M1 Max 16 inch, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSD: Best laptop I've ever had (working in academia, data heavy)

[roach1245]

I've had the 16-inch M1 Max for 9 months now and working on this device has been a true pleasure every day so far. Sharing my experience below.

I traded in my Macbook Pro 2015 which lasted me 7 years (I'd say one of the best laptops Apple ever made). Apple still gave me $480 for it, and I hope to resell or trade the M1 Max for a significant amount as well at some point (hopefully after at least 7 years of use). It was still functioning very well but simply returned it because my work had new hardware requirements.

The only reason I might trade it in is if high-res color eInk laptop displays with at least 120hz become available at some point, but I don't see that happening in the next 5-10 years.

64GB RAM

I often work with large datasets, which is why I went for the 64GB RAM M1 Max (and 4 TB).

With 64GB of RAM it's very nice to work with (samples) of most datasets locally before sending off code to the university's cloud computers (which are not always available). I often have quite some datasets in memory at the same time, and the M1 Max CPU slices through them at light speed. Also need the RAM for all kinds of things that you wouldn't expect at first but can eat up surprising amounts of memory (e.g. if I have Python, R and .lua files open, their corresponding language servers for autocomplete functionality and so on can already take up some gigs of ram).

3 4K External monitors (1 is 120hz)

Also went for the M1 Max because it can support up to 4 external monitors whereas the M1 Pro can only do 2. Across these I often have have at least 7 windows open (2 code windows, 2 REPL windows (Python / R), a terminal, browser with documentation, often a LaTeX document, the corresponding paper in .pdf, e-mail, and so on.).

16 inch vs 14 inch

Went for 16" rather than 14" because I like to work away from my desk 1 or 2 days a week, e.g. in the libraries on campus, and I often have at least 2 windows open which fit just fine next to each other on the 16". I have no problems carrying it around on campus all day, don't really notice the weight in my backpack give 2 pounds more or less. I'm using an older iPad as second monitor on-the-go (through Sidecar) which works flawlessly as well.

Python, R. etc.

I mostly work with Python, and sometimes R and STATA and lua, and all libraries that I use often run natively on the M1 now (at launch 9 months ago I'd say this was about 70%)

Linux laptops

I've also tried different laptops with Linux for a year but was often babysitting these laptops with recurring hardware / software problems (deep sleep, crashes, battery, printing, connecting multiple monitors with the right resolutions etc.). Instead I haven't rebooted the M1 Max for weeks, everything just works.

I am excited though about the development of Asahi Linux on the M1 which has developed rapidly the past year, once the GPU and Thunderbolt ports work I'll definitely give that a try and put a Linux clone on my device with the same files (also one of the reasons I got a 4TB SSD is to experiment with these kind of things).

Applecare / rental insurance

I have Applecare+ for it and also rental insurance in case it gets stolen. Apple really gives you peace of mind. I had a Dell laptop for a while and paid for next-day on-site repair, but Dell doesn't tell you that that applies only if they have the part that's broken is in stock (in my case the trackpad was not in stock and I'd have to wait for weeks / months). With Apple focusing on just a few core devices you know they'll be able to repair it no matter what.

Gaming

Also was nice to see that some AAA games released this year, such as Total War: Warhammer 3 (runs natively) and God Of War (through CrossOver) run pretty well according to my standards (60 FPS at least on high settings).

Other

Also want to re-iterate the amazing battery life (can go on for at least 8 hours with data analysis / paper writing in conjunction e.g. remotely in the library), wonderful high-res 120hz screen, build quality, trackpad, keyboard (!) and so on.

Cost

My view is, if your livelihood depends on it and you spend > 8 hours every day on your laptop, it's one of the few things you shouldn't skimp on. Opt for a trade-in: with my trade-in Apple paid me 1/3 of the original price of my Macbook Pro 2015 after almost 7 years of daily usage, very reasonable I'd say (on eBay / my local Facebook marketplace it tends to sell for the same amount or even slightly higher).

 

[texasmac76]

I appreciate your testimony and review of your mac. I started programming on msdos in 1981 and also into heavy music production, orchestration, etc. I changed to apple in 2013. The reason? Everything you stated. But my main reason condensed....IT JUST WORKS. I cannot recall the number of computers I went through. Since switching to mac I have NEVER EVER had any issues. I program, produce and create without worry. I have just purchased a Macbook pro 16" to replace a 2019 16" Macbook pro mainly because of the M1 and screen upgrade. No regrets on that either.

 

[phrehdd]

I've had the 16-inch M1 Max for 9 months now and working on this device has been a true pleasure every day so far. Sharing my experience below.

