What Spec Macbook Pro is Best Value For Final Cut?

[jack.pe]

Hey All, thanks for letting me join! Hope you can help with some advice...

I edit videos daily for my Youtube Channel. I currently have a 2015 3.1ghz dual core i7 with 16mb RAM. It is struggling with editing, especially 4K.

Have been looking a the new MacBook Pros and wondering what spec I should go for and what to prioritise.. with the new unified memory and M1 Chips it seems the RAM figure is now less important?
Essentially I mainly film in HD, 4 cameras in one go which I combine in a multicam clip.. this can take a while for the current laptop to process. But also would like to have 5-10 min intros which would be in 4K. I use it solely for editing, word and browsing..

So, Do I need to go for an M1 Max chip or would an M1 Pro do (if so which one?) and would I be ok with 16mb or do I need to go with 32? Basically whats the cheapest spec I can get away with?

Thanks!!

 

[Willo34]

If the 2015 almost does what you want, the 'basic 14 or 16 inch M1 will do the trick. RAM does remain important though. It depends on what you want to spend. The more RAM and bigger the SSD in essence the longer the machine will keep working and it will take longer for the SSD to reach it's designed limit....
This explains it regarding RAM and SSD life spans:

 

[Fishrrman]

I would think you'd want
- a 16" display
- at least 32gb of RAM
- as big an SSD as you can afford

Or, better yet, a Mac Studio with a 27" (at least) display...

 

[jack.pe]

If the 2015 almost does what you want, the 'basic 14 or 16 inch M1 will do the trick. RAM does remain important though. It depends on what you want to spend. The more RAM and bigger the SSD in essence the longer the machine will keep working and it will take longer for the SSD to reach its designed limit....
This explains it regarding RAM and SSD life spans:

This is really interesting and useful, thank you!! Seems to point to RAM and SSD as more important than the chip for my usage and with the new M1 Macs...

 

[JW5566]

I use my MacBook Air (Intel) 8/256 with Final Cut and it works OK, though as I do more and more video I am looking to upgrade too. Based on my experience with the Air, I would want:

1. At least an M1 chip as it has some video encoding/decoding built in.
2. 16GB RAM rather than 8GB.
3. I edit on external T7 SSDs so don't need lots of internal SSD, but it can come in useful as temporary storage, so I'd want 512GB (1TB is overkill for me)
4. More ports, an SD card slot, and/or separate power - small things like the lack of ports on my Air really niggle.
5. I thought about a desktop but I want to stick with a portable option.

I'm happy with the Air, but when I spec the above, it comes to around £1800, so for me it's a no-brainer to spend £1900 on the 14 inch MacBook Pro, so I get a nicer screen too.

In case you're curious, a relatively basic 4K video on my Air renders out at half real time, so a 15 minute video takes at least 30 mins to render - it's not the end of the world but I could do with it being quicker.

 

[jack.pe]

Hey Jack,

This is a question that is highly dependent on several factors. I do a lot of FCP work on both my MacPro and, when traveling, on my 16" Intel MBP, so I believe I can help you.

Great!

1. What camera's are you shooting with? DSLRs or other "small form" cameras typically have much smaller file sizes than the larger counterparts. My A7Siii does nothing compared to my FX9 or an Arri rental.

I film cars.. have a Canon Legria GX10 for intros (4K) when i stand next to the car, also use it for external shots of moving cars and static, details, interiors..etch. The other 4 cams are used simultaneously for the in car stuff, they are all GOPRO10s combined into a multicam clip on FCPX but I run them at HD only right now.

2. What format are you shooting in? Transcoding can eat up a lot of time.

See above?

3. You mentioned 4K edit with a 4 camera multicam. Do you edit with proxy files or does your current setup work with full quality files?

I use proxy files... current setup used to handle the multicam files when I had Gopro 3s.. but for some reason even in HD the 10s seem to use more space and I have to transcode them

4. What drive are you using for your primary scratch (edit) disk? Are you using a RAID setup or SSD (or a SSD Raid like the Thunderblade)?

Just the SSD on my Macbook. I really want to avoid a Raid or external set up for simplicity and because the laptop has to be portable

5. What is your budget? Is this a machine that your income depends on or is this more of a hobby?

My income depends on it. I can potentially spend up to £3.5K but more comfortable with under £3K, bear in mind I'm planning on getting an Apple refurbished model, so will get more for my money. Was looking at a 16' one for £2800 with M1 MAX, 32 core GPU, 32 RAM and 1TB SSD.
Ideally I'd want 2TB SSD but the only one they have refurbished is at £3.4K with 64Mb RAM.. seems overkill. And i want Applecare + on top so that's another £300 or so.

All these factors make a huge difference. I would assume, based on your current machine, that you're not shooting with an Arri Alexa or any "heavy" files.

As above my cameras are very modest.. 4K on the Canon will be my top file size.

Lastly, would you consider a desktop or do you require mobility?

No, I need it to be portable...

Thanks for your help!!

 

[jack.pe]

Excellent.

Based on your response, I am going to assume the following:

1. Your clients are not expecting "broadcast" quality.

2. While you are looking for a new machine, you are not looking to "future-proof".

3. Portability is a primary concern.


Therefore, I suggest the following:

1. Any M1 or M2 should work. I see no benefit for you to "max" it out as even a modest M1 outperforms the old Intel Macs.

M1 MacBook Pro versus 2013 Mac Pro

real world speed test results for performance minded Macintosh users

barefeats.com

2. 16 GB of ram should work, but 32 would be "snappier".

3. You should consider a Samsung X5 or a similar super fast portable external unit. Its advisable to avoid editing on your boot drive.

4. Consider getting a temporary machine and waiting for the M2 Pro/Max MBP. The benefit would be a top machine for 3 - 5 years at a similar price point.

This sounds like a good deal, but you're spending a lot of money considering the M1 is two-year old chip architecture.

5. No matter what you decide, in today's world, proxy files are child's play. Test the machine immediately to ensure that you can edit natively. If you still have frame drops, chances are you need a better hard drive. I was able to edit 13 streams of 1080 without proxy files on my "trash can" Mac Pro using a raid 0 SSD.

In conclusion, while my Mac Pro setup is highly pricy, I know several pros who, despite shooting with a BlackMagic Ursa, Sony FX9, Canon C300 or Arri Alexa, all edit with an M1 MacBook Pro and love it.

Good Luck!

Firstly thank you SO much for this really useful info. I have a follow up question if you have time.

- Part of the reason for upgrading is that I currently use an external 500GB Samsung SSD with my Macbook, the latter only had 250GB so I and external SSD was the only way. I edit on my sofa and in different locations so having a tethered external drive is a massive pain in the butt. I just taped it to the lid and it is permanently plugged in but I need to be careful how I handle it with the USB plug jutting out. Was looking forward to simply having to deal with an unencumbered laptop.
- You mention not editing on the boot drive.. why? Because it shortens the lifespan or because if it fails you loose everything in one go? or both?

 

[JW5566]

@jack.pe I understand the desire to keep it all on the laptop and avoid external drives etc. as your description of editing on the sofa is exactly how I do 50% of my editing (the other 50% at a desk), however I don't find a small T7 on a short cable a problem. That said, you have the budget for a bigger internal SSD so why not? Some of the advice above suggests it helps to keep it all external so you're not using your internal SSD too much.