M4 max mbp replace my m1 ultra studio and M1 Max mbp?

[anthony13]

My current set up is an m1 ultra studio in the home office and a mbp M1 Max on the go. I’m mostly in the office but that’s going to be changing to on the go for the next 6 months or so. My current mbp is a 14” and I’m pretty set on getting a 16” m4 max for real estate.

My question is, should I trade in my studio now as well? It’s still worth 1100 or so apple trade in value. It won’t get much use the next 6 months, but I also don’t want to trade it in if the m4 max mbp wont keep up with it.

Some other things to consider, I have two Apple studio displays that I’d be plugging into the m4 max. Will that slow down the gpu considerably?

My programs are Vectorworks (large 3d models and drafting environments), photoshop and lots of proprietary spreadsheet applications open at once.

 

[chrono1081]

I would personally trade it in for that amount, that's a decent trade in IMO for the age of it. I have an M3 ultra MBP and have had zero issues with heavy meshes in 3D software.

 

[lastargo]

If you're going to be mobile for the next six months, trading in the Studio for an M4 Max MBP makes sense—$1100 trade-in is decent while it's still worth something. The M4 Max should be able to handle your workload, and with the 16” screen + two Studio Displays, you’re still getting a solid setup. That said, the Ultra in your Studio is technically more powerful for multi-threaded tasks, but unless you're pushing Vectorworks to its limits daily, the M4 Max should keep up just fine. The biggest concern is GPU performance with two Studio Displays—it will take a hit, but not enough to cripple your workflow unless you're doing super heavy 3D rendering.

If you think you’ll need a dedicated desktop again after six months, maybe hold onto the Studio. But if mobility is the priority, go for the trade-in while the value is still good.

 

[anthony13]

Out of curiosity I just had vectorworks re-render 3 relatively simple sheet layers at once on both machines I currently have. My M1 studio did the job in 4 minutes. My MacBook M1 took 11 minutes. Obviously the M4 max would be a different beast, but it would have 8 less GPU cores than my current Ultra m1 as you point out. hm...

 

[TechnoMonk]

Test out M4 Max MBP, may be trade m1 MBP and keep the studio if you need in the future.

 

[anthony13]

Definitely trading in the m1 mbp. That is showing its age in my workflow. I’m leaning g towards trading both as I read more and more about it. It seems like the m4 max will outperform the m1 ultra in a few things. And ultimately this winter when I’m back in the office more full time if it seems necessary I could invest in a m4 ultra studio.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Definitely trading in the m1 mbp. That is showing its age in my workflow. I’m leaning g towards trading both as I read more and more about it. It seems like the m4 max will outperform the m1 ultra in a few things. And ultimately this winter when I’m back in the office more full time if it seems necessary I could invest in a m4 ultra studio.

How much RAM do you have in M1 Ultra?

 

[anthony13]

How much RAM do you have in M1 Ultra?

64 in both my ultra and current laptop. I probably would stay at 64 in the new laptop due to cost of 128.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

OP: live alone? Do others perhaps living with you need access to a Mac? When the replacement is out with you, what would they do?

Assuming you do live alone (so the above is no issue), consider a dock for the new MBpro like those from Brydge. Then you could easily insert it in a slot (like old cartridge-based video game consoles) for desktop use and eject it for portable. Hook your ASDs etc to dock to keep the cabling simple (and minimal plugging in & out). That's not the only option but it looks like a good one for your situation. I too have an Ultra and MB and my next play will be this very kind of thing.

Note that you could go the OTHER way: what if you make the Studio your "mobile" Mac? If the mobility is mostly to the same place, put monitors on both ends and then carry the Studio back & forth. There's also portable monitors for dirt cheap that are basically the top half (the lid) of a MB. Pack that plus Studio for a mobile Studio-power Mac. This is probably not as practical for your needs... but an option if you need the Mac horsepower/speed vs. the dedicated portability of a MBpro.

 

[panhandlemac]

I recently went 100% Apple after using Windows for the past 25 years or so. My 14" M4 Pro w/24gb runs absolutely fantastic. I think the strangest adjustment has been getting use to working in total silence, which I love. I have yet to hear any fans kick on, and that's even when encoding video. I'm very happy with the move and it's been a few months. I've even gotten use to using the Magic Trackpad and don't miss a mouse at all. I can see why they are popular, they are a far cry from anything on the PC platform.