Which MBP to Purchase - First time buyer

[Tomdaviies]

Hello all and before anything thanks for all your help!!

I am wanting to buy a MBP as I want to start learning to video edit, so I can start doing this a hopefully build it into a freelance career for extra income whilst travelling. (I am aware it will take ages and I will probably make no money but it’s worth a go)

I know from friends who do this for a living that a MBP is the best option, however as I am going travelling I do not want to fork out brand new MBP prices ideally.

I have been looking at a couple of options, but I don’t really know where to start. I have looked at MBP with the M2 pro chip 14’’ screen or the M1 pro chip 16’’ screen. To be honest I’m not too fussed with a Larger screen. I just want to find the best deal that will allow me enough power to edit 4k videos (eventually when I get there), run either Adobe premier pro or Final Cut Pro and render/upload videos without burning out etc etc. All help would be great!!

 

[wonderings]

You are going to be fine with just about any MacBook Pro. Personally I would be looking for more RAM then the base numbers. Apple has a refurb section on their website where you can find reasonable deals that have full warranty still. You won't have any issues with any of the M chips from M1 and up. Obviously newer is always better and just get the newest your budget allows. Apple charges a premium for storage space so if money is an issue I would be looking at external drives.

Portability a 14" is going to be better and you can always plug into a larger screen when needed.

 

[Tomdaviies]

You are going to be fine with just about any MacBook Pro. Personally I would be looking for more RAM then the base numbers. Apple has a refurb section on their website where you can find reasonable deals that have full warranty still. You won't have any issues with any of the M chips from M1 and up. Obviously newer is always better and just get the newest your budget allows. Apple charges a premium for storage space so if money is an issue I would be looking at external drives.

Portability a 14" is going to be better and you can always plug into a larger screen when needed.

Thanks for the reply man! Okay so it’s probably best at looking for a higher spec version rather than looking to much into the M chip? I think 14’’ is going to be fine so that’s no issue.

So hypothetically a 2021 MBP with an M1 pro chip, but a higher spec than the base would be a good ’budget’ option. How long do apple support the latest OS on MBP’s? As it’s 3 years old now and ideally I wouldn’t want to have to buy another for a couple of years at least.

 

[wonderings]

Thanks for the reply man! Okay so it’s probably best at looking for a higher spec version rather than looking to much into the M chip? I think 14’’ is going to be fine so that’s no issue.

So hypothetically a 2021 MBP with an M1 pro chip, but a higher spec than the base would be a good ’budget’ option. How long do apple support the latest OS on MBP’s? As it’s 3 years old now and ideally I wouldn’t want to have to buy another for a couple of years at least.

Not sure how long they support them, but you have more than a couple of years left. Honestly I think any of the M1 Pro chips will be good. Check out this video:

 

[Tomdaviies]

Not sure how long they support them, but you have more than a couple of years left. Honestly I think any of the M1 Pro chips will be good. Check out this video:

Thanks again! That video was great and clearly shows the performance of even the base MBP! I will now look for a M1 Pro MBP and may just get as higher spec as the budget will allow me! 3-4 years would be ideal really so aslong as I can get that I’m happy!
Again, thanks for the help!!!!

 

[DaveEcc]

While the M1 likely has years of support, considering the price differences, I'd say just go for M2 or later.

As you have a friend already doing this work, they can comment on whether 16GB is plenty of the type of editing you expect to do, or if you'll need a beefier machine. For now, let's assume you can get away with 16GB.

Looking at the US refurb store, the cheapest MBP options w/ 16GB or 18GB are M3 ($1529, 16/512), M2 Pro ($1599, 16/512), M3 Pro ($1699, 18/512), M3 ($1699, 16/1TB), and M2 Pro ($1779, 16/1TB, $1849 w/ more cores), M3 Pro ($2099, 18/1TB) so the age of the M1 doesn't even come into it. It's simply not available (as of right now, some could pop up tomorrow, you're never sure what will be in stock for refurbs).

You CAN get a 16/1TB M1 Air for less ($1250), but in that case you may as well get an M2 Air ($1360, 16/1TB). Or, if you really want to rely on external drives, you can get an M3 Air nearly as cheaply as the M1... M3 Air ($1270, 16/512GB).

 

[wonderings]

While the M1 likely has years of support, considering the price differences, I'd say just go for M2 or later.

As you have a friend already doing this work, they can comment on whether 16GB is plenty of the type of editing you expect to do, or if you'll need a beefier machine. For now, let's assume you can get away with 16GB.

Looking at the US refurb store, the cheapest MBP options w/ 16GB or 18GB are M3 ($1529, 16/512), M2 Pro ($1599, 16/512), M3 Pro ($1699, 18/512), M3 ($1699, 16/1TB), and M2 Pro ($1779, 16/1TB, $1849 w/ more cores), M3 Pro ($2099, 18/1TB) so the age of the M1 doesn't even come into it. It's simply not available (as of right now, some could pop up tomorrow, you're never sure what will be in stock for refurbs).

