MacBook Pro 14 weight difference? M2PRO vs M2 Max?

[Chris_99]

Hi there does anybody now why there is a slight weight difference between 14 inch M2Pro2 and 14 inch M2max?

Weight (M2 Pro): 3.5 pounds (1.60 kg)

Weight (M2 Max): 3.6 pounds (1.63 kg)


especially on the 14 inch. .......kind of interesting the M1 and M1max does not have any difference both 3.5 pounds.......does anybody know what is changed and improved? maybe better cooling?

Thank you!

 

[okkibs]

They have identical cooling, but the Max chip is larger and I assume the weight difference comes from the metal plate that makes contact with the chip to transfer heat to the cooling system, which will be a bit larger to cover the entirety of the larger Max chip. You can look at (ifixit) teardowns and compare closeups of the cooling components, perhaps there is an additional heatpipe since the chip is larger, to transfer heat better.

But this by no means results in quieter/cooler operation, in the end the more capable chip will generate more heat under full load, so the less CPU and GPU cores you choose the quieter it will end up being under high loads (and slower of course, depending on the application).

Battery life should be slightly better with the non-pro versions as well since there is simply "less chip" in there to draw power. (Though under load a better performing chip with more cores can get the work done faster, allowing return to power saving idle states quicker.)

 

[Chris_99]

thanks for your note....but that means the 14 inch M1 MAX vs M1 Pro was same????? because in these models there was no difference in weight .....you say MAX is bigger then bigger plate makes ....sence but I do assume the the M1MAX has similar size like the M2Max.....so there is something different between the 14 inch M1MAX and the 14 inch M2Max....

another interesting point the 2021 model the 16 inch already had weight difference between Pro and Max chip.....but the 14 inch did not in 2021 model....now in 2023 there is suddenly a weight difference between the PRO and MAX chip also in 2023 model.....maybe they adapted something from the 16 inch model into 14 inch ?.....

 

[dmccloud]

thanks for your note....but that means the 14 inch M1 MAX vs M1 Pro was same????? because in these models there was no difference in weight .....you say MAX is bigger then bigger plate makes ....sence but I do assume the the M1MAX has similar size like the M2Max.....so there is something different between the 14 inch M1MAX and the 14 inch M2Max....

another interesting point the 2021 model the 16 inch already had weight difference between Pro and Max chip.....but the 14 inch did not in 2021 model....now in 2023 there is suddenly a weight difference between the PRO and MAX chip also in 2023 model.....maybe they adapted something from the 16 inch model into 14 inch ?.....

In this case, how the 14" M1 Pro and Max models stacked up can largely be thrown out the window. For the 14" MBP, the M2 Pro has a smaller heatsink than its M1 Pro counterpart. The NAND modules are also smaller on the M2, and Apple switched from 128GB to 256GB modules there as well, although the logic board still has the same layout as the M1 Pro/Max for those. In short, there were several internal changes beyond just the SoC. While it's safe to infer that the NAND situation changed for M2 Max as well, there's a couple of things that can easily account for the small weight difference between the M2 Pro and Max 14" MBP. First, the NAND setup means that even in the base configuration, the Max only has two 256GB modules instead of four 128GB modules like the M1 Max had, which implies at least a slight reduction in weight.

While the following is just speculation on my part, I do not think it's beyond the realm of possibility. With the M2 Pro using physically smaller RAM chips than its predecessor, the M2 Pro's SoC is noticeably smaller. However, we also know that the M2 Max has a larger die than M2 Pro. My speculation is that the M2 Max uses the original heatsink found on the M1 Pro, since it already covered a larger area. This could easily account for 1/10th of a pound in weight.

* To see the M1 and M2 Pro 14" Macbooks compared (including photos illustrating the SoC and NAND differences), check out iFixit's teardown of the M2 14"

 

[Chris_99]

Hi, thanks for you in depth explanation I do really appreciate that.

I do see that you own 14 inch M2 Max /32GB/ 1TB SSD I am looking into this exact model however I am just on the fence if I should choose 12/19 M2Pro Chips or the Base M2Max 12/30 Soc. For me its only 200 Bucks difference ..since you have the exact model...

How is your experience so far? I do keep my Macs for 8+ years so longevity is important for me. I know what I get with 2. v. 4. ext. displays, 400GB/s wand with, 30 Gps corses. little less battery life ....)
I am interested in real world life experience. How much battery life are you getting with light office use..? like emails ,word , excel some tabs open? How much in heavy use? From my understanding thermals only becomes a problem if you really push all cores to the limit like these fancy tests in YouTube...but they don't reflect the real world use. so I assume this a not an issue?!
I would really appreciate if you could give me an insight into battery life, thermals , fan noise ....and your user experience .Do you have any regrets? any buyers remorse ? would you spec something differently now ? For me 14 inch is non negotiable ...so 1TB and 32 GB is must and suits my workflow....I just wanna know what are the drawbacks ...if any..when I chose the 12/30 vs 12/19 SOC besides the extra 200 cash...

You would help me a lot thank so much for your help !

Chris

 

[TinyMito]

To answer the original post, there is more sand on the Max.

 

[dmccloud]

Hi, thanks for you in depth explanation I do really appreciate that.

I do see that you own 14 inch M2 Max /32GB/ 1TB SSD I am looking into this exact model however I am just on the fence if I should choose 12/19 M2Pro Chips or the Base M2Max 12/30 Soc. For me its only 200 Bucks difference ..since you have the exact model...

How is your experience so far? I do keep my Macs for 8+ years so longevity is important for me. I know what I get with 2. v. 4. ext. displays, 400GB/s wand with, 30 Gps corses. little less battery life ....)
I am interested in real world life experience. How much battery life are you getting with light office use..? like emails ,word , excel some tabs open? How much in heavy use? From my understanding thermals only becomes a problem if you really push all cores to the limit like these fancy tests in YouTube...but they don't reflect the real world use. so I assume this a not an issue?!
I would really appreciate if you could give me an insight into battery life, thermals , fan noise ....and your user experience .Do you have any regrets? any buyers remorse ? would you spec something differently now ? For me 14 inch is non negotiable ...so 1TB and 32 GB is must and suits my workflow....I just wanna know what are the drawbacks ...if any..when I chose the 12/30 vs 12/19 SOC besides the extra 200 cash...

You would help me a lot thank so much for your help !

Chris

As far as battery life is concerned, I usually go 2-3 days between charging the laptop, and I haven't moved the AC adapter since I first brought the machine home. With that being said, connecting external displays will drain the battery quicker, so in that scenario you would want to connect to AC power. A couple of months ago, I was using the new MBP to help run a live event while also moving some data between two external drives. In a 6 1/2 hour span with continuous use, battery dropped from 100% to around 46%. Gaming can also deplete the battery quickly, depending on the specific game and what settings you are running at.

As far as heat goes, I'd call it negligible at best. The only time I've even noticed any warming was when testing World of Warcraft at max settings, and even then it was just enough warming of the 6, T, and Y keys to notice, but nothing to worry about. I have yet to hear the fans themselves, even when gaming I just heard the whoosh from the air excaping the MBP.

 

[Chris_99]

Thank you so much! really helped a lot! I do appreciate your help!