Errrm so I replied to this thread sorta snarky when I didn't intend to... I got it confused with my own thread... so I apologize.
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M1 Pro vs. M1 Max Buyer's Guide
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I have thousands of ripped DVD movies at their native file sizes on my server which is now full so I want to compress everything to hevc. We are (ordinarily) talking about over a thousand hours of time for this. Will the m1max be noticeably faster at this than the m1pro or are the m1max extra capabilities optimized for other things?
Good question! What conversion software are you using?
I think that ffmpeg *can* use the GPU, but I don't know whether this will work on the M1 Pro/Max GPU. I suspect it would need a new version. Maybe Apple Compressor?
Encode AVI to h.264 Video (Software Encoding)
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 output.mp4
Encode AVI to h.265 Video (Software Encoding)
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx265 output.mp4
Encode AVI to h.264 Video (AMD GPU Encoding)
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v h264_amf output.mp4
Encode AVI to h.265 Video (AMD GPU Encoding)
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v hevc_amf output.mp4
Encode AVI to h.264 Video (NVIDIA GPU Encoding)
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v h264_nvenc output.mp4
Encode AVI to h.265 Video (NVIDIA GPU Encoding)
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v hevc_nvenc output.mp4
All of the movies I ripped were extracted from the DVD as raw files i.e. VOB format (i.e. a folder containing a VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders). I did this because I didn't want to compress anything until a suitably good codec came along, and I'm thinking that h.265 (hevc encoding) is that codec - and I was also waiting for my NAS box to be full and I'm there. I own ffmpeg and handbrake but I'm suspicious they don't make any good use of the M1-MAX capabilities. I also own Final Cut Pro. I could buy Compressor, but from memory it only works with a pathetically small subset of video file types - I don't believe it handles VOB or MKV. I'm not too savvy on how to do this and would appreciate any words of wisdom 
. If having a super-fast laptop helps then I could (easily) be tempted to upgrade my hardware!
. If having a super-fast laptop helps then I could (easily) be tempted to upgrade my hardware!Looking for advise on a MacBook purchase
My old Windows desktop is a constant source of irritation since the Win10 ”upgrade.” I plan on purchasing a MacBook to replace the Windows desktop, this will be my first Mac computer. I am planning to keep the laptop for 5-10 years. I am a enthusiast photographer and videographer so I have some photo/video workflow that I do but nothing that I would consider professional level. For 90% of my computing/internet surfing/entertainment needs my iPad or iPhone is sufficient, I just need a computer for the photo and video work.
I am considering a 14” base M1 Pro with 16GB ram and a 1 TB drive as my replacement computer. Is there any reason I should consider bumping up from the base model to the 10 core model?
I would be open to a Mac Air if it would satisfy my needs and I can easily connect a monitor and external HDs at the same time. This seems to be a limiting factor on the Air but I may be confusing myself looking at too may comparison specs.
Thanks for your help.
My old Windows desktop is a constant source of irritation since the Win10 ”upgrade.” I plan on purchasing a MacBook to replace the Windows desktop, this will be my first Mac computer. I am planning to keep the laptop for 5-10 years. I am a enthusiast photographer and videographer so I have some photo/video workflow that I do but nothing that I would consider professional level. For 90% of my computing/internet surfing/entertainment needs my iPad or iPhone is sufficient, I just need a computer for the photo and video work.
I am considering a 14” base M1 Pro with 16GB ram and a 1 TB drive as my replacement computer. Is there any reason I should consider bumping up from the base model to the 10 core model?
I would be open to a Mac Air if it would satisfy my needs and I can easily connect a monitor and external HDs at the same time. This seems to be a limiting factor on the Air but I may be confusing myself looking at too may comparison specs.
Thanks for your help.
From what I’ve read, the 10 core isn’t going to give you that much performance pop, other than possibly in the video rendering. But, from my experience, photo editing REALLY LIKES MORE RAM, so personally, if that was my primary task and workflow I’d probably jump to 32GB RAM, even if it meant having to keep SSD down to 512GB, (and using USB-C attached storage to move stuff around.
The AirPods never fit my ears! Always fall off when I move like walking. It would stay for about 1/3 of a block and one them usually the right one would drop to he ground. The Pro was a little better but not much. I ordered the Beats Fit Pro to see if they workout since they have the wings to secure it in place which I like.
16” MacBook Pro configured to my wants was $3,900.00! Have to wait on this purchase! I do not use notebooks that often anymore. I love desktop PC with big monitor(s).
16” MacBook Pro configured to my wants was $3,900.00! Have to wait on this purchase! I do not use notebooks that often anymore. I love desktop PC with big monitor(s).
I haven't had any memory issues on my 16GB M1 Mac mini either, but it occurs to me the extra memory is a relatively inexpensive means of increasing "future-proofing" and could easily add years to the useful life of a new Mac.
Battery would be the limiting factor whether a laptop can last beyond three years. Usually on a daily-use laptop, the batteries would start to swell at around the three year mark, and then would be maximally explosive at year five.
Nice thing about these new M1 pro and Max 14” and 16” is that it seems that the battery replacements are easier and more user serviceable than prior recent generations. So, thats a positive. Is there any data you can link to about this three year batteries start to swell metric? thats the first I’ve heard anything like that and certainly not my experience with 1000’s of units.