You CAN get a 16/1TB M1 Air for less ($1250), but in that case you may as well get an M2 Air ($1360, 16/1TB). Or, if you really want to rely on external drives, you can get an M3 Air nearly as cheaply as the M1... M3 Air ($1270, 16/512GB).

I was assuming the OP would be looking for used options not from Apple which go for much cheaper then he prices you are listing. I am in Canada and see various M1 Pro models around the $950 CDN option, so around $650 USD. Not top spec machines, but plenty capable. Ultimately I do think get the best you can afford now as upgrading the hardware is not an option.

 

[Tomdaviies]

While the M1 likely has years of support, considering the price differences, I'd say just go for M2 or later.

As you have a friend already doing this work, they can comment on whether 16GB is plenty of the type of editing you expect to do, or if you'll need a beefier machine. For now, let's assume you can get away with 16GB.

Looking at the US refurb store, the cheapest MBP options w/ 16GB or 18GB are M3 ($1529, 16/512), M2 Pro ($1599, 16/512), M3 Pro ($1699, 18/512), M3 ($1699, 16/1TB), and M2 Pro ($1779, 16/1TB, $1849 w/ more cores), M3 Pro ($2099, 18/1TB) so the age of the M1 doesn't even come into it. It's simply not available (as of right now, some could pop up tomorrow, you're never sure what will be in stock for refurbs).

You CAN get a 16/1TB M1 Air for less ($1250), but in that case you may as well get an M2 Air ($1360, 16/1TB). Or, if you really want to rely on external drives, you can get an M3 Air nearly as cheaply as the M1... M3 Air ($1270, 16/512GB).

Yeah I have asked them for advice and they have advised me on what their own MBP has however it’s a very high spec MBP as their employer pays for it.
Im also based in the UK so prices seem to be a lot higher, looking at a refurbished M2 pro on the apple site here is £1700 Which is like $2200 which is slightly higher than my budget. I’m not going to look at an air as from what I have read it’s just not going to be as good as an older pro.

 

[Tomdaviies]

I was assuming the OP would be looking for used options not from Apple which go for much cheaper then he prices you are listing. I am in Canada and see various M1 Pro models around the $950 CDN option, so around $650 USD. Not top spec machines, but plenty capable. Ultimately I do think get the best you can afford now as upgrading the hardware is not an option.

I think it will be as you advised an M1 Pro chip but with a higher than base spec. Just trying to find a reputable refurbished seller in the UK for good prices, I wish I could get one for $950CDN!!

 

[DaveEcc]

I was assuming the OP would be looking for used options not from Apple which go for much cheaper then he prices you are listing. I am in Canada and see various M1 Pro models around the $950 CDN option, so around $650 USD. Not top spec machines, but plenty capable. Ultimately I do think get the best you can afford now as upgrading the hardware is not an option.

OP made no indication they wanted to buy used, just to find the best deal. Refurbs are a safe way to get a good deal without searching for whatever the latest best deal is. They have warranties. You can get Apple Care if you wish. Personally, I don't trust sellers of used computers, so I ignored that option.

I have no idea what spec your CDN$950 machine is, or what condition it's in. I was intentionally avoiding 8GB and 256GB models, as they'd be quite painful to use for all but the most basic of video editing. Sure, you could go get the base M1 Air Walmart special for USD$650, but I'm not going to be recommending that to a video editor.

So, with a base of 16/512 or 18/512, and the refurb store being a good barometer of deal pricing, I was just pointing out there were no M1 MBPs currently available in the refurb store, and the M1 Airs are priced so close to the M2 and M3 options as to make them a silly choice... so forget M1. It's halfway through its supported life, and Apple isn't pricing it that way.

OP didn't mention their budget, or the specs they need to meet. Are they editing 10 minute Youtube clips with almost no effects, or 2 hour movies shot in RAW with lots of color grading, and processing going on? Without expected specs, or knowing the type of video editing, I defaulted to a decent base spec of 16GB/512GB. Any M processor will do. But that's also why I suggested he query his friends. Assuming he's targeting the same kind of work, they will know what's actually needed, instead of us all guessing.

If the used market does have an M1 Pro 16/512 or better at CDN$950, and if the battery health is still in the 90s, then sure, it's a valid contender. It's discounted enough that to take into account it's likely halfway through its supported lifespan, ie: USD$650 around 50% of the USD$1270 M3 Air, and less than 50% of cheapest M3 MBP option. But if the drive is tiny, or it has 8GB, I'd have a hard time recommending it for something as memory intensive as video editing. If the battery health is low, battery replacement is an expense the OP will incur shortly... so, it's best to treat the battery replacement cost as part of the buying price (CAD$339 is Apple's estimate for a 2021 14" MBP) to be able to make fair pricing comparisons.

