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14" M1 Pro MBP with 16GB vs 32GB RAM? (Video Editing)

omareletr

omareletr

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 18, 2021
1
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Hey all,

I am super excited about purchasing the new M1 Pro MacBook Pro, but I'm not sure which configuration would work best for me.

I mostly do video editing (4K footage) on Final Cut Pro X and minor photo editing on Photoshop.

I usually have a million chrome tabs open though as well.

So which RAM configuration would you go for – 16GB or 32GB?

It's worth noting that I am on a 4-5 year upgrade cycle, so this will stay with me for a while.

Thanks!
 
My 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM does massive workloads in 4K and 1 or 2 8K vids. It absolutely power Throughs everything. Never saw any slowdowns or Throttling.

I’d recommend the 16GB.
 
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Hi, I have the same question...
My daily apps include Photoshop CC, Logic Pro, web coding. Rarely, I use VMs for running outdated sw that I need for some works. Unsure how M1 Pro chips will handle all this and if they really need the extra (a bit expensive) ram upgrade, thanks.
 
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Serban55 said:
why is there a question?
what the point?
i mean if you can go with 32 go for it
Click to expand...
Thanks. I was still considering 14 or 16 model... Being a 15" user since 2007 it's hard to decide.
But right now I'm working in a new space, with a 25" monitor and usb-c docking station, so I think I will get the 14 model with M1 Pro chip, 1TB and 32GB Ram. After all both 14 and 16 can be configured with the same specs!
 
Serban55 said:
why is there a question?
what the point?
i mean if you can go with 32 go for it
Click to expand...
Why is this a question?

Because Apple charges $400 for 16gb of ram, that's why

I'm going through the same dilemma and leaning toward base model. I overspecced my last macbook pro and I feel like Apple got me good. Do I have an extra thousand to give to apple for upgrades I might not need? Yes, but I'd rather not if I really won't need them.
 
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Camarillo Brillo said:
Why is this a question?

Because Apple charges $400 for 16gb of ram, that's why

I'm going through the same dilemma and leaning toward base model. I overspecced my last macbook pro and I feel like Apple got me good. Do I have an extra thousand to give to apple for upgrades I might not need? Yes, but I'd rather not if I really won't need them.
Click to expand...

Went 32GB myself, it hurts, but playing the long game.

Tim
 
I'm looking at the same lifespan (though I'll try and push 6 years), I couldn't get away from 32GB. My MBP is mainly for Logic (with bits of Adobe suite for photos and video), and it's also my main computer.

My usage is never that CPU-intensive but for the lifespan I'm looking at I thought 8 core/32GB/1TB seemed sensible. Most of my friends are musicians and don't have that regular an upgrade cycle. The ones who bought 8GB 5-7 years ago are feeling it with what they're trying to do more than I am on 16GB (though my 2013 MBP is falling apart, it's been around).
 
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Camarillo Brillo said:
Why is this a question?

Because Apple charges $400 for 16gb of ram, that's why

I'm going through the same dilemma and leaning toward base model. I overspecced my last macbook pro and I feel like Apple got me good. Do I have an extra thousand to give to apple for upgrades I might not need? Yes, but I'd rather not if I really won't need them.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that the M1 architecture uses memory more effectively. PLUS the SDD's are supper fast so using a swap file is not like the old days with spinning disk. I posted a comparison and the differences are minuscule between 16gb vs 32gb. Plus, memory pressure now means nothing till it hits red. Reason being is why would you want to see memory usage super low. That just means u are not using your resources properly. Apple figured that out and regardless of 32gb vs 16gb it will use as much as you give it and will be in the yellow with 32gb as well. Just get the 16gb....I am waiting for 14" max. I don't even do video but that apple site to buy features is so tempting. I will be returning and will be getting a 16", 10 core and 1tb configuration. I'm done with future proofing anything since I will want a mew Mac in a couple years regardless.
 
nbjustforfun said:
Keep in mind that the M1 architecture uses memory more effectively. PLUS the SDD's are supper fast so using a swap file is not like the old days with spinning disk. I posted a comparison and the differences are minuscule between 16gb vs 32gb. Plus, memory pressure now means nothing till it hits red. Reason being is why would you want to see memory usage super low. That just means u are not using your resources properly. Apple figured that out and regardless of 32gb vs 16gb it will use as much as you give it and will be in the yellow with 32gb as well. Just get the 16gb....I am waiting for 14" max. I don't even do video but that apple site to buy features is so tempting. I will be returning and will be getting a 16", 10 core and 1tb configuration. I'm done with future proofing anything since I will want a mew Mac in a couple years regardless.
Click to expand...
On the other hand, excessive swap degrades the SSD. I suppose though most people this won't be an issue if they upgrade every 3-5 years.
 
baummer said:
On the other hand, excessive swap degrades the SSD. I suppose though most people this won't be an issue if they upgrade every 3-5 years.
Click to expand...
SSD are more reliable than ever. I would be surprised if even constant read/writes make it burn out within 10 years. I am sure there is some data somewhere but most people can attest to the reliability and like you said, keeping a computer even over 5 years is a stretch and it will most likely be crippled by other factors than HW failure.
 
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If you have $400 burning a hole in your pocket and don't mind waiting a few weeks for a build-to-order configuration, then 32GB will help you sleep at night - even though it won't affect performance.


 
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I would go with 32 but no. I also know I wouldn’t be able to tell difference. It’s a waste unless you know for sure you need it.

At some point it has to be manageable. Why not 64gb? Why not max? Why not 2 tb storage? This keeps it around 2200 purchase price that’s why. Lol.
 
nbjustforfun said:
Keep in mind that the M1 architecture uses memory more effectively. PLUS the SDD's are supper fast so using a swap file is not like the old days with spinning disk. I posted a comparison and the differences are minuscule between 16gb vs 32gb. Plus, memory pressure now means nothing till it hits red. Reason being is why would you want to see memory usage super low. That just means u are not using your resources properly. Apple figured that out and regardless of 32gb vs 16gb it will use as much as you give it and will be in the yellow with 32gb as well. Just get the 16gb....I am waiting for 14" max. I don't even do video but that apple site to buy features is so tempting. I will be returning and will be getting a 16", 10 core and 1tb configuration. I'm done with future proofing anything since I will want a mew Mac in a couple years regardless.
Click to expand...
OK. So I will have different argument.

Keep in mind that M1 architecture has uniffied memory which is used by all hardware components - RAM, graphics, CPU, so it is better to have more memory for sharing ?
 
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