Battery life on M1X PRO vs M1X MAX?

[KirkDayne]

4 - ~1500 mW package + 750mW DRAM on a 10c/32c/64GB M1 Max (https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...st-idle-load-power-draw.2320968/post-30551266)
with all 4 machines playing 1080p youtube video in Safari. But of course there is measurement error in there, (particularly the 64GB M1 Max seems very high).

Are all the machines in the four test 14inches? Otherwise we might be comparing apples with oranges.
I ran the test 1080p video on safari with my machine that is 10c/32c/64GB M1 Max 14 inch and I've got about the same values, slightly lower, around 1400 mW package power, 700 mW DRAM.

To me there is not enough reliable data to conclude yet. We sure know 16inches have better battery than 14inches, we also know Max versions are supposed to consume more, but what we dont know for sure is how much more when not using the extra horse power.

Because having less battery for a computer that performs more is pretty normal. So that's not something I need to know.
What I need to know is if having a M1 Max 10c/32c/64GB will consume "much more" power than a Pro 10c/16c/32GB when doing the exact same non-performance demanding task.
I ordered that computer as well so I'll finally be able to answer the question in few weeks.

 

[hmorneau]

Are all the machines in the four test 14inches? Otherwise we might be comparing apples with oranges.
I ran the test 1080p video on safari with my machine that is 10c/32c/64GB M1 Max 14 inch and I've got about the same values, slightly lower, around 1400 mW package power, 700 mW DRAM.

To me there is not enough reliable data to conclude yet. We sure know 16inches have better battery than 14inches, we also know Max versions are supposed to consume more, but what we dont know for sure is how much more when not using the extra horse power.

Because having less battery for a computer that performs more is pretty normal. So that's not something I need to know.
What I need to know is if having a M1 Max 10c/32c/64GB will consume "much more" power than a Pro 10c/16c/32GB when doing the exact same non-performance demanding task.
I ordered that computer as well so I'll finally be able to answer the question in few weeks.

That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. That's why I ordered the Pro 32gb and the Max 24c 32gb.

But I'm 16 inches, so I think I will just go with the Max except if the difference is big. And for me, it's not really battery life, but thermals, I like a quiet computer. But power and heat go hand in hand.

 

[Aroa]

This difference between M1 Max 32gb and 64gb seems quite big when doing simple task, I guess I get more powerful PC uses more power but it’s just a YouTube video on these tests.

Over 10h, 64GB would use 21-22.5 Wh
While 32GB seems to use like 12 Wh (11 for M1 Pro)
Considering 16 inch have 100 Wh, we get like 10%+ more battery drained just watching a vid, and has even more impact on 14”.
I hope it’s other factors in that like some indexing in background or idk because RAM shouldn’t make such big difference in my view.

 

[mentalman1369]

Are all the machines in the four test 14inches? Otherwise we might be comparing apples with oranges.
I ran the test 1080p video on safari with my machine that is 10c/32c/64GB M1 Max 14 inch and I've got about the same values, slightly lower, around 1400 mW package power, 700 mW DRAM.

To me there is not enough reliable data to conclude yet. We sure know 16inches have better battery than 14inches, we also know Max versions are supposed to consume more, but what we dont know for sure is how much more when not using the extra horse power.

Because having less battery for a computer that performs more is pretty normal. So that's not something I need to know.
What I need to know is if having a M1 Max 10c/32c/64GB will consume "much more" power than a Pro 10c/16c/32GB when doing the exact same non-performance demanding task.
I ordered that computer as well so I'll finally be able to answer the question in few weeks.

As far as I can tell, the readouts from powermetrics is for the chipset, and the chipsets are identical in the 14" and 16" except for the fact that Apple seems to limit the power consumption of the 14" M1 Max at *very high loads only*. This was demonstrated in the 14" M1 Max vs 16" M1 Max video from MaxTech on YouTube.

So for idle and low-power tests like playback of a YouTube video, I would not expect the M1 Max chip to behave differently whether in a 14" or 16" chassis (though of course the 16" with 100Wh battery will outlast the 14" with 70Wh battery, all else being equal!).

But definitely interesting that your 64GB 32c M1 Max consumes about the same as the other user with the same spec (as reported by powermetrics), which is quite a bit more power consumption than the 32GB 32c M1 Max (which uses similar power to my 32GB 16c M1 Pro).

