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M1 Max 64GB 2TB or M2 Max 96GB 2TB
- Thread starter rennocneb
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I have an Intel i9-9900K and 64GB of RAM and that is plenty to be able to run VMs and have several Adobe CS apps going, every browser with many tabs open (webdev) and my IDEs, productivity apps, etc all running with a YouTube podcast running on my third display.
I'm kinda what some people might call a "unicorn" (stupid name, it is what it is) in that I do design and dev and everything in between full stack, sometimes even video editing and photography. Even I don't yet have a good reason to upgrade to Apple Silicon. Sure I would love the battery life and heat reduction on the MBP but I don't use mine enough to justify it, although I would probably use it a lot more if I had one because it would be more than powerful enough to use as my desktop docked as well. That would make it easier to switch between devices too.
My iStat Memory menubar widget rarely gets above 3/4 usage, and only barely—around 50GB. Today I have a moderate workload not using VMs currently and I'm only using 30.27GB. Now 32GB? I have a MBP with an i9 and 32GB of RAM and it's fine for most things. It's not usually super happy if I'm having a really busy day with lots going on multitasking-wise and have VMs running, but it's not bad either. Definitely more swapping to disk but that's not as bad as it used to be since the SSDs are so fast these days. But I tend to primarily use my MacBook Pro only when traveling or if I want to get out of my studio and get some fresh air and have some lesser demanding tasks to complete.
I think 64GB sounds fine for what you do and should last a good long while. Only if you're planning to keep using this device into 2030 would I maybe consider 96GB, and that's just a maybe. Obviously it's difficult to predict what we'll need in the future. But I'm a higher end user and I'm not planning to upgrade until 2024 at the earliest and it's looking more likely 2025 at this point just because I still feel confident in my current setup. But I'm likely to look at 96GB or even 128GB if I'm upgrading in 2025 just because I know I'm going to be using this system into the early 2030s unless an accident happens to the MBP.
My ideal setup for my workload will be a 14" MBP M3/M4 Max with 96-128GB RAM (depending on price and what is available), 4TB SSD, and probably the second highest GPU option depending on price and capabilities. I would expect such a device to last me about 7 years into 2031-2032. Over that time I expect Apple to release a 6K 120Hz Studio Display, so the only thing that might get me to upgrade a little earlier is if it can't support multiple of those. I expect it to be able to run at least one 6K 120Hz as primary and then I can continue using my 4K second and third displays until I upgrade the rest.
I'm kinda what some people might call a "unicorn" (stupid name, it is what it is) in that I do design and dev and everything in between full stack, sometimes even video editing and photography. Even I don't yet have a good reason to upgrade to Apple Silicon. Sure I would love the battery life and heat reduction on the MBP but I don't use mine enough to justify it, although I would probably use it a lot more if I had one because it would be more than powerful enough to use as my desktop docked as well. That would make it easier to switch between devices too.
My iStat Memory menubar widget rarely gets above 3/4 usage, and only barely—around 50GB. Today I have a moderate workload not using VMs currently and I'm only using 30.27GB. Now 32GB? I have a MBP with an i9 and 32GB of RAM and it's fine for most things. It's not usually super happy if I'm having a really busy day with lots going on multitasking-wise and have VMs running, but it's not bad either. Definitely more swapping to disk but that's not as bad as it used to be since the SSDs are so fast these days. But I tend to primarily use my MacBook Pro only when traveling or if I want to get out of my studio and get some fresh air and have some lesser demanding tasks to complete.
I think 64GB sounds fine for what you do and should last a good long while. Only if you're planning to keep using this device into 2030 would I maybe consider 96GB, and that's just a maybe. Obviously it's difficult to predict what we'll need in the future. But I'm a higher end user and I'm not planning to upgrade until 2024 at the earliest and it's looking more likely 2025 at this point just because I still feel confident in my current setup. But I'm likely to look at 96GB or even 128GB if I'm upgrading in 2025 just because I know I'm going to be using this system into the early 2030s unless an accident happens to the MBP.
My ideal setup for my workload will be a 14" MBP M3/M4 Max with 96-128GB RAM (depending on price and what is available), 4TB SSD, and probably the second highest GPU option depending on price and capabilities. I would expect such a device to last me about 7 years into 2031-2032. Over that time I expect Apple to release a 6K 120Hz Studio Display, so the only thing that might get me to upgrade a little earlier is if it can't support multiple of those. I expect it to be able to run at least one 6K 120Hz as primary and then I can continue using my 4K second and third displays until I upgrade the rest.
