14" M2 Pro vs. Max Macbook Pro, what did you guys order?

[rokmomo]

Long time listener, first time caller ha.

I'm coming from a fully specced 19 16" mbp which in my twenty years of purchasing Apple products, had been the worst experience I've ever had with an Apple product.

I'm getting older so looking to downsize to a 14" model, my work load isn't super intensive per say, adobe suite creation, figma etc.

I'm looking for on the go ease of use these days, and I'm stuck between a m2pro 32gb 1tb or a m2x max 32gb 1tb. The price difference is a couple hundred dollars for seemingly 12-14 more GPU cores, which on paper makes perfect sense to do,

But I've seen so many reports of M1Max 14 mbps with below par battery life.

So for those of you in similar situations, what did you go with?

Luckily for me, anything can be better than the 1:30 I get on battery with this i9 2019 16" mbp.

 

[xraydoc]

Long time listener, first time caller ha.

I'm coming from a fully specced 19 16" mbp which in my twenty years of purchasing Apple products, had been the worst experience I've ever had with an Apple product.

I'm getting older so looking to downsize to a 14" model, my work load isn't super intensive per say, adobe suite creation, figma etc.

I'm looking for on the go ease of use these days, and I'm stuck between a m2pro 32gb 1tb or a m2x max 32gb 1tb. The price difference is a couple hundred dollars for seemingly 12-14 more GPU cores, which on paper makes perfect sense to do,

But I've seen so many reports of M1Max 14 mbps with below par battery life.

So for those of you in similar situations, what did you go with?

Luckily for me, anything can be better than the 1:30 I get on battery with this i9 2019 16" mbp.

All depends on if you need the extra GPU cores and memory bus improvements. That comes, of course, at the expense of battery life and heat. If you need the extra ummph, then the loss of battery life shouldn't be of much concern. If you want battery life and can wait an extra few seconds massive images to process, then go for the Pro instead and invest the price difference in RAM, SSD space, or simply bank it.

While I have the 14" M1P MBP and not the M2P, I faced the same question when I bought mine. I went in the middle -- I bought the higher-end M1P version (the 10-core over the 8-core). I figured that would be the best balance between speed, battery life and cost. I've been extremely satisfied ever since. I've not found anything that is "too slow" on this computer yet.

 

[UltimateSyn]

Poster above me summarized the tradeoff pretty well. What % of the time would you benefit from extra GPU cores? You will take the battery life hit 100% of the time - even when you're not cranking the processor to its full capability. Also note that Apple has made the heatsink smaller in the M2 line, at least in the M2 Pro vs. M1 Pro models. That means that the 14" chassis, which had a harder time dealing with the M1 Max already, may struggle even more with the M2 Max.

IMO your first config sounds perfect. M2 Pro / 32GB / 1TB. I think you'd be very happy with it.

 

[Qwaf]

I specifically avoided the M2 Max on the 14" because I simply don't need particularly powerful GPU on my laptop. I have an RTX 3080 in my desktop that I'd do any GPU heavy stuff on. By getting the Max, i'd be paying more for something I not only won't get the use out of but will also harm my battery life and likely produce worse thermals and noise in some circumstances.

I went with the 14" M2 Pro 12/19, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD. It's pretty much exactly what I was looking for (my first time going for the smaller laptop, as I wanted to go for portability this time). I'm a developer that really only needs a fast CPU and a decent amount of RAM.

I could have bought the M2 Max 14" for almost the same price (only £20 extra) as what I paid for my M2 Pro by buying it from costco. But I decided that I actually believe it'd be a worse laptop for me despite it being more powerful in the GPU department.

(On a side note, I'm actually quite proud of myself for my pragmatism here 😂, normally I'd go for the most powerful at all costs, but I tried to make a more rational decision this time!)

 

[rokmomo]

Thanks for the responses and you guys seem to echo what I’m guessing at, which is the slight bump from mid m2pro to m2 max isn’t worth what we assume will be harmful battery life.

The number cruncher in me keeps looking at the m2max config with 12 more cores for only 200$ more, but I’d like to be able to use my laptop comfortably unplugged for the first time in three years.

I’m going to order one way or another tonight.

 

[DHagan4755]

I'm coming from a fully specced 19 16" mbp which in my twenty years of purchasing Apple products, had been the worst experience I've ever had with an Apple product.

The Intel 16" MacBook Pro was a disappointment. My i7 got pretty warm not doing a whole lot so I can only imagine how the i9 fared.

 

[Beau10]

That means that the 14" chassis, which had a harder time dealing with the M1 Max already, may struggle even more with the M2 Max.

I thought it was confirmed the M2 14" Max had a beefed up cooling system? Specs show it is .1 lbs heavier than the non-Max variant for this reason.

 

[rokmomo]

Even after battery replacements, OS reinstalls, I got maybe an hour and a half before it would cut out.

Pretty embarrassing for client meetings, where I would have to go wall hunting an hour in.

 

[UltimateSyn]

I thought it was confirmed the M2 14" Max had a beefed up cooling system? Specs show it is .1 lbs heavier than the non-Max variant for this reason.

