Why I Returned My MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Max)

Summary

In this video, a professional video editor shares their disappointing experience with the new MacBook Pro 16 featuring the M3 Max chip, purchased for $4,000. Despite the hefty price tag, the new laptop delivered no significant improvements over the older M2 Max version for video editing tasks, such as rendering and text editing. The reviewer highlights how memory bandwidth, which was expected to enhance performance, proved irrelevant for their use case. While the M3 version is better for tasks like 3D rendering, it’s not worth the upgrade for those focused on video editing. The video offers practical advice for those considering an upgrade.

Takeaways

• 😀 The MacBook Pro with the M3 Max chip offers no significant performance benefits for video editors compared to the older M2 Max model.
• 😀 Despite spending $4,000 on the M3 Max MacBook Pro, the speaker observed no improvement in video rendering speed, drop frames, or laggy text editing.
• 😀 Video editing workflows, which rely heavily on memory bandwidth, didn't show any substantial difference between the M2 and M3 Max models.
• 😀 Memory bandwidth is a critical factor in video editing performance, and the M3 Max doesn’t improve it significantly over the M2 Max model.
• 😀 The speaker noticed that the M3 Max version of the MacBook Pro felt warmer and the fans were more frequently engaged, likely due to the higher-tech components they didn’t need for their tasks.
• 😀 For professional video editing, the speaker recommends not upgrading to the M3 Max MacBook Pro, as the M2 version will offer similar performance for much less cost.
• 😀 If you already own an M2 MacBook Pro, upgrading to an M3 model doesn’t provide enough benefits to justify the expense, especially for video editing tasks.
• 😀 Users who don’t rely on hardware-accelerated tasks like video editing (e.g., programmers) may find value in the M3 Pro version due to its efficiency gains and better battery life.
• 😀 The new M3 models introduce better single-core performance, but for video editing, these improvements don’t translate to a noticeably faster experience.
• 😀 Users coming from Intel-based laptops will experience a significant improvement in battery life, heat management, and fan noise by upgrading to an M3 MacBook Pro.
• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the importance of purchasing hardware that delivers real performance gains based on your specific use case, rather than getting swept up in marketing hype.

Q & A

What was the user's primary purpose for upgrading to the M3 Max MacBook Pro?

The user primarily wanted to upgrade for improved video editing performance, as they were experiencing issues like dropped frames and long rendering times on their M2 Max MacBook Pro.

Did the M3 Max MacBook Pro provide noticeable performance improvements for video editing tasks?

No, the user found no significant performance improvements for video editing tasks. Despite the M3 