Thank you for your hard work. I utilized the advice you gave in the many m3 pro MacBook videos from your Channel to make smart buying decisions. In the past. It’s good to see you return to offer your insights on the new series of MacBooks.
Great to see you back more frequently Art! I’m not going to upgrade my 14” MBP M3 Max 48GB 2TB because I’m extremely happy with it and it’s super fast for what I do, but I am still looking forward to your review of the MBP M4 generation and retesting of the M3 generation and have a general idea about how they compare. As always, I greatly value your work, your thoughts and the thoroughness of your reviews. Plus I like your style and the sleekness of your videos. Thank you!
I'm looking forward to your test. Hopefully I'll get an idea of what I'll need for photo editing; specifically if I should consider upgrading from 36/48GB RAM. I hate that RAM options are tied to each chip.
Hi Art, great to see your videos. I have a 2009 Mac Pro, 12 core 3.46 Xeons, 96GB ECC Ram, 2 TB NVMe, USB 3.2 USB-C. I was planning on upgrading to M4 Max Mac Studio but didn't really want to wait until next summer. I'm now thinking of getting a M4 Pro Mac Mini ,12‑core CPU, 16‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine, 48GB unified memory, 1TB SSD. Mainly for light photography and light video work. Looking forward to seeing your excellent scientific testing. Alan, Ireland.
If you look at the performance of the M4 pro in relation to your current 2009, Mac Pro, any Apple Silicon, it's going to be way faster than any of the Intel machine I've come before it hands-down. However, if you start to take a look at the Apple Silicon when you're comparing pro versus max, sometimes the price variation is not as much but you do see a decent performance improvement. This would really all depends so until I have the machine in studio is hard to say, but results are going to come soon once I have the machine in my hands.
Please include some heavy testing with Topaz Video AI, latest versions seems a lot more performant than previous versions. Thanks for taking this proposal in consideration.
Looking forward to the test Art! Early predictions, you think the m4 pro with 48GB RAM will be a strong contender for the ‘better’ category for Lightroom workflows?
Oh yeah, but again it would depends on what you do with LRC, if you work on task that require AI, which, for now, run on GPU and other task that utilitzes GPU then you might be better off with the MAX
Yes I think this is the “sweet spot” of conflict as the Studio missed a generation yet still has some benefits. 24,32, or 48 gigs of ram? How far will 24 get you on the mini pro?
Great video as always. I am expecting a good ultra platform next year. In a dream world for 3d graphics, I will like a NUMA monster, but it's unlikely.
My question would be on the Mac mini's, are we comparing apples to apples no pun intended, when it comes to the amount of performance cores versus efficiency cores when we look at that versus MacBook Pro, mac studio? Hopefully, you'll understand what I meant 😀
Yes! The expert is back! Been binge watching your videos last year before buying an M3 Max Macbook (14 Core, 2TB SSD) and your extensive testing really helped to decide, which Macbook i should get. Coming from nearly 30 years of windows this was a big step for me and i gladly haven´t looked back since i switched. 😎
Thanks for this review; I found it helpful. I am considering moving from a Windows based computer to one of the Mac Mini models, primarily due to the fact that the former has been so slow and seems to use up huge amounts of memory. I do not do any batch processing, just one image at a time, generally file size of about 24 mp, and now and again use the merge function for panoramas. So, my question is whether the Mac Mini M4 base model with 16 gb memory would be sufficient, or whether I should increase that to 24 or 32 gb?
Art I can't wait! I'm specifically interested in dropped frames while video editing H264/5 without prores. Rendering time never bothered me as you can render while you're doing something else.
So if you're referring to MP4 or MOV videos, I rarely experience any drop frame and that will probably not be a parameter that I'll be looking at closely if it happens I'll mention it.
Thank you Art for all your hard work. Do you recommend the nano texture screen for photography or video? Anyone working in photography or video likes or hates them? Thanks
My 2020 M1 MacBook Air 16GB never crashes, and I still use it for Adobe Ph, Ch, Ae, Pr and Me, a few at the same time, except Me. Of course, the Ae previews and Me encoding are slowwww nowadays.
Art in the future can you please test out the new nano screens on the M4 MBP? I would like your opinion on the differences between the regular and the version with this option
@ thanks so much for the reply! I’ve been leaning the base M4 Pro. I am a video editor that works with 4K multicams, resolve color outputs, AE, and Photoshop. Server based projects. They say RAM is more important than chip. My budget is between both.
Truth be told I probably will not know and they'll probably be other RUclips channel or testing site that will publish the information. I don't genuinely believe that 256 GB is enough for a pro workflow and that's also the reason why the minimum they will order for testing machines in the studio is 512 G.
I think so. M4 is going to be faster but the question is how much. Geek bench scores tell you nothing. It is the program testing that I do that will tell you what you need to know. You can have a fast machine but if the programs/apps can't take utilitzed it, then it is just that.
Hi Art, good to have you back. I have been waiting for your thoughts on the new gen machines. My M1 Max Studio (64GB, 1TB) might be up for an upgrade. I do a lot of denoising with my Sony A7RIV files and a faster GPU can improve my processing times. I am even thinking of something with 96 or 128GB RAM as I am caching even with 64GB RAM!! What is the ETA on the new machines you have ordered? Thanks
Nov 8th arrival and then testing. You have the Mac Studio right now, they don't have those updated just yet. But if you are looking to get the Max then 14 or 16 MBP will be the one right now
@@ArtIsRight Thank you. You and I have talked about it before. I am happy with my M1 Max Studio but always missing the portability. With a properly specked M4 14" or 16", my problem might be solved. I am in no hurry. I will wait for your test results. Your test methods and practical usage scenarios are the best in the business. I do not know of anyone else on YT who comes even close. Missed your videos bro. Glad you are back at it again.
