MacBook Pro 14" - Which Processor for Battery life maximisation?

[SSD-GUY]

Hi all

I'm looking to get a MacBook Pro 14" to replace my Hackintosh. I don't have the time nor patience anymore to keep tinkering with things so I'm leaving the Hackintosh game. Furthermore, I have a PS5 (and potentially going to build a small gaming Rig) so don't really need a massive desktop anymore.

My main qualm is battery life and with the new batch of Apple processors, I can't really tell what the differences in performance are. My usage is mainly web browsing, content consumption, office, zoom, crypto browsing (not mining), discord, eventually some light photo and video editing. That being said, I don't mind paying for the Max processors, but not if they limit battery life. I don't want to limit myself in the raw power I have, as this will be my main machine for at least 3 years (i.e for as long as it has AppleCare).

I find the 16" to be quite chunky, and as the majority of the time, the laptop will be closed/docked and connected to two 4k displays, I don't think I need the 16". Furthermore, I'd like to use this laptop at coffee shops, whilst I travel on planes etc, so not really a fan of the 16". My understanding is that with the Apple batch of processors, unlike before, the 14 and 16" have the same processors, so I don't need to upgrade to the 16" to get an upgraded level of power.

So my question is, what processor do I go for in the 14" as a sweet spot between good battery life and power? And is my thinking above correct in that the processors in the 14" and 16" models re the same, so I don't need to upgrade to the 16" for better processors?

Thanks all

 

[ASX]

I would say they is not much of a difference, which soc (cpu/gpu config) you are buying.
The aging of your battery increases by reloading it. If you are a permanent mbp user i would say you should calculate battery swaps.

In theory you have 1000 full recharges, but in praxis there are people who are experiencing defective batteries at around 350 recharges.

 

[bluegt]

Get the lowest spec processor to maximize the battery life. For your use cases (not sure about crypto), it will be plenty powerful enough and maximize battery life.

 

[haruhiko]

To maximise battery life? of course get the base model.
But, you main usage is "crypto"?

 

[Sonecko]

There are some youtube videos analyzing the battery of M1 Max vs M1 Pro and on the 16" Macbook Pro it seems that there's a price to pay for all that performance.
I've also read that there's not much a difference between 8 and 10 core cpu M1 Pro when it comes to battery life.

My advice would be the 10 cpu / 16 gpu M1 Pro.

 

[SSD-GUY]

Get the lowest spec processor to maximize the battery life. For your use cases (not sure about crypto), it will be plenty powerful enough and maximize battery life.

Sorry, by crypto I just mean Discord, Telegram groups, Binance etc, all web based.

My thinking currently is get the best M1 Pro processor?

 

[Sonecko]

By the way, the video I was referring to:

 

[Sanpete]

The best battery life by far is for the 16", mainly because it has a larger battery, so if that's your main concern, you may want to consider it. I used to carry my 17" all over and on planes, with no trouble, but size is a personal thing.

Given your usage, it's hard to see what the point of the Max would be. Don't see anything there that would be likely to hog more than 16 cores of GPU. If you add gaming to your list, then it may make sense.

 

[Abstract]

Get the base 14” with the 8-core M1 Pro. It has 6 performance cores, unlike the 10-core M1 Pro and Max models that have 8. Those extra cores, even when idle, appear to use more power.

Ultimately though, the differences aren’t huge. Even if they’re huge in terms of percentages, they’re not huge when talking about power consumed.

Screen brightness affects battery life far more, so keep that in mind.

But yes, based on what you have said so far, get the base model 14” for sure.