I’ll have to look into that - at the time of my post I’d only seen 14” M1 Pro vs. M2 Pro, so I was extrapolating some guesses/assumptions about what would have happened to the Max models. I’ll edit my post in a bit to correct.

 

[maflynn]

I'm getting older so looking to downsize to a 14" model, my work load isn't super intensive per say, adobe suite creation, figma etc.

I think if you're getting older the 16" display may be better. I'm older, and I have the 14" MBP, I kind of wished I opted for the 16" Don't get me wrong, its a fantastic machine so much more portable then the 16". My needs have changed since I bought the 14" and the mobility aspect is less important for me.

But I've seen so many reports of M1Max 14 mbps with below par battery life.

I think the Max favor being a larger more powerful processor will have less battery time, and if you don't need the pure horsepower the Pro version is more then enough for most people. The M2 Pro will be much faster then your Intel Mac, and its battery life will be phenomenal in comparison.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

I also had the 2019 i9 16" MBP. To be honest, I wasn't satisfied either.

Right now I have the M1 Max MBP 16 and recently upgraded my M1 Air to the M2 Pro MBP "14, base config.
Although I bought the 14 mainly for mobile office use, I installed for curiosity the Adobe Suite and C1P 22.
To my pleasant surprise I did not notice any sensible downgrade. I tested with with 36 mpx Nikon D810 Raw files and made light to medium edits and some panorama.

NB
I am not the kind who starts a cronometre to measure milisecond differences but someone who is primarily interested in the subjective experience of using a gadget. YMMV

 

[Macalway]

I thought it was confirmed the M2 14" Max had a beefed up cooling system? Specs show it is .1 lbs heavier than the non-Max variant for this reason.

I'd like to know this. If this is the case, it might make sense to buy the max just for this reason (maybe)

Could someone please post a link thanks!

 

[Beau10]

I'd like to know this. If this is the case, it might make sense to buy the max just for this reason (maybe)

Could someone please post a link thanks!

Unfortunately I can't find confirmation of this. I think it may have been alleged due to the weight diff which proved this out on the M1 16" Max. Surely someone has opened one up on youtube.

 

[dmccloud]

Unfortunately I can't find confirmation of this. I think it may have been alleged due to the weight diff which proved this out on the M1 16" Max. Surely someone has opened one up on youtube.

The only teardown I have been able to find is the iFixit teardown, but that was the M2 Pro version of the 14" MBP. I can't even find a written article for the Max variant.

 

[Beau10]

The only teardown I have been able to find is the iFixit teardown, but that was the M2 Pro version of the 14" MBP. I can't even find a written article for the Max variant.

Surprising there isn't one considering how easy it is to pop off the bottom panel. But its highly likely to be the case as it correlates to a similar spec different in the 16" M1 Max.

 

[dmccloud]

Surprising there isn't one considering how easy it is to pop off the bottom panel. But its highly likely to be the case as it correlates to a similar spec different in the 16" M1 Max.

I did find some site referencing the iFixit teardown video as proof that the M2 Pro and Max variants of the 14" and 16" Pros use a different heatsink, but that was something never even addressed in the initial video, as they only used a 14" M2 Pro model for that.

 

[rembert]

The Intel 16" MacBook Pro was a disappointment. My i7 got pretty warm not doing a whole lot so I can only imagine how the i9 fared.

That's the interesting part. I do have the 16" Intel i9 and... it's cold. Fans are not blowing. 32 GB, 5500M. But battery life is awful and single thread speed is just meh. That said, it's runs pretty decently. But I'm considering the switch to the M2 Pro or Max, 14" as 16" is too much for me having 4K 27" screens on my desks. Guess it will be the Pro. Still wondering about the memory. Some folks reason with Apple silicon one doesn't need that much memory, others reason about SSD fatigue. That's something to avoid I guess. So, I guess, I'll get my self a 14" Pro 32 GB 1 TB.

 

[DHagan4755]

That's the interesting part. I do have the 16" Intel i9 and... it's cold. Fans are not blowing. 32 GB, 5500M. But battery life is awful and single thread speed is just meh. That said, it's runs pretty decently. But I'm considering the switch to the M2 Pro or Max, 14" as 16" is too much for me having 4K 27" screens on my desks. Guess it will be the Pro. Still wondering about the memory. Some folks reason with Apple silicon one doesn't need that much memory, others reason about SSD fatigue. That's something to avoid I guess. So, I guess, I'll get my self a 14" Pro 32 GB 1 TB.

Oh interesting. Mine was a crotch cooker. You will probably be more than satisfied with the 14" MBP no matter what config you decide to get. It will run literal circles around your Intel MBP. The only hesitation is if you're upping the RAM & storage to 1TB on the M2 Pro it seems like a better deal to just get the M2 Max base config. Added benefit faster memory bandwidth & it's slightly heavier for supposedly better cooling. Just my 2¢.

 

[playtech1]

I have the M1 Pro 14 inch and M1 Max 16 inch and I really can't tell the performance difference in 90% of my usage - of course YMMV depending on application.

I do however notice a huge difference in screen size and portability - if I am doing 'serious' work then I do appreciate the 16 inch's extra screen real estate. For everything else the 14 inch is great.

 

[dstew201]

Wrong post!