M2 Max 14” MBP - does it really drain battery quickly?

[Shadow Puppets]

In the market for a new MBP for travelling work. 14” for portability. Primarily used for Logic Pro X on projects with upwards of 50 tracks, a bit of photo editing, but also do 4k video editing weekly.

I have the budget to go for a M2 Max, 32GB config, but don’t want to overspend if there’s no need.

Two questions spring to mind, reading stuff online…

1) the M2 Max in the 14”. Does it really overheat easily / drain battery quickly? Or is it only if it’s REALLY pushed? Will I likely see worse battery performance even if it’s doing simple workloads?

2) based on what I said above, would M2 Pro 16GB be enough?

Many thanks in advance

 

[TechnoMonk]

How sustained is the load? I have 64 GB MBP, battery life fan, heat depends on how long I am pushing it at heavy load. If you run something heavy in short bursts, it probably won’t make much difference.

 

[Daniel505]

my man, I have 16'' M2Max and I face some issues with battery life (you can check the thread I created). My personal advice if you want to stick with 14'' model don't even look at max chip (even binned w/ 30gpu cores), unless you're constantly working on the road and getting payed for this extra gpu cores and you need saving time (3d rendering). You won't get any benefit from it since work tasks you mentioned are cpu demanding mostly.

my workflow is almost identical to yours (ableton/logic, videoediting in finalcut/davinci for myself + working in programming). I can guarantee the Pro chip will be fine with that in 14'' (can't recommend which one exactly will be better in terms of performance/efficiency if we compare m1 pro vs m2 pro, but they both will be better than any max chip from the power consumption perspective). But m2max in 14'' chassis for portability purposes, it's gonna be hell of a pain buddy if you wan't to be portable... I almost get married to my 140W power brick, and it's not funny at all.

my suggest take your time and see maybe you get lucky and people around here will help you to choose something. Don't trust too much yt bloggers, they refund a mac after making a video in 14 days (or just simply get paid for that dunno). IMO M1 machines are pretty balanced performance/efficiency (no wonder they still in demand, but now you can get them refurbished or second market like ebay and so on, or resellers).

And yes, m2 Pro 16gb will be fine (unless you're using much different synths like I do in Ableton). But don't forget 512ssd are a bit slower, but maybe you won't notice too much difference since its anyway work fast.

 

[TechnoMonk]

In the market for a new MBP for travelling work. 14” for portability. Primarily used for Logic Pro X on projects with upwards of 50 tracks, a bit of photo editing, but also do 4k video editing weekly.

I have the budget to go for a M2 Max, 32GB config, but don’t want to overspend if there’s no need.

Two questions spring to mind, reading stuff online…

1) the M2 Max in the 14”. Does it really overheat easily / drain battery quickly? Or is it only if it’s REALLY pushed? Will I likely see worse battery performance even if it’s doing simple workloads?

2) based on what I said above, would M2 Pro 16GB be enough?

Many thanks in advance

Get 32 GB if you gonna keep the laptop for more than 5-8 years. You can’t upgrade the RAM and Processor, you can always have an external storage drive.

 

[Totally Bored]

And yes, m2 Pro 16gb will be fine (unless you're using much different synths like I do in Ableton). But don't forget 512ssd are a bit slower, but maybe you won't notice too much difference since its anyway work fast.

So the 10 core cpu 16 core gpu version with 16 ram and a 1tb for $2200 would be good for Logic Pro and video editing ?.

I don’t do a ton of tracks on Logic and my video editing is pretty light. I use a cheapie video program called Cute Cut Pro. It’s easy to use. I may upgrade to Final Cut someday but I’ve been saying that since 2014 … lol.

Currently using a 2014 iMac 4k ghz i7 and 32gb ram 512GB ssd. I need to upgrade. I‘m thinking the new MBP 14” for $2200 I should be more powerful then what I have ? FWIW, I keep reading on this forum that the difference between 16 and 32 ram is minimal.

