Least MacBook Pro 16" for 4k editing?

[WortPirat]

Hi Forum!

I'm currently on a Mid2014 MacBook Pro 2.6 GHz i5 with 16GB Memory and 128GB SSD.
Yep that's how often I upgrade ^^
Usually I'm just doing office stuffs/browsing and some Photoshop.
Thus this is still more than enough.
But I bought a drone and now need to do at least some minimal editing.
That machine can't even play the videos, ouch. (4k, 10bit, 60fps)
I can use DaVinci resolve, but boy it's a pain...

So I consider buying the M* processor iteration and I'd like to upgrade to 16" (don't want anything stationary).
But seriously I just need the cheapest option that is still enough for 4k editing. I don't need to pay for anything overpowered.
But I have no idea which one is the least possible option. Will they all be fine?
Btw. should I wait till the M2 iteration is out. Not necessarily for a more better performance.
I'm more thinking about possible discounts on "older" iterations. I read that it might come out later this year, I could wait that much.
Oh, Apple says I would get a generous $60 for the old MacBook, lol!

Thank you so much for your guidance!

 

[Fishrrman]

This one (the base model):

Buy MacBook Pro

Discover the MacBook Pro laptop with the M4 family of chips, built for Apple Intelligence. Get credit when you trade in an eligible Mac. Buy now.

www.apple.com

You could upgrade the RAM to 32gb, but that's gonna cost you $400 more...

 

[Onimusha370]

Base 16 inch MBP will be plenty. I do loads of HDR 4K 60fps editing on mine (often multicam with 3 streams) and it runs flawlessly. i managed to snag a new one off eBay for £1800 a few months ago, think amazon has good deals on them normally. I wouldn’t wait for the M2 unless you‘re happy to wait 3-6 months. There’s plenty of headroom in the M1 Pro

 

[chadizzy1]

I actually joined to ask this same question. I do 4K editing and I'm going from a 13" 2016 MBP and looking at a 14", but not opposed to a 16". I've just never had a laptop that big.

Trying to figure out if I need to do the Pro or Max and how much memory, because 16gb lags sooooo bad.

 

[WortPirat]

Yeah that's my question. What do I need. They currently have some refurbished 2021 M1 pro with 1TB and 16GB Memory for ~350 less than new. Only downside for me is the Japanese keyboard.
Though I could wait some time until the M2 comes out, if then suddenly they get a lot of old ones and drop the price.
Not sure if they do that, never bought a refurbished one.

 

[chadizzy1]

Same, never bought a refurb but some of the 2021 ones are like way cheaper. I found one with 32gb that was like 2600$

 

[BanditoB]

Unless you're creating really massive video projects, I think that you'll be just fine with 16GB RAM, but you are going to want to consider your storage needs carefully. 4K video at 60 fps can take up quite a lot of storage space and keep in mind that when you're editing videos, half of the storage space that you need will be for the raw clips and about that same amount will be needed to output the edited file. So, take a look at how long your videos are and how much space they take and calculate out your storage needs, leaving room for keeping the completed videos stored there as well.

You can always add external storage for these purposes, but keep in mind that it will be slower and somewhat less convenient that the built-in storage. Especially if you work away from a desk very often.

 

[WortPirat]

Thanks, you are right. Currently I have 128GB and still 40GB free, which is enough unless OSX misbehaves and doesn't clear caches properly.
But in the drone I use a 256GB card. If I ever happen to make that full and want to make a movie out of all those files, even if it just ends up as 1% of the total length. I guess 512GB might not be enough.
So I'll opt for the 1TB option.

 

[CEmajr]

16GB RAM on the 14" is fine for 4K60fps editing. I do a ton of it on mine in Final Cut Pro and it's mainly what I bought it for. I still haven't heard the fans come on yet. I got the 2TB/16GB 8-core model.