Got a new M1 MacBook Pro!

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Stephen Berger

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After a LOT of research I decided that even as a professional video editor (and of course heavy Lightroom and moderate PS user) the 16" M1 Pro with 32gb's of RAM would do the trick (the M1 MAX and 64 GB's of RAM really are for developers or heavy rendering vfx/cgi/After effects type use, etc).

This replaced the most recent fully tricked out (fastest provcessor/64GB's of RAM) 16" Intel MacBook Pro. That machine was pretty great compared to all previous laptops, this one destroys it.

I went into the archive of recent editing projects (4k video, some simple effects, titles, color correction, etc) and it's like a small miracle and for this forum I messed with a variety of files from my A1 and A7rIV and everything I've done from simply moving to the next image to auto selecting the subject or sky is basically instant. As powerful as my Intel Mac is it does - not infrequently - get hung up on some of these things and it's pretty great knowing that will no longer be the case.

Anyway, if you're in the market I highly recommend one.
 
Pretty amazing isn’t it. I’ve been shocked how much better my 14” MacBook Pro M1 Pro has been. Can’t wait for a 27” iMac version!
It truly is. I’m not sure I’d have gotten it just for processing photo’s but for editing, with the files on an older usb drive 5600 rpm drive, it rendered an almost 2 hour long string-out of footage in 11 minutes. That’s about 6x faster than the tricked out Intel model with double the RAM.
 
congratulations on the new Mac! I’ve been using the original M1 for over a year and it is much faster than my intel MacBook Pro. It’s so good I didn’t see the need to upgrade to the new MacBook Pros.
Same here. I got the 16GB M1 MacBook Pro to “hold me over” until the more upscale versions of the M1 came out and right now I don’t feel any urgency to upgrade. I know the new ones are much faster still but the basic M1 MBP is already so good, it’s hard to find a fault.
 
I replaced my 2012 15" rMBP (the original) AND my late-2015 5K iMac all in one fell swoop with a 16" M1Max 24core, 32GB, 2TB machine. This is a very nice machine. 24 core was sort of a leap of faith as when I ordered almost no one had received a 24 core yet. But it seems that in a lot of tests the 24 core is out performing the 32 core so I think that was the right decision. My only small regret/hesitation is that I probably should have gone for 64GB of RAM. It seems from all the videos I've watched that 64 wouldn't be much benefit for me using just LR, Topaz, DXO and not shooting video....however, with those three programs running I've already seen it max out the 32GB and start using SSD swap. 64 probably wouldn't make anything go faster at this point but if I plan to run this as my main machine for 5+ years then I probably should have future proofed it a little more. Oh well....I think 32 should do fine.

 
I replaced my 2012 15" rMBP (the original) AND my late-2015 5K iMac all in one fell swoop with a 16" M1Max 24core, 32GB, 2TB machine. This is a very nice machine. 24 core was sort of a leap of faith as when I ordered almost no one had received a 24 core yet. But it seems that in a lot of tests the 24 core is out performing the 32 core so I think that was the right decision. My only small regret/hesitation is that I probably should have gone for 64GB of RAM. It seems from all the videos I've watched that 64 wouldn't be much benefit for me using just LR, Topaz, DXO and not shooting video....however, with those three programs running I've already seen it max out the 32GB and start using SSD swap. 64 probably wouldn't make anything go faster at this point but if I plan to run this as my main machine for 5+ years then I probably should have future proofed it a little more. Oh well....I think 32 should do fine.

I almost opted for the 24 core model but it added 5 weeks to the wait time and I was being somewhat impatient. I can feel the part of me that would like to have it all maxed out and can feel that little tug to return this and go Max chip and 64GB's but I can tell this will do me fine for a long time. I'm also very impressed with the value. My Intel MBP was app $4500 and this, MUCH better machine was $3100.
 
I almost opted for the 24 core model but it added 5 weeks to the wait time and I was being somewhat impatient. I can feel the part of me that would like to have it all maxed out and can feel that little tug to return this and go Max chip and 64GB's but I can tell this will do me fine for a long time. I'm also very impressed with the value. My Intel MBP was app $4500 and this, MUCH better machine was $3100.
Lots of side by side testing and there isn't much difference in the chips. The max chip also causes the fans to run more and the consensus is it isn't worth the money.
 
