The 16" M3 Pro feels cheaper than my 16" M1 Pro

[3SQ Machine]

Sitting here with my new-to-me open box 36gb Ram M3 Pro that I picked up to test drive.

Using it side-by-side with my 16" M1 Pro, it doesn't have the same premium feel. Don't get me wrong, it still feels premium -- but right away I noticed the keyboard felt more spongy/cheap and--oddly--the trackpad has a faint echo with the haptic feedback that just sounds...hollow. I thought I was going nuts, so I actually did "clicks" side-by-side and, yes, the M3 Pro trackpad doesn't have the same click feel or sound. The little things seem...cheaper.

This may not be a dealbreaker. And heck, it could just be natural manufacturing variability. However, I noticed the same hollow trackpad sound on the 14" M3 MBP base model that I didn't get on the 14" M3 Pro model. It makes me wonder if there are some corners cut on the downmarket machines.

Now I know an M1 Pro owner is not the target audience for this machine--they want us upgrading to the MAX. But I've never in my life had a machine with 36gb Ram and--WHOA--it's blazing fast and smokes my M1 Pro in every way. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to any less ram. And running my projects and even just opening apps and webpages feels instantaneous. Whether I'd notice the same improvement on a 32gb M1 Pro compared to my now-paltry 16gb M1 Pro who knows.

On the plus side, the screen is still brilliant, the speakers still incredible, and of course--that Space Black color...

Just wanted to share a few first impressions.

 

[mikethebigo]

If you're sensitive enough you will notice variability even in the same generation when it comes to the feel and sound of a trackpad's click. I think it sometimes depends on how tightly the trackpad is screwed to the chassis, and I've found the hollow click more likely when the trackpad isn't as secure (you can tell by how flush the trackpad glass is with the rest of the chassis).

Can't say as much about the keyboard, not sure why that would've changed much, though the M2 and M3 series do have less internal bulk (like smaller heat pipes) which could contribute.

 

[turbineseaplane]

This is how I sort of feel about the entire lineup vs the 2012-2015 run of MBPs

I think as they've gotten thinner and modernized, for some reason, the heft and premium "oomph" has been lost -- or at least changed a bit here and there.

They just don't strike me as long term durable "tanks" as they once were (at nearly the same dimensions/thickness, etc)

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Maybe that’s why it was returned and is an open-box item…who knows.

 

[DMG35]

It could be that you are just looking for reasons to not pick up the M3 Pro from your M1 because in reality you know that there isn't really a reason to. Saying you purchased it to "test drive" it means you already had in mind that you didn't really need it but wanted to try it.

 

[3SQ Machine]

I have to say--36gb Ram! What I have been missing my whole life. I had 24gb on my '19 iMac but don't recall ever seeing this much of a difference. I really expected it to mean--nothing--since I have no professional need for that much ram. My Logic projects run fine on 16 and can even get by on 8gb with everything else closed.

But 36gb Ram! Wowzers. Basically everything I do on the machine is loaded into cache ready to instantaneously load up. What a luxury I'm surprised I hadn't (paid) to experience before. Dang I wish Apple let us upgrade the ram in these laptops! I would turn this back in and just double the ram on my M1 Pro.

 

[Jim Lahey]

Is the audible “click” from these haptic trackpads not actually a sound effect from the speakers? Pretty sure it might be.

 

[3SQ Machine]

Is the audible “click” from these haptic trackpads not actually a sound effect from the speakers? Pretty sure it might be.

Yes, it seems to be easily adjustable so not a problem. I was able to change it in settings by changing it from medium to light on the touchpad haptic feedback click. It's still more of a hollow "knock" than the M1 Pro, but thankfully such adjustment exists so not really an issue.

Speakers are the same quality as M1 Pro, so there doesn't seem to be any difference there. I'm not testing loudness yet as I want them to break in first.

 

[3SQ Machine]

Quick update -- returned the 36gb M3 Pro 16". Loved the color and the ram upgrade and might have been willing to keep it...but encountered an issue in Logic that couldn't be resolved. Unclear whether this is an M3 Pro problem or a unit problem--although I wonder if less performance cores are to blame.

Long story short -- my logic pro projects seemed to lose the ability to use promotion. As the timeline would move, tracks would slowly begin to get choppy and blurry -- like a 60HZ screen. Strangely, my projects used less CPU power than my M1 Pro with no clicks, pops, or system overloads. But the choppy visuals were a dealbreaker. The more they played, the worse it looked. Got the Logic Pro experts at Apple Support to check into it and they couldn't figure it out. They even reco'd that I return it instead of sending the unit to "engineering" to disappear for an unknown period of time.

Since logic appears buttery smooth on my M1 Pro, why pay more for a worse experience?

 

[gtg465x]

That choppiness of the Logic Pro timeline could be caused by the lower memory bandwidth of the M3 Pro. M1 Pro and M2 Pro have 200GB/s memory bandwidth, but M3 Pro was downgraded to only 150 GB/s. Some people suspect this change is an attempt to push professionals towards the Max chips, which have 400 GB/s memory bandwidth.

 

[3SQ Machine]

That choppiness of the Logic Pro timeline could be caused by the lower memory bandwidth of the M3 Pro. M1 Pro and M2 Pro have 200GB/s memory bandwidth, but M3 Pro was downgraded to only 150 GB/s. Some people suspect this change is an attempt to push professionals towards the Max chips, which have 400 GB/s memory bandwidth.

Who knows what impact that may have systemwide? There's really no reason for a 36gb ram machine with the M3 pro to struggle with the refresh rate on a basic (Apple) pro app like Logic except for architectural bottlenecks. I'm going to test out logic on some other 16" M3 Pros at the Apple store to see if there's the same problem and report back. I suspect it is the M3 Pro. I noticed my binned M2 Pro with 6 performance cores also has a bit of choppiness.

 

[3SQ Machine]

Just got back from the Apple Store. All the DAW guys were complaining about the issue -- software problem. Those with even older pros were having it. I tested logic out on the M3 Max -- still saw the jerkiness/shakiness. If it happens on that beast, it happens everywhere.

It's not an M3 Pro problem but a logic problem. Too bad I returned a smokin' deal on a 36gb machine--based on Apple's reco--because of a faulty logic update or other software bug. Not sure if there is some specific setting on my M1 Pro that is minimizing the problem, but at least I have a machine without it. Maybe if it gets worked out in an update I'll go shopping again.