M3 Pro or M3 Max for Stable Diffusion

[Tsurugi707]

Hi all,

I'm debating between these two options so far:

M3 Pro 14" (Top)
12/18
36GB/1TB

or

M3 Max 14" (Base)
14/30
36GB/1TB

The difference is $450CAD, which I'm inclined to spend to get the Max. The other aspect I'm considering is bumping up the Max's RAM to 96GB, but I'm hoping someone who has experience or is more knowledgeable can talk me out of it lol (but if I need it, I need it)

My use cases will be using the MBP for Stable Diffusion/AI image generation, photo and video editing, as well as school work and my working on my e-commerce store.

Thank you in advance!

 

[3SQ Machine]

I don't know if you can get it from a store with a generous return policy, but with tech upgrading so fast every year, I tend to start with the lowest amount I think I can get away with for the next couple of years and test it out heavily before the return date.

In this case, you are paying for the upgraded chip--12 more GPU cores + 4 more performance cores. I can't comment on your specific workflow, but with my audio production the difference between the M3 Pro and the base M3 Max is pretty substantial. This is because the audio software is biased towards performance cores. If your programs rely heavily on using performance cores it will be a big jump.

 

[Tsurugi707]

I don't know if you can get it from a store with a generous return policy, but with tech upgrading so fast every year, I tend to start with the lowest amount I think I can get away with for the next couple of years and test it out heavily before the return date.

In this case, you are paying for the upgraded chip--12 more GPU cores + 4 more performance cores. I can't comment on your specific workflow, but with my audio production the difference between the M3 Pro and the base M3 Max is pretty substantial. This is because the audio software is biased towards performance cores. If your programs rely heavily on using performance cores it will be a big jump.

Thank you so much for the insight and reply. Stable Diffusion/AnimateDiffusion from what I've been reading is really RAM heavy, but I've got some responses from M1 Max users running on 32GB of RAM saying it works just fine. But your comment with getting the lowest amount you can get away with makes a lot of sense with how tech evolves so quickly.

I think I'll get the M3 Max no matter what. Either the stock M3 Max 14/30 36GB/1TB or M3 Max 16/40 48GB/1TB. Also great to know that you felt a huge difference in performance going from Pro to Max; validates my choice

 

[3SQ Machine]

Also great to know that you felt a huge difference in performance going from Pro to Max; validates my choice

I definitely noticed it -- although in terms of day-to-day the 36gb M3 Pro felt comparable since the M3 Pro single core performance = M3 Max. Since that particular M3 Pro spec was hundreds of dollars cheaper I was kind of bummed as I would have kept it. It was only in specific audio workflows where having 6 performance cores hobbled it. I don't doubt you'll be pleased with the Max, although the hit to battery life is also noticeable.

 

[Paul Deemer]

Heat Heat Heat! Pro (Cooler), Max Base (Hotter), Full Max (Hottest). I don't know why people insist on buying a Max in a 14 inch only to come on the forums and complain how they made a mistake. If you go for the full Max get the 16". Bigger Case, Bigger Fans and Heat pipes = more efficient cooling. I got the 16" base Max myself for $3500. If you put a Max in the 14" it's going to be loud and hot.

 

[Tsurugi707]

I definitely noticed it -- although in terms of day-to-day the 36gb M3 Pro felt comparable since the M3 Pro single core performance = M3 Max. Since that particular M3 Pro spec was hundreds of dollars cheaper I was kind of bummed as I would have kept it. It was only in specific audio workflows where having 6 performance cores hobbled it. I don't doubt you'll be pleased with the Max, although the hit to battery life is also noticeable.

From what I've read with your type of work flow in audio/music production, I think the Max is definitely the route to go. I've also asked people in the Stable Diffusion subreddit and some people are getting away with having 32GB of unified memory on their M1 Pros, where there were no issues until they started prompting the AI to do animation, which I may get into later on down the road.

Apple made it difficult this year to figure out the best configurations haha

 

[Tsurugi707]

Heat Heat Heat! Pro (Cooler), Max Base (Hotter), Full Max (Hottest). I don't know why people insist on buying a Max in a 14 inch only to come on the forums and complain how they made a mistake. If you go for the full Max get the 16". Bigger Case, Bigger Fans and Heat pipes = more efficient cooling. I got the 16" base Max myself for $3500. If you put a Max in the 14" it's going to be loud and hot.

Hey Paul, thank you for your feedback - yeah haha I've seen people commenting on the heat issue with the M3 Max in the 14" chassis, but I for sure don't want to go with 16" since I like the 14" form factor (it'll be for on the go/school/travel). I know if it's for one's primary source of income and their work, 16" as a workstation makes 100% sense. I definitely want the balance between portability and performance, and since I'm only going to be training the AI here and there, I'm actually still debating if I really need all that power.

The real shame is not being able to spec the unified memory higher on the M3 Pro, but some people are seemingly okay with 32GB from even the M1 generation, so it might be wiser to go with the M3 Pro and return it if the RAM bottlenecks my workflow. Decisions, decisions lol

 

[3SQ Machine]

The real shame is not being able to spec the unified memory higher on the M3 Pro, but some people are seemingly okay with 32GB from even the M1 generation, so it might be wiser to go with the M3 Pro and return it if the RAM bottlenecks my workflow. Decisions, decisions lol

Not sure if Best Buy Canada offers the same kind of deals, but I actually "became a member" ($50 U.S./yr) specifically to get a 60-day return policy and--quite frankly--no-questions-asked ever on returns. The customer service has also been top-notch, overall--and I've returned a LOT of laptops the last few months. It takes the pressure off so it might be worth looking into.

It's a complete PITA to keep buying laptops, migrating all the data, running test projects, waiting a few days for indexing to calm down so the system performs better and more efficiently, blah blah blah. I'm kind of done with it, so I'm just likely going with the best deals I got on the toppest-spec equipment I could snag. I (mostly) did open box, which is hit-or-miss honesty. But the time spent is worth $100s and, in the case of my M3 Max, $975(!!!) off.

 

[Paul Deemer]

Hey Paul, thank you for your feedback - yeah haha I've seen people commenting on the heat issue with the M3 Max in the 14" chassis, but I for sure don't want to go with 16" since I like the 14" form factor (it'll be for on the go/school/travel). I know if it's for one's primary source of income and their work, 16" as a workstation makes 100% sense. I definitely want the balance between portability and performance, and since I'm only going to be training the AI here and there, I'm actually still debating if I really need all that power.

The real shame is not being able to spec the unified memory higher on the M3 Pro, but some people are seemingly okay with 32GB from even the M1 generation, so it might be wiser to go with the M3 Pro and return it if the RAM bottlenecks my workflow. Decisions, decisions lol

If you gotta have the 14" your best compromise is probably getting the base max like I have and then going with the 96 gb of ram. That will probably give you a good middle ground between pro and full max if you really feel you need more than 36gb ram.