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I am glad I selected M1Pro 16''instead of M1MAX 16''

M

Micka88

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 25, 2019
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Since I was afraid that the more powerful processor/GPU will be more noisy etc. I better selected M1Pro. But still kept doubting if it was a right choice and Max maybe better and faster ? Well, now I am glad that I selected Pro. Finally perfect comparison came and Max is really a bit more noisy and has less battery life. And I will gladly wait few minutes more for the video rendering :)


Still waiting for it (Max is here - my son has it)
 
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The Max is like a cheetah - fast but runs out of juice quicker than the Pro.
The Pro is like an endurance runner - slower than the Max but lasts longer.

At the far end of the spectrum, you are paying a premium for diminishing returns. I think most people who choose the Max are aware of this.

The question I ask myself is, if someone were to give one to me for free and asks me to choose between the Pro and the Max, which one would I choose? Taking money out of the equation, I think the answer to that question will clarify your priority in a laptop.

For me, I would choose the Max and optimize for speed. It has 1-2 hours of less battery life, but there are ways to mitigate it to get more out of it if an outlet is not nearby.
 
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adamk77 said:
I think most people people who choose the Max are aware of this.
Click to expand...
Yup. No matter what type of "magic" apple claims on these chips, more power = less power.

If I'm watching a movie, it's plugged in.

My macbook is connected to my dual monitor setup 100% of the time unless I'm mobile. Absolute workstation.

I'll choose M1 Max every single time.
 
More noisy?

I haven't heard the fans once on my M1 Max 16", even under heavy load you have to very much put your ear to the machine to hear anything.

No complaints about battery life either... Getting 17+ hours here. I don't think many people need to use a computer that long without the ability to charge.
 
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pi=e=3 said:
More noisy?

I haven't heard the fans once on my M1 Max 16", even under heavy load you have to very much put your ear to the machine to hear anything.

No complaints about battery life either... Getting 17+ hours here. I don't think many people need to use a computer that long without the ability to charge.
Click to expand...
True, we also have not heard fans much on M1 Max, except when exporting heavy video from DaVinci. And even that was maybe 1/3 of intensity of the previous MacBook i9 hair dryer roaring.
 
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So the conclusion of our intrepid YouTuber, is that the more powerful chip, when worked hard, is faster but uses more power and therefore hotter with the fans on?
Well, blow me down, who’d ever have predicted that?

Why are people obsessed with such tiny differences? They’re all ridiculously powerful machines. There’s no such thing as perfection in the world, so buy your best fit and just enjoy doing whatever you do on it. And when you’ve done that, maybe get outside more and worry about the bigger things ?
 
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I have the 16core 1TB Pro version and my biggest issue is more tied to the 16gb or ram vs 32gb I would be getting with the Max Chip. My RAM is always hovering at 13 of 16gb available memory - never experienced any slowdowns but it just bothers me it's always close to full.

My ideal computer would be the 16" M1 Pro w/ 32GB ram. Too bad Apple doesn't stock that configuration in stores.
 
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agent mac said:
So the conclusion of our intrepid YouTuber, is that the more powerful chip, when worked hard, is faster but uses more power and therefore hotter with the fans on?
Well, blow me down, who’d ever have predicted that?

Why are people obsessed with such tiny differences? They’re all ridiculously powerful machines. There’s no such thing as perfection in the world, so buy your best fit and just enjoy doing whatever you do on it. And when you’ve done that, maybe get outside more and worry about the bigger things ?
Click to expand...
Nobody is obsessed by anything ;) Just selecting the (expensive) toy which suits the best his usual needs :)
 
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Honestly, at this point whichever I can get my hands on first is what I want.

I've been searching for either the Pro the Max with 32GB minimum and the fastest I can get it is in December.
 
Micka88 said:
Since I was afraid that the more powerful processor/GPU will be more noisy etc. I better selected M1Pro. But still kept doubting if it was a right choice and Max maybe better and faster ? Well, now I am glad that I selected Pro. Finally perfect comparison came and Max is really a bit more noisy and has less battery life. And I will gladly wait few minutes more for the video rendering :)


Still waiting for it (Max is here - my son has it)
Click to expand...
This is a classic example of a response to cognitive dissonance. You are not sure if you made the right choice and you are seeking external confirmation. Well, you found it. Just like any other purchase, it's a very personal decision based on your exact use and expectations.
 
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pi=e=3 said:
More noisy?

I haven't heard the fans once on my M1 Max 16", even under heavy load you have to very much put your ear to the machine to hear anything.

No complaints about battery life either... Getting 17+ hours here. I don't think many people need to use a computer that long without the ability to charge.
Click to expand...
32gb base or 64gb?
 
That video isn't a good comparison of battery life, since the Max is doing more work. More carefully conceived and executed tests have shown no significant difference or a 15% difference in favor of the M1 Pro, for both light and heavy use.

The Max is only more noisy when doing more than the M1 Pro can do, or when there's thermal throttling, which is very hard to induce.
 
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jshcy said:
This is a classic example of a response to cognitive dissonance. You are not sure if you made the right choice and you are seeking external confirmation. Well, you found it. Just like any other purchase, it's a very personal decision based on your exact use and expectations.
Click to expand...
Well, from the cognitive point of view, there may be also a relative consonance that is however dependent on the partial discrimination of various contradictions that could have a negative meaning unless they are perceived as positive within the highly relativistic angles of recognition.

Or - ok, finally someone made a detailed comparison of these two that was interesting to watch ;)
 
Sanpete said:
That video isn't a good comparison of battery life, since the Max is doing more work. More carefully conceived and executed tests have shown no significant difference or a 15% difference in favor of the M1 Pro, for both light and heavy use.

The Max is only more noisy when doing more than the M1 Pro can do, or when there's thermal throttling, which is very hard to induce.
Click to expand...
I would say 15% is significant. Perhaps 4% would not be. Akin to p values.
 
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