14" M3 Max binned vs unbinned fan noise? (14/30 vs 16/40)

[Yebubbleman]

Any 14" Max is going to need to use the fans and potentially throttle more than an equivalent 16" Max machine because of the size of the device and the thermals. Any difference between the different CPU/GPU models of Max chip in a 14" chassis will make little to no difference to this if you're working the chip flat out.

Personally, unless you need the power of the Max chip, especially in a 14" machine, I'd consider the M3 Pro chip. I think the M3 lineup is now very clearly segmented so that the M3 Pro is going to give the best balance of power & efficiency for most people, with the Max chip there for those who absolutely want the most powerful choices of CPU & GPU you can get.

THIS!

While it's not as bad as it was with M1 Max 14-inch MacBook Pros, Max chips in a 14-inch is still going to result in heat and thermal throttling when compared to a 16-inch MacBook Pro. Max chips were very clearly designed with the chasses of the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac Studio in mind first and foremost; Apple reasoned that those wanting portability would be fine to - as they always have - sacrifice power, performance, and battery life to get something more portable.

Which is to say that I echo this advice: If you want M3 Max, get a 16-inch MacBook Pro. If you want a 14-inch MacBook Pro, get a M3 Pro instead. Otherwise, you'll be making the kinds of sacrifices that result in posts just like this one!

It's mostly a matter of time saving. I'm sure I could get by with a Pro model, but the Max will finish all of the demanding daily tasks I do faster. Things like importing thousands of high resolution (45mp Canon R5) files into Lightroom, applying batch AI noise reduction, converting raw to DNG files, HDR merging files, and 4k and 8k video editing and color grading.

The other day I imported ~1800 raw files into Lightroom and it took my 2020 M1 over an hour to build previews.

"Artisright" did some great tests that show some of the differences:

But if the thermals of the unbinned 16-core 14" M3 Max are limiting it to the point that it has no better performance than the 14-core binned version, and worse fan noise, then I should have gotten the binned 14-core version instead of the 16-core I ordered.

Again, that (14-inch) chassis with ANY Max SoC is going to entail this sort of throttling, heat, and fan noise, as well as the hit to your battery life. If you need the performance of a Max chip (and it sounds like, for your use cases, it probably helps), get a 16-inch MacBook Pro instead; unlike the 14-inch model, it's actually built to run this SoC and break much less of a sweat.

Get a 16-inch MacBook Pro instead.

The other "issue" with the Pro is once you bump up one tier to 36GB the price gets very close to the M3 Max.

I just looked. For a 18GB RAM/1TB SSD M3 Pro based 14-inch MacBook Pro, it costs $400 to go to 36GB of RAM, and another $400 ON TOP OF THAT to go to the 14-CPU-core/30-GPU-core variant of M3 Pro. If you don't select 36GB of RAM and instead just select the chip upgrade, you're still paying the $800 to step up.

If we were talking about a single $200 upgrade, that'd be one thing. But a $400 upgrade? That's a bit more, especially, again, for a chassis that isn't the most optimal home for any Max SoC.

 

[california_kid]

THIS!

While it's not as bad as it was with M1 Max 14-inch MacBook Pros, Max chips in a 14-inch is still going to result in heat and thermal throttling when compared to a 16-inch MacBook Pro. Max chips were very clearly designed with the chasses of the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac Studio in mind first and foremost; Apple reasoned that those wanting portability would be fine to - as they always have - sacrifice power, performance, and battery life to get something more portable.

Which is to say that I echo this advice: If you want M3 Max, get a 16-inch MacBook Pro. If you want a 14-inch MacBook Pro, get a M3 Pro instead. Otherwise, you'll be making the kinds of sacrifices that result in posts just like this one!



Again, that (14-inch) chassis with ANY Max SoC is going to entail this sort of throttling, heat, and fan noise, as well as the hit to your battery life. If you need the performance of a Max chip (and it sounds like, for your use cases, it probably helps), get a 16-inch MacBook Pro instead; unlike the 14-inch model, it's actually built to run this SoC and break much less of a sweat.

Get a 16-inch MacBook Pro instead.



I just looked. For a 18GB RAM/1TB SSD M3 Pro based 14-inch MacBook Pro, it costs $400 to go to 36GB of RAM, and another $400 ON TOP OF THAT to go to the 14-CPU-core/30-GPU-core variant of M3 Pro. If you don't select 36GB of RAM and instead just select the chip upgrade, you're still paying the $800 to step up.

If we were talking about a single $200 upgrade, that'd be one thing. But a $400 upgrade? That's a bit more, especially, again, for a chassis that isn't the most optimal home for any Max SoC.

That is solid advice. However, in the case where somebody wants the portability of 14 inch, the Max will outperform the Pro when memory bandwidth is a factor. Pro tops out a 150 GB/s while Max tops out at 400 GB/s.

 

[Pezimak]

That is solid advice. However, in the case where somebody wants the portability of 14 inch, the Max will outperform the Pro when memory bandwidth is a factor. Pro tops out a 150 GB/s while Max tops out at 400 GB/s.

