Is the 14" new Macbook Pro with M2 Max Chip, 12 Core CPU, 30 Core GPU, & 32 GB unified memory right for me?

[ebroms]

Hi all -
It's time to buy a new Macbook Pro after finally saving up. I'm planning to get the new Macbook Pro 14" with M2 Max Chip, 12 Core CPU, 30 Core GPU, & 32 GB unified memory but would love some advice from you pros on if this is the best fit for me. A few things to note:

- I tend to operate with a ton of applications open at once, from your basic Microsoft apps for work (often with multiple PPTs, Word docs, and Excel docs open at the same time) to Zoom, WhatsApp, Evernote, Spotify, Adobe Acrobat, Figma and various Creative Cloud apps (rarely if ever video, usually InDesign and/or Photoshop.)
- I also nearly always have at least 20 or more tabs going in Google Chrome.
- I rarely play video games, but if I do it's The Sims.

The most important thing for me is that my laptop will allow me to work this way with a million applications/windows/Chrome tabs open simultaneously without lagging or slowing down at all. I realize that some may not see this as a very efficient way to use my computer, but it works for the way my brain operates.

Given this info, is the Macbook Pro I'm thinking about the best choice or should I be considering something different?

Thanks a million in advance!

 

[Ubele]

Since nobody else has responded yet, and based on my own research for my next computer, I think that configuration is far more than you need. If I were in your situation, I’d be looking at a refurbished 14” M1 Pro MBP with 16 GB of RAM and however much storage you need. In fact, an M2 MacBook Air might be enough, since you have no intensive graphic needs.

 

[ebroms]

Since nobody else has responded yet, and based on my own research for my next computer, I think that configuration is far more than you need. If I were in your situation, I’d be looking at a refurbished 14” M1 Pro MBP with 16 GB of RAM and however much storage you need. In fact, an M2 MacBook Air might be enough, since you have no intensive graphic needs.

thanks! so I don't need a more powerful processor / higher memory to prevent lag while having a gajillion apps and screens open (including higher performing ones like Adobe Photoshop etc?) I'm currently on an M1 Macbook Air with 8 GB memory and it overheats and/or lags or straight up freezes or shuts down all the time, despite keeping most of my storage in the cloud and only using a few apps at a time (which is immensely frustrating given how I like to work.)

 

[Ubele]

I’ll defer to anyone who has had a similar use case to yours, but it sounds like you need more than 8 GB of RAM — and 16 should be plenty. Very few people need 32. The M1 Pro processor on the MBP is more powerful than the M1 on the MBA. My needs include the usual MS Office apps, as well as Adobe CC (primarily Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere), a couple other photo-editing apps, and Logic Pro. I don’t do anything really heavy, nor do I have a ton of apps or browser tabs open at once. People here have told me that an M2 MBA with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage would be just fine, and an M1 MBP with 16 GB/1 TB would be even better, but would be more than I need. I’m leaning toward a 16” M1 MBP because of the bigger and better screen and the additional ports. I currently have a 2019 27” i5 iMac, which is getting a bit slow with Adobe CC but is still adequate for what I do. However, I miss the portability of my 2015 MBP, which I gave to my dad.

 

[DisraeliGears]

As Ubele mentioned, seems like you're RAM limited more than anything (only potential exception is if you're working on some serious Photoshop projects). I would agree that what you've specced out here is overboard, I wouldn't bother with an M2 Max. Usually I'd agree with only going for 16GB RAM, but you seem to really like a window cascade, and if you're burning down an 8GB M1, then 32GB is a safer route. I'd look at a pretty base M2 Pro with a RAM upgrade, or maybe an M1 Max if you find a good deal.

 

[geta]

14” MBP with base M2 Pro CPU, 32GB RAM and whatever storage should cover all your needs.

 

[Basic75]

14” MBP with base M2 Pro CPU, 32GB RAM and whatever storage should cover all your needs.

Agree, the 32GB of RAM are appropriate as are the M1 Pro or M2 Pro, i.e. in this case there is no advantage to go for the Max processor.

 

[Basic75]

so I don't need a more powerful processor / higher memory to prevent lag while having a gajillion apps and screens open

More processor no, more memory yes. Applications are mostly well behaved and won't load the processor while just sitting there waiting for your input, so from that point of view it doesn't matter much how many of them you have open.

 

[Zaydax333]

I"m going to add to the echo chamber here and say: M2 Pro with 12 core CPU and 19 core GPU with 32GB of RAM is probably the config you want.

You would still get the same RAM and basically the same CPU as the M2 Max chip but without all the extra GPU horsepower which you said yourself you don't really need.

Also the M2 Max in the 14inch form factor seems to run hot and drain battery more from some reviews I read a while back.

 

[Mr. Dee]

You can never go wrong with more RAM. I observed this recently even on Intel models. A 13 inch MBP with 8 GBs of RAM felt so slow for a 2019, but a similar model with 16 GB model felt just as fast as my M1 MBP with 8 GBs of unified memory. So, RAM does pro long the life and performance of your computer.

 

[dmccloud]

I"m going to add to the echo chamber here and say: M2 Pro with 12 core CPU and 19 core GPU with 32GB of RAM is probably the config you want.

You would still get the same RAM and basically the same CPU as the M2 Max chip but without all the extra GPU horsepower which you said yourself you don't really need.

Also the M2 Max in the 14inch form factor seems to run hot and drain battery more from some reviews I read a while back.

From my experience, the overheating issues attributed to the 14" with the M2 Max are overblown. I have the same config the OP is looking at, and other than a slight warming of the 6, T, and Y keys (slight as in just enough to notice) while playing WoW on high/ultra settings and max resolution, I have yet to see a scenario where heat becomes a concern. I do use mine for video editing in addition to photo editing, web design, and coding, and the only times I really see the battery drain quickly is when either using external drives or connecting to an external monitor. Outside of those two scenarios, I can easily go 2-3 days between charges. Just a few weeks ago, I was running the Mac off battery while transferring multiple GBs of data between external drives (working at an event held locally), and the laptop only dropped from 100% to 44% in a 5 1/2 hour span.

