Is the M4 Max worth upgrading to for Final Cut Pro and development work?

Matt1231123 · Jan 11, 2025

I currently have an M4 Pro with 48GB of RAM and primarily work with ProRes log files shot on an iPhone 16 Pro, usually in 30 or 60fps. My projects include travel videos around 30 to 40 minutes long, as well as short ads between 2 to 5 minutes in 4K60.

In addition to video editing, I also use my MacBook for development work. My workflow includes Xcode, Android Studio, VS Code, and running Parallels for Windows apps like Power BI and Microsoft SQL Server.

Would upgrading to an M4 Max with 36GB of RAM provide significant benefits for my workflow, or is my current setup with the M4 Pro and 48GB of RAM sufficient? I’m trying to determine if the Max chip is worth the investment for my mix of video editing and development tasks.

Bigwaff · Jan 11, 2025

What issues are you specifically experiencing in your workflows with the M4 Pro?

Matt1231123 · Jan 11, 2025

Bigwaff said:
What issues are you specifically experiencing in your workflows with the M4 Pro?

No issues except I hear tender time is much faster on the Max for video editing. I don’t know if it’s worth the trade off of less ram and to switch though. It’s about 250 more for the max.

MacCheetah3 · Jan 11, 2025

In my experience and opinion, I lean towards not. However, to me, a possible few extra minutes in export time isn’t crucial or even inconvenient.

Anyway….

Someone posted an M4 mini YouTube video that focused on FCP rendering speed (benchmarks) — I think, they compared to an M2 Ultra Mac Studio. It was a simplistically good presentation — you know, not common for social media — but d*mned if I can find it. Nonetheless, I did find these:

M4 vs. M4 Pro vs. M4 Max: Video Editing

Rendering a 15-minute 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro is a demanding task. The M4 Max takes the top spot with 107 seconds. The M4 Pro follows with 115 seconds, while the M4 comes last with 195 seconds. It shaves 7 seconds off the M4 Pro and 88 seconds off the M4.

Exporting a 15-minute 4K ProRes video shows how the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max handle video editing. The M4 takes 8 minutes and 5 seconds, while the M4 Pro gets it done in 7 minutes and 45 seconds — just 20 seconds faster.

The M4 Max crushes it, finishing the export in 4 minutes and 53 seconds. It’s 37% faster than the M4 Pro and 40% faster than the M4. This is because the M4 Max has a better media engine, while the M4 and M4 Pro share the same one. The M4 Max is the ultimate choice for video editors.