My takeaway from this is that once you pay the battery life penalty of going to 32GB RAM on an M1 Pro, you're unlikely to lose much more by jumping to an M1 Max with 32GB RAM as well. So for the upgrade cost, you're probably gaining more GPU power at minimal extra loss of battery life.

 

[Stussi]

Got my 16" M1 MAX (32GB, 32 GPU) a few days ago. So far I'm very impressed and didn't notice a difference compared to the M1 Pro 16GB I returned.

Did an unscientific test yesterday.. runtime with light usage (Youtube Videos, some Music, a little photo benchmark).. in about 5 hours of usage the battery dropped 25%. So far I'm more than happy.

 

[KirkDayne]

As far as I can tell, the readouts from powermetrics is for the chipset, and the chipsets are identical in the 14" and 16" except for the fact that Apple seems to limit the power consumption of the 14" M1 Max at *very high loads only*. This was demonstrated in the 14" M1 Max vs 16" M1 Max video from MaxTech on YouTube.

So for idle and low-power tests like playback of a YouTube video, I would not expect the M1 Max chip to behave differently whether in a 14" or 16" chassis (though of course the 16" with 100Wh battery will outlast the 14" with 70Wh battery, all else being equal!).

But definitely interesting that your 64GB 32c M1 Max consumes about the same as the other user with the same spec (as reported by powermetrics), which is quite a bit more power consumption than the 32GB 32c M1 Max (which uses similar power to my 32GB 16c M1 Pro).

My takeaway from this is that once you pay the battery life penalty of going to 32GB RAM on an M1 Pro, you're unlikely to lose much more by jumping to an M1 Max with 32GB RAM as well. So for the upgrade cost, you're probably gaining more GPU power at minimal extra loss of battery life.

Indeed that could very much be it... I would love to see at least one more power metric test from somebody with a M1 Max with only 32GB of RAM to consolidate this theory.

Do you have an idea of how much of a difference that would translate into in battery life? Like 10% less, 30% less? Damn I would love to be able to test directly how much % are consumed per hour in the youtube test.

Also, even if unrelated to batteries, am I correct if I say that the only difference between a 10c/16c/32GB M1 Pro and a 10c/32c/32GB M1 Max is the number of GPU cores? Like the fact that one is called "pro" and the other "max" have no other consequences and its just basically the same except GPU cores?

 

[hmorneau]

Also, even if unrelated to batteries, am I correct if I say that the only difference between a 10c/16c/32GB M1 Pro and a 10c/32c/32GB M1 Max is the number of GPU cores? Like the fact that one is called "pro" and the other "max" have no other consequences and its just basically the same except GPU cores?

Memory speed (200 for the pro and 400 for the max)

 

[hmorneau]

This difference between M1 Max 32gb and 64gb seems quite big when doing simple task, I guess I get more powerful PC uses more power but it’s just a YouTube video on these tests.

Over 10h, 64GB would use 21-22.5 Wh
While 32GB seems to use like 12 Wh (11 for M1 Pro)
Considering 16 inch have 100 Wh, we get like 10%+ more battery drained just watching a vid, and has even more impact on 14”.
I hope it’s other factors in that like some indexing in background or idk because RAM shouldn’t make such big difference in my view.

Memory speed should make a difference in power usage as well. It always did at least in the past. I remember Apple was sticking with slower RAM a few generations ago to get that power saving.

 

[chengengaun]

I remember Apple was sticking with slower RAM a few generations ago to get that power saving.

Phil Schiller said that the 2016 MacBook Pro Touch Bar was limited to 16GB RAM due to the need to use LPDDR3E:

Apple says new MacBook Pro’s 16GB RAM limitation is to maintain battery life efficiency - 9to5Mac

Apple has commented on the decision to limit the new MacBook Pro’s RAM to a maximum 16GB, informing a customer...

