I currently have a 2018 15" 512gb pro and looking to upgrade to a newer 16" model. I don't particulary use the laptop for software or gaming, mostly web browsing and media consumption. I know MBP is overkill for my uses, but I like the upgraded screen, audio, and build quality. I was set on ordering the m3 pro 1tb version, however this is unavailable at bestbuy and they only carry the 512gb variant. I'm heasitant on as I would like to have more storage in the future, the next option is the mp3 max 1tb version, which would come out be be $600 more. Have unused bestbuy giftcards which is the reason I'm buying from there. I don't mind the extra cost/loss of value, just trying to decide if its worth it at the expense of hotter temperatures/fan noise. I also know I wont be using the max processing to its potential.
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m3pro vs base m3 max
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You won't notice the heat/fan noise in your use case. Most of the fan noise complaints are on the 14" and I, as someone that owns both sizes and had a 14" M2 Max to compare fan noise with, personally thinks is overblown if you're running the system on automatic. Even if for some reason you did notice the fans you could turn it on low power mode which will still have it perform similar to an M2 Max. You could also narrow some of the cost difference back by getting an open box.
For your uses, you probably would be better off with the Pro chip and the extra battery life it would deliver compared to the Max. Heat and fan noise are a non issue. Apple Silicon Macs are a completely different breed from the old intel machines. For your uses, I doubt you will ever hear the fans even come on. If you need 1TB and have to order from Best Buy, the Max may be the right choice. But if you can get by with 512 GB, I say get the Pro and put the cash toward something else.
Thanks. My intel model does heat up and fans kick on occasion from just having too many tabs open! Good to hear tho. Leaning towards going with the 512 pro and saving the cash. I currently have 130gb free on my current MacBook, but a lot of it is old files I could probably delete and buy a portable drive such as a t7 for any big movie files.
If you're going to use an external drive I recommend checking out the OWC Envoy Express. It comes with a tray to stick it to the back of MBP screen so it's about as close as you'll get to having a secondary internal drive. I've been using them for a few years and haven't had any issues including moving it between devices. Leaves no residue on the back of the screen when you remove it.
Yeah the thermal situation on the Apple Silicon Macs is in a different universe compared to the intel models. I had a M1 Max 14” and now a M3 Max 16” and the fans have only come on when doing something prolonged like importing and building Lightroom previews for several thousand high res images at a time. I have never heard the fans for things like web browsing and word processing.
Looks like Best Buy is having a sale today on the Pro 16” so you can probably save some extra cash if you buy now.
So which one did you get? I was originally going to get the 16" Pro with 36gb ram and 1tb hard drive. But then I saw how the bandwidth was 150GB/s on the Pro and the Base Bax was double at 300GB/s. Not only that but the Max has 2 video encode engines and 2 ProRes encode and decode engines and the Pro has 1 of each. Since I want to get into video editing with Final Cut the Max base was worth the upgrade to me.
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Which one did you end up going for?
I was originally going to buy the base M3 Max, but I'm debating whether to go for the M3 Pro with the same RAM (36GB) and SSD (1TB) instead for longer battery life and less heat/fan noise.
I was originally going to buy the base M3 Max, but I'm debating whether to go for the M3 Pro with the same RAM (36GB) and SSD (1TB) instead for longer battery life and less heat/fan noise.
I actually just ended up going with the m3 max. Most likely would have been more than fine with the 512, but the fear of regret on the back of my mind swayed me. So far it's been a noticeable upgrade from my intel MacBook from just about everything! Fans have not came on at all and has been cool to the touch with great battery.