Hi, thanks for this video! I'm looking to buy a mbp that will run the lightroom as fast as possible. What would you recommend I choose? should I invest more in CPU or GPU? I use Lightroom and Final Cut for my current work. thanks! 😊
5:27 I agree with your Upgrade Priority but in reality this is not possible. To unlock desired RAM sizes, Apple forces us up the price ladder with Chip selection first. We end up with this: 1. Chip Family 2. Chip Variant 3. Memory 4. SSD So, in After Effects , do we need 64GB RAM, which forces us to take the Max 40GPU?
I hear you but one should go for RAM first, that will tell you what chip you need. There are some overlap, 24 GB, 36 GB, etc. Choosing the family first, sure, but the varients should be dead last. It is technically not a good price per performance, but then at the end of the day, we can do what we believe in.
We had talked back when I bought my M1Pro Max and I use the laptop with Benq 32” monitor for Photography. Would upgrading to the M4 version be warranted based on the advances in the chip set?
I would say so especially if you need a faster machine. I think that 3 gen in the diffrence is starting to show. I'll have more answers at the end of this week
Art, great video. For light gaming, running GS Pro (golf sim software), and as a work machine, I’ve decided to go with the M4 Pro. I’m debating 512 vs 1 TB, 24 vs 48 RAM, and 16 vs 20 core GPU. Other than the games themselves, I store most data on an external SSD. What would your recommendation be? Thank you. Also, I don’t want a separate device for gaming. I enjoy traveling as light as possible.
512 is min, 1 TB gives you more room, speed aside, no one or apps really uses that speed. About the cores, I will have a close but not direct comparison. Based on what you told me I might get more SSD
Art, just discovered your page. Appreciate your comment on the following! For LRC for raw post processing which configuration would you select? Mini M4 Pro 14/20/16 64 Ram Or M2 Max Studio 12/32/16 96 Ram
Thanks for your straight talk wisdom. I currently have a M! AIr with16goigs ram and 1tb drive and I edit alot of 4K H265 on Premier and with all other prograks quit , I am always running out of memory, and the footage plays jerky. . It is not a joy to edit log footage H265 with Color correction and effects. I want to. Thanks upgrade with a M4 machine that I could maybe use for 4 years or so. Would the M4 Pro chip with 24 or 32 gigs memory and 2o cor GPU cores make my life happy in regard to editing? Or should I get a M4 Max with 40 cores and break the bank? ThaNKS FOR ANY HELP
As I always say Video workflow can largely benefit from a Max SoC with double the encoder/decoder engine compared to the Pro. Pro would be the minimum, and 24GB is a good start, depending on what you do, you may want more and 32GB is not possible. Only 48 GB option for the Pro. And Max is another story all together. Hope this helps.
I bought an Apple-refurbished M1 Mac Mini in the Spring of 2022. Recently, I also bought an impressive Phillips 27EF7901 Display (USB-C, 4K resolution, ability to pivot 90º). Budget permitting I want to move the Phillips to a VESA-mount monitor arm. With the advent of the new Mac Mini, I was wondering if anyone expects accessories to materialize that would allow the M4 Mini to share a VESA mount with a monitor arm so the Mini could be suspended on the back of the monitor. Any thoughts on this? I'd like to hear about how the new M4 Pro Mini performs. If and when I do build up money to replace my current M1 Mac Mini, it will be either a newer Mac Mini or a MacBook Pro. Either way, I was thinking about an M4 Pro processor. The hardware would be used (in desktop situations) with the Phillips. I could also retain the M1 Mac Mini and opt for supplementing the old Mini with an M4 Pro MacBook Pro.
I’ve watch a few of your videos- really appreciate the analysis! As a non-pro, casual hobbyist, I think the base M4 chip will suit me well. I could go with an Air, but I think the MacBook Pro screen is a nice upgrade and the 14in is still reasonably portable for travel. My only question is RAM. I’m guessing it is worth going to 24GB, but would recommend another bump to 32GB? I’m coming from a mid-2017 15” Intel 3.1 ghz processor with 16 GB RAM.
On the base M4 Pro it comes with 70w charger but the 14-core comes with 96w charger, does this matter? I’m going to travel so I went with the base Pro chip
Great video thanks. Very practical. A few channels had suggested it would be sensible to upgrade the Pro chip to the higher core version. This was exactly the opposite of what they had said with previous iterations of the M chips. Clearly, you have not seen it bring much benefit and the money would be better spent on more RAM. As an amateur, I suspect that the M4 Pro Mini may be powerful enough, rather than needing an M4 Max Mac Studio? Would you agree? Also, is it worth doubling the RAM to 48Gb? Thanks
Hi I have MacBook pro m3 pro 14” and mac mini m2 base model. Using it for video editing (4k and 1080p) should i upgrade to m4 pro MacBook pro? What is your recommendation?
I am upgrading from an intel i5 Mac air because lightroom became so slow it’s mostly unusable. I would like a machine that will last 5-6 years so I wonder if 48gb will be enough or if 64gb is worth the investment (I use only lightroom + photoshop). I think you might consider to add a 14” Max to your tests because (at least this seemed to happen with the previous generations) 14” with Max chip were overheating.
Depends what you want to play. I play No Man’s Sky and Emulation on an M2 Pro Mini base model and it’s great. And Resolve would run on anything from 16 GB up. The more the better. A Mac Studio is the way to go if you want to stream while you game or something.
I really really want the 14" I ordered, but I'm concerned about thermal throttling. I have it fully spec'd out, but I use it as a desktop and I don't ever really open the screen. It's always in clamshell mode and I feel like going to the 16" won't matter for cooling if I'm keeping the lid closed. Any thoughts?
