Help with new macbook pro specs

[filipe_oliv]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could advise me on something.

I currently have a 2019 Mac Pro that I'm thinking of selling and swapping for a 16-inch MacBook Pro. The Mac Pro specs are the following:

- 3.2GHz 16-core Intel Xeon W processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHZ​

​

- 32GB (4x8GB) of DDR4 ECC memory​

​

- Radeon Pro W5700X with 16GB of GDDR6 memory​

​

I know you can't really compare the performance, but if I were to get a Macbook Pro is it worth getting a M3 Max chip, or could I get away with M3 Pro chip and higher memory? I don't really understand much of what specs I would need for what I do.

I'm a video editor who sometimes works with 4K footage too, and my current Mac is pretty quick at exporting.

Could anyone recommend some specs for a macbook pro?

Thanks!

 

[Basic75]

What's your budget?

 

[filipe_oliv]

I wouldn't really want to go too high, or over £3,500, unless absolutely necessary. Ideally, around £3K or under, but if I'd be better off with higher specs for video exports etc, I can consider going higher than £3K.

 

[Onimusha370]

Hmmmm tricky one - I'd say you want at least the 36GB RAM model given you're already on 32GB. Once you're at that level, there's only a £400 difference between the M3 Pro and M3 Max chip, and I'd say for what you're getting (double the memory bandwidth, close to double the CPU and GPU grunt) that's worth the £400, assuming you can stretch to £3,599. I feel like that model is a sweet spot in terms of storage/ram/CPU/GPU.

 

[filipe_oliv]

Hmmmm tricky one - I'd say you want at least the 36GB RAM model given you're already on 32GB. Once you're at that level, there's only a £400 difference between the M3 Pro and M3 Max chip, and I'd say for what you're getting (double the memory bandwidth, close to double the CPU and GPU grunt) that's worth the £400, assuming you can stretch to £3,599. I feel like that model is a sweet spot in terms of storage/ram/CPU/GPU.


View attachment 2312538

thank you, yes I agree. If I go for the M3 Max, is there a big difference between the 14-core CPU + 30-core GPU and the 16-core CPU + 40-core GPU?

 

[PaulD-UK]

Quote: "...my current Mac is pretty quick at exporting."

The Max chip has twice the number of "Afterburner" video encode/decode cores, so export time with a Max is ~halved compared to a Pro chip.

 

[Onimusha370]

thank you, yes I agree. If I go for the M3 Max, is there a big difference between the 14-core CPU + 30-core GPU and the 16-core CPU + 40-core GPU?

On paper you're getting an extra 20% CPU performance (but only when you're using software that can take advantage of all 12 cores) and an extra 30% GPU performance, but for exporting video I'd expect the difference to be negligible. Most of the work is being done by the dedicated encode/decode engines which are the same across all M3 Max models. If you had the money to spare I'd go for the £300 upgrade from 14/30 to 16/40 (I did!) but if you're already at the top end of your budget, I'd say stick with the 14/30 model. You'll also benefit from slightly better battery life with the 14/30

 

[TheRealAlex]

#1. Get rid of that dead Intel Mac Pro while it has any value at all.
#2. Use those funds to offset a base M3 MacPro 16”
#3. Make sure to get the 36GB or 48GB RAM version RAM is key.

 

[filipe_oliv]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for all your helpful advice

I'm thinking I'll go for the M3 Max with 36GB Ram.