, you'll settle for something slower... but if it's slower, you want something faster?? 🤔

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I'm mostly with #2 here. Your M2 Mac should be great until towards about year 7 or so. Upgrade to about an M8 or M9 Mac then.

Apple would love to get everyone buying & re-buying Macs like we buy iPhones but Mac is "a truck" and "a truck" should be good for more than 2 generations of truck engine. To quote CSN&Y, "Love the one you're with."

 

[Fishrrman]

Go from 1tb SSD down to 512gb?
Go from 32gb of RAM down to 24gb?

My prediction:
Do this, and you ARE NOT going to be happy with the results.

If you're going to get an m4pro, get 48gb of RAM and a 1tb SSD.
Costs more, yes.
But anything less probably will NOT "feel like an upgrade"...

 

[ubercool]

How is your memory pressure & swap during those tasks? If any yellow/red or swap, you might want to look at 48GB or 64GB RAM. If all green you might be fine at 24GB but I would not expect dramatically better performance.

Can you tell us how you monitor that? 🤔

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Can you tell us how you monitor that? 🤔

Activity Monitor

 

[Moriske]

Some of the other justifications include multi-tasking and multiple browser tabs. If this isn't working as well as you'd like with M2 Pro 32GB, I would not suggest M4 Pro 24GB. How is your memory pressure & swap during those tasks? If any yellow/red or swap, you might want to look at 48GB or 64GB RAM. If all green you might be fine at 24GB but I would not expect dramatically better performance.

I'm a bit confused by this question:

So... if the 512GB is as fast as your old 1TB, you'll settle for something slower... but if it's slower, you want something faster?? 🤔

Multitasking on the M2 Pro is still without any problems. In activity monitor always indicates green without any swap last weeks. Too bad Apple hadn't launched the M4 Pro Mac mini earlier, then I'd be more future confident.

Go from 1tb SSD down to 512gb?
Go from 32gb of RAM down to 24gb?

My prediction:
Do this, and you ARE NOT going to be happy with the results.

If you're going to get an m4pro, get 48gb of RAM and a 1tb SSD.
Costs more, yes.
But anything less probably will NOT "feel like an upgrade"...

If I have to choose between 24 or 48GB memory, I think it would be wisest to go for 48GB against. ,SSD 512GB I can expand externally afterwards, right?

 

[photogeekbg]

Hi. If it's any help I've edited those same Sony 24 MP files in Lightroom Classic on my M3 Pro 18GB for the past year. They're not heavy like 61+ MP files. I do heavy edits with AI Masks and Denoise and the memory pressure stays mostly green. Adobe optimized the program in the past year and lowered its RAM usage significantly. That said, I think 24GB is good headroom for LrC with those files. But that doesn't account for multitasking.

You mentioned you do panorama merges. Those will definitely be a little slower with 24GB compared to 32GB. So I would think about how often you do those.

I think 48GB will be fantastic if for example you want to use dual monitors with LrC on one monitor and Photoshop (or Pixelmator) on the other. I think it's generally a good idea if you want to multitask across two monitors. For just one monitor I think 24GB would be just fine. For dual monitors I would stay with your system with 32GB or think about going to the M4 Pro with 48GB.

Keep in mind that for LrC, M2 Pro performs much better in a Mac mini than a MBP. M4 Pro is better but M2 Pro should already be very good.

 

[marstan]

Don't step down in ram unless your workload decreases.

Don't worry about internal speeds of ssd; external drives are available almost as fast as the internal ssd if you need to go external.

I think you will get more fan noise with the M4 Pro vs M2 Pro because of the smaller form factor of the new mini chassis.

Wait for the M4 Studio unless there is something you can't get done in a reasonable amount of time now.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Multitasking on the M2 Pro is still without any problems. In activity monitor always indicates green without any swap last weeks.

So.... why change? Why spend the money for M4 Pro when M2 Pro is doing the job? Just for the 2nd 5K display? Your M2 Pro will already handle two 5K displays via Thunderbolt, which is how all the 5K displays I've used (Apple Studio Display, LG UltraFine) work anyway. Unless you need THREE 5K displays, you should be fine with the M2 Pro.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I am considering upgrading an M2 Pro to M4 Pro for the following reason.

- Faster export of Sony RAW images and Apple ProRAW (Batch processing).
- Faster export of 4K videos
- Pixelmator Pro (GPU accelerated)
- Manage different open browser tabs
- Different programs (multitasking) open.
- 2nd 5K screen
- Usb-C ports in front
- Smaller MM and would fit perfectly/better under the monitor

Two questions.
1) Is a 512Gb SSD in the M4 Pro as fast as a 1TB SSD of the M2 Pro. If it is as fast, to keep the price down, I could settle for an external SSD.
2) My M2 Pro is equipped with 32GB of memory, is 24GB sufficient is for the needs below?

I mainly work with compressed raw's (+/-25MB) from a Sony A7III and in iMovie with 4K video footage.
As a photo editing program I would like to buy Pixelmator Pro later.
Also some panorama or HDR editing, which unfortunately is not possible in Photomator, and convert movies to mkv, word processing, spreadsheets, YouTube and safari.

New configuration
- M4 Pro
- Memory is 24GB sufficient?
- SSD 256GB or 1TB
- 10GBE for Nas

My current configuration
- M2 Pro
- Memory 32GB
- SSD 1TB
- 10GBE for Nas

Dealing with images no way you should downgrade to lesser RAM. RAM usage by apps and OS increases every year. IMO 64 GB RAM is a minimum build for any new box with that intended workflow. Wait to see when/if an M4 Studio presents.

Not that less RAM will not "work," because the Mac OS will make anything work. But because we buy computers to compute with, and RAM is a great way to compute [especially images work]. Intentionally building a sub-optimal box would be just dumb.

 

[throAU]

Are you spending time waiting for your current machine a lot?

If not, maybe wait until m5 generation - or at least the studio with m4 max.

I personally don't think the jump from m2 generation to m4 is quite big enough just yet.

 

[ubercool]

Activity Monitor

Thanks so much, I should have known that. But Memory Pressure is new, and mine is green. 🥳

 

[Moriske]

To all,
Thanks for the great advice, tips and providing good insight for upgrade.
Since the M2 Pro was quite an investment, I am skipping an upgrade to M4 Pro. I'll see what the future holds after that.

 

[photogeekbg]

You're welcome, OP. My advice is to stay with your system and look at adding the second display instead. Monitor how your system does with it and that'll give you a better idea for what to upgrade in your next system. I assume your existing system will handle it well 👍

If you really want USB-C ports on the front you can look at adding a nice hub.

 

[colinsky]

I was worried about stepping down in RAM when I switched from a 24GB Late 2015 iMac to a 16/512 M1 Mini. The M1 was fabulous but it got bogged down when I had real work to do. I bought it with the intent of trading it in as soon as the M2 Pro became available with 32GB. I've had the M2 Pro for eighteen months now and it is even more fabulous and doesn't ever bog down.