How many people really need M1 Pro or M1 Max

[joema2]

Right now that new MBP with M1 Max is very tempting for me, I need a new compute that can handle 4K to 4K rendering that calls for heavy GPU computations like Noise Reduction. I don’t want to buy an Intel Mac Pro or for that matter a 2020 27” iMa… One thing is for sure that M1 Max MBP will blow my 2015 iMac out of the water… I however have a fundamental issue with using a laptop as a desktop…

Same here, I don't like using a laptop except where I have to. I have a 2015 and 2017 top-spec iMac 27, also a 10-core Vega 64 iMac Pro, 2016 MBP 15 and 2019 MBP 16. The 2015 iMac by current standards is pretty slow. When I get my M1 Max MBP 16 I'll run various benchmarks and real-world tests and post the results.

Exactly as you mentioned, need for high CPU/GPU performance is not limited to 3D graphic artists. For those who say "who could need that much performance", try running Neat Video on 4k clips or Resolve face refinement or Resolve Magic Mask or Digital Anarchy Flicker Free or Imagenomic Portraiture. Those will bring almost any machine to its knees. Those are not exotic tasks but are very typical when finishing a video.

You probably saw the rumor on this site about an M1 (likely M1 Pro/Max) iMac 27 early next year. For those needing a more powerful updated desktop that might work.

So far the leaked GPU GeekBench numbers on M1 Max show it's a bit faster than the Vega 64 GPU in my iMac Pro. That is amazing for a laptop but my iMac Pro really bogs down on some of the above-mentioned tasks. That said the Apple "Unleashed" video showed a brief statement from a DaVinci Resolve developer who claimed M1 Max could run Resolve Magic Mask (sort of an AI rotoscoping tool) in real time, which implies without rendering to cache. If so that's great but I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[xraydoc]

I think they will add MagSafe, but that’s it. If M2 can drive 2 external displays, then they will update the Thunderbolt ports to TB4.

The TB ports on the M1 MBA are already TB4. But I'm sure they'll increase the number of TB controllers on the M2 so each port could run an external monitor.

I agree they'll likely add MagSafe to the MBA.

Fortunately, my M1 MBA needs to be plugged in so rarely that the lack of MagSafe has never been an issue.

 

[KPOM]

The TB ports on the M1 MBA are already TB4. But I'm sure they'll increase the number of TB controllers on the M2 so each port could run an external monitor.

I agree they'll likely add MagSafe to the MBA.

Fortunately, my M1 MBA needs to be plugged in so rarely that the lack of MagSafe has never been an issue.

Technically, to qualify as TB4, they need to support 2 displays.

 

[xraydoc]

Technically, to qualify as TB4, they need to support 2 displays.

I stand corrected -- per Apple's specs page, they are Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports. I guess that's where I made the mistake.

 

[mcnallym]

Currently using a mm2018 base as iTunes server with a iMac i9 rx580 hack equiv for video editing.

With the new SOC then when launched in a mini can consolidate down into one as biggest thing is the video to ProRes for editing.
With the media engine doing ProRes encode and decode then can get the one machine and replace both with 1.

MM2018 then hand to parents to replace my handed down 5,1 Mac Pro.

 

[MrGunny94]

I don't need the power per say but I do need the dual displays for my workloads as it makes things much easier than with just one display.

Plus, there's a lot of stuff I actually need like more GPU juice for my 4k and ultrawide displays. Also I need the 16GB of RAM because I'm hitting the 8GB ceiling on my base Air.

 

[shower999]

ya. I don't "Need" it. I want it and I'll spend the money

 

[EuroChilli]

And not so long ago 35mm film some chemicals and a dark room was ‘enough’…

Where does it end? (Rhetorical question)

 

[EuroChilli]

Tapatalk error. Double post.

 

[now i see it]

Make no mistake- future versions of MacOS will need all that power to just run smoothly. Historically this has always been the case.
There was a motto I heard a long time ago: “What intel giveth, Microsoft taketh away”. Same holds true for Apple.

 

[sat24]

I almost purchased the new 14 but the battery life took far too much of a hit.. The current 14 has 17 hours of web use (I get 14-15 easy) and the current M1 pro base gets 11. that's super disappointing.

Sorry which "current 14" are you referring to? There is but one 14 - the M1 Pro or M1 Max edition, isnt it?