Hi, I am currently using MBP16 i9, 32gb RAM. I usually import over 500 photos into LRClassic for each event + using parrallel windows for some admin work and opening many different chrome browsers for office work. My MBP could not handle LRC well. It gets overheating and lagging after editting several photos. Should I get an upgrade of MBP14 M4pro 24gb 512gb for my work flow? I wish to have a device which weight lesser than MBP16 but able to handle heavy photo editting on LRClassic + other admin work simultaneously. Appreciate pieces of your advice.
I’ve watch a few of your videos- really appreciate the analysis! As a non-pro, casual hobbyist, I think the base M4 chip will suit me well. I could go with an Air, but I think the MacBook Pro screen is a nice upgrade and the 14in is still reasonably portable for travel. My only question is RAM. I’m guessing it is worth going to 24GB, but would recommend another bump to 32GB? I’m coming from a mid-2017 15” Intel 3.1 ghz processor with 16 GB RAM.
I am considering a MacBook or Mac mini for photo editing. I rented and used the m1pro model, but I was not satisfied. I am wondering which model will be the most reasonable choice with limited resources. 1. Budget around $2000, used models are also good. 2. I am not a commercial artist but a person who enjoys photography as a hobby 3. Photo shoot 4 times a month, number of shots: 500~1000, stable working environment is more important than export speed. 26 million pixel raw 4. Use Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, and DaVinci Resolve 5. Please recommend whether the m4 model is better or whether it is better to purchase a used model with 32G, 48G, 64G and 1TB SSD with an older chipset and higher RAM capacity. 6. Please tell me how good the CPU and GPU cores are. 7. The number of GPU cores is most important. And the key is that export and rendering speeds do not have to be fast. Depending on the answer to this item, it is decided whether to purchase m4, m4pro, or used mac studio (m2max). Mac mini (m4pro 12/16 48ram 1tb) VS Mac studio(m2 max 12/30 36ram 1tb)
what do you think the impact of apple intelligence would be on memory? and i mean long-term usage, with softwares and os getting heavier each year. same thing with windows copilot (only 16gb models support copilot). coz it seems like the ram upgrade is not much of an "upgrade" if its being parked aside for apple intelligence. btw love your channel and real world testing. that upgrade priority list is exactly what every major channel should be quoting.
@@ghost-user559 that might not be true, like I explained in my original comment. If your extra memory is occupied by something else by default, is it really "extra"?
That will probably change the paradigm a little bit however, many pros do not really prefer to use an all-in-one machine. It may have looked that way in the past i.e. before Apple Silicon because apple did not really provide a good desktop standalone solution.
The one I have been keen to watch! I’m guessing M1 will get smoked. For me, a 14inch MBP Pro is all I need, wouldn’t mind a Mac Mini Pro but it doesn’t fit my lifestyle just yet with the kids knocking around. But anything to make Canon DPP and the Adobe suite faster
A chart overlaying cost and performance would be the most useful way to decide purchases rather than talking about them. Apple uses 3D saddle graphs to work out their price to profitability. If you are after Bangs per Buck there will be a sweet spot or area. Otherwise you just look for cheapest, fastest and where you fall on the spectrum.
I'm not really sure what spectrum you're talking about. I don't have the machine to test in the studio yet so shorts are useless at this point in time because they would all be based on speculation, but I do appreciate the suggestion.
Like I said, it probably is however not everyone's going to have the extra money to spend on those extra GPU courses and at some point there has to be some compromises in terms of price per performance. Figuring out where you can compromise on that is going to be the key here.
@@ArtIsRight For sure. The big difference is if you are looking at pushing the M4 Pro specs you almost always can go Max and get those GPU cores for "free". At least it was that way for the Mac mini vs Mac Studio.
Your videos are fantastic and so on point and practical. I followed you lead when I bought my Studio MAX. Apple must be watching your videos. You are costing them money by telling people not to buy more machine than they need, LOL!! Apple is really clever. I was thinking of the base MAX M4 for a possible 14" or 16" MacBook Pro upgrade to my Studio MAX but they have cleverly limited the RAM to 36GB forcing you to go to the top spec MAX M4 to get the additional RAM. Had they had the additional RAM available in the base MAX M4, I would have very little reason to spend the extra $$$ just to get marginal performance in the top MAX M4. Clever, clever. They closed the loophole!!
I hear you, however, I think it has a lot to do with the bit calculations on the silicon as well. I feel there may be some engineering reason behind the lock in for RAM on various chip versus the amount of core CPU and GPU. And even though they are in the same variance, i.e. pro or max, there are probably some additional variations in the chip designed it may have prevented this. Again, I don't know I don't have access to any engineers to really validate this but many times as consumers, including myself see things very differently than what's actually possible from an engineering standpoint.
@@ArtIsRight Art you are being nice! giving them benefit of the doubt!! I, on the other hand am somewhat skeptical. Apple is doing a Canon job on us. Intentionally holding back features to force us to go up a notch or two. Canon used to do that with their film cameras. I guess everybody does it these days. As I mentioned, Apple had a loophole and they just closed it. So for me, I am forced to spend another $800 or so dollars just to have access to 64GB or 128GB memory. I do need the extra RAM but not the extra horsepower of the highest chip.
looking forwards to your tests I hope add ACR AI Denoise times. Im still under the impression that real world performance will be only show a marginal increase my guess is 30-35% increase which is really not that much
400$ to upgrade from 24 to 48gigs of memory on the macbook pro m4 pro is NOT worth it imo. and I would say 4 extra gpu cores on the pro chip goes a long way if you have need for gpu. thats a 20% increase in gpu.
Yes, that is correct. However, I feel there may be some engineering reasons behind why the upgrade can't be done because if it could the top spec M4 max will probably start at 36 GB as well but that's not the case. I feel this time around apple has gone in and create separate versions of the ship for the M4, M4 pro and M4 max very similar to what they did with the M3 generation. This was not the case in the previous M1 and M2 generation.
