Trying to decide between M1 Pro and M1 Max for new daily driver

[Sig_Dude]

I need to replace my late 2009 MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB).

It can run OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), but it's sluggish and cannot be upgraded beyond that.

It's a "daily driver" notebook that gets used on the couch for internetting, emailing, occasional photo editing, spreadsheeting, and basic personal financial tracking.

I've been waiting quite some time for the M1X (M1 Pro and M1 Max) to be released.

The time has finally come but now I'm not sure which one to purchase.

Clearly, I do not *need* a Max. One could argue that I don't even need a Pro. But I do like my equipment to last a long time.

Is there any justification whatsoever, and I mean anything, for me to get a Max?

The one spec. that did catch my eye is that the memory bandwidth doubles from 200 GB/s to 400 GB/s. I feel that's not insignificant.

Also, regardless of what model I choose, what memory capacity should I equip it with?

Again, I'm thinking future-proofing and I realize that on day one I'll be killing ants with a sledgehammer.

Thanks for any replies.

 

[Buck987]

IMO the base 14 or 16 will do what you need for many, many years. I would think only internal storage is what you need to consider after the screen size.

 

[Sig_Dude]

IMO the base 14 or 16 will do what you need for many, many years. I would think only internal storage is what you need to consider after the screen size.

Thanks for the reply.

It will be a 16".

I'm thinking 1 TB storage.

 

[Buck987]

Thanks for the reply.

It will be a 16".

I'm thinking 1 TB storage.

Exactly what I got...its a beast...

 

[ratspg]

I need to replace my late 2009 MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB).

It can run OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), but it's sluggish and cannot be upgraded beyond that.

It's a "daily driver" notebook that gets used on the couch for internetting, emailing, occasional photo editing, spreadsheeting, and basic personal financial tracking.

I've been waiting quite some time for the M1X (M1 Pro and M1 Max) to be released.

The time has finally come but now I'm not sure which one to purchase.

Clearly, I do not *need* a Max. One could argue that I don't even need a Pro. But I do like my equipment to last a long time.

Is there any justification whatsoever, and I mean anything, for me to get a Max?

The one spec. that did catch my eye is that the memory bandwidth doubles from 200 GB/s to 400 GB/s. I feel that's not insignificant.

Also, regardless of what model I choose, what memory capacity should I equip it with?

Again, I'm thinking future-proofing and I realize that on day one I'll be killing ants with a sledgehammer.

Thanks for any replies.

14" or 16" Base model will serve you well. Enjoy your new MBP, they are amazing. I chose the 16" for the battery life + screen size.

 

[TinyMito]

I need to replace my late 2009 MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB).

It can run OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), but it's sluggish and cannot be upgraded beyond that.

It's a "daily driver" notebook that gets used on the couch for internetting, emailing, occasional photo editing, spreadsheeting, and basic personal financial tracking.

I've been waiting quite some time for the M1X (M1 Pro and M1 Max) to be released.

The time has finally come but now I'm not sure which one to purchase.

Clearly, I do not *need* a Max. One could argue that I don't even need a Pro. But I do like my equipment to last a long time.

Is there any justification whatsoever, and I mean anything, for me to get a Max?

The one spec. that did catch my eye is that the memory bandwidth doubles from 200 GB/s to 400 GB/s. I feel that's not insignificant.

Also, regardless of what model I choose, what memory capacity should I equip it with?

Again, I'm thinking future-proofing and I realize that on day one I'll be killing ants with a sledgehammer.

Thanks for any replies.

Even the original M1 is enough. Those high specs you will never reach that bandwidth unless you do video rendering and compiling codes. Just waste of money imo.

If you're here to justify the purchase of Max model - I will straight up say waste of money or bad investment.

 

[Sig_Dude]

Even the original M1 is enough. Those high specs you will never reach that bandwidth unless you do video rendering and compiling codes. Just waste of money imo.

If you're here to justify the purchase of Max model - I will straight up say waste of money or bad investment.

Thank you. This is exactly the kind of honesty I'm looking for here.

 

[Sig_Dude]

I did not realize that the 16" has a larger battery capacity than the 14".

My current Pro is a 15". I'm a little worried that 16" will be a bit big for couch use.

 

[aevan]

The one spec. that did catch my eye is that the memory bandwidth doubles from 200 GB/s to 400 GB/s. I feel that's not insignificant.

While there are legitimate reasons to get the Max, this one is not it. Anandtech showed that this difference is negligible and that Max, actually, rarely uses 400Gb/s.