I traded in my Macbook Pro 2015 which lasted me 7 years (I'd say one of the best laptops Apple ever made). Apple still gave me $480 for it, and I hope to resell or trade the M1 Max for a significant amount as well at some point (hopefully after at least 7 years of use). It was still functioning very well but simply returned it because my work had new hardware requirements.

The only reason I might trade it in is if high-res color eInk laptop displays with at least 120hz become available at some point, but I don't see that happening in the next 5-10 years.

64GB RAM

I often work with large datasets, which is why I went for the 64GB RAM M1 Max (and 4 TB).

With 64GB of RAM it's very nice to work with (samples) of most datasets locally before sending off code to the university's cloud computers (which are not always available). I often have quite some datasets in memory at the same time, and the M1 Max CPU slices through them at light speed. Also need the RAM for all kinds of things that you wouldn't expect at first but can eat up surprising amounts of memory (e.g. if I have Python, R and .lua files open, their corresponding language servers for autocomplete functionality and so on can already take up some gigs of ram).

3 4K External monitors (1 is 120hz)

Also went for the M1 Max because it can support up to 4 external monitors whereas the M1 Pro can only do 2. Across these I often have have at least 7 windows open (2 code windows, 2 REPL windows (Python / R), a terminal, browser with documentation, often a LaTeX document, the corresponding paper in .pdf, e-mail, and so on.).

16 inch vs 14 inch

Went for 16" rather than 14" because I like to work away from my desk 1 or 2 days a week, e.g. in the libraries on campus, and I often have at least 2 windows open which fit just fine next to each other on the 16". I have no problems carrying it around on campus all day, don't really notice the weight in my backpack give 2 pounds more or less. I'm using an older iPad as second monitor on-the-go (through Sidecar) which works flawlessly as well.

Python, R. etc.

I mostly work with Python, and sometimes R and STATA and lua, and all libraries that I use often run natively on the M1 now (at launch 9 months ago I'd say this was about 70%)

Linux laptops

I've also tried different laptops with Linux for a year but was often babysitting these laptops with recurring hardware / software problems (deep sleep, crashes, battery, printing, connecting multiple monitors with the right resolutions etc.). Instead I haven't rebooted the M1 Max for weeks, everything just works.

I am excited though about the development of Asahi Linux on the M1 which has developed rapidly the past year, once the GPU and Thunderbolt ports work I'll definitely give that a try and put a Linux clone on my device with the same files (also one of the reasons I got a 4TB SSD is to experiment with these kind of things).

Applecare / rental insurance

I have Applecare+ for it and also rental insurance in case it gets stolen. Apple really gives you peace of mind. I had a Dell laptop for a while and paid for next-day on-site repair, but Dell doesn't tell you that that applies only if they have the part that's broken is in stock (in my case the trackpad was not in stock and I'd have to wait for weeks / months). With Apple focusing on just a few core devices you know they'll be able to repair it no matter what.

Gaming

Also was nice to see that some AAA games released this year, such as Total War: Warhammer 3 (runs natively) and God Of War (through CrossOver) run pretty well according to my standards (60 FPS at least on high settings).

Other

Also want to re-iterate the amazing battery life (can go on for at least 8 hours with data analysis / paper writing in conjunction e.g. remotely in the library), wonderful high-res 120hz screen, build quality, trackpad, keyboard (!) and so on.

Cost

My view is, if your livelihood depends on it and you spend > 8 hours every day on your laptop, it's one of the few things you shouldn't skimp on. Opt for a trade-in: with my trade-in Apple paid me 1/3 of the original price of my Macbook Pro 2015 after almost 7 years of daily usage, very reasonable I'd say (on eBay / my local Facebook marketplace it tends to sell for the same amount or even slightly higher).

That is some serious hardware (and cost) and really nice to see someone thoroughly please with their purchase and able to really put it to good use.

 

[Blue Sun]

I've had the 16-inch M1 Max for 9 months now and working on this device has been a true pleasure every day so far. Sharing my experience below.

I traded in my Macbook Pro 2015 which lasted me 7 years (I'd say one of the best laptops Apple ever made). Apple still gave me $480 for it, and I hope to resell or trade the M1 Max for a significant amount as well at some point (hopefully after at least 7 years of use). It was still functioning very well but simply returned it because my work had new hardware requirements.

The only reason I might trade it in is if high-res color eInk laptop displays with at least 120hz become available at some point, but I don't see that happening in the next 5-10 years.

64GB RAM

I often work with large datasets, which is why I went for the 64GB RAM M1 Max (and 4 TB).

With 64GB of RAM it's very nice to work with (samples) of most datasets locally before sending off code to the university's cloud computers (which are not always available). I often have quite some datasets in memory at the same time, and the M1 Max CPU slices through them at light speed. Also need the RAM for all kinds of things that you wouldn't expect at first but can eat up surprising amounts of memory (e.g. if I have Python, R and .lua files open, their corresponding language servers for autocomplete functionality and so on can already take up some gigs of ram).