I almost opted for the 24 core model but it added 5 weeks to the wait time and I was being somewhat impatient. I can feel the part of me that would like to have it all maxed out and can feel that little tug to return this and go Max chip and 64GB's but I can tell this will do me fine for a long time. I'm also very impressed with the value. My Intel MBP was app $4500 and this, MUCH better machine was $3100.

I have the Max Chip and can tell you that for 98% of the stuff I do, I am barely scratching the surface of what the chip can handle.
 
Lots of side by side testing and there isn't much difference in the chips. The max chip also causes the fans to run more and the consensus is it isn't worth the money.
Thanks, yeah, I know I made the right choice for me. I was just acknowledging there's that little voice saying, 'something might be better', lol.

I haven't had the fans come on once yet. On the Intel one they came on all the time.
 
Thanks, yeah, I know I made the right choice for me. I was just acknowledging there's that little voice saying, 'something might be better', lol.

I haven't had the fans come on once yet. On the Intel one they came on all the time.
Yeah mine haven't either. I am still editing on my iMac 27" 5K but I did a few edits for a member here and used the new MacBook and I could not believe how much faster Topaz is. A file took maybe 15 seconds and my loaded out iMac took over 5 minutes. My jaw hit the floor. I can not wait for he big iMac to get updated. I will order on launch day.
 
I have the 13" MacBook Pro M1 with 16gb ram. It is many many times faster than the Intel powered late 2013 iMac it replaced. I think you're going to like your new computer. I got the 16" M1Pro for my wife and it is an outstanding machine..
 
With you in this Stephen. I bought the M1Max 32GB and it’s great. Very fast and battery life is fantastic as it lasts all day. I bought the 4TB drive and this motivated me to prune my library on my ext hard drive before transferring them over. This was actually really enjoyable and many great images and memories re-discovered! It’s also got me started belatedly on key wording and face/people tagging, in Lightroom. LR classic, Photoshop and Topaz plug-ins work much better than on my mid 2015 MacBook Pro - faster and no lag. No fan noise! A real joy of a machine. It does look a bit podgy with its rounded edges, but it’s the same footprint as my 2015 15 inch machine and fits in the same case. Planning for a long term relationship 😊
 
I replaced my 2012 15" rMBP (the original) AND my late-2015 5K iMac all in one fell swoop with a 16" M1Max 24core, 32GB, 2TB machine. This is a very nice machine. 24 core was sort of a leap of faith as when I ordered almost no one had received a 24 core yet. But it seems that in a lot of tests the 24 core is out performing the 32 core so I think that was the right decision. My only small regret/hesitation is that I probably should have gone for 64GB of RAM. It seems from all the videos I've watched that 64 wouldn't be much benefit for me using just LR, Topaz, DXO and not shooting video....however, with those three programs running I've already seen it max out the 32GB and start using SSD swap. 64 probably wouldn't make anything go faster at this point but if I plan to run this as my main machine for 5+ years then I probably should have future proofed it a little more. Oh well....I think 32 should do fine.

Your are fine. I doubt you will ever notice a real world difference between 32 vs 64 gig.
 
I picked the same model up last week replacing my 7 year old MBP, wow its like night and day fully recommend it!!
(Ps is it normal to keep stroking the case!! its so tactile or is it just me!!? :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:)
 
With you in this Stephen. I bought the M1Max 32GB and it’s great. Very fast and battery life is fantastic as it lasts all day. I bought the 4TB drive and this motivated me to prune my library on my ext hard drive before transferring them over. This was actually really enjoyable and many great images and memories re-discovered! It’s also got me started belatedly on key wording and face/people tagging, in Lightroom. LR classic, Photoshop and Topaz plug-ins work much better than on my mid 2015 MacBook Pro - faster and no lag. No fan noise! A real joy of a machine. It does look a bit podgy with its rounded edges, but it’s the same footprint as my 2015 15 inch machine and fits in the same case. Planning for a long term relationship 😊
Nice. And man am I due for that kind of pruning! I haven't actually tried Topaz yet but am excited to see how much faster it is. And yeah that no fan part noise is huge!
 