The only reasons to get the Max is GPU performance, or if you need 64Gb RAM. That’s it. If you use GPU-intensive workflows, then it makes sense. Or if you work with huuuuuge files and need 64Gb RAM. Otherwise, the Pro is just as fast for CPU tasks and more battery efficient (not to mention cheaper).

 

[Sig_Dude]

While there are legitimate reasons to get the Max, this one is not it. Anandtech showed that this difference is negligible and that Max, actually, rarely uses 400Gb/s.

The only reasons to get the Max is GPU performance, or if you need 64Gb RAM. That’s it. If you use GPU-intensive workflows, then it makes sense. Or if you work with huuuuuge files and need 64Gb RAM. Otherwise, the Pro is just as fast for CPU tasks and more battery efficient (not to mention cheaper).

Thanks.

If I go with a Pro, which seems likely, how much memory do you recommend?

While I do know that Macs make extremely efficient use of RAM compared to PCs, in terms of future-proofing, 16 GB just seems low...

 

[profcutter]

Don’t worry about future-proofing. It’s too hard to say what’s coming in 3-5 years. If your 2009 served you fine until now, I can’t imagine why a base 16 wouldn’t do just fine. If you’re used to an older 15 inch machine, the overall size of the machine isn’t significantly bigger, if at all, the bezels are smaller.

 

[wilberforce]

Thanks.

If I go with a Pro, which seems likely, how much memory do you recommend?

While I do know that Macs make extremely efficient use of RAM compared to PCs, in terms of future-proofing, 16 GB just seems low...

For the tasks you describe: "on the couch for internetting, emailing, occasional photo editing, spreadsheeting, and basic personal financial tracking," 16GB RAM will be plenty. You could get 32GB just to feel good, but the performance difference will probably be zero.
On the other hand, if you move the goal posts and start doing (say) intensive photo and video editing of vary large files, then the answer may be different.
I have a 16GB M1 Pro, and it is more than enough for the former. It could benefit from more RAM for the latter.

 

[mi7chy]

Monterey hasn't fully baked yet so you want a device that can run Big Sur so that means either MBA M1 or MBP M1. Between the two the MBA M1 has fewer things to break like no fan nor touch bar. Don't listen to anyone who says 8GB = 16GB and get 16GB. When Monterey fixes the memory leak, Safari and other issues then upgrade to the new model or you might find out you won't need to for your workload.

 

[Mlrollin91]

I struggled with this as well, but ultimately went with a 14" 10 Core CPU/16 Core GPU; 16GB; 1TB. It is the top pre-built 14" spec, or what would be the middle 16" spec. When it came down to it, I knew that even with future-proofing, I would never need the power of the Max. I'm beyond happy with this machine.

 

[McScooby]

Could always go for the entry level 14” upgrade to 1TB & save $500. It’s unlikely you’ll use the extra cores. I recently got a 16” for my parents who are in their 70’s purely for screen size alone, I’d guess though the 14” is no slouch.

 

[mashoutposse]

The M1 Pro models have the best battery life and best thermals/least throttling, while still performing nearly identically to the Max variants for anything not GPU-bound. The LPDDR5 RAM is extremely fast and these models do very well with the base 16GB. I recommend the 16" M1 Pro 10/16/16GB/1TB; it has the very best battery life and runs the coolest of all of them, and you get the extra screen real estate and bigger palm rests and better speakers.

One thing's for sure - "future-proofing" is not wise. Technology depreciates rapidly; it doesn't make sense to buy today's tech at today's prices for tomorrow's hypothetical needs. Today's $400 16GB DDR5 upgrade won't be $400 in 2-3 years, not even close. "Future-proofing" a 2021 MBP can take a $2,500 purchase to $4k and beyond very quickly.

Instead of speccing up today, set the $1,000-1,500 aside for your future machine. The next 16" MBP base in 1-1.5 years will be better than a "future-proofed" 2021, which sets a hard ceiling on your resale value (nobody cares that you paid $4-5k for your 2021 Max when the new $2,500 M1 Pro Duo/M2 Pro/etc base in 2023 outperforms it).

 

[iDron]

As others have said, the only reason for the M1 Max would be heavy GPU usage, which you don't have at all, based on your description.

Even the lowest memory, which is already 16GB will serve you fine. If you think about it: lets say youre planning to use it for 6 years, then the entry level 16" at $2500 will cost you $416 per year. The upgrade to 32GB of memory costs you $400, so you effectively need to use it one year longer to make the future-proof financially reasonable. However, in 2028, you will be far better off just buying a new laptop (which will then likely have at least 32GB in base config), instead of waiting for 2029 cause you upgraded to higher memory.

