Is it stupid to buy 16” M1 Max

[silas_2001]

Hi, I have the possibility to buy a MacBook Pro M1 Max with 64 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD. 32 cores gpu

It is from a store and 800 dollar cheaper than Apple (it is in Denmark where I live and tax is expensive)

I am considering to buy it, because I edit white huge raw files from Canon R5 and also 8K RAW. So need the ram

Also, if I look at
IPhone 14 Pro, and how it cot about 275 dollar more expensive, I am afraid that M2 Max will get more expensive too.

But, I know about the rumours of an Apple event next month, and I personally whine that Apple while discount the M1 Max from the lineup, so don’t actually think I can buy it after

What would you do? Take an MacBook Pro 16” 800 dollar cheaper, or take a smaller M2 Max when it comes?

 

[maflynn]

What would you do? Take an MacBook Pro 16” 800 dollar cheaper, or take a smaller M2 Max when it comes?

I would in a heart beat.

Yes, the M2 will be faster (and probably more expensive), but why get that when the M3 will be even faster? You can put yourself into analysis paralysis going over that logic.

Imo, the M1 (never mind the pro and max varients) is more then enough for most people's computing needs. If you can get that nicely outfitted machine that suits your needs for 800 less, I'd jump on it without any hesitation.

 

[Pressure]

Is your current machine holding you back in any meaningful way?

 

[wonderings]

How long will you have to wait from the announcement of a new M2 Max chip? Would you be willing to wait that long or do you want to get on with your work now with a powerful machine? You are not going to be disappointed with an M1 Max, it is simply the marketing that will pump you full of regret, it is superficial and only out there to get you to spend more. If you are coming from an Intel Mac I would imagine you will see seriously significant speed increases. Plus the batteries are amazing!

 

[l0stl0rd]

Like Pressure said…

Also if the M2 Max sticks to the current process node and does not get any new SOC features then you probably can go M1 Max as well.

I am scared this will be the case but I hope other wise.
M3 probably will be the next “big” jump.

There is always something newer and better around the corner

 

[darngooddesign]

Hi, I have the possibility to buy a MacBook Pro M1 Max with 64 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD. 32 cores gpu

It is from a store and 800 dollar cheaper than Apple (it is in Denmark where I live and tax is expensive)

I am considering to buy it, because I edit white huge raw files from Canon R5 and also 8K RAW. So need the ram

Also, if I look at
IPhone 14 Pro, and how it cot about 275 dollar more expensive, I am afraid that M2 Max will get more expensive too.

But, I know about the rumours of an Apple event next month, and I personally whine that Apple while discount the M1 Max from the lineup, so don’t actually think I can buy it after

What would you do? Take an MacBook Pro 16” 800 dollar cheaper, or take a smaller M2 Max when it comes?

Buy the 16". If its not fast enough, which I have a hard time believing would be the case, return it and wait for the M2.

 

[LinkRS]

Howdy silas_2001,

I concur with the others so far, no you would not be stupid to buy an 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro for $800 less. An updated 16" and 14" MBP is just rumor at this point, and we have no idea on the specs of the "M2 Pro/Max," just speculation based on the M2. Nor do we know when it will be available for purchase, it could be announced in October, and not come out until early next year, or it could be released a week after announcement. Unless things have changed, you will still likely have a multi-week wait for the higher-tiered to ship due to component issues. What we do know from History, is that Apple will most likely not discount the 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro, but may keep the base 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro around, at the current price. If they do that, they wold just replace all the higher-tiered versions with a new model, at a higher price-point. Plus, it is again unlikely that the new models will be $800 - $1000 faster than what you are being offered now. Good luck!

 

[pshufd]

The M1 Max is nice if you need more than 2 external monitors. $800 is a pretty hefty discount too. I think that I would prefer a 3nm or smaller node for an upgrade - there should be a significant improvement there over M1 -> M2 improvement.

 

[Queen6]

I would in a heart beat.

Yes, the M2 will be faster (and probably more expensive), but why get that when the M3 will be even faster? You can put yourself into analysis paralysis going over that logic.

Imo, the M1 (never mind the pro and max varients) is more then enough for most people's computing needs. If you can get that nicely outfitted machine that suits your needs for 800 less, I'd jump on it without any hesitation.

Tend to agree. I personally wont jump to M2, I'll sit out until M3 and 3nm. Think a lot have it wired backwards here, even the base M1 SOC is a tremendously performant solution. If I had the need I'd jump on this in a heartbeat as it's very powerful solution.

M2 will be 15% - 20% faster at best and will run hotter, equally full price if not a price increase if Apple can pull it off.

Q-6

 

[bobcomer]

Hi, I have the possibility to buy a MacBook Pro M1 Max with 64 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD. 32 cores gpu

It is from a store and 800 dollar cheaper than Apple (it is in Denmark where I live and tax is expensive)

I am considering to buy it, because I edit white huge raw files from Canon R5 and also 8K RAW. So need the ram

Also, if I look at
IPhone 14 Pro, and how it cot about 275 dollar more expensive, I am afraid that M2 Max will get more expensive too.

But, I know about the rumours of an Apple event next month, and I personally whine that Apple while discount the M1 Max from the lineup, so don’t actually think I can buy it after

What would you do? Take an MacBook Pro 16” 800 dollar cheaper, or take a smaller M2 Max when it comes?

If I knew a use that an M1 MBP would fill for me I'd buy it now, especially at that price. I wouldn't even think twice about it. The M2 wont be enough faster to warrant waiting and the extra cost.