 

[DaveEcc]

Yeah I have asked them for advice and they have advised me on what their own MBP has however it’s a very high spec MBP as their employer pays for it.
Im also based in the UK so prices seem to be a lot higher, looking at a refurbished M2 pro on the apple site here is £1700 Which is like $2200 which is slightly higher than my budget. I’m not going to look at an air as from what I have read it’s just not going to be as good as an older pro.

I've seen Amazon.co.uk have some surprisingly good deals on occasion. But I'm not familiar with where to look for deals in the UK.

The UK does have higher pricing than this side of the pond, but your prices include taxes, where ours don't . Also you get better warranties. They're still higher, but not by as much as it initially seems.

 

[wonderings]

Ok my pricing was off. I hate the naming convention now Apple is using. You can find an MacBook Pro M1 PRO for decent deals, but not what I was looking at, those were "MacBook Pros M1" but not "MacBook Pro M1 Pro". How many times does Pro need to be in the name?? Either way, buy the best you can afford, you won't be disappointed. I use a 14" M1 Max, great machine for what I do in graphics, print and signage. I dabble in video lightly and use Apple Motion about once a year. It is amazing how butter smooth it is with that though. The M chips were a huge improvement from Intel.

 

[DaveEcc]

The Airs are quite capable machines these days. Sure, under sustained load they may throttle a bit, so your video render when you're done may take longer, but otherwise they're perfectly fine. I wouldn't discount them entirely just because they're not the highest-end, especially if you're not able to budget for the higher end. Of course, the only Airs in the UK store at the moment appear to be 13", rather than 15", which can be ideal for travel, but less than ideal for detailed editing work. No idea if that would be considered another deal breaker.

I see an M3 Air 16/512 for £1,269, 16/1TB for £1,439, or 24GB/1TB £1,609.

It's still not clear what specs your friends recommended. If they say you need a pile of RAM for example, then that 24GB Air may be only machine that fits at the edge of your budget. If they suggested even more RAM, then you'll need atleast a Pro. Without a vague idea of the recommended spec, nobody can help you find a matching deal, refurb store or elsewhere.

 

[wonderings]

You can really video edit on anything, yes some things will be better, but any modern computer is going to be ok, especially when you consider the power we have now compared to what we were using 3 years ago or more. I would get an M1 at minimum with as much RAM As you can afford. Hard drive space will never be enough but you can go external for that.

 

[Tomdaviies]

I've seen Amazon.co.uk have some surprisingly good deals on occasion. But I'm not familiar with where to look for deals in the UK.

The UK does have higher pricing than this side of the pond, but your prices include taxes, where ours don't . Also you get better warranties. They're still higher, but not by as much as it initially seems.

Yeah I think I’m just going to keep an eye out and look to find the best deals on M1 Pro or an M2 Pro

 

[Tomdaviies]

The Airs are quite capable machines these days. Sure, under sustained load they may throttle a bit, so your video render when you're done may take longer, but otherwise they're perfectly fine. I wouldn't discount them entirely just because they're not the highest-end, especially if you're not able to budget for the higher end. Of course, the only Airs in the UK store at the moment appear to be 13", rather than 15", which can be ideal for travel, but less than ideal for detailed editing work. No idea if that would be considered another deal breaker.

I see an M3 Air 16/512 for £1,269, 16/1TB for £1,439, or 24GB/1TB £1,609.

It's still not clear what specs your friends recommended. If they say you need a pile of RAM for example, then that 24GB Air may be only machine that fits at the edge of your budget. If they suggested even more RAM, then you'll need atleast a Pro. Without a vague idea of the recommended spec, nobody can help you find a matching deal, refurb store or elsewhere.

I appreciate the advice! It’s a bit of a minefield it seems but I’m sure I will get a decent refurbished MBP for similar price to the new higher end air.

I do agree and I will try and get some more technical help from my friend to try and seal the deal on which one to get! Thanks for all the advice! It has been helpful

 

[Tomdaviies]

You can really video edit on anything, yes some things will be better, but any modern computer is going to be ok, especially when you consider the power we have now compared to what we were using 3 years ago or more. I would get an M1 at minimum with as much RAM As you can afford. Hard drive space will never be enough but you can go external for that.

Agreed! I will go for M1 Pro as minimum and try and get as much RAM as possible! Cheers dude!!

 

[JamesMay82]

Agreed! I will go for M1 Pro as minimum and try and get as much RAM as possible! Cheers dude!!

I bought a m3 pro 1TB via sky as its interest free and £54 a month. very happy with it and I have similar use to you although I'm not traveling.