Hi! I am sorry I didn't fully understand which models of the Pro chip in 16" you're getting for direct comparison. I am doubting between 24 and 48 GB ram in this size or the Max chip, and I think there will be many people like this, trying to figure out whether the Max chip is worth it for photography, as the CPU will be very similar this year (like in M1/2 generation and unlike M3), but in the other hand AI removal tools and denoise are using GPU currently... Are you getting these 2 Pro chip models in 16 inches or we will need to extrapolate? Thank you for your work! You are the best!
Actually, adding to my comment, I’d like to say that it would be amazing to test how long it takes for the computers to remove noise using the AI function in Lightroom or DXO photolab, with a bunch of high iso noisy files at once. I think Adobe/dxo are still using the gpu for these tasks and this could push people to get the max chip…
For trip: I agree with you that the MacBook Air can be good enough. Actually, right now I only use the M4 iPad for my trip. It has cellular, which is very handy. And, both Lightroom and Final Cut have iPad versions (and by the way, the iPad apps are optimized so well that an 8GB iPad has no performance issues at all), and they work pretty well. Back at home, I gain access to a big display and a large amount of external SSDs. I really think there is no need to spend $3000 on an M4 Max MacBook Pro. Consider Mac Studio.
I found this an interesting and informative discussion. Your practical experience is important to cut through the hype and prioritize useful upgrade options. I've been tempted with the Mac Mini M4 Pro but I'm waiting to see what the new M4 Studio machines will offer. My old MacPro is about 11 years old so I can wait another six to nine months to find out. I speculate a base M4 Studio will include most of the upgrades of the M4 mini, plus more ports and an SD card reader. I'll still need to use my dock to plug in my older accessories that don't use USB C. Getting Thunderbolt 5 will be useful in the future when new TB5 enclosures come out to handle bigger and faster NVMe cards. Art, what is your view on using external memory versus internal? Is there a review of the SW272Q coming out soon? I think there's one out there that has my name on it.
Yes, waiting a few more months would not hurt. However, that machine is rather old now and any update to any Apple Silicon will see a huge improvement jump, even in the vanilla variety of Apple M silicon. As far as external memory versus internal, if you are referring to SSD, it makes very little difference. ruclips.net/video/-8UfQ-Tw9aw/видео.html
Thanks, Art. This RUclips link and some others that appeared, cleared up many misconceptions I have on what are important and practical upgrades for editing photos in LrC and PS. I'm not working on thousands of images and have only used the free DiVinci Resolve a few times (mostly as a curiosity). It sounds like any base model Mac with 32 GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD would be a terrific machine for my needs.
Good to have you back Art! The one comprehensive guide I’ve been waiting for.
Hey, thanks!
Thank you for your hard work. I utilized the advice you gave in the many m3 pro MacBook videos from your Channel to make smart buying decisions. In the past.
It’s good to see you return to offer your insights on the new series of MacBooks.
I tried to thank you
After a long wait, thank you for coming back and blessing us with your wisdom, Art🎉
You are so welcome
Art is back.
For this M4 Cycle yes but after this I might still be limited, we shall see. Life has been busy. However, thank you for your support!
Great to see you back more frequently Art!
I’m not going to upgrade my 14” MBP M3 Max 48GB 2TB because I’m extremely happy with it and it’s super fast for what I do, but I am still looking forward to your review of the MBP M4 generation and retesting of the M3 generation and have a general idea about how they compare.
As always, I greatly value your work, your thoughts and the thoroughness of your reviews. Plus I like your style and the sleekness of your videos. Thank you!
Thank you I greatly appreciate this feedback and comment
Really looking forward to your tests!
Also looking forward to your tests👍👊
Much appreciated to both of you
I'm looking forward to your test. Hopefully I'll get an idea of what I'll need for photo editing; specifically if I should consider upgrading from 36/48GB RAM. I hate that RAM options are tied to each chip.
@ what size are your projects? Like how much RAM + swap do you currently use when doing your biggest projects?
Oh boy! Christmas is coming mighty early for you Art😄
Something like that ;)
You're good at what you're doing. Really liked the studio & the way you speak.
Much appreciated
Very good video! I got an M1 14” 2 years ago and it has been rock solid with Photoshop and Lightroom.
Very nice!
Really like the alternative view on the 14 inch macs
:)
I just knew you will be coming with a video on the latest Mac lineup. Can't wait.
Thank you!
Hi Art, great to see your videos. I have a 2009 Mac Pro, 12 core 3.46 Xeons, 96GB ECC Ram, 2 TB NVMe, USB 3.2 USB-C. I was planning on upgrading to M4 Max Mac Studio but didn't really want to wait until next summer. I'm now thinking of getting a M4 Pro Mac Mini ,12‑core CPU, 16‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine, 48GB unified memory, 1TB SSD. Mainly for light photography and light video work. Looking forward to seeing your excellent scientific testing. Alan, Ireland.
If you look at the performance of the M4 pro in relation to your current 2009, Mac Pro, any Apple Silicon, it's going to be way faster than any of the Intel machine I've come before it hands-down. However, if you start to take a look at the Apple Silicon when you're comparing pro versus max, sometimes the price variation is not as much but you do see a decent performance improvement. This would really all depends so until I have the machine in studio is hard to say, but results are going to come soon once I have the machine in my hands.
Good to see you!!!! Yahoo. I refuse to watch ANY other channels doing comparison on Mac!
Yay! Thank you!
Please include some heavy testing with Topaz Video AI, latest versions seems a lot more performant than previous versions. Thanks for taking this proposal in consideration.
we'll see what I can do
@@ArtIsRight big thanks! MUCH appreciated!
My current device is a 16" M1 Max with 64GB RAM.
I ordered a M4 Pro 14/20 48GB 1TB. But thinking about downgrading it to 12/16 48GB 512GB.
Why are you upgrading if you do not mind me asking?
