M2 Max vs M3 pro

[Doc_dee]

I’m considering an upgrade of my 2020 Intel 13” MacBook Pro to an apple silicon model. Main use is photo editing using the adobe suite of tools with important considerations being speed and battery life especially when away from home on trips. I’ve also started editing short iPhone video and Sony mirrorless camera 4k footage using iMovie and may eventually switch to Final Cut if my editing use increases

I am looking at the 14” M3 pro 12core CPU 18 core GPU with 18GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Current price with educational discount is £2289

Costco is offering the M2 Max 12 core CPU, 30 Core GPU with 32 Gb RAM and 1TB SSD for an extra £10 which is very tempting.

1. Would the increase in GPU cores be noticeable for editing raw 24 megapixel raw images and 4k video?

2. Is there a marked improvement in battery life with the M3 Pro chip over the M2 Max

3. What benefit would the M3 pro neural cores give me for future use.

Any advice gratefully received.
Dee

 

[Basic75]

How much RAM does your 2020 MBP have and how is the memory pressure?

 

[Moncler]

I went for the 14" M2 Max w/ 30 GPUs and 32GB RAM, refurb direct from apple and have been completely satisfied with it thus far and I'm pretty certain it would beat the M3 Pro at nearly anything you'd throw at it. Have worked with some large Lightroom libraries and outputs as well as some large Photoshop batches with some heavy background removal actions and was surprised at how quick it was. 100x 24MP camera raw files opened, AI bg removal with feathering, and saving as PSD took about 5 minutes total.
If there was any regret it would be to have saved up more money and sprung for the 64GB RAM version. I have yet to see my 32GB get used in my workflows but it's more of a future-proof idea than anything.

 

[Doc_dee]

How much RAM does your 2020 MBP have and how is the memory pressure?

2020 MBP has 16GB ram. I have noticed a bit of a slow down when I am editing photos in Lightroom especially when on running on battery or when multiple apps open. Current HD IS 500Gb with 134 GB available

 

[Paul Deemer]

Also the M2 Max memory bandwidth is 400 GB/s and the M3 Pro is 150 GB/s. The M2 Max is the better deal. The problem is heat in the 14 inch. Everyone has their opinion but mine is if you want a Max the 16 inch is the way to go. I could have bought a full M3 Max but went with the base in the 16 inch and the fans never come on with normal use. Only heavy workloads spin them up. So I'm extremely happy with the thermals with that choice.