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M1 PRO 16" vs M1 MAX 32c 16" ?

Alex W.

Alex W.

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2020
353
190
Im debating getting one of these but currently dont have time to buy both to test against each other.
I used a few m1 pros at the office but figured id keep the intel machine and m1 pro so I can bootcamp when need be.

Use case - 85% web usage 10% Light gaming 5% Video

Battery life is huge plus.
Gaming performance when needed is a huge plus too.

Is the M1 pro 1tb unit worth it over the m1 max for these factors?
Or is the max better?
 
Alexander William said:
Im debating getting one of these but currently dont have time to buy both to test against each other.
I used a few m1 pros at the office but figured id keep the intel machine and m1 pro so I can bootcamp when need be.

Use case - 85% web usage 10% Light gaming 5% Video

Battery life is huge plus.
Gaming performance when needed is a huge plus too.

Is the M1 pro 1tb unit worth it over the m1 max for these factors?
Or is the max better?
Click to expand...
The Max will be better for graphics intensive games.
 
Yes but is the trade off for lower battery life for the 90% usage worth it for higher fps for 10% of the time?
 
Sanpete said:
There's believed to be up to a 15% hit on battery life for the Max, usually less.
Click to expand...
That's a massive cost in battery life.

Has anyone made this decision --- not based on money but tradeoffs?
 
Be careful to notice that's up to 15%. It's usually not a very noticeable amount, if any. There were some long threads about it here with comparisons and such if you want to hunt for them. Basically, it costs you more battery life when you're getting more use from the extra processing power.

People have made these decisions based on every reason you could imagine, and then some. Only you have the knowledge about your own needs and desires to know which will work best for you.
 
Well M1 Max battery performance to me is already satisfactory enough.
It's already a 16" machine, and I'd be looking for a wall outlet at some times of the day.
I have M1 13" MBP for a long distance travel, and it's plenty enough with nothing beating in battery performance.
 

It seems like its closer to 20% overall less battery life for general usage.
 
Alexander William said:

It seems like its closer to 20% overall less battery life for general usage.
Click to expand...
Can't tell what his test is, but a lot of tests involve the Max doing more work or faster, which uses the battery more but can also get the job done better or faster, depending on the nature of the task. The best tests I've seen, where the same work is done equally well, show less difference in battery life.
 
Alexander William said:
Im debating getting one of these but currently dont have time to buy both to test against each other.
I used a few m1 pros at the office but figured id keep the intel machine and m1 pro so I can bootcamp when need be.

Use case - 85% web usage 10% Light gaming 5% Video

Battery life is huge plus.
Gaming performance when needed is a huge plus too.

Is the M1 pro 1tb unit worth it over the m1 max for these factors?
Or is the max better?
Click to expand...
I posted this info awhile back, but it details the differences with battery life between the 14"/16" MBPs with both M1 Pro and M1 Max processors.
------------------------------------------------
The HDR display activity will diffidently drain the battery faster. 14" has a 69.9 Wh battery, 16" has a 99.6 Wh battery.

Per notebookcheck.net
Apple M1 Pro 8/14 entry level
  • Playback of an HDR video at max. brightness in full-screen mode only runs for about 4 hours.
  • 15 hours video playback (SDR at 150 nits)
  • Our Wi-Fi test (Safari, windowed, 150 nits) runs for 13.5 hours, but it is only 6.5 hours with the maximum brightness of 500 nits.
16" M1 Pro and Max (separate reviews)
  • HDR video at the maximum brightness ran for about 4.5 hours on our test unit of the MBP 16 with the M1 Max SoC, Pro results missing.
  • 17 hours video playback (SDR at 150 nits) M1 Max, Pro run 17.5 hours.
  • Our Wi-Fi test at an adjusted brightness of 150 nits runs for almost 15 hours and is still around 7 hours at the maximum SDR brightness M1 Max, Pro ran 17 hours, and 8 hours at the maximum SDR brightness.
 
Yes seeing the reviews from notebook check is showing a 14% battery in difference pro vs max in wifi general usage.
 
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