I would wait to see the results. Depending on what you do, it might not be the best move
I would wait for the results
Love your channel. Excited to see what you say. I’m a photographer and love the M1 4 tb you recommended. Maybe I should upgrade?
this would be the cycle to do it!
Looking forward to the test Art! Early predictions, you think the m4 pro with 48GB RAM will be a strong contender for the ‘better’ category for Lightroom workflows?
Oh yeah, but again it would depends on what you do with LRC, if you work on task that require AI, which, for now, run on GPU and other task that utilitzes GPU then you might be better off with the MAX
Mini m4 vs mini m4 pro vs Mac Studio M2 Max is the comparison I’m waiting for :)
Yess I'm excited for this too
👍🏼
Yes I think this is the “sweet spot” of conflict as the Studio missed a generation yet still has some benefits. 24,32, or 48 gigs of ram? How far will 24 get you on the mini pro?
I’d love to see your recommendations on what accessories to get such as power brick or usb stick or multiple usb connector etc
I might do a video about that!
Excellent
Thanks
Great video as always. I am expecting a good ultra platform next year. In a dream world for 3d graphics, I will like a NUMA monster, but it's unlikely.
I do to, my M2 Ultra is no slouch but I don't mind faster!
Great video! I love the new format!❤
Thank You!
My question would be on the Mac mini's, are we comparing apples to apples no pun intended, when it comes to the amount of performance cores versus efficiency cores when we look at that versus MacBook Pro, mac studio?
Hopefully, you'll understand what I meant 😀
Yes, they are exactly the same. SoC inside the Mac mini versus the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio.
Yes! The expert is back! Been binge watching your videos last year before buying an M3 Max Macbook (14 Core, 2TB SSD) and your extensive testing really helped to decide, which Macbook i should get. Coming from nearly 30 years of windows this was a big step for me and i gladly haven´t looked back since i switched. 😎
Thank you and glad to hear!
Thanks for this review; I found it helpful. I am considering moving from a Windows based computer to one of the Mac Mini models, primarily due to the fact that the former has been so slow and seems to use up huge amounts of memory. I do not do any batch processing, just one image at a time, generally file size of about 24 mp, and now and again use the merge function for panoramas. So, my question is whether the Mac Mini M4 base model with 16 gb memory would be sufficient, or whether I should increase that to 24 or 32 gb?
I would upgrade RAM when I can especially when it is financially possible
Art I can't wait! I'm specifically interested in dropped frames while video editing H264/5 without prores. Rendering time never bothered me as you can render while you're doing something else.
So if you're referring to MP4 or MOV videos, I rarely experience any drop frame and that will probably not be a parameter that I'll be looking at closely if it happens I'll mention it.
@ArtIsRight glad to hear that! Can't wait for your videos!
Thank you Art for all your hard work. Do you recommend the nano texture screen for photography or video? Anyone working in photography or video likes or hates them? Thanks
Yes, reflection is bad
Please review M4 Pro 16 inch base, if possible. The M3 version was one of the best MacBooks of the previous line up.
👍🏼
My 2020 M1 MacBook Air 16GB never crashes, and I still use it for Adobe Ph, Ch, Ae, Pr and Me, a few at the same time, except Me. Of course, the Ae previews and Me encoding are slowwww nowadays.
ok
@@ArtIsRight Maybe I'm lucky, tho!
Art in the future can you please test out the new nano screens on the M4 MBP? I would like your opinion on the differences between the regular and the version with this option
I have one coming in, that will most likely be my personal one.
Torn between.. M4 Pro 24gb RAM or M4 32gb RAM? For Pro Editors.
Go with M4 Pro, no doubt
@ thanks so much for the reply! I’ve been leaning the base M4 Pro. I am a video editor that works with 4K multicams, resolve color outputs, AE, and Photoshop. Server based projects. They say RAM is more important than chip. My budget is between both.
I wonder if ssd 256 will be słower than 512 like in mac min M2
Truth be told I probably will not know and they'll probably be other RUclips channel or testing site that will publish the information. I don't genuinely believe that 256 GB is enough for a pro workflow and that's also the reason why the minimum they will order for testing machines in the studio is 512 G.
Just got a great deal on 14’ M3Max base config for the price of $2700, I hope I made the right choice for not waiting for the M4Max finger crossed 😅
I think so. M4 is going to be faster but the question is how much. Geek bench scores tell you nothing. It is the program testing that I do that will tell you what you need to know. You can have a fast machine but if the programs/apps can't take utilitzed it, then it is just that.
thanks art!
You bet!
Everyone's so focused on the 16GB base RAM. But the way Apple has limited the RAM on the "bottom" M4 Max is anemic.
ok
Hi Art, good to have you back. I have been waiting for your thoughts on the new gen machines.
My M1 Max Studio (64GB, 1TB) might be up for an upgrade. I do a lot of denoising with my Sony A7RIV files and a faster GPU can improve my processing times. I am even thinking of something with 96 or 128GB RAM as I am caching even with 64GB RAM!!
What is the ETA on the new machines you have ordered?
Thanks
Nov 8th arrival and then testing. You have the Mac Studio right now, they don't have those updated just yet. But if you are looking to get the Max then 14 or 16 MBP will be the one right now
@@ArtIsRight Thank you. You and I have talked about it before. I am happy with my M1 Max Studio but always missing the portability. With a properly specked M4 14" or 16", my problem might be solved. I am in no hurry. I will wait for your test results.
Your test methods and practical usage scenarios are the best in the business. I do not know of anyone else on YT who comes even close. Missed your videos bro. Glad you are back at it again.