3 4K External monitors (1 is 120hz)

Also went for the M1 Max because it can support up to 4 external monitors whereas the M1 Pro can only do 2. Across these I often have have at least 7 windows open (2 code windows, 2 REPL windows (Python / R), a terminal, browser with documentation, often a LaTeX document, the corresponding paper in .pdf, e-mail, and so on.).

16 inch vs 14 inch

Went for 16" rather than 14" because I like to work away from my desk 1 or 2 days a week, e.g. in the libraries on campus, and I often have at least 2 windows open which fit just fine next to each other on the 16". I have no problems carrying it around on campus all day, don't really notice the weight in my backpack give 2 pounds more or less. I'm using an older iPad as second monitor on-the-go (through Sidecar) which works flawlessly as well.

Python, R. etc.

I mostly work with Python, and sometimes R and STATA and lua, and all libraries that I use often run natively on the M1 now (at launch 9 months ago I'd say this was about 70%)

Linux laptops

I've also tried different laptops with Linux for a year but was often babysitting these laptops with recurring hardware / software problems (deep sleep, crashes, battery, printing, connecting multiple monitors with the right resolutions etc.). Instead I haven't rebooted the M1 Max for weeks, everything just works.

I am excited though about the development of Asahi Linux on the M1 which has developed rapidly the past year, once the GPU and Thunderbolt ports work I'll definitely give that a try and put a Linux clone on my device with the same files (also one of the reasons I got a 4TB SSD is to experiment with these kind of things).

Applecare / rental insurance

I have Applecare+ for it and also rental insurance in case it gets stolen. Apple really gives you peace of mind. I had a Dell laptop for a while and paid for next-day on-site repair, but Dell doesn't tell you that that applies only if they have the part that's broken is in stock (in my case the trackpad was not in stock and I'd have to wait for weeks / months). With Apple focusing on just a few core devices you know they'll be able to repair it no matter what.

Gaming

Also was nice to see that some AAA games released this year, such as Total War: Warhammer 3 (runs natively) and God Of War (through CrossOver) run pretty well according to my standards (60 FPS at least on high settings).

Other

Also want to re-iterate the amazing battery life (can go on for at least 8 hours with data analysis / paper writing in conjunction e.g. remotely in the library), wonderful high-res 120hz screen, build quality, trackpad, keyboard (!) and so on.

Cost

My view is, if your livelihood depends on it and you spend > 8 hours every day on your laptop, it's one of the few things you shouldn't skimp on. Opt for a trade-in: with my trade-in Apple paid me 1/3 of the original price of my Macbook Pro 2015 after almost 7 years of daily usage, very reasonable I'd say (on eBay / my local Facebook marketplace it tends to sell for the same amount or even slightly higher).

Thanks for the post.

I’m a postdoctoral molecular biology researcher, but I’m leaving the wet lab side of things and transitioning into data analytics for better job security. I have the 14” M1 Pro 10/16 32GB 1TB. I’m guessing this machine will handle Python and R with no trouble?

Also, any tips for someone just beginning to learn Python/R? I have some experience with Pascal, but that was many years ago now!

 

[roach1245]

Thanks for the post.

I’m a postdoctoral molecular biology researcher, but I’m leaving the wet lab side of things and transitioning into data analytics for better job security. I have the 14” M1 Pro 10/16 32GB 1TB. I’m guessing this machine will handle Python and R with no trouble?

Also, any tips for someone just beginning to learn Python/R? I have some experience with Pascal, but that was many years ago now!

Python and R work flawlessly. The major data analysis frameworks (e.g. pandas in python, tidyr in R) were updated very quickly to M1, but as of lately I haven't come across any library that doesn't work on M1 yet.

I think it'd be best to learn 1 language well first - I learned Python basics by following tutorials on e.g. pandas on YouTube and from introductory books. I also taught a course in R once but it's easy to learn once you know the basics of Python and its data libraries - the structure, particularly while interacting with Jupyter notebooks, is the same.

 

[chengengaun]

I have the same positive experience with my 14” M1 Max 64GB, running R/Python for data analysis and discrete event simulation purposes. Some packages are a bit finicky to install but the solution mostly involve installing in Homebrew then updating symlink. The only thing I wish for is more RAM; 64GB is adequate, but I have to chunk things up. Nowadays I rarely have to use my Xeon 8160 workstations.

It provides full performance while on battery, and it is quite insane that I can run some intensive calculations while in meetings. The fans can get noisy, but it’s a worthwhile trade off; I just wish they ramp up sooner.

It is easy to learn Python and R once you know the other language. There are many equivalent packages and functions in Python and R, in fact sometimes they are written by the same groups of people. I find Python is more object-oriented while R takes a more functional approach.

Edit: Forgot to add these:

• The MiniLED screen is awesome, I have since changed my IDE appearances to high contrast whenever available to take advantage of the deep black background. (My desktop background is black too, which appears to be off in a dark room.)
• The speakers are amazing, even as I came from the 16" i9 which already has a good speakers.
• While consuming more power than M1 and M1 Pro, the M1 Max is still very efficient. My default on-the-go charger is the 30W MBA charger. The 96W charger is still in the box. (Apple, please don't use this as a reason to remove charger as standard equipment)
• The SD card reader and HDMI port are very handy.
• The flat surface means I can use the MBP as a tray to carry things from one spot in the office to another (do that at your own risk tho).

 

[roach1245]

I have the same positive experience with my 14” M1 Max 64GB, running R/Python for data analysis and discrete event simulation purposes. Some packages are a bit finicky to install but the solution mostly involve installing in Homebrew then updating symlink. The only thing I wish for is more RAM; 64GB is adequate, but I have to chunk things up. Nowadays I rarely have to use my Xeon 8160 workstations.

It provides full performance while on battery, and it is quite insane that I can run some intensive calculations while in meetings. The fans can get noisy, but it’s a worthwhile trade off; I just wish they ramp up sooner.

It is easy to learn Python and R once you know the other language. There are many equivalent packages and functions in Python and R, in fact sometimes they are written by the same groups of people. I find Python is more object-oriented while R takes a more functional approach.

Edit: Forgot to add these:

• The MiniLED screen is awesome, I have since changed my IDE appearances to high contrast whenever available to take advantage of the deep black background. (My desktop background is black too, which appears to be off in a dark room.)
• The speakers are amazing, even as I came from the 16" i9 which already has a good speakers.
• While consuming more power than M1 and M1 Pro, the M1 Max is still very efficient. My default on-the-go charger is the 30W MBA charger. The 96W charger is still in the box. (Apple, please don't use this as a reason to remove charger as standard equipment)
• The SD card reader and HDMI port are very handy.
• The flat surface means I can use the MBP as a tray to carry things from one spot in the office to another (do that at your own risk tho).

Also always bringing my small 30W and 45W only, also while traveling. 45W charger keeps my M1 Max's battery at 100% while driving my iPad as a second monitor through Sidecar and doing data analysis. Very handy.

 

[chengengaun]

Also always bringing my small 30W and 45W only, also while traveling. 45W charger keeps my M1 Max's battery at 100% while driving my iPad as a second monitor through Sidecar and doing data analysis. Very handy.

I frequently use the 30W charger to charge the MBP, then the MBP in turn charges my 11” iPad Pro and drives a generic Dell display. Unless parallel processing operations are running, there is enough power for both devices.

p/s: I just wish I can do all the R things on iPad as well - that would be a super calculator!

 

[roach1245]

I frequently use the 30W charger to charge the MBP, then the MBP in turn charges my 11” iPad Pro and drives a generic Dell display. Unless parallel processing operations are running, there is enough power for both devices.

p/s: I just wish I can do all the R things on iPad as well - that would be a super calculator!

Oh yes, I forgot that, but my 30W/45W chargers are indeed charging my iPad Pro (whilst using Sidecar) and sometimes iPhone in the meantime as well. It's amazing how incredibly efficient the M1 is.

I tried to get an 'R/Python workflow' on the iPad for a long time. I tried to get stuff installed on iSH (alpine linux emulator App) for a while but got stuck there and it also was too slow. Then I tried SSHing into remote boxes using Blink, Mosh and so on, or remote desktop solutions such as Jump Desktop / VNC etc. but I gave up in the end. Too much workarounds and hacks that in the end were less convenient than just carrying along and working on my laptop.

Guess I'll wait (to upgrade) for now until iPadOS becomes a real OS that can run some sort macOS / linux - just using the iPad now for note taking / reviewing papers and as second external monitor on the go.

 

[ilikewhey]

thats neat to hear, my 14inch m1 max 64gb is coming tomorrow, right now i have 5-6gb on swap on a 16gb mbp. right now ms team is randomly shutting down and slack is sluggish. can't wait to see how much my productivity can improve once i elevate this ram bottleneck.

side note, i really dislike apple for the fact that they don't offer 64gb ram unless u get the max, for my usage a base m1 will be more than enough.

 

[Sterkenburg]

Great summary. I work in a similar setting - academia in the past, industry now - and had pretty much the same experience.
I bought the M1 Max for personal use (alas we're stuck on the 2019 Intel model at work) with the same config as OP and even though it was a very expensive purchase this machine is such a joy to use, especially coming from the touchbar/butterfly gen, that I haven't regretted the money spent in the slightest.