M1 Max VS M4 Max Worth it?

[lionfleet]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently using an M1 Max MacBook Pro 16" (32 core gpu, 1 TB SSD, 32 GB Ram) and considering upgrading to the M4 Max (40 core gpu, 1 TB SSD, 48 gb RAM).

I was wondering if anyone who has made the jump has noticed any noticeable speed improvements in day-to-day tasks like web browsing, app loading, or general responsiveness. Are these incremental or something that feels more substantial?

My primary use case is video editing. If anyone has done any video editing comparisons between the two, I’d love to hear your thoughts... specifically around rendering speeds, export times, or handling heavier timelines.

I typically sell my MacBook on eBay before it gets too old, so upgrading is part of my usual cycle, but I also know that an OLED MacBook is rumored to come out in 2026.

Should I wait for that, or do you think the M4 Max offers enough of an improvement to justify the upgrade now?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts... thanks!

 

[glindon]

App installs and OS updates are much faster, but that's mostly due to having four e-cores vs the two e-cores on the M1 Max. Don't do video, so can't speak to that, but there are plenty of YouTubers who think the only thing worth reviewing is video editing so plenty of benchmarks out there. I'd say if you mostly do bog standard 4k probably not going to be worth it unless it's something you make money with.

In day-to-day usage, I can't say I really see much of a difference. Games are much better, but I don't game. Webpages are mostly network limited these days.

 

[ironhide0427]

Yes and no. I upgraded from the same M1 Max as you to the M4 Max you’re considering, with the only differences being a 4TB SSD and switching from a 16” to a 14” model. For day-to-day tasks, the improvements are barely noticeable, it’s either that the M1 Max is already excellent or the M4 Max isn’t a huge leap forward.

I can’t speak for video, but as a photographer who edits thousands of 50MP photos weekly in Lightroom and Photoshop, I haven’t found the upgrade to significantly speed up tasks like exporting or masking. While these processes might be a bit quicker, the difference doesn’t feel game-changing.

Where the M4 Max shines, though, is in the overall experience of using Lightroom and Photoshop. It’s incredibly smooth, brush strokes feel fluid, previews are instant, and there are no hiccups. For me, this alone makes the upgrade worthwhile. I get easily distracted when my workflow stutters, even for a split second, and with the M4 Max, I’ve noticed a much faster and more focused workflow. That fluidity is worth every penny in my book. Bonus for the nano-texture screen and the space black color

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I don't expect you'll see enough difference to justify the cost. If you don't have memory pressure and/or storage problems now, it's best to hold off for another generation or two.

 

[smithdr]

I have both a MBP16 M1Max and MBP16 M4Max. Both are configured with 64 GB RAM and 4 TB hard drive. I use them for editing videos with DaVinci Resolve Studio. The M4Max is significantly faster in rendering clips and makes it easier to use tools such as Magic Mask when I need them. As far as encoding videos for YouTube, it is probably about 20% faster as both have 2 media engines. Two more things. The M4Max gets considerably hotter than the M1Max and battery life when editing videos is significantly less. I also like the nano texture display of the M4Max vs the glossy on the M1Max.

Even though the M4Max is faster and I like the display, I am still considering returning before the January 8 deadline and waiting for the M5Max. Hopefully, it will have more media engines and not run as hot.

Hope this helps with your decision.

Don

 

[smithdr]

I have both a MBP16 M1Max and MBP16 M4Max. Both are configured with 64 GB RAM and 4 TB hard drive. I use them for editing videos with DaVinci Resolve Studio. The M4Max is significantly faster in rendering clips and makes it easier to use tools such as Magic Mask when I need them. As far as encoding videos for YouTube, it is probably about 20% faster as both have 2 media engines. Two more things. The M4Max gets considerably hotter than the M1Max and battery life when editing videos is significantly less. I also like the nano texture display of the M4Max vs the glossy on the M1Max.

Even though the M4Max is faster and I like the display, I am still considering returning before the January 8 deadline and waiting for the M5Max. Hopefully, it will have more media engines and not run as hot.

Hope this helps with your decision.

Don

Returned mine yesterday. It just ran too hot and I was killing the battery. Waiting for arrival of the M4 Ultra Studio.

Don

 

[Nixir]

I have a M2M and tested the M4M out of curiosity, I mainly do photography with some minimal family video editing needs.

After testing generating previews for some 5000 30MP photos and exported a few vids from my external SSD, M4M was definitely faster but not in a meaningful way... i.e. instead of waiting 20min you now *only* need to wait 15min sort of difference (for thousands of photos).

I'm happily keeping my M2M for many more years to come...

 

[webvamsi666]

Returned mine yesterday. It just ran too hot and I was killing the battery. Waiting for arrival of the M4 Ultra Studio.

Don

Hi, thanks for sharing your experience, may I know Which Monitor you were planning to use for this? I'm missing the iMac 27" line, I have MBP16 M1Max with 64GB RAM and 4TB SSD, iMAc 2019 i9, it getting old and dont know if ultra money justifies me!!
I am a media person >> I do use LR/PS/Premier+FCP

 

[smithdr]

Hi, thanks for sharing your experience, may I know Which Monitor you were planning to use for this? I'm missing the iMac 27" line, I have MBP16 M1Max with 64GB RAM and 4TB SSD, iMAc 2019 i9, it getting old and dont know if ultra money justifies me!!
I am a media person >> I do use LR/PS/Premier+FCP

Hi WV:

I am an odd ball on this question of which monitor I am planning to use. I like working on laptops for the following reasons:

1. I do all of my work sitting in a recliner--it is easier on my back than hunched over from a chair.
2. I detest mice because I do not like moving back and forth between a keyboard and a mouse. Apple's trackpad on their laptops is a terrific way to adjust the location of the cursor with my thumb and never have my hands leave the keyboard.

Before I returned the M4Max MBP16 I tried high efficiency screen sharing using my M1Max MBP16 to talk with the M4Max MBP16. It worked great! So that is what I plan to do. Continue using the M1Max MBP16 to monitor the M4 Ultra Studio. And when the MBP16 comes to end of life, I will replace with a less expensive MxMax MBP16. The only draw back is editing the sound. While sound does come through when using high efficiency screen sharing, I am not certain it would be appropriate to edit the sound using screen sharing. But there are some easy work arounds to edit sound remotely.

More than I am certain you wanted to read. But that is my plan.

Hope this helps.

Don