 

[dmccloud]

my man, I have 16'' M2Max and I face some issues with battery life (you can check the thread I created). My personal advice if you want to stick with 14'' model don't even look at max chip (even binned w/ 30gpu cores), unless you're constantly working on the road and getting payed for this extra gpu cores and you need saving time (3d rendering). You won't get any benefit from it since work tasks you mentioned are cpu demanding mostly.

my workflow is almost identical to yours (ableton/logic, videoediting in finalcut/davinci for myself + working in programming). I can guarantee the Pro chip will be fine with that in 14'' (can't recommend which one exactly will be better in terms of performance/efficiency if we compare m1 pro vs m2 pro, but they both will be better than any max chip from the power consumption perspective). But m2max in 14'' chassis for portability purposes, it's gonna be hell of a pain buddy if you wan't to be portable... I almost get married to my 140W power brick, and it's not funny at all.

my suggest take your time and see maybe you get lucky and people around here will help you to choose something. Don't trust too much yt bloggers, they refund a mac after making a video in 14 days (or just simply get paid for that dunno). IMO M1 machines are pretty balanced performance/efficiency (no wonder they still in demand, but now you can get them refurbished or second market like ebay and so on, or resellers).

And yes, m2 Pro 16gb will be fine (unless you're using much different synths like I do in Ableton). But don't forget 512ssd are a bit slower, but maybe you won't notice too much difference since its anyway work fast.

A lot of this post (specifically as it pertains to the 14" MBP with an M2 Max) is speculation. I never bring my charging block with me, I can go 2-3 days between charges in most cases. When I'm connecting external monitors or doing some heavy rendering I will plug it in, but for less intensive uses (such as web browsing, web design, streaming music, etc.) I don't even worry about the battery life.

 

[Totally Bored]

A lot of this post (specifically as it pertains to the 14" MBP with an M2 Max) is speculation. I never bring my charging block with me, I can go 2-3 days between charges in most cases. When I'm connecting external monitors or doing some heavy rendering I will plug it in, but for less intensive uses (such as web browsing, web design, streaming music, etc.) I don't even worry about the battery life.

Is it better to have the M2 Max and 32GB for an external screen or that don’t matter ?

Im trying to figure out wether I need to spend $3100 or $2200.

 

[dmccloud]

Is it better to have the M2 Max and 32GB for an external screen or that don’t matter ?

Im trying to figure out wether I need to spend $3100 or $2200.

When it comes to external display support, the difference between M2 Pro and M2 Max is the number of displays supported. If you're just looking at using one external display, then it really wouldn't matter. Where the 32GB vs. 16GB WOULD matter is dependent on your workload. With the 14" and 16" MBP, the base configuration is running two 256GB NAND modules to make up the SSD storage, so the performance hit associated with 256GB configurations of the MBA and 13" Pro (single NAND) are not applicable here. In all honesty, 16GB sounds like enough RAM for your current needs, as video editing really doesn't start hitting RAM limits until you're editing multiple 4k or 8k videos at once. One additional advantage of M2 Pro over M2 Max is slightly better battery life.

Depending on your location and immediacy of need, another option might be to configure one from Apple directly with the M2 Pro and 32GB RAM. You could order an M2 Pro with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD for $2899 US, which would be less than the M2 Max version.

 

[Totally Bored]

When it comes to external display support, the difference between M2 Pro and M2 Max is the number of displays supported. If you're just looking at using one external display, then it really wouldn't matter. Where the 32GB vs. 16GB WOULD matter is dependent on your workload. With the 14" and 16" MBP, the base configuration is running two 256GB NAND modules to make up the SSD storage, so the performance hit associated with 256GB configurations of the MBA and 13" Pro (single NAND) are not applicable here. In all honesty, 16GB sounds like enough RAM for your current needs, as video editing really doesn't start hitting RAM limits until you're editing multiple 4k or 8k videos at once. One additional advantage of M2 Pro over M2 Max is slightly better battery life.

Depending on your location and immediacy of need, another option might be to configure one from Apple directly with the M2 Pro and 32GB RAM. You could order an M2 Pro with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD for $2899 US, which would be less than the M2 Max version.

All good to know and appreciated


I’m definitely gonna have it configured and sent to me.

The $2899 MBP you mention is with the upgraded Pro M2 12cpu 19gpu vs the base $2599 Pro M2 10cpu 16gpu. Think the 2 cpu and 3 gpu is worth the $300 ?


if money wasn’t a issue ugh

Im thinking MBP 14” base with 16GB ram and 1TB ssd for $2200. Should be better then what I’ve got now …lol

 

[TechnoMonk]

All good to know and appreciated


I’m definitely gonna have it configured and sent to me.