Hi, thanks for this video! I'm looking to buy a mbp that will run the lightroom as fast as possible. What would you recommend I choose? should I invest more in CPU or GPU? I use Lightroom and Final Cut for my current work. thanks! 😊
RAM, SSD and then CPU / GPU, difference is there between each variants but it is smaller
5:27 I agree with your Upgrade Priority but in reality this is not possible. To unlock desired RAM sizes, Apple forces us up the price ladder with Chip selection first. We end up with this:
1. Chip Family
2. Chip Variant
3. Memory
4. SSD
So, in After Effects , do we need 64GB RAM, which forces us to take the Max 40GPU?
I hear you but one should go for RAM first, that will tell you what chip you need. There are some overlap, 24 GB, 36 GB, etc. Choosing the family first, sure, but the varients should be dead last. It is technically not a good price per performance, but then at the end of the day, we can do what we believe in.
We had talked back when I bought my M1Pro Max and I use the laptop with Benq 32” monitor for Photography. Would upgrading to the M4 version be warranted based on the advances in the chip set?
I would say so especially if you need a faster machine. I think that 3 gen in the diffrence is starting to show. I'll have more answers at the end of this week
Art, great video. For light gaming, running GS Pro (golf sim software), and as a work machine, I’ve decided to go with the M4 Pro. I’m debating 512 vs 1 TB, 24 vs 48 RAM, and 16 vs 20 core GPU. Other than the games themselves, I store most data on an external SSD. What would your recommendation be? Thank you.
Also, I don’t want a separate device for gaming. I enjoy traveling as light as possible.
512 is min, 1 TB gives you more room, speed aside, no one or apps really uses that speed. About the cores, I will have a close but not direct comparison. Based on what you told me I might get more SSD
Art, just discovered your page. Appreciate your comment on the following!
For LRC for raw post processing which configuration would you select?
Mini M4 Pro 14/20/16
64 Ram
Or
M2 Max Studio 12/32/16
96 Ram
wait for the review
I checked the Apple Store and if you order a top of the line machine - MacBook Pro 16 - they estimated Nov 21-26.
I know time have shifted. Especially with CTO.
Keep doing the God's work!
Thank You!
Thanks for your straight talk wisdom. I currently have a M! AIr with16goigs ram and 1tb drive and I edit alot of 4K H265 on Premier and with all other prograks quit , I am always running out of memory, and the footage plays jerky. . It is not a joy to edit log footage H265 with Color correction and effects. I want to. Thanks upgrade with a M4 machine that I could maybe use for 4 years or so. Would the M4 Pro chip with 24 or 32 gigs memory and 2o cor GPU cores make my life happy in regard to editing? Or should I get a M4 Max with 40 cores and break the bank? ThaNKS FOR ANY HELP
As I always say Video workflow can largely benefit from a Max SoC with double the encoder/decoder engine compared to the Pro. Pro would be the minimum, and 24GB is a good start, depending on what you do, you may want more and 32GB is not possible. Only 48 GB option for the Pro. And Max is another story all together. Hope this helps.
I bought an Apple-refurbished M1 Mac Mini in the Spring of 2022. Recently, I also bought an impressive Phillips 27EF7901 Display (USB-C, 4K resolution, ability to pivot 90º). Budget permitting I want to move the Phillips to a VESA-mount monitor arm. With the advent of the new Mac Mini, I was wondering if anyone expects accessories to materialize that would allow the M4 Mini to share a VESA mount with a monitor arm so the Mini could be suspended on the back of the monitor. Any thoughts on this? I'd like to hear about how the new M4 Pro Mini performs. If and when I do build up money to replace my current M1 Mac Mini, it will be either a newer Mac Mini or a MacBook Pro. Either way, I was thinking about an M4 Pro processor. The hardware would be used (in desktop situations) with the Phillips. I could also retain the M1 Mac Mini and opt for supplementing the old Mini with an M4 Pro MacBook Pro.
I'm sure some one will
Is iMac m4 with 24gb ram decent for Final Cut 4K video editing?
sure
I'm currently using two BENQ PD322u daisy chained monitors. Which M4 Mac Pro would you pair the two monitors with?
Any one will work
I’ve watch a few of your videos- really appreciate the analysis! As a non-pro, casual hobbyist, I think the base M4 chip will suit me well. I could go with an Air, but I think the MacBook Pro screen is a nice upgrade and the 14in is still reasonably portable for travel. My only question is RAM. I’m guessing it is worth going to 24GB, but would recommend another bump to 32GB? I’m coming from a mid-2017 15” Intel 3.1 ghz processor with 16 GB RAM.
Ram keep it the same or more. I would monitor memory pressure and if you are using it for non pro work then 16 should be fine.
Hey Art. Do you still prefer the 16" over the 14" for your workflow? Thanks
I’m between both, I love the larger screen for what I do, but I really love the weight and power of the 14” MAX… this is tough one.
I have both and prefer the less bulk of 14". Larger screen in 16" is hardly a factor if it is docked most of the time.
On the base M4 Pro it comes with 70w charger but the 14-core comes with 96w charger, does this matter? I’m going to travel so I went with the base Pro chip
Nope
Also, on the previous versions, a 1TB SSD is twice as fast as a 512GB
It is but the daily use case where that shows up is really small and if one does that majority of the time then upgrade should be in consideration
Great video thanks. Very practical. A few channels had suggested it would be sensible to upgrade the Pro chip to the higher core version. This was exactly the opposite of what they had said with previous iterations of the M chips. Clearly, you have not seen it bring much benefit and the money would be better spent on more RAM. As an amateur, I suspect that the M4 Pro Mini may be powerful enough, rather than needing an M4 Max Mac Studio? Would you agree? Also, is it worth doubling the RAM to 48Gb? Thanks
Max is going to be based on a use case scenario more than any thing else.
Thank you
Hi
I have MacBook pro m3 pro 14” and mac mini m2 base model. Using it for video editing (4k and 1080p) should i upgrade to m4 pro MacBook pro? What is your recommendation?
Probably no, keep what you have. And if you upgrade, the Max would be a better option performance wise.
