Buying Advice M2 Macbook Pro for Video & Photo (Or wait till M3?)

[romebot]

Hello All,

Been going round in circles trying to figure out what to upgrade to.

Currently, I'm on an M1 13" Macbook Pro and find that it a bit lacking, also because there are only 2 ports (and no magsafe).

Some reviewers have said that the M2 Air (base (8,8,16) + 16gb RAM + 1TB HD) for cheap version & 14" Macbook Pro (base (10, 16, 16), 16GB + 1TB HD) is sufficient for video (4K, not too intensive).

But they do not mention whether it's sufficient for photo (Lightroom & Photoshop).

Others recommend going up to (12, 19, 16) & 32GB on the 14", but it's inconsistent.

Others say wait for M3, or even buy an M1 14" as the M2 14" wasn't a huge performance upgrade.

All this leaves my head spinning. I kind of need to make a move, but can consider waiting if it makes sense.

One thing that's confusing, is for video and photo, assuming the price is almost exactly the same, is it better to go up a core or up in RAM?
E.g.

14” M2 PRO (10, 16, 16), 32GB, 1TB SSD = $2,877 or $169/mo (Incl. Apple Care)

14” M2 PRO (12, 19, 16), 16GB, 1TB SSD = $2,758 or $160/mo (Incl. Apple Care)

Thanks for the help!!

R

p.s. This is just for macbook pro as I also use my computer a lot for writing and so the Studio or other desktop doesn't really work unless I keep my current 13" and not benefit from selling it (my apple care is almost out so I kind of want to get rid of it before it's harder to sell). Or I could feasibly get a very cheap M1 or M2 air for now and wait for the M3s.

 

[darngooddesign]

Regarding video, even the regular M2 has the same dedicated Media engine which was in the M1-Pro and M1-Max So an M2 Air will be better than an M1 Air, better than just the whatever% speed increase is. The M2-Pro will also be a lot faster.

For photo, the 32GB RAM is going to make more of a difference than the slightly faster M2-Pro chip.

You can always wait for the M3 if you are willing to keep using your M1, or you can spend your time enjoying that much faster M2 Pro with its much better screen, speakers, and MagSafe.

My suggestion is to get the 32GB 14” and use it for a week and a half, if you dont notice as much of a difference as you wanted either stump up to the M2-Max or wait for the M3s.

 

[romebot]

Regarding video, even the regular M2 has the same dedicated Media engine which was in the M1-Pro and M1-Max So an M2 Air will be better than an M1 Air, better than just the whatever% speed increase is. The M2-Pro will also be a lot faster.

For photo, the 32GB RAM is going to make more of a difference than the slightly faster M2-Pro chip.

You can always wait for the M3 if you are willing to keep using your M1, or you can spend your time enjoying that much faster M2 Pro with its much better screen, speakers, and MagSafe.

My suggestion is to get the 32GB 14” and use it for a week and a half, if you dont notice as much of a difference as you wanted either stump up to the M2-Max or wait for the M3s.

Thanks for the reply. That is very helpful. What did you mean, by "even the regular M2"? I guess it's always the same game w/ waiting for the new model to come out, wanting to have the longest life and resale value. My current M1 is painfully devalued after 3 years, and so waiting for the M3 is tempting. I could def. keep using my M1 for now, but I'm living outside the US where the prices are much more expensive and can't use my Apple card to get the 3% back and monthly pymts. Going to the US in April for a week, but the M3s won't be out by then, and so I'd prob have to wait another year or so, and by then my Apple Care will expire. So many variables, I see online that many have this same conundrum when trying to figure out what to buy. I guess Apple banks on this in a way. Cheers. R

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"But they do not mention whether it's sufficient for photo (Lightroom & Photoshop)"

I would think that 4k video is a lot more demanding than would be still photo editing (using any application).

I'm thinking you'll do fine with the m2pro MBP 14".
16gb RAM should be enough, you might want a 1tb SSD.

 

[romebot]

thanks... I was told that photo might be more demanding or maybe for use by another part of the computer as I was told that it would be better to get a RAM upgrade than a core upgrade.

 

[Silencio]

A 14" M2 Pro with 32GB of RAM strikes a good compromise IMO. 16GB is a bit skimpy for a really smooth video editing experience over the long run.

If a lack of ports is a big motivator for upgrading, the M2 MacBook Air will only marginally improve things with the MagSafe port freeing up a USB-C/Thunderbolt port for other purposes. The quality of the display is also better on the 14" and 16" MacBook Pros.