Are the M1 Max MBPs still worth buying (especially 14")?

[Mity]

I missed the amazing deals B&H had on their M1 Max inventory. I think they were selling 16" M1 Max 64GB 4TB models for $2800 and 14" M1 Max 64GB 2TB models for $2300. They would change their prices a bit but the above are representative.

The only place where I can find these configurations is eBay. Last time, I bought a Mac on eBay for the very first time, this happened:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...utomatically-configure-your-computer.2339243/

If I specifically want to the Max chip models, what do you recommend? A new M1 Max from eBay or new M3 Max directly from Apple / official reseller?

 

[MacCheetah3]

Well, there are buying options between new and eBay, and beyond B&H:

Refurbished Mac - MacBook Pro - 32GB - 48GB - 64GB

Save up to 15% on a refurbished MacBook Pro. Tested and certified by Apple including a 1-year warranty. Free delivery and returns.

www.apple.com

If you’re in the U.S.:

Used and Refurbished MacBook Pro Laptops from OWC

Configure your own MacBook Pro with a variety of refurbishments and upgrades from OWC. All Macs are tested and inspected by Apple Certified Technicians.

eshop.macsales.com

Open-Box Electronics - Best Buy

Shop for Open-Box Electronics at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up

www.bestbuy.com

https://www.backmarket.com/en-us/l/macbook-pro/a5e8d2e8-589c-4d07-9bf6-8fb8bc650bbd#backbox_grade=10%20Excellent&processor_type=Apple%20M1%20Max&processor_type=Apple%20M2%20Max&processor_type=Apple%20M3%20Max

Used & Refurbished Apple MacBook Pros | Mac of All Trades

Shop MacBook Pro laptops for sale at Mac of All Trades. Affordable prices, high quality, and expert refurbishment process. Get industry-leading service and support today!

www.macofalltrades.com

Of course, the MacRumors Marketplace — although, I’m not seeing many Max MBPs in the recent listings.

I haven’t purchased from all of these. My two current Macs were via the Marketplace here. My Apple Watch and Apple TV 4K were “Excellent” condition, open box from Best Buy. I bought a Galaxy Tab in “Excellent” condition from BackMarket. Oh!.. And, indeed, a few Macs via Apple Store refurbished — you can also find plenty of positive remarks about Apple direct refurbished on this forum and around the Web.

 

[Mity]

Well, there are buying options between new and eBay, and beyond B&H:

Refurbished Mac - MacBook Pro - 32GB - 48GB - 64GB

Save up to 15% on a refurbished MacBook Pro. Tested and certified by Apple including a 1-year warranty. Free delivery and returns.

www.apple.com

If you’re in the U.S.:

Used and Refurbished MacBook Pro Laptops from OWC

Configure your own MacBook Pro with a variety of refurbishments and upgrades from OWC. All Macs are tested and inspected by Apple Certified Technicians.

eshop.macsales.com

Open-Box Electronics - Best Buy

Shop for Open-Box Electronics at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up

www.bestbuy.com

https://www.backmarket.com/en-us/l/macbook-pro/a5e8d2e8-589c-4d07-9bf6-8fb8bc650bbd#backbox_grade=10%20Excellent&processor_type=Apple%20M1%20Max&processor_type=Apple%20M2%20Max&processor_type=Apple%20M3%20Max

Used & Refurbished Apple MacBook Pros | Mac of All Trades

Shop MacBook Pro laptops for sale at Mac of All Trades. Affordable prices, high quality, and expert refurbishment process. Get industry-leading service and support today!

www.macofalltrades.com

Of course, the MacRumors Marketplace — although, I’m not seeing many Max MBPs in the recent listings.

I haven’t purchased from all of these. My two current Macs were via the Marketplace here. My Apple Watch and Apple TV 4K were “Excellent” condition, open box from Best Buy. I bought a Galaxy Tab in “Excellent” condition from BackMarket. Oh!.. And, indeed, a few Macs via Apple Store refurbished — you can also find plenty of positive remarks about Apple direct refurbished on this forum and around the Web.

I strongly prefer to buy new, which limits my options.

 

[headlessmike]

I'd pick a refurbished machine from Apple over a supposedly new machine off of eBay anytime. I've bought several refurbished devices from Apple and apart from the box having a simpler design than the retail ditto, I couldn't tell that the device wasn't brand new from the factory. They do a very good job restoring the refurbished devices to like-new condition, often even replacing the cases with new ones, and all of the accessories in the box are brand new. You are covered by Apple's warranty too.

As for the main question. Yes, I still think that an M1 Max is worth picking up for the right price.