The $2899 MBP you mention is with the upgraded Pro M2 12cpu 19gpu vs the base $2599 Pro M2 10cpu 16gpu. Think the 2 cpu and 3 gpu is worth the $300. I realize that’s a crazy question…lol


if money wasn’t a issue ugh

Try apple education store.

 

[Daniel505]

A lot of this post (specifically as it pertains to the 14" MBP with an M2 Max) is speculation. I never bring my charging block with me, I can go 2-3 days between charges in most cases. When I'm connecting external monitors or doing some heavy rendering I will plug it in, but for less intensive uses (such as web browsing, web design, streaming music, etc.) I don't even worry about the battery life.

Hello, dmccloud! I don't have an objective reason to speculate on this, since I have 16'' MBP M2Max getting troubled (created a thread, you're welcome to check it) and I'm just a simple user like all we are and don't want people getting fooled by marketing Apple poop-department. My conclusion how potentially could behave 14'' MBP M2Max based on my own experience of owning 16'' (not pleasured). But indeed I don't know about 14'' behavior specifically, glad your works fine, really do. I apologize in case if I misunderstood you (English is not my native language) but I wish I got advised before I bought my macintosh. (And I still wonder why in my country's "2nd-hand-goods-market" (ebay analogue) MBP M2Max 16'' is the most "popular" one of being put on sale w/ 3-20 cycles. Coincidence?)

 

[Daniel505]

So the 10 core cpu 16 core gpu version with 16 ram and a 1tb for $2200 would be good for Logic Pro and video editing ?.

I don’t do a ton of tracks on Logic and my video editing is pretty light. I use a cheapie video program called Cute Cut Pro. It’s easy to use. I may upgrade to Final Cut someday but I’ve been saying that since 2014 … lol.

Currently using a 2014 iMac 4k ghz i7 and 32gb ram 512GB ssd. I need to upgrade. I‘m thinking the new MBP 14” for $2200 I should be more powerful then what I have ? FWIW, I keep reading on this forum that the difference between 16 and 32 ram is minimal.

Hello, Totally Bored. Yes, 10/16 cores for work tasks you mentioned will be fine, but those extra cores might worth it in GPU tasks specifically (I don't really think extra performance cores will make a huge difference in your case since many tasks are single performance cores mostly). But if you're not on a tight budget this 300$ is good investment, the only alternative is upgrade for storage (from 512 to 1Tb, I would recommend this like first priority). And from the future perspective it is good to take a look on 32gb RAM, but nowadays 16Gb is relevant and decent (again relying on work tasks you mentioned).

 

[Palovibes]

I'm late to the party, but I have a good reason for being here. I own a 14'' M2 Pro, and I'm experiencing some issues with it. It's overheating, and my battery is draining very quickly for no apparent reason. I'm just doing simple web surfing with no plugins or apps running, and this laptop seems to be working in overdrive mode. To be honest, I wish I were making this up because I also have an M1 Air, and that thing is a beauty. Its battery life is awesome, and it never overheats.

I switched to the 14" M2 Pro because I needed the extra 32GB of RAM for more power lately. However, I'm not sure what's happening with this laptop. I'll contact Apple about it, and if the problem persists, I'll return it. Luckily, I bought it just two days ago. I've attached a screenshot showing my battery consumption. The current time is 10:05 PT. I charged it to 80% about an hour ago, and now, with just browser surfing, it's down to 36%. Earlier, I had a full charge at 7:40 pm, and around 9ish, I received the low battery warning, which surprised me. I plugged it back in, and it got me wondering why the battery drained so fast. With this second charge, I can confidently say that there's something wrong with this model.

According to the system, the only problematic application is Visual Studio Code, which I've closed. However, the machine still seems to be affected by it.

I've included another screenshot, and by the way, I just lost 2%, in less than 5 mins, of my battery while typing this, which is frustrating. This is BS! It's quite an inconvenience. I apologize for venting, but unless you're doing heavy graphic work, I would recommend going for the regular Pro model with 32GB of RAM and calling it a day. You'll need that extra RAM as you start loading your sessions with more plugins. Plus, you won't need to upgrade for a while. Good luck!"

I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions or need more assistance, feel free to ask.