I am upgrading from an intel i5 Mac air because lightroom became so slow it’s mostly unusable. I would like a machine that will last 5-6 years so I wonder if 48gb will be enough or if 64gb is worth the investment (I use only lightroom + photoshop). I think you might consider to add a 14” Max to your tests because (at least this seemed to happen with the previous generations) 14” with Max chip were overheating.
They are not really over heating ruclips.net/video/qwlf1TAIL2w/видео.htmlsi=_8jtThF3ddkharTw
If I want to run Davinci Resolve 19 and gaming, is the M4 Pro chip 12 core with 48GB of RAM enough?
Depends what you want to play. I play No Man’s Sky and Emulation on an M2 Pro Mini base model and it’s great. And Resolve would run on anything from 16 GB up. The more the better. A Mac Studio is the way to go if you want to stream while you game or something.
Yes, it depends largely on what you want to do with these. However, based on what you're describing, that should be more than suffice.
I really really want the 14" I ordered, but I'm concerned about thermal throttling. I have it fully spec'd out, but I use it as a desktop and I don't ever really open the screen. It's always in clamshell mode and I feel like going to the 16" won't matter for cooling if I'm keeping the lid closed. Any thoughts?
it will happen but seriously, most people won't work it hard enough for it to thermal throttle
@@ArtIsRight do you think the 16" would even make a difference if I don't ever open the lid and use it in "clamshell" mode?
How about getting a powerful Mac mini as the desk station and a base 13"/14" MBA/MBP for portability?
@@SridharKatakam If the Studio would have been released last week I would have gone that route - no questions. I need power far more than portability.
Hi, I am currently using MBP16 i9, 32gb RAM. I usually import over 500 photos into LRClassic for each event + using parrallel windows for some admin work and opening many different chrome browsers for office work. My MBP could not handle LRC well. It gets overheating and lagging after editting several photos. Should I get an upgrade of MBP14 M4pro 24gb 512gb for my work flow? I wish to have a device which weight lesser than MBP16 but able to handle heavy photo editting on LRClassic + other admin work simultaneously. Appreciate pieces of your advice.
14MBP M4 Pro would be a great contender. Anything Apple Silicon is going to be way faster than Intel, we already saw this since the M1 Gen.
@@ArtIsRight In your opinion, would a M4 chips with higher ram work for me or M4 Pro chips 24Ram would be fine?
I’ve watch a few of your videos- really appreciate the analysis! As a non-pro, casual hobbyist, I think the base M4 chip will suit me well. I could go with an Air, but I think the MacBook Pro screen is a nice upgrade and the 14in is still reasonably portable for travel. My only question is RAM. I’m guessing it is worth going to 24GB, but would recommend another bump to 32GB? I’m coming from a mid-2017 15” Intel 3.1 ghz processor with 16 GB RAM.
I am considering a MacBook or Mac mini for photo editing. I rented and used the m1pro model, but I was not satisfied. I am wondering which model will be the most reasonable choice with limited resources.
1. Budget around $2000, used models are also good.
2. I am not a commercial artist but a person who enjoys photography as a hobby
3. Photo shoot 4 times a month, number of shots: 500~1000, stable working environment is more important than export speed. 26 million pixel raw
4. Use Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, and DaVinci Resolve
5. Please recommend whether the m4 model is better or whether it is better to purchase a used model with 32G, 48G, 64G and 1TB SSD with an older chipset and higher RAM capacity.
6. Please tell me how good the CPU and GPU cores are.
7.
The number of GPU cores is most important. And the key is that export and rendering speeds do not have to be fast. Depending on the answer to this item, it is decided whether to purchase m4, m4pro, or used mac studio (m2max).
Mac mini (m4pro 12/16 48ram 1tb)
VS
Mac studio(m2 max 12/30 36ram 1tb)
I would say wait to see the results from my tests
what do you think the impact of apple intelligence would be on memory? and i mean long-term usage, with softwares and os getting heavier each year. same thing with windows copilot (only 16gb models support copilot). coz it seems like the ram upgrade is not much of an "upgrade" if its being parked aside for apple intelligence.
btw love your channel and real world testing. that upgrade priority list is exactly what every major channel should be quoting.
Thank you. I need to test Apple Inteligence more to be able to give you a better answer on this. But I'll look into this.
If Apple doubling the Ram for the same price is any indication I would say it will have a significant impact
@@ghost-user559 that might not be true, like I explained in my original comment. If your extra memory is occupied by something else by default, is it really "extra"?
Don't forget to update C1 to latest release as they've made some significant improvements on performance.
I did, ran the latest release. Like I said import is great but export is meh
All the iMac needed was an M4 Pro chip... come on Apple!
That will probably change the paradigm a little bit however, many pros do not really prefer to use an all-in-one machine. It may have looked that way in the past i.e. before Apple Silicon because apple did not really provide a good desktop standalone solution.
and a 27" screen.
The one I have been keen to watch! I’m guessing M1 will get smoked. For me, a 14inch MBP Pro is all I need, wouldn’t mind a Mac Mini Pro but it doesn’t fit my lifestyle just yet with the kids knocking around. But anything to make Canon DPP and the Adobe suite faster
I hear you and M1, the regular one is not doing too well any more.
A chart overlaying cost and performance would be the most useful way to decide purchases rather than talking about them. Apple uses 3D saddle graphs to work out their price to profitability.
If you are after Bangs per Buck there will be a sweet spot or area.
Otherwise you just look for cheapest, fastest and where you fall on the spectrum.
I'm not really sure what spectrum you're talking about. I don't have the machine to test in the studio yet so shorts are useless at this point in time because they would all be based on speculation, but I do appreciate the suggestion.