 

[KingPepe]

I work in healthcare dealing with a lot of 3D reconstruction models recreated from high resolution CTs (similar to the image attached; this lady unfortunately had a base of skull fracture following a fall with head strike) and MRIs. My current 2015 MBP works as a mobile workstation when going offsite but can start to chug when importing larger scans and scrolling through slices.

Ordered the new M1 max to hopefully hasten the rendering times during peri-operative planning and review, in addition to the improved screen.

 

[darngooddesign]

Sorry which "current 14" are you referring to? There is but one 14 - the M1 Pro or M1 Max edition, isnt it?

I assume they meant the current 13.

 

[spiderman0616]

These machines are obviously meant for video/ film post production, photo and 3D graphics professionals. Apple made that very clear on the Monday.

I get that people would want a machine with promotion. I’d imagine it’s probably worth waiting for the heavily rumoured MBA redesign though.

Even so, most people could stop at the base config and have way too much power that that could ever meaningfully use (I doubt that many AAA games are coming to the Mac any time soon).

But if money is no object, why not? No doubt there will be some people on these forums who will buy the M class MP to load 500 tabs up or something!

This was my exact reaction to the Mac event. "These are great, and they were not made for me." I do a lot of things with my M1 Air that are incredibly power hungry, and it hasn't chugged once. I haven't the foggiest idea why I would need any more power than this any time soon with the headroom I currently have.

My other reaction was also similar to yours regarding recent rumors about the Air. "I hope that's true and it's really coming out next year because THAT'S my next Mac."

 

[Bob_DM]

And not so long ago 35mm film some chemicals and a dark room was ‘enough’…

Where does it end? (Rhetorical question)

Snapchat and Instagram on smartphones …

 

[jjcs]

Snapchat and Instagram on smartphones …

No, that's where civilization ends.

 

[xraydoc]

I work in healthcare dealing with a lot of 3D reconstruction models recreated from high resolution CTs (similar to the image attached; this lady unfortunately had a base of skull fracture following a fall with head strike) and MRIs. My current 2015 MBP works as a mobile workstation when going offsite but can start to chug when importing larger scans and scrolling through slices.

Ordered the new M1 max to hopefully hasten the rendering times during peri-operative planning and review, in addition to the improved screen.

What software do you use? Osirix?

 

[ksj1]

How many people need that power? It depends on what developers do with all that power in the future, not what they do with today's processors.

How else do you think we got from 8080's to Xeon's with 28+ cores? Developers wrote software to take advantage of it in new ways.

In 5 years we will probably scoff at the power of todays processors, and have the apps that would bring them to their knees, but are compelling enough that people buy the laptop.

I think it's an exciting time that reminds me of the speedy evolution of the early x86 architecture.

 

[rampancy]

"640K ought to be enough for anybody."

 

[EuroChilli]

"640K ought to be enough for anybody."

Right. I remember my first 28k dial-up modem. It gave me time to have my breakfast while it downloaded my inbox. First email opened by lunch. 286 Windows 95 machine with 20MB HDD. Who needs these new laptops and 5G when you have a setup like that?

 

[the8thark]

Today, you are correct.
But for many people these Macs will be their daily driver for a decade. Nearing the end of that decade they might be using most of that added grunt and be very glad they bought it.

 

[PaulKemp]

im starting to think I need 1tb disk instead of 512.

 

[jerryk]

Today, you are correct.
But for many people these Macs will be their daily driver for a decade. Nearing the end of that decade they might be using most of that added grunt and be very glad they bought it.

We are at the beginning of the Apple-designed processor architecture. Equivalent to the 286 days from Intel. In a year or so we have the equivalent of the 386 and then Pentiums, etc. I am not sure it is wise or financially prudent to over-spec these systems to try to extend their usefulness.

 

[LonestarOne]

People say this, "it's a tax write off", as if it means it's free. Do you really think that's how it works?

I think a lot of people trick themselves into believing that. Self-deception is a powerful force, especially when you’re trying to rationalize something you already want to do. It’s like telling yourself that there are no calories in food eaten off of someone else’s plate.

 

[armoured]

I think a lot of people trick themselves into believing that. Self-deception is a powerful force, especially when you’re trying to rationalize something you already want to do. It’s like telling yourself that there are no calories in food eaten off of someone else’s plate.

No, that's completely different. As a father, it is a demonstrable fact that whatever "clean-up" I do of my daughter's food is both morally and biologically calorie free.

And also a mitzvah.