 

[wonderings]

I use an M1 Max as my main machine, working with graphics through Adobe CC. Love it, very fast and responsive. Of course an M3 Max is going to be faster, not sure by how much but it has obviously been improved. What would you be using the computer for when you get a new one?

 

[murzika]

How many more years will M1 get macOS upgrades? We're into the fourth year now --- I think?

 

[wonderings]

How many more years will M1 get macOS upgrades? We're into the fourth year now --- I think?

I think it will be a while still, and usability doe not end when Apple stops doing MacOS updates. There will still be security patches and the computer still works as it did before.

 

[Ifti]

I still use a M1 MAX MBP16 with FCPX - have no desire to change it at all. Lovely machine.

 

[cwosigns]

Microcenter still has factory refurbished M1 Macbook Pros. I got a 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro from them last November for like $1300. It was a steal.

 

[Mity]

I use an M1 Max as my main machine, working with graphics through Adobe CC. Love it, very fast and responsive. Of course an M3 Max is going to be faster, not sure by how much but it has obviously been improved. What would you be using the computer for when you get a new one?

Replacing my 2019 Intel 16" 64GB 1TB 5600M machine for coding, mainly data engineering. I know the M1 Max is more than capable of handling my workflow. The issue is value. Does it make sense to buy a 16" M1 Max for $3K on eBay when a new one is between $4-5K directly from Apple. But I wouldn't buy the 16" from eBay, likely buy the 14" for ~$2500. Also, it'll be 3 years old come October.

 

[Mity]

I still use a M1 MAX MBP16 with FCPX - have no desire to change it at all. Lovely machine.

If you already own an M1, totally agree. But the calculus is not the same for someone in my position.

 

[Nbd1790]

If you can find a deal similar to that B&H one, I would absolutely do it in your case. I would only purchase something new from them or a refurb model from Apple. Both are eligible for AppleCare being the main reason. Repairs are crazy expensive should something happen to it.

If you can find a configuration that meets your needs that saves you $1000 or more from the retail then go for that.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I missed the amazing deals B&H had on their M1 Max inventory. I think they were selling 16" M1 Max 64GB 4TB models for $2800 and 14" M1 Max 64GB 2TB models for $2300. They would change their prices a bit but the above are representative.

The only place where I can find these configurations is eBay. Last time, I bought a Mac on eBay for the very first time, this happened:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...utomatically-configure-your-computer.2339243/

If I specifically want to the Max chip models, what do you recommend? A new M1 Max from eBay or new M3 Max directly from Apple / official reseller?

First off, I categorically wouldn't buy an M1 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro at all. The cooler they used was the same that they used on the M1 Pro version (whereas on the 16-inch models, they used different coolers). This led to a lot of thermal throttling. On a 14-inch MacBook Pro, you also lose a lot of the benefit of battery longevity that you have on other Apple Silicon models. Better than Intel, sure. But still not fantastic.

If you have your heart set on a Max chip, I'd say to get a 16-inch MacBook Pro as that will be better on battery life and cooling (and also fan noise, where applicable). I probably still wouldn't bother with an M1 Max and instead look for an M2 Max because the scaling in graphics performance was somewhat flawed with the M1 generation, but resolved with M2.

How many more years will M1 get macOS upgrades? We're into the fourth year now --- I think?

Apple is still supporting Intel processors. They haven't even had a chance to have their first OS free of any kind of Intel code. There's not even a guarantee that Apple won't slow down on deprecating support for Macs once they've flushed out support for Intel Macs. I'd say, it's WAY too early to tell with that. And no, it'll be four years on November 10th of this year. We still got a ways to go.

 

[BeatCrazy]

First off, I categorically wouldn't buy an M1 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro at all. The cooler they used was the same that they used on the M1 Pro version (whereas on the 16-inch models, they used different coolers). This led to a lot of thermal throttling. On a 14-inch MacBook Pro, you also lose a lot of the benefit of battery longevity that you have on other Apple Silicon models. Better than Intel, sure. But still not fantastic.

If you have your heart set on a Max chip, I'd say to get a 16-inch MacBook Pro as that will be better on battery life and cooling (and also fan noise, where applicable). I probably still wouldn't bother with an M1 Max and instead look for an M2 Max because the scaling in graphics performance was somewhat flawed with the M1 generation, but resolved with M2.




Apple is still supporting Intel processors. They haven't even had a chance to have their first OS wherein maintaining Intel code is a must. There's not even a guarantee that Apple won't slow down on deprecating support for Macs once they've flushed out support for Intel Macs. I'd say, it's WAY too early to tell with that. And no, it'll be four years on November 10th of this year. We still got a ways to go.