I replaced both my wife's and my older macbook pro with the 2021 14" M1. Identical configurations, 2TB SSD, 32 GB. Mine is travel machine as I use a 2013 Mac Pro at home while my wife's is her primary computer. Took a hour or so to initially configure them and 2 or 3 debugging sessions to them working fully. Glad we upgraded.
 
After a LOT of research I decided that even as a professional video editor (and of course heavy Lightroom and moderate PS user) the 16" M1 Pro with 32gb's of RAM would do the trick (the M1 MAX and 64 GB's of RAM really are for developers or heavy rendering vfx/cgi/After effects type use, etc).

This replaced the most recent fully tricked out (fastest provcessor/64GB's of RAM) 16" Intel MacBook Pro. That machine was pretty great compared to all previous laptops, this one destroys it.

I went into the archive of recent editing projects (4k video, some simple effects, titles, color correction, etc) and it's like a small miracle and for this forum I messed with a variety of files from my A1 and A7rIV and everything I've done from simply moving to the next image to auto selecting the subject or sky is basically instant. As powerful as my Intel Mac is it does - not infrequently - get hung up on some of these things and it's pretty great knowing that will no longer be the case.

Anyway, if you're in the market I highly recommend one.
Hi mate glad you posted am looking to upgrade from I pad 32gb it’s not suitable for my needs also use ASOS lap top note book I defiantly want to upgrade to a Mac it’s just the costs 😳
 
I replaced both my wife's and my older macbook pro with the 2021 14" M1. Identical configurations, 2TB SSD, 32 GB. Mine is travel machine as I use a 2013 Mac Pro at home while my wife's is her primary computer. Took a hour or so to initially configure them and 2 or 3 debugging sessions to them working fully. Glad we upgraded.
I nee d to take the=plunge as now early retired and living now in Kent coast UK the wildlife have re opened my love for photography; what editing program would you advise using if I upgrade to a Mac please
 
Same here. I got the 16GB M1 MacBook Pro to “hold me over” until the more upscale versions of the M1 came out and right now I don’t feel any urgency to upgrade. I know the new ones are much faster still but the basic M1 MBP is already so good, it’s hard to find a fault.
Hi I really want to upgrade to a Mac from I pad 32gb and combo Asos note book both are drained and can’t cope with my photo files /upgraded to Nikon d500 and need a power full machine to hold data and crop what photo edit program do you recommend
congratulations on the new Mac! I’ve been using the original M1 for over a year and it is much faster than my intel MacBook Pro. It’s so good I didn’t see the need to upgrade to the new MacBook Pros.
 
Hi I really want to upgrade to a Mac from I pad 32gb and combo Asos note book both are drained and can’t cope with my photo files /upgraded to Nikon d500 and need a power full machine to hold data and crop what photo edit program do you recommend
Many people swear by the iPad Pro with the M1 chip but I have not been very impressed so far. Primarily because I don’t think the apps have progressed anywhere near as much as the device itself (very disappointed in Lightroom and photoshop on iPad for example), but I continue to love my M1 MacBookPro with 16GB of memory and a 27” 5k external monitor. Alternatively the new iMac is equally good or a Mac mini with external monitor - it depends if you need portability or just a desktop option.
‘You can step up to the M1 pro chip with 32GB of memory and be really future proof for quite a while but even the base M1 MBP is impressive if you get the 16GB memory version.
‘’As far as editing, if you don’t mind the monthly fee, adobe package with Lightroom and photoshop is still my reference after trying about everything else that exists. It’s not perfect and you can find specialized software that does a specific thing better, but as a complete package nothing comes close. If you don’t want a monthly fee, the best program is capture one. I’m just too used to Lightroom so I never warmed up to C1 but there is no denying that it does a better job at raw file conversion (especially if you shoot fuji, then it’s really visible).
 
Hi I really want to upgrade to a Mac from I pad 32gb and combo Asos note book both are drained and can’t cope with my photo files /upgraded to Nikon d500 and need a power full machine to hold data and crop what photo edit program do you recommend
The base MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with the M1 chip should do well. I don’t do any editing on my iPad. Maybe that will change in the future but as of now, I haven’t liked any program I’ve used. On my Mac I use CaptureOne Pro and would recommend either it or LightRoom. I’ve tried other apps and those are the only two I’ve liked. I think they both have areas where one is better than the other so it’s more about what is most important to you.
 
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