 

[Zest28]

The great thing about the 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro is, it is silent most of the time as if it has no fans.

With the M2 Max, Apple will probably sell you a chip that performs like an overclocked M1 Max, meaning higher performance at more power wattages and more heat, turning it potentially into your regular PC laptop with fans spinning all the time.

I would try to take advantage of all the great discounts happening right now on the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. The 14" MBP is even selling for $1599 right now.

 

[Realityck]

Hi, I have the possibility to buy a MacBook Pro M1 Max with 64 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD. 32 cores gpu

It is from a store and 800 dollar cheaper than Apple (it is in Denmark where I live and tax is expensive)

I am considering to buy it, because I edit white huge raw files from Canon R5 and also 8K RAW. So need the ram

Also, if I look at
IPhone 14 Pro, and how it cot about 275 dollar more expensive, I am afraid that M2 Max will get more expensive too.

But, I know about the rumours of an Apple event next month, and I personally whine that Apple while discount the M1 Max from the lineup, so don’t actually think I can buy it after

What would you do? Take an MacBook Pro 16” 800 dollar cheaper, or take a smaller M2 Max when it comes?

I am perfectly happy with a 16" MacBook M1 Max for how much technology it entails compared to an older intel based 15" retina MBP I had before . If you can get this model for $800 less list, thats terrific. Such a great Mac Laptop.

 

[ponzicoinbro]

The great thing about the 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro is, it is silent most of the time as if it has no fans.

With the M2 Max, Apple will probably sell you a chip that performs like an overclocked M1 Max, meaning higher performance at more power wattages and more heat, turning it potentially into your regular PC laptop with fans spinning all the time.

M2 Max will have the same ballpark power envelope as the M1 Max. The design of the machines is already future proofed for a few generations. They already thought about any potential extra heat in M2 or M3. That’s why they made the machines more thicker and squared off.

 

[DeejayDannyJ]

I just got an 16" M1 Max 64Gb, coming from an 16" intel i9 I am very impressed with the performance, lack of heat when under heavy workloads and the battery life is amazing, feels like the perfect device that will def last me a few years at the very least.. All these improvements combined make it a massive upgrade no matter the machine you are coming from.

While M2 Pro and Max will obv be faster it will not be that significant in real world usage.

Ignore benchmarking or watching some of the more popular YouTubers that have appeared in the last couple of years or you'll end up in a trap of endlessly wanting the latest and greatest. It can become a vicious cycle of endless wanting / upgrading. benchmarking does not really translate into real world (speaking from years of PC benchmarking / upgrading)

 

[pshufd]

I have an M1 Pro and sometimes I think that I would have preferred an M1 Max. I just bought the M1 Pro really fast on launch as trying to buy one of these was crazy. I assumed that the M1 Pro could support 3 external monitors but found out that it doesn't. There are also times when I use about 90% GPU - I don't see any performance loss but I wonder if I would if I ran my workloads harder.

In general, I can use my home desktop if I need more performance and I don't travel that much but I'm noticing just a few small issues on a trip.

It is the best laptop I've owned and I can see it as my primary for the next six years and my backup after that.

 

[senttoschool]

What would you do? Take an MacBook Pro 16” 800 dollar cheaper, or take a smaller M2 Max when it comes?

Take the M1 Max now.

We already know the estimated performance of M2 Pro and Max. It's not worth $800 more and we don't know yet if Apple will increase the MSRP.

 

[vel0city]

I have the exact spec that you're considering, @silas_2001

Been using the Mac professionally for over 20 years doing graphic design, 3D/digital art, image editing, heavy Photoshop work.

This Mac is an absolute dream machine. I moved to it from a high-specced Mac Pro and the 16" M1 Max utterly smokes it in every regard. For image editing and Photoshop there is nothing better. Operations that used to choke and beachball my Mac Pro are buttery smooth and instant now. Immediate visual feedback on everything. Tools that lagged and chugged before are now responsive and fun. Heavy 4k Photoshop PSB (that's 2GB+ Photoshop large document format files) full of layer groups, smart objects and placed objects are buttery smooth and fast.

The screen is incredible and better than the Pro Display XDR.

It runs silent even when rendering 4k images from Cinema 4D in the background.

Instant-on when you open the lid. No lag or pause or stutters.

You will feel like you're flying with this machine. Easily the most fun and inspiring Mac I've owned or used. Don't even hesitate with your purchase. Buy with confidence.

 

[spiderman0616]

I don't think it would be dumb at all. That's a good amount of savings, and the 16" Pro in general is an absolute beast. I don't take mine out of the office that much, but when I do it's like having a portable desktop computer.

 

[darngooddesign]

A couple of reason to do it:

• Its $800 cheaper than new
• The M2 Max will probably be more expensive than the M1 Max so you will be saving even more money.
• Unless you order immediately after the Apple Store opens post-announcement, its going to take longer, possibly two months, for that configuration to arrive.

 

[Sterkenburg]

For that price, I would take the plunge:
- The M1 Max 16" is still imo the best portable workstation on the market by far (as in, the best overall combo of performance and efficiency), and will remain so until a successor comes out
- You save $800 and I don't think the expected performance increase from the M2 series is worth that much, not to mention that further price hikes on new models are likely due to the current macro environment

Edit: also what the poster above said, if you want a BTO config with 64 GB and larger SSD be prepared to add up to a couple months to the wait. I ordered in Oct 2021 after launch and got my M1 Max just before Xmas.