Should I go from a 16" M2 Pro to a 16" M1 Max

[Notafan1]

Hello!

I currently have a 16" M2 Pro (with 16gb of ram + 512GB of storage). I work in the architectural visualization industry and use programs such as Sketchup, Rhino, and other CAD programs consistently. I have the option to trade my current M2 Pro MacBook for a 16" M1 Max with the following specs: (M1 Max, 32gb of ram + 1TB SSD). As such this trade would come at no additional cost, so my question is this a good idea to trade based purely on the specs of the 2 computers? given the higher GPU cores of the M1 max (as well as the higher ram and storage).

Other advice that I would love input on would be in regard to the battery difference between the two machines?
The M2 that I currently have has 11 battery cycle counts, and the m1 max has 25 battery cycle counts.

Both laptops are in 'like new' physical condition.

Any input would be extremely helpful!

Thanks,
Asher

 

[Woodcrest64]

Are you able to test the M1 MAX with an application you use? If it were me, I’d stick with the M2 Pro but that’s for my use. If you can test the other machine it be interesting to see how much time it saves you in terms of cutting rendering times.

 

[Woodcrest64]

Judging from what I’ve seen online, the M2 Pro is better in many ways over the M1 Max. See here: https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-compare/apple-m2-pro-vs-apple-m1-max

 

[Rnd-chars]

Does Activity Monitor show high memory pressure? How full is your disk and how quickly is it filling? What’s GPU usage look like?

Unless you’re seeing limitations in any of those areas, you’re likely better keeping the M2 Pro since it has a higher clock and faster Neural Engine

 

[Notafan1]

Are you able to test the M1 MAX with an application you use? If it were me, I’d stick with the M2 Pro but that’s for my use. If you can test the other machine it be interesting to see how much time it saves you in terms of cutting rendering times.

Unfortunately I would not be able to test out the differences in regard to specific softwares. I would just be able to quickly look over the M1 Max before needing to make a decision.

Does Activity Monitor show high memory pressure? How full is your disk and how quickly is it filling? What’s GPU usage look like?

Unless you’re seeing limitations in any of those areas, you’re likely better keeping the M2 Pro since it has a higher clock and faster Neural Engine

I have not checked these stats yet. I will take a look through as soon as I return on home in just a bit.

 

[Notafan1]

I’m planning on running Parallels on whichever MacBook I end up with. Would either the M1 Max or the m2 pro preform better when using parallels?

 

[magdogg]

I’m planning on running Parallels on whichever MacBook I end up with. Would either the M1 Max or the m2 pro preform better when using parallels?

The M2 pro has slighly better cpu performance unless you have the binned 10core version.

 

[Tagbert]

Unfortunately I would not be able to test out the differences in regard to specific softwares. I would just be able to quickly look over the M1 Max before needing to make a decision.


I have not checked these stats yet. I will take a look through as soon as I return on home in just a bit.

One big question is whether your current machine is doing what you need it to do and are there any areas where it is insufficient. RAM and SSD are two possible areas where the M1 Max might be better. If you can look at the current performance under load to see if upping the RAM would matter that might tell you to switch or not. It's not clear if the additional GPU cores would make much difference.

 

[Notafan1]

One big question is whether your current machine is doing what you need it to do and are there any areas where it is insufficient. RAM and SSD are two possible areas where the M1 Max might be better. If you can look at the current performance under load to see if upping the RAM would matter that might tell you to switch or not. It's not clear if the additional GPU cores would make much difference.

My RAM usage is doing good which doing cad work natively on Ventura, but when I’m using Rhino 3D on Parralels I can definitely notice a slow down with the 8gb of partitioned ram.

 

[sinsin]

My RAM usage is doing good which doing cad work natively on Ventura, but when I’m using Rhino 3D on Parralels I can definitely notice a slow down with the 8gb of partitioned ram.

The M1 Max has an edge in GPU performance, memory bandwidth and encoding engines over M2 Pro and with more RAM and SSD capacity is an interesting option if your applications can benefit from.

I've got a good deal for a M1 Max same specs, so gone with that over M2 Pro. Great machine for Motion 2D and 3D design and video work.

 

[Tagbert]

My RAM usage is doing good which doing cad work natively on Ventura, but when I’m using Rhino 3D on Parralels I can definitely notice a slow down with the 8gb of partitioned ram.

Yes, if you have to run in a VM, then you have the overhead of the VM system and you are dependent on how it manages that memory. If that is the scenario, then you probably would need to bump up the RAM and probably go with the faster SOC option. That will cost more money but that will be the cost to offset the VM performance hit.