If you can see yourself doing anything more memory-demanding (lets say 4k video editing, playing video games, developing machine learning models) in the future, then it might make sense to go for 32GB and/or the M1 Max. If you don't see yourself doing that, 32GB won't future-proof anything and will just be a waste of money.

 

[MajorFubar]

IMO the M1 Max is just not worth it. The sweet spot of the range is the 14" M1 Pro, which with every conceivable metric, either equals or trounces similar-priced competition. But as you get further up the range, that's no longer the case. By the time you're spending M1 Max money, and if you aren't especially tied to the Mac ecosystem, you don't have to look far to find a Windows PC which will lay it to waste.

 

[iDron]

IMO the M1 Max is just not worth it. The sweet spot of the range is the 14" M1 Pro, which with every conceivable metric, either equals or trounces similar-priced competition. But as you get further up the range, that's no longer the case. By the time you're spending M1 Max money, and if you aren't especially tied to the Mac ecosystem, you don't have to look far to find a Windows PC which will lay it to waste.

Really? Show me a Windows laptop with a faster CPU!

 

[Miltz]

I need to replace my late 2009 MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB).

It can run OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), but it's sluggish and cannot be upgraded beyond that.

It's a "daily driver" notebook that gets used on the couch for internetting, emailing, occasional photo editing, spreadsheeting, and basic personal financial tracking.

I've been waiting quite some time for the M1X (M1 Pro and M1 Max) to be released.

The time has finally come but now I'm not sure which one to purchase.

Clearly, I do not *need* a Max. One could argue that I don't even need a Pro. But I do like my equipment to last a long time.

Is there any justification whatsoever, and I mean anything, for me to get a Max?

The one spec. that did catch my eye is that the memory bandwidth doubles from 200 GB/s to 400 GB/s. I feel that's not insignificant.

Also, regardless of what model I choose, what memory capacity should I equip it with?

Again, I'm thinking future-proofing and I realize that on day one I'll be killing ants with a sledgehammer.

Thanks for any replies.

The fact that you’re using a laptop from 2009 is wow. And I thought my 2016 MBP 15 was slow. Honestly going with a MacBook Air is going to be a huge upgrade for you. If you want a bigger screen just get the base model M1Pro 16”

 

[MajorFubar]

Really? Show me a Windows laptop with a faster CPU!

I don't want to go off on some side conversation that doesn't really help the OP nor answer their question, but it's really not difficult to build a PC for four and a half grand which betters the M1 Max. Let's not be too rose tinted in our views here. I get that this is an Apple forum, but don't lose sight of reality.

The M1 Max will suit users who need its very specific qualities of having a fast GPU and are tied to the Apple ecosystem through Mac-specific apps such as Final Cut. For everyone else with that kind of money to spend, other very viable options are available.

 

[iDron]

I don't want to go off on some side conversation that doesn't really help the OP nor answer their question, but it's really not difficult to build a PC for four and a half grand which betters the M1 Max. Let's not be too rose tinted in our views here. I get that this is an Apple forum, but don't lose sight of reality.

The M1 Max will suit users who need its very specific qualities of having a fast GPU and are tied to the Apple ecosystem through Mac-specific apps such as Final Cut. For everyone else with that kind of money to spend, other very viable options are available.

The point I was trying to make is: Current Apple laptops are really really good. The M1 MacBook Air is surprisingly economical, it's actually quite good value. The M1 Pro/Max are in fact the fastest laptop CPUs out there. There is at this moment simply no AMD/Intel that is faster - for laptops. The GPU is in fact actually not all that impressive, but with the Media Encoder one gets still industry leading Video editing and 3D rendering performance. You can find Windows laptops that are similar at those tasks, but they are likely not really gonna be cheaper, at least if you limit your search to those with comparable displays and batteries.

If you start comparing it to desktop PCs it's of course a whole different picture. In fact, Apple's desktops are not really good value at all, except the Mac mini. And of course can you build a desktop that easily beats M1 Max MacBooks at the same price point. However, it has always been the case that desktop computers are a lot faster and cheaper than laptops, so I don't see why you would make that comparison of laptops to desktops.

 

[mashoutposse]

There is no laptop on the market that gives you a better balance of performance, battery life, and portability than any of the M1 MacBooks (Pro and Air). This generation of MacBooks is as close to perfect as mobile computing has gotten.

BTW, if your needs are very basic, don’t sleep on the MacBook Pro 13” M1. The battery life for general tasks is incredible.

 

[planteater]

Thanks for the reply.

It will be a 16".

I'm thinking 1 TB storage.

That's the one I bought. Amazing machine. I came from a mid-2015. It's night and day better in every way.

 

[Sig_Dude]

So I'm thinking the 16 GB of RAM will be fine?