With that being said, I don't think the OP necessarily would need either the M2 Max or 32GB RAM for their needs. A custom config of an M2 Pro with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD should be more than enough for the usage described in the original post.

 

[wilberforce]

14” MBP with base M2 Pro CPU, 32GB RAM and whatever storage should cover all your needs.

I would agree with this.

I have a base 14" M1 Pro with 16GB RAM, with similar usage, and the only thing I might do differently is get 32GB RAM. The Creative Cloud apps can be serious memory hogs on Apple Silicon, and I often have many GB of swap and occasional lagginess on very large files as a result.

 

[TSE]

I think you should absolutely not get the 14" MacBook Pro with M2 Max. That is serious power, and with that serious power comes serious responsibility. I don't think you are ready for it, quite frankly.

I would go with a Pentium 4 laptop and call it a day. Peace of mind.

 

[steve123]

16 should be plenty

I remember the days someone said you would never use 640K of memory ...

If you are looking at an M2 Max, get the max RAM configuration, 96 GB. Think of the computer as an investment ... max it out and it will probably last you 10 or 12 years. For the storage, 2 or 4 TB option should be fine. Apple charges way to much for storage. There are some good, fast external thunderbolt storage options now.

 

[Ben J.]

I remember the days someone said you would never use 640K of memory ...

If you are looking at an M2 Max, get the max RAM configuration, 96 GB. Think of the computer as an investment ... max it out and it will probably last you 10 or 12 years. For the storage, 2 or 4 TB option should be fine. Apple charges way to much for storage. There are some good, fast external thunderbolt storage options now.

So, close to $5000 for a laptop is your advice.
I think it's stupid.

For the OP's needs, I'd say a base model M2 w/16 or 32GB ram will do plenty.
With the money left, perhaps get the 16", and for internal drive, get enough and stop relying on whatever wifi speeds you have. $2000-2500. (The cloud storage you do might well be the reason for lags you're experiencing.)

To put it simple: More cores are for heavy-duty processing like video editing, which it's seems that you don't need. More GPU cores are for people who need to run multiple big hi-res screens. M2 is fine for you.

Ah, the old 'you can never have too much ram'.
Yes you can. If you have enough ram for what you do, then adding more will not make a difference at all. Yes, the ram will be used, but that's just the way the macOS works, it will not make a difference. So it's money out the window.

 

[gradi]

I suggest the M2 Pro 12/19 or M2 Pro 10/16 rather than the M2 Max 12/30 for your uses. The 32gb is good, but 16gb would likely be fine too.

 

[Basic75]

That is serious power, and with that serious power comes serious responsibility. I don't think you are ready for it, quite frankly.

Sorry, but WTF is "you are not ready for it" supposed to mean? Responsibility regarding what? It's not like a car where too much power is dangerous.

 

[xraydoc]

Hi all -
It's time to buy a new Macbook Pro after finally saving up. I'm planning to get the new Macbook Pro 14" with M2 Max Chip, 12 Core CPU, 30 Core GPU, & 32 GB unified memory but would love some advice from you pros on if this is the best fit for me. A few things to note:

- I tend to operate with a ton of applications open at once, from your basic Microsoft apps for work (often with multiple PPTs, Word docs, and Excel docs open at the same time) to Zoom, WhatsApp, Evernote, Spotify, Adobe Acrobat, Figma and various Creative Cloud apps (rarely if ever video, usually InDesign and/or Photoshop.)
- I also nearly always have at least 20 or more tabs going in Google Chrome.
- I rarely play video games, but if I do it's The Sims.

The most important thing for me is that my laptop will allow me to work this way with a million applications/windows/Chrome tabs open simultaneously without lagging or slowing down at all. I realize that some may not see this as a very efficient way to use my computer, but it works for the way my brain operates.

Given this info, is the Macbook Pro I'm thinking about the best choice or should I be considering something different?

Thanks a million in advance!

I'd personally go with the M2 Pro chip instead of the Max. Your use case isn't going to take full advantage of the extra GPU cores since you're not editing massive 4K videos in pro-level apps, so they'll end up just burning battery (and $$) without giving you much benefit. Go with the 12-core/19-core model if you want a boost from the baseline, but I don't think the Max will benefit your uses and will just cost money, battery life and extra heat.

Everything else is fine -- 32GB RAM, big SSD.

 

[xraydoc]

Sorry, but WTF is "you are not ready for it" supposed to mean? Responsibility regarding what? It's not like a car where too much power is dangerous.

I thinking (hoping) that poster was trying to make a joke.

 

[CalMin]

I have an M1 Pro (16GB) and M2 Air (8GB). Both machines will basically breeze through your intended use case. The M2 Air would actually be enough even with only 8GB RAM. I wouldn't have believed it either, but 8GB on Apple silicon is remarkable - these machines handle ridiculous amounts of apps and tabs without slowing down. (If you're the kind of person who likes to monitor memory usage and swap files - you will see it go red, but the machine still handles it just fine).

Still, I will never advise against more RAM if you can afford it, so if 32GB doesn't break the bank go for it, but only because these machines aren't upgradeable. Just know that you don't really need even close to that right now - it will most likely sit idle.

I just had to order a new machine for work. Open credit card, and boss said any spec. I wanted. I ordered a refurb 14" 16GB M1 Pro because anything more would be a waste of money. Only reason I went with the 14" vs. the Air is because I like to use two external displays and the non-pro M2 doesn't support that.