researching MBP and I think I found one. 2nd opinion.

[xtempo]

I want to upgrade my early 2014 MB air and thought about trying to get MB Pro.

Reasons
Final Cut
Apple ecosystem
Itunes store
gaming
writing in Open Office or pages


so I thought price wise a bit much but I am not getting this yet but anyway this MB Pro seems to work I think

• Apple M1 Pro with 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
• 32GB unified memory
• 2TB SSD storage
• 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
• Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port
• 140W USB-C Power Adapter
• Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID - US English
• Final Cut Pro

 

[ZZ Bottom]

That will tackle all of your desired uses without breaking a sweat. You could get a far more modest MBP configuration and still have a good experience, but if you can afford the Ram, SSD, and CPU upgrades, it'll assure you more longevity years from now.

I paid for a BTO on a Mac from 2012, and as a result it's still trucking along fine. Could not say the same for if I went with the base specs.

 

[xtempo]

which is better M1 Max or Ultra?

 

[lostPod]

which is better M1 Max or Ultra?

Ultra I believe

 

[zackkmac]

which is better M1 Max or Ultra?

Ultra is better, but is only available (currently) in the Mac Studio, so if you're set on a laptop M1 Max is the best you can get there, for now at least.

 

[xtempo]

would Ultra be overkill for gaming?

 

[xtempo]

is there an adapter or something to use with Final Cut to capture old school stuff like video 8 for the MBP?

 

[JustAnExpat]

would Ultra be overkill for gaming?

Sadly, Mac isn't good for gaming at all, period. If you want to game, I highly recommend a Windows-based computer Of course, it depends on the type of game you want to play, and how old.

 

[JustAnExpat]

is there an adapter or something to use with Final Cut to capture old school stuff like video 8 for the MBP?

You should be able to use a hub, and connect the hub to the video camera, and capture the tape's contents that way.

 

[xtempo]

You should be able to use a hub, and connect the hub to the video camera, and capture the tape's contents that way.

I will look then last I did it was on my Mac Pro Classic which worked but that was easier. now is almost all digital.

 

[xtempo]

Sadly, Mac isn't good for gaming at all, period. If you want to game, I highly recommend a Windows-based computer Of course, it depends on the type of game you want to play, and how old.

I just want to do steam games in my library and some other games I haven't yet gotten on Steam. Also is there any emulation for Old Mac games? or would that be better on a Windows PC with Virtualization?

 

[Fishrrman]

If you're going to spend any amount of money DO NOT buy from a private or online seller.

Buy FROM APPLE. Either new, or from an Apple-authorized reseller, or from the Apple refurbished store.

 

[xtempo]

I bought my air at Bestbuy I was thinking this time I am getting directly from Apple but I wouldn't unless it was an old one but having been a collector for awhile I am no longer interested in anything older than my Mac Pro which is the best design not even the new cheese grater can match it like only the G5 can. But anyway I have always wanted something directly from Apple so it might as well be this.

 

[orionquest]

Any new mac will be sufficient for your needs. You don't specify what your heavy lifting app might be (might be FCP), but if you've been ok with a 2014 air for this long then you probably don't have one.
Gaming on the mac, don't waste your time or hopes.

 

[xtempo]

I didn't properly say but I use the Mac Pro for Final Cut and the air for basic stuff. I mainly want to get the 16 inch for the space on the screen so I be fine to use it on the go that was an annoying thing about the air.

 

[russell_314]

I just want to do steam games in my library and some other games I haven't yet gotten on Steam. Also is there any emulation for Old Mac games? or would that be better on a Windows PC with Virtualization?

From personal experience many steam games stopped working when macOS went to 64 bit only. I don’t remember what operating system that was.

There are a few websites that show what games are compatible with the modern Mac. Here’s what I found and I’m sure someone here knows others.

Home - Gaming on M1 Apple silicon Macs and MacBooks, bugs, fixes, compatiblity and troubleshooting guides - AppleGamingWiki

www.applegamingwiki.com

Just as a value perspective, it wouldn’t make sense to buy a the Ultra version of the Mac Studio just to play games when you only need the Max version. There’s a $2000 price difference and with that money you could buy a fairly decent gaming computer.

 

[JustAnExpat]

I just want to do steam games in my library and some other games I haven't yet gotten on Steam. Also is there any emulation for Old Mac games? or would that be better on a Windows PC with Virtualization?

Not all steam games work with Mac OS.

>Also is there any emulation for Old Mac games

How old is old? Are we talking about System 6 era? If so, Mini vMac should work

https://www.gryphel.com/c/minivmac/

Are we talking about System 8/ 9 era? Sheepsaver *MIGHT* work

https://www.emaculation.com/doku.php/sheepshaver_mac_os_x_setup

As we talking about MacOS X PPC/ Early Intel area? Not to my knowledge sadly.