- Standard warranty plus AppleCare lasts three years – there's some insurance math going on there.
- HP itself admits that laptop batteries lasts "... between two and four years..."
- 1000 cycles at 1 cycle per business day is about three years.
- Personal experience of having MacBooks since 2007.
- Looking at colleagues' corporate MacBooks (mostly software developers) which tend to have laptop battery problems around the three year mark. These are daily-use laptops that gets heavily used for compute and as well as meetings. Fortunately corporate policies allows replacement after three years.
A couple other points:
• In my new 16" M1 Pro, I've noticed that the batteries run about 20°F cooler than my Intel 16" MBP when using on battery power. Cooler batteries tend to last longer.
• Fast charging, however, heats these batteries quite a bit. Fast charging might reduce battery life.
• In the Verge's (very unscientific) test, the M1 Pro's battery lasted quite a bit longer than the M1 Max.
• My 16" M1 Pro lasts approximately twice as long as my Intel 16" MBP did. Because it lasts so much longer between charges, it's likely to reduce load cycles and therefore make the battery last longer.
For anyone focused on Final Cut Pro, I ran a heap of tests recently here:
A few takeaways:
1. Don't run 2-pass exports if you have an M1 Max, as the extra encoders are wasted.
2. Some GPU-heavy titles run *much* faster on the M1 Max, most encodes are about 50% faster than the M1 Pro.
3. ProRes encoding is much faster than HEVC or H.264 encoding.
A few takeaways:
1. Don't run 2-pass exports if you have an M1 Max, as the extra encoders are wasted.
2. Some GPU-heavy titles run *much* faster on the M1 Max, most encodes are about 50% faster than the M1 Pro.
3. ProRes encoding is much faster than HEVC or H.264 encoding.
Agreed, it's like in cars, you can pimp it as much as you want, but the resale value remains about the model non the upgrades you put in.
People who need the "max" buys it new, there is a small minority who will buy second hand, but only when proceed accordingly.
I don‘t understand such kind of tests. Where is the sense if compare two machines with different RAM? The Mac with the better processor has more Ram and is surprisingly faster. What a great test result! The GPU thing is clear even without any test.
Much more relevant is the RAM issue. So far I understood there is less RAM needed due to the new processor architecture less RAM is needed. Is that true? Where are the comparisons there? I would rather like to see a test either with exactly the same machines and different RAM or different machines (Pro and Max) with the same RAM. Otherwise it is a comparison between ablles and bananas.
Much more relevant is the RAM issue. So far I understood there is less RAM needed due to the new processor architecture less RAM is needed. Is that true? Where are the comparisons there? I would rather like to see a test either with exactly the same machines and different RAM or different machines (Pro and Max) with the same RAM. Otherwise it is a comparison between ablles and bananas.
Yes, in cars or computers or just about everything else, it does not make sense to buy options just because you think that is what the next owner wants. Like people who buy a grey car because they think that is the color the next owner would like. Seriously, people actually do this (although they describe it to themselves differently, like "for better resale value.")
It is hard to decide since most people talk about it from a video editing use case. What if you use Xcode all day, or use Docker, or virtualization, Logic, or gamer.
Having recently picked up a 2021 14" MBP M1 Pro, this statement is not true.
If you need to use three monitors, say for excel, word processing, or general multitasking then the M1 Pro isn't going to work. You need an M1 Max or M1 Ultra if you go with a Studio. I made this mistake.
hi there. i'm about to buy a 16" macbook pro m1 max. in the interest of saving what money i can, i'm trying to learn more about this 32/64gb ram option. do i really need the 64?
about: i'm a graphic designer/art director/music producer. all professional.
i mostly use photoshop and after effects for the design work. some 3d stuff in C4D. not a lot but i want to get a lot more into it asap. possibly add TouchDesigner in the future. i do NOT do proper video editing.
re: music I use ableton live and the UAD environment which handles a lot via DSP chips in the hardware. i am fairly certain this is mostly a CPU-driven environment and won't benefit all that much from added GB Ram.
i'm a power/pro user with high demands and always buy flagship models. but if i can save €460 that'd be ***** great. these things are um... not affordable haha.
thoughts?
about: i'm a graphic designer/art director/music producer. all professional.
i mostly use photoshop and after effects for the design work. some 3d stuff in C4D. not a lot but i want to get a lot more into it asap. possibly add TouchDesigner in the future. i do NOT do proper video editing.
re: music I use ableton live and the UAD environment which handles a lot via DSP chips in the hardware. i am fairly certain this is mostly a CPU-driven environment and won't benefit all that much from added GB Ram.
i'm a power/pro user with high demands and always buy flagship models. but if i can save €460 that'd be ***** great. these things are um... not affordable haha.
thoughts?
It's really not. People who have to ask "do I need it", don't. Also, you're months and months late.
You probably don’t need it, but i will say that things like photoshop are exactly where MORE RAM is valuable, but i think 32GB is totally sufficient. A lot of the online 32 v 64 gb reviews and tests focused more on VIDEO coding, rendering, compressing, etc., so it doesn’t really come to light enough when talking about photo editing, masking, keeping tons of images open, etc.. try and find a YouTube review that tries to focus on 32 gb vs 64 gb but for photo editing.