9to5mac.com

Why the MacBook Pro is limited to 16GB of RAM -

To much fanfare the MacBook Pro was released. Then to much disillusionment its biggest limitation became clear: that it has a 16GB RAM ceiling on all of its models. The community reaction was strong enough to elicit a response from Phil Schiller: To put more than 16GB of fast RAM into a notebook...

macdaddy.io

 

[tdbrown75]

Phil Schiller said that the 2016 MacBook Pro Touch Bar was limited to 16GB RAM due to the need to use LPDDR3E:

Apple says new MacBook Pro’s 16GB RAM limitation is to maintain battery life efficiency - 9to5Mac

Apple has commented on the decision to limit the new MacBook Pro’s RAM to a maximum 16GB, informing a customer...

9to5mac.com

Why the MacBook Pro is limited to 16GB of RAM -

To much fanfare the MacBook Pro was released. Then to much disillusionment its biggest limitation became clear: that it has a 16GB RAM ceiling on all of its models. The community reaction was strong enough to elicit a response from Phil Schiller: To put more than 16GB of fast RAM into a notebook...

macdaddy.io

He did, in 2016.

Tim

 

[Sanpete]

Memory speed (200 for the pro and 400 for the max)

Memory speed should make a difference in power usage as well. It always did at least in the past. I remember Apple was sticking with slower RAM a few generations ago to get that power saving.

That's memory bandwidth between the RAM and the rest, not RAM speed. Don't think it uses more power for the same work.

 

[breath.by.breath]

That is just me. There are very slim batteries that would still work for the Macbook Pro.



I have Ravpower AC battery https://www.ravpower.com/products/rp-pb055-upgraded-ac-power-bank-30000mah
But I bought it because my other Macbook Pro didn't have USB C and needed AC port.

For batteries, I strongly suggest getting reputable brand like Anker and Ravpower. Try to get something that has higher output than 45W. but I think anything above 15 W would still trickle charge.

I have a Powerbank that can get the Maxed out 14" to 50% in 30m, and actually to almost 100% if I just let it do its thing. The only thing that worries me and here's my question to the community: the Mac is staying cool as ever, but the Powerbank gets very hot during charging. Do I have to worry that this will negatively affect the 14" battery? (I imagine it can't be too good for the power bank but I don't mind that)

 

[breath.by.breath]

That was quite interesting, and at least shows the M1 Max having a tiny advantage, albeit running the test more slowly than the M1 Pro for some reason.

Unless some other downside is revealed in the next month, I think I'll be buying a 14" M1 Max.

He should have continued it until 0 for all. I saw on another test (unfortunately not as scientific as this one) that from 75% downwards the drain is heavier. (Sorry don't find the reference)

 

[breath.by.breath]

Maybe we are all in a Matrix and there are no new dream MacBooks, or we are all apps running in a Mac until we die....

 

[macintoshmac]

Still getting good battery life projections (M1 Max, 10/32/32/1 config). Happy with the performance so far. This is with heavy web browsing and typing in Ulysses. No Affinity Publisher today.

My work environment does not require even a 10-hour battery life. I can always work plugged in or have time to plug it in when having lunch or a coffee. This is great.

This means that when I am working heavily with Affinity in the coming days, this might reduce to half at worst. When I work heavily on Affinity, will make sure to note the battery life once, before I stop and start enjoying this computer for the life of it.

 

[Sanpete]

The only thing that worries me and here's my question to the community: the Mac is staying cool as ever, but the Powerbank gets very hot during charging. Do I have to worry that this will negatively affect the 14" battery? (I imagine it can't be too good for the power bank but I don't mind that)

Doesn't sound like it.

 

[fyun89]

I have a Powerbank that can get the Maxed out 14" to 50% in 30m, and actually to almost 100% if I just let it do its thing. The only thing that worries me and here's my question to the community: the Mac is staying cool as ever, but the Powerbank gets very hot during charging. Do I have to worry that this will negatively affect the 14" battery? (I imagine it can't be too good for the power bank but I don't mind that)

It sounds like it has high power battery, like mine. Mine has a fan in it and such high power would usually yield heat.

I feel it is normal. If it is made by a reputable company, it should have some fail safe mechanism to not overheat.

Anything with over 30 watt charging rate would be pretty hot

 

[breath.by.breath]

So for the 16" models, I think at this point it's safe to say (and to point out the obvious), that battery life is going to vary from one user to another based on their configuration (including RAM) and individual workflows.