I have a 14" M3 Max and it doesn't thermo throttle. From what I've seen they only happens in video editing or other specific tasks, I don't pay any attention to synthetic benchmarks as they do not represent actual use. In day to day the fans never even come on. I play games on it through Crossover and that's when I really appreciate that faster memory bandwidth. And on high settings, like Diablo 4 Ultra Ray Tracing settings, it still does around 80 to 100fps including fight scenes. It's one seriously impressive machine and chip and for me at least a far better form factor.

 

[Yebubbleman]

That is solid advice. However, in the case where somebody wants the portability of 14 inch, the Max will outperform the Pro when memory bandwidth is a factor. Pro tops out a 150 GB/s while Max tops out at 400 GB/s.

Right. But my point is that 14" Chassis + Max comes with unavoidable caveats. If you want portability, make sacrifices. Such has been the way of computing for decades.

 

[xraydoc]

Just adding my 2₵...

I run my 14" 14/30-core M3 Max in clamshell mode on a desk connected to three external displays in the top-performance mode when connected to power (automatic mode when on battery). It's very difficult with my workflow to get the fans to ramp up to the point where I can hear them over background noise (I have to run it to extreme levels far beyond my top workflow to even make it happen). Everyone's workflow is different, so obviously your milage may differ, but I'm extremely satisfied with the performance to noise ratio of the smaller M3 Max chip in the 14" machine.

And I had to get the Max version since I wanted to run more than two external displays. The M3 Pro still tops out at two external displays.

 

[xee_]

Just adding my 2₵...

I run my 14" 14/30-core M3 Max in clamshell mode on a desk connected to three external displays in the top-performance mode when connected to power (automatic mode when on battery). It's very difficult with my workflow to get the fans to ramp up to the point where I can hear them over background noise (I have to run it to extreme levels far beyond my top workflow to even make it happen). Everyone's workflow is different, so obviously your milage may differ, but I'm extremely satisfied with the performance to noise ratio of the smaller M3 Max chip in the 14" machine.

And I had to get the Max version since I wanted to run more than two external displays. The M3 Pro still tops out at two external displays.

What does your workflow look like, is it heavy? Which softwares do you use?

 

[xraydoc]

What does your workflow look like, is it heavy? Which softwares do you use?

Mostly basic desktop & office stuff -- Office 365, PDFs, Safari/Edge, Mail, Discord, Zoom and WebEx, as well as a Windows 11 for ARM virtual machine in Parallels. I also periodically use a medical imaging application called Falcon MD. The CPU and GPU can get moderately stressed when rotating 3D models or scrolling through large image sets with maximum intensity projection imaging turned on.

But definitely not the same as doing 3D animation rendering, 8K video color correction, or anything like that.

 

[xee_]

Mostly basic desktop & office stuff -- Office 365, PDFs, Safari/Edge, Mail, Discord, Zoom and WebEx, as well as a Windows 11 for ARM virtual machine in Parallels. I also periodically use a medical imaging application called Falcon MD. The CPU and GPU can get moderately stressed when rotating 3D models or scrolling through large image sets with maximum intensity projection imaging turned on.

But definitely not the same as doing 3D animation rendering, 8K video color correction, or anything like that.

Thanks for the reply! How about the thermal aspect? Have you felt that it goes hot/warm?

 

[xraydoc]

Thanks for the reply! How about the thermal aspect? Have you felt that it goes hot/warm?

Warm? Yes. Hot? No, not really.

 

[xee_]

Warm? Yes. Hot? No, not really.

I'm wondering whether i should get the M3 Max, or wait for M4 Max instead. Just sold my M2 Pro, because i wanted to get the M3 Max, but not sure what to do now.

I currently have an older Macbook Pro which i'm using as a temporary solution.

 

[Aka757]

I'm wondering whether i should get the M3 Max, or wait for M4 Max instead. Just sold my M2 Pro, because i wanted to get the M3 Max, but not sure what to do now.

I currently have an older Macbook Pro which i'm using as a temporary solution.

Now is a pretty good time to get the M3 Max. It's been out for a while, so you can even get a used M3 Max for a pretty good discount if you're willing to look for a deal (Swappa, Best Buy are a couple leads that come to mind). There will always be a new chip / device to look forward to, so unless you are not in any rush whatsoever, you might as well bite the bullet now and get the M3 Max.

 

[spinstorm]

I have the top spec M3 Max with 64GB ‘RAM’ and 2TB disk space, and the fan is on whenever I’m editing videos for my YouTube channel. Keep in mind these are 8K video files with effects etc, and I have to run it in proxy mode or it freezes.

I honestly can’t help but wonder if 128GB ‘RAM’ would have benefited me here.

 

[xraydoc]

I'm wondering whether i should get the M3 Max, or wait for M4 Max instead. Just sold my M2 Pro, because i wanted to get the M3 Max, but not sure what to do now.

I currently have an older Macbook Pro which i'm using as a temporary solution.

At this point, you may as well wait and see what comes out. If you're not happy with the M4 Pro/Max offerings, you can always find an M3 Max machine somewhere.

I've had my 14/30 M3 Max for a bit, and I'm still extremely happy with it.