Macbook Pro which is best option?

[Dave2022]

Hi everyone,

I would like to ask for your opinion on getting a Macbook Pro. I currently have a 2009 MBP and have been very happy with it but with the lack of support I am ready for an upgrade. I am using it for daily tasks but I travel to remote areas for work and want to use it for gaming while I am away. I also do underwater photography so will use it for editing my photos. I have a pretty open budget but like this one want something that will serve my purposes for years to come as I really don't need to upgrade every few years. I am from Canada and they currently have education pricing but they also have some in the refurbished store.

1.

Macbook Pro 14” Space Grey M2 Pro

12 - core CPU

19-core GPU

16 GB unified memory

1TB SSD

$3029 (education pricing)



2. Macbook Pro 14” Space Grey M2 Max

12 - core CPU

30 - core GPU

32 GB unified memory

1TB SSD

$3699 (education pricing)

The refurbished store currently has this for $3499 but you get the gift card for $200 with the new one so I guess no point

I really don't mind paying more for a computer that will last several years for gaming and editing. Is the more expensive option worth the price for what I need? I also considered the Macbook Air but I want the better monitor. I guess the other question to ask is whether these Apple silicon chips have a good selection of games? I mostly play FPS and racing games.

Thank you

 

[Turtle69Turtle]

Supposedly Apple is going to offer better gaming options for us with MacOS Sonoma coming this fall.

Based on your criteria, I'd just say go fro the M2 Max. After doing research, the M2 Max offers pretty big differences in gaming performance. I just got my MBP M2 Max the other day and I am absolutely loving it.

 

[Dave2022]

Supposedly Apple is going to offer better gaming options for us with MacOS Sonoma coming this fall.

Based on your criteria, I'd just say go fro the M2 Max. After doing research, the M2 Max offers pretty big differences in gaming performance. I just got my MBP M2 Max the other day and I am absolutely loving it.

Thank you!

 

[Dave2022]

I have been doing some research and read that the 14” MacBook Pro M2 Max has thermal throttling issues. It seems the M2 Pro performs better in some areas and has better battery life but for gaming the M2 Max is far better. I have read suggestions to get the M2 Pro and upgrade the RAM but then the price difference isn’t that much more. Again I will be doing some photo editing and gaming when I am travelling. Has anyone ran into any issues and overall is the M2 Max still the way to go if budget isn’t so much an issue?

 

[idark77]

+1 for M2 Max

 

[shenfrey]

lol, what is this.

You're not comparing two different products, you are comparing the same product with different specs, each one being progressively superior than the other. Of course the obvious choice would be the last one in the list. Not sure why you even needed to ask if you had the option. Most people are trying to decide between 2 different models with similar specs, such as a 15 inch Air or a 14 inch Pro. Your 'quandary' isn't really a problem.

 

[dmccloud]

I have been doing some research and read that the 14” MacBook Pro M2 Max has thermal throttling issues. It seems the M2 Pro performs better in some areas and has better battery life but for gaming the M2 Max is far better. I have read suggestions to get the M2 Pro and upgrade the RAM but then the price difference isn’t that much more. Again I will be doing some photo editing and gaming when I am travelling. Has anyone ran into any issues and overall is the M2 Max still the way to go if budget isn’t so much an issue?

I have yet to see even the slightest indication of thermal throttling on my 14" M2 Max. The one example I can recall of someone claiming that was the MaxTech review, in which they admitted they intentionally ran a workload aimed at causing that outcome instead of anything that would be considered reasonable, even for power users.