Looking at quit a few tests posted here using the same configurations and apps running (with the same usage simulations), there may be a negligible difference in battery life between the Max and the Pro with light or every day office work. But, the difference in battery life will be larger with more intensive work, but with the bonus that these tasks will be completed faster with the Max.

So if you want that extra built-in power (and faster memory bandwidth) on the go while enjoying great battery life, get the Max as it's baked in whenever you need it, and doesn't seem to hog power (that much) when you don't.

My 16" Max runs very cool and quiet (more so than my M1 Air) - I honestly don't think the fans even turned on since I got it (2 weeks), so don't worry about thermals if you're considering the 16" Max.

I am usually plugged in most of the time so battery life isn't a huge concern for me, but I will post back when I start using this beast (Max/32GB/2TB) as I am on the go.

Interesting how it can run more quiet than M1 Air as the M1 Air doesn't have a fan.

 

[breath.by.breath]

It sounds like it has high power battery, like mine. Mine has a fan in it and such high power would usually yield heat.

I feel it is normal. If it is made by a reputable company, it should have some fail safe mechanism to not overheat.

Anything with over 30 watt charging rate would be pretty hot

My only worry if for danger to the Mac not the Powerbank. Can I safely assume that the Mac will always only "take what it needs"?

 

[breath.by.breath]

I am still wondering to know how MacBook Pro 14" maxed out is doing on battery. This was a very normal working day with Word, Safari, some video, screen generally at 8 clicks. Screen went off when I was reading a paper or working on another computer, but was always on within less than a second.
How can I interpret these figures: How much time was the MacBook really in active use?
Anyway, it felt good working with this machine during the whole working day.

 

[Fomalhaut]

I am still wondering to know how MacBook Pro 14" maxed out is doing on battery. This was a very normal working day with Word, Safari, some video, screen generally at 8 clicks. Screen went off when I was reading a paper or working on another computer, but was always on within less than a second.
How can I interpret these figures: How much time was the MacBook really in active use?
Anyway, it felt good working with this machine during the whole working day.

Did you really get 15.5 hours of constant usage with almost an hour left? Surely you must have had some down time during this period when the machine went to sleep?

[Edit: sorry I didn't see the screen time graph. Over half of the time you had the screen off for more than 30 minutes in the hour ]

 

[breath.by.breath]

I am still wondering to know how MacBook Pro 14" maxed out is doing on battery. This was a very normal working day with Word, Safari, some video, screen generally at 8 clicks. Screen went off when I was reading a paper or working on another computer, but was always on within less than a second.
How can I interpret these figures: How much time was the MacBook really in active use?
Anyway, it felt good working with this machine during the whole working day.

Looks like around 10h screen-time on battery, no?

 

[breath.by.breath]

Did you really get 15.5 hours of constant usage with almost an hour left? Surely you must have had some down time during this period when the machine went to sleep?

[Edit: sorry I didn't see the screen time graph. Over half of the time you had the screen off for more than 30 minutes in the hour ]

Yes I counted about 10 h with screen on adding those bars.
I still have a 14" 8C 14 16 32GB on order. If it's not significantly better in battery, I'll settle for the MBP 14" fully speced out. If I am on a really long trip I get about 1 hour more with "low battery mode". And 11h is close to my own physical screen time limit . And for all the crazy video and AR stuff it can do, I don't mind the 3-4h I get on battery, and my Powerbank doubles that.

I've been using it for 22 days now. It still does strange things like the "Windows.Server" comes on and consumes 100% CPU, discharging battery faster/warming the machine slightly; re-start solves it; hope Apple gets rid of such issues in OS updates.

 

[applesed]

i have the pro and 24c max both 32gb with the intention of comparing battery and temperature along both cpu bound work and cpu bound gaming. but I like the max's keyboard better, its quieter, more of a thunk than a clack. I did do an imprecise test of the two running League of Legends and their top and bottom temps were about the same (81F below, 91F keyboard, albeit with a fanned cooling pad, may do again without). Anyway I'll do this test with the 24c v. 32c that's coming soon (32gb both), leaning on just keeping the 24c, it works well, and I'm usually plugging in and previous results show the extra core are not power hungry when not in use, and i think the middle ground give some headroom and ability for third monitor.

 

[Pokolasko]

Tomorrow I can have 14 "max 24gpu 32gb ram 1TB. So what? Should I worry about battery and thermal?