Agreed, and to add to this - it won't surprise me at all if the M1 chips get 8-9 years of current macOS updates. They build Apple Silicon for the long haul, and still sell M1 models as new, today.

 

[darngooddesign]

How many more years will M1 get macOS upgrades? We're into the fourth year now --- I think?

The M1-Pro and M1-Max MBPs are only 2 1/2 years old.

 

[Acronyc]

The M1-Pro and M1-Max MBPs are only 2 1/2 years old.

Indeed, I have an M1 Max 14-inch MBP and no reason for me to upgrade. Lots of people going around saying the original M1 is four years old when as of this writing it's just over 3 years and 4 months old.

 

[prospervic]

Indeed, I have an M1 Max 14-inch MBP and no reason for me to upgrade. Lots of people going around saying the original M1 is four years old when as of this writing it's just over 3 years and 4 months old.

There are some strange ideas about math in this thread. The M1 Pro & Max MacBook Pros were released on October 26, 2021* (I know because I bought my 16 inch on launch day). So, counting on my fingers to today (March 22, 2024) gives us a total of 29 months which translates into 2 years and 5 months.

Perhaps people are mistakenly starting with the 13 inch M1 MBP which was released in October 2020 along with the M1 MacBook Air and Mac Mini? (It doesn’t count in this discussion).

*From Apple press release: “Customers can order the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models today, and they will be available beginning Tuesday, October 26.”

 

[MacCheetah3]

So, counting on my fingers to today (March 22, 2024) gives us a total of 29 months which translates into 2 years and 5 months.

And for those who don’t want to or struggle with fingers and toes counting:

Calculate Duration Between Two Dates – Results

Results page for Date Calculator. Shows number of days between two dates.

www.timeanddate.com

Anyway…

We’ll need to wait to know for certain, but I also think the M-series, even M1 models, will be relevant much longer — whether Apple officially supported or just usability/performance.

And a just-for-fun throwback, here’s that press release:

Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro

Apple today unveiled the completely reimagined MacBook Pro powered by the all-new M1 Pro and M1 Max — the first pro chips designed for the Mac.

www.apple.com

 

[Acronyc]

There are some strange ideas about math in this thread. The M1 Pro & Max MacBook Pros were released on October 26, 2021* (I know because I bought my 16 inch on launch day). So, counting on my fingers to today (March 22, 2024) gives us a total of 29 months which translates into 2 years and 5 months.

Perhaps people are mistakenly starting with the 13 inch M1 MBP which was released in October 2020 along with the M1 MacBook Air and Mac Mini? (It doesn’t count in this discussion).

*From Apple press release: “Customers can order the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models today, and they will be available beginning Tuesday, October 26.”

I was talking about the original M1. Not the M1 Pro, M1 Max, or M1 ultra. Hence my post referred to the original M1. If I was referring to another chip in the M1 series I would have specified so.

I also bought my M1 Max MBP on launch in Europe and it’s not even three years old yet, as you mentioned.

My point was that the M1 series is not that old.

 

[prospervic]

I was talking about the original M1. Not the M1 Pro, M1 Max, or M1 ultra. Hence my post referred to the original M1. If I was referring to another chip in the M1 series I would have specified so.

I also bought my M1 Max MBP on launch in Europe and it’s not even three years old yet, as you mentioned.

My point was that the M1 series is not that old.

I was going by the title of this thread, which includes the term “M1 Max”

 

[Six0Four]

I just recently purchased a regular 16" M1 Pro off Apples refurbished store. I would be willing to bet it was brand new. Blazing fast, zero fan noise, never gets hot.

 

[Beau10]

Apple's support countdown is from the date they stop selling the machines.

So AFA the M1 Pro/Max are concerned, we're not even at the 1.5 year mark. Major OS updates are likely to continue for at least another 4-5 years, security patches past the end of the decade.

Wouldn't do a 14" M1 Max due to the battery life/heat issues mentioned though, unless you really need the extra power and portability.

 

[leifp]

To delve a bit deeper… since it’s remarkable which fields do and which do not benefit from ray tracing and mesh shading, does yours?

Turns out it’s not just gaming, but design, architecture, marketing, sales, CAD/CAM, and many more that can benefit from those two technologies that exist in the M3 generation for the first time on the Mac. Data engineering, as I understand it, won’t benefit but perhaps your other areas?

 

[Lucas Curious]

Indeed, I have an M1 Max 14-inch MBP and no reason for me to upgrade. Lots of people going around saying the original M1 is four years old when as of this writing it's just over 3 years and 4 months old.

M1 Max is 2 years 5 months old.

 

[StoneJack]

It is perfectly useable and may be faster than base m2