The Max have just so many more GPU cores I think they are worth it. :-)
Like I said, it probably is however not everyone's going to have the extra money to spend on those extra GPU courses and at some point there has to be some compromises in terms of price per performance. Figuring out where you can compromise on that is going to be the key here.
@@ArtIsRight For sure. The big difference is if you are looking at pushing the M4 Pro specs you almost always can go Max and get those GPU cores for "free". At least it was that way for the Mac mini vs Mac Studio.
Your videos are fantastic and so on point and practical. I followed you lead when I bought my Studio MAX. Apple must be watching your videos. You are costing them money by telling people not to buy more machine than they need, LOL!!
Apple is really clever. I was thinking of the base MAX M4 for a possible 14" or 16" MacBook Pro upgrade to my Studio MAX but they have cleverly limited the RAM to 36GB forcing you to go to the top spec MAX M4 to get the additional RAM. Had they had the additional RAM available in the base MAX M4, I would have very little reason to spend the extra $$$ just to get marginal performance in the top MAX M4. Clever, clever. They closed the loophole!!
I hear you, however, I think it has a lot to do with the bit calculations on the silicon as well. I feel there may be some engineering reason behind the lock in for RAM on various chip versus the amount of core CPU and GPU. And even though they are in the same variance, i.e. pro or max, there are probably some additional variations in the chip designed it may have prevented this. Again, I don't know I don't have access to any engineers to really validate this but many times as consumers, including myself see things very differently than what's actually possible from an engineering standpoint.
@@ArtIsRight Art you are being nice! giving them benefit of the doubt!!
I, on the other hand am somewhat skeptical. Apple is doing a Canon job on us. Intentionally holding back features to force us to go up a notch or two. Canon used to do that with their film cameras. I guess everybody does it these days.
As I mentioned, Apple had a loophole and they just closed it. So for me, I am forced to spend another $800 or so dollars just to have access to 64GB or 128GB memory. I do need the extra RAM but not the extra horsepower of the highest chip.
looking forwards to your tests I hope add ACR AI Denoise times. Im still under the impression that real world performance will be only show a marginal increase my guess is 30-35% increase which is really not that much
Yes and there will be a video talking about the revised and addtional tests
400$ to upgrade from 24 to 48gigs of memory on the macbook pro m4 pro is NOT worth it imo. and I would say 4 extra gpu cores on the pro chip goes a long way if you have need for gpu. thats a 20% increase in gpu.
sadly this does not scale in the way that you think, but you are more than welcome to choose the one that best fits your need and workflow.
Apple prevents you from going to the base M4 Max by limiting it to 36GB of RAM.
Yes, that is correct. However, I feel there may be some engineering reasons behind why the upgrade can't be done because if it could the top spec M4 max will probably start at 36 GB as well but that's not the case. I feel this time around apple has gone in and create separate versions of the ship for the M4, M4 pro and M4 max very similar to what they did with the M3 generation. This was not the case in the previous M1 and M2 generation.
Hi! I am sorry I didn't fully understand which models of the Pro chip in 16" you're getting for direct comparison. I am doubting between 24 and 48 GB ram in this size or the Max chip, and I think there will be many people like this, trying to figure out whether the Max chip is worth it for photography, as the CPU will be very similar this year (like in M1/2 generation and unlike M3), but in the other hand AI removal tools and denoise are using GPU currently...
Are you getting these 2 Pro chip models in 16 inches or we will need to extrapolate?
Thank you for your work! You are the best!
Actually, adding to my comment, I’d like to say that it would be amazing to test how long it takes for the computers to remove noise using the AI function in Lightroom or DXO photolab, with a bunch of high iso noisy files at once. I think Adobe/dxo are still using the gpu for these tasks and this could push people to get the max chip…
Yes GPU, yes both M2 Pro and the machine does not matter quite as much, performance are similar
For trip: I agree with you that the MacBook Air can be good enough. Actually, right now I only use the M4 iPad for my trip. It has cellular, which is very handy. And, both Lightroom and Final Cut have iPad versions (and by the way, the iPad apps are optimized so well that an 8GB iPad has no performance issues at all), and they work pretty well. Back at home, I gain access to a big display and a large amount of external SSDs. I really think there is no need to spend $3000 on an M4 Max MacBook Pro. Consider Mac Studio.
It really all depends on a person workflow, but I'm glad you found a solution that fits with your needs
SIr
hi
As always with Apple, there is a catch and not everything is perfect. RAM above 48GB is reserved for the top M4 Max. Very disappointed.
There's always a catch
@@ArtIsRight Unfortunately that's true but this time around it feels almost scammy.
I found this an interesting and informative discussion. Your practical experience is important to cut through the hype and prioritize useful upgrade options. I've been tempted with the Mac Mini M4 Pro but I'm waiting to see what the new M4 Studio machines will offer. My old MacPro is about 11 years old so I can wait another six to nine months to find out. I speculate a base M4 Studio will include most of the upgrades of the M4 mini, plus more ports and an SD card reader. I'll still need to use my dock to plug in my older accessories that don't use USB C. Getting Thunderbolt 5 will be useful in the future when new TB5 enclosures come out to handle bigger and faster NVMe cards.
Art, what is your view on using external memory versus internal? Is there a review of the SW272Q coming out soon? I think there's one out there that has my name on it.
Yes, waiting a few more months would not hurt. However, that machine is rather old now and any update to any Apple Silicon will see a huge improvement jump, even in the vanilla variety of Apple M silicon. As far as external memory versus internal, if you are referring to SSD, it makes very little difference. ruclips.net/video/-8UfQ-Tw9aw/видео.html
Thanks, Art. This RUclips link and some others that appeared, cleared up many misconceptions I have on what are important and practical upgrades for editing photos in LrC and PS. I'm not working on thousands of images and have only used the free DiVinci Resolve a few times (mostly as a curiosity). It sounds like any base model Mac with 32 GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD would be a terrific machine for my needs.