I can run 6 VM's at the same time on my M1 Max with 64GB, along with lightroom, photoshop, zoom, email, slack, and many others without a RAM limitation/impact. I run into core contention first, so the M2 Max with 64GB is a hands-down winner. I plan to upgrade to the M3 Max, but will stick at 64GB of RAM.
I did, I traded in an M1 MBA, and they actually gave me a decent trade in value, but it was less than a year old.
Always keep the philosophy of buying a new Mac simple:
Buy the very best you can at the time.
That way you're not left second guessing yourself late about the purchase, except for the money you spent but ultimately if you were willing to spend that much money, it doesn't really matter.
Buy the very best you can at the time.
That way you're not left second guessing yourself late about the purchase, except for the money you spent but ultimately if you were willing to spend that much money, it doesn't really matter.
I am not a guy that is going to keep hardware forever I refresh every 2 to 4 years and pass the old stuff to the wife or family often. So sometimes the savings make it make sense. If m3 ends up being the revelation everyone says I may want to upgrade to m3 max at some point. Just weighing to me 10% faster cpu 20% gpu and 32gb of ram for 1200 bucks.
Yep, it’s absolutely terrible value, and you’d be much better off selling it elsewhere
From what I've seen, that's a significant exaggeration. Apple's current trade-in offer on my 2019 i9 iMac is $430. By contrast, if you check the sold prices for that model, in good condition, on Ebay, they're pretty much all >= $1,000 plus shipping (and often significantly more). After Ebay's 15% fee, that leaves you $850 -- about twice what Apple offers.
That's particularly true if you've upgraded your model, like I have. With its perfect condition, AppleCare+, 128 GB RAM, and 2 TB SSD, it would probably go for closer to $1500. After Ebay's fees (15% up to $1k, 7.5% above that), that would be $1300, which is 3x what Apple offers.
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it depends i guess. Yes its lower than others may offer but comes with zero risk. You can take it to an apple store and do it right there. With ebay your paying much more than 15% by the time you include payment processing, then lets not forget your going to pay income taxes on that money unless you prove you lost money on an item. Then all it takes is the buyer claiming they did not receive the item or it was significantly different than stated and eBay will always side with the buyer. All adds up to not worth it. Some other options are better ill give you that but your dealing with the general public which again it comes down to what is the aggravation worth to you.
I have a base Studio and run a Windows 11 VM which uses about 11 GB of RAM. How many VMs do you need to run concurrently and how much RAM do you need to allocate? I think that you should just buy the smaller one and experiment with your workload within the return period. It's hard for someone else to know your sizing requirements, particularly when most people do not know your workload which is far outside the experience of most users.
I have a Windows desktop with 128 GB of RAM and I have run 5 VMs on it at one point and it's nice to have the flexibility to do that. That said, I have several systems and can run VMs on different systems - I don't need to run them all on the same system at the same time. Could you run some VMs on your Windows desktop where RAM costs a lot less?
I have 32GB RAM on a MacBook Pro M2 Max, and I run a couple of large VMs simultaneously. I can't imagine too many scenarios where 64GB of RAM wouldn't crush it.
I contemplated a maxed out M2 Max ($6500), then I retuned to sanity. A stock 32GB/1TB/Max did more than I needed. Plus, it allows me sooner upgrades by saving some money.
I contemplated a maxed out M2 Max ($6500), then I retuned to sanity. A stock 32GB/1TB/Max did more than I needed. Plus, it allows me sooner upgrades by saving some money.
Still debating what to do with my basically brand new M1 Pro 16GB 1TB 16 incher. debating just keeping it as a travel laptop so if it gets beat up im not as mad. Ebay, Swappa etc seem to me to just be waiting to get ripped off by a buyer that claims they didnt receive it etc. I used to use eBay a lot but its gotten terrible in recent years.
Doesn't eBay handle that dispute? Also, wouldn't you make sure they have to sign for it?
I use Jay Brokers to sell my stuff. Yes, you will get more from eBay, but Jay Broker's prices are decent and they are honest. I sold, maybe 25 tech devices, over the years and never had a problem, payment within a day of receiving it (sometmes same day). I prefer security over a little more money.
Honestly, with processors the last 5 years, there is little performance improvement. Battery lives are getting better, but a five year old processor is still plenty powerful. And even with RAM, 16 or 32GB of RAM is enough for most people for years.
I will add, that the days of being to upgrade later are gone!
No more, I think a 1TB drive and 16GB of RAM will do for now, and I can always upgrade later.
It is like you are buying concrete that is already set!
As I consider which MBP to purchase, I have to kee reminding myself of this - which is why I'll likely have to pay $1,000 more for a 4TB SSD.
At the same time, don't buy more machine than you can justify...