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Beejan181

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 20, 2016
63
3
Hi,
Whats the best value mackbook pro to buy in 2023.
i want to do some video editing, pictures, and daily browsing and college work to use on it.
thanks for your advice.
 

Late 2021 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Pro chip (16 inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD)​


what do people say about this macbook pro
 
I say that’s more machine than your school will provide for your faculty (unless they are spending research grant money) and overkill for your needs. That said, I would gladly use one if my budget allowed.

A base model Air or 13” MBP is plenty for your intended use. Any bump in storage, ram, processor, display, audio, etc. is a nice to have feature. The 14” and 16” MBPs are very impressive upgrades.

As a point of reference, my wife will process photo sessions with hundreds of photos on her 13” M1 Air 8/256 with an external SSD attached. She often chooses this over her 27” 2019 iMac because it’s faster. Yes it thrashes the storage and slows down a bit, but not enough for her to care. (I got her the Air for use in her pre-K classroom, not for photography.)

The M-series Macs are incredibly powerful.
 
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Different people, different opinions... therefore, different people will say different things about the model you stated.

Some people will tell you
- great, go for it
- go for the 14", this one is too big and heavy
- go for the MBA, that´s smaller, lighter and will still fulfill your requirements
- wait for the M3 that seems to be just around the corner
- and so on, and so on, and so on...

I do not owe this specific model, I owe the 16" M2 Max, but for what I have read and seen in forums, reviews, and where ever else, this is (still) a good machine. Yes, it´s one generation "behind", the specs are not maxed out, but if you do not need the absolute max performance it will (most likely) be more than sufficient for the needs what you described in your original post. Finally, if budget is a concern and you can get a good deal for such a machine then there is nothing wrong at all with it. But all that is just my very personal opinion.

Herbert
 
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Here's a dated article (October 2021) about how to configure an M1 MacBook for professional video editing. Identifies the critical components. Translate to current models.

For folks that want high-performance with access to video editing, but aren’t principally editing:

16″ MacBook Pro
M1 Pro
10-core CPU
16-core GPU
32 GB of RAM
1 TB SSD storage

Price: $3,099

For folks that want high-performance video editing, while still conserving cash:

16″ MacBook Pro
M1 Max
10-core CPU
24-core GPU
32 GB of RAM
1 TB SSD storage

Price: $3,299

For folks that want the best, without breaking the bank:

16″ MacBook Pro
M1 Max
10-core CPU
32-core GPU
64 GB of RAM
2 TB SSD storage

Price: $4,299


 
i am inclined more towards this
16″ MacBook Pro
M1 Pro
10-core CPU
16-core GPU
16 GB of RAM
1 TB SSD storage
 
>and college work to use on it.

What's "college work"? What's your degree or major?

Honestly, unless your major is something related to graphics, movie making, or audio, a MacBook Air M1 would work perfectly for your needs.

Video editing would only be a concern if you are editing very large video files (30+ minutes) and using special effects.
 
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i am inclined more towards this
16″ MacBook Pro
M1 Pro
10-core CPU
16-core GPU
16 GB of RAM
1 TB SSD storage
What do you want from us? We don't know anything about your budget or needs.

The best value MacBook for college is an Air, a 15" one if you want a bigger screen. Unless you want to play games on it OR it makes you money and pays for itself, any Pro is overkill for any college work.
 
What do you want from us? We don't know anything about your budget or needs.

The best value MacBook for college is an Air, a 15" one if you want a bigger screen. Unless you want to play games on it OR it makes you money and pays for itself, any Pro is overkill for any college work.
Thanks Toutou for your reply,
MB air 15 inch you mean the new one which came out?
i am thinking for a smaller screen which one would you recommend
MB air 15 vs 13
MB pro which screen size and specs will be good value for money.
 
Thanks Toutou for your reply,
MB air 15 inch you mean the new one which came out?
i am thinking for a smaller screen which one would you recommend
MB air 15 vs 13
MB pro which screen size and specs will be good value for money.
Recommend the 13.6" MBA, but get the 512GB, 16GB RAM model. This is extremely mobile as it is light!
I have no issues using it for extensive Word editing and occasional Excel or Powerpoint despite the screen size.
The 14" MBP is also a good choice, but it is more expensive. If you need to use 2 or more external monitors, this is the best, the MBA can only use 1. I have an ANKER 7-in-one adapter connected, which gives me ethernet and USB-A ports. Also highly recommended.
 
Recommend the 13.6" MBA, but get the 512GB, 16GB RAM model. This is extremely mobile as it is light!
I have no issues using it for extensive Word editing and occasional Excel or Powerpoint despite the screen size.
The 14" MBP is also a good choice, but it is more expensive. If you need to use 2 or more external monitors, this is the best, the MBA can only use 1. I have an ANKER 7-in-one adapter connected, which gives me ethernet and USB-A ports. Also highly recommended.
will the MBA 2022 M2 13.6 be ok for video editing with alight motion.
or you can buy the cheaper M1.
 
If you do heavy video editing and the price is your concern, I suggest buying M1 MacBook Pro since it has a fan.
 
hi
what would you recommend for video editing and heavy / light work.
macbook pro 14 .2 inchM1 or M2
both with same specs 16gb and 1tb hdd.
M1 comes cheaper 400.
thanks
 
An air will meet your likely needs, and you give no major.
Find a refurbished or used (but with active applecare preferably) M1 Air with 16gb ram and 512gb drive and be happy.
Buy a used 14” M1 Pro 16gb 512-1tb if you want to splurge.
An m1 13” MBP would also suffice but I’d take the Air over it for school. You will NOT want to carry the 16” around campus and in and out of bags.

nice combo - used ipad pro with pencil (like m1 or earlier, no benefit for the added $$$ going newer for your use IMO) and magic keyboard, and a used M1 Pro or MBA. Buy a keyboard, mouse and display for dorm/home/apartment. In many cases for majority of classes you can probably grab the ipad and go, do longer papers and such on the full air or MBP.

Short of being a CS, Math, or CAD-related major, the iPad wold probably do fine as your main daily system.

Again - whats the major?
 
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Thanks for your advice, got the mackbook pro.
What external hdd would you recommend for this machine.
i do currently have a 2 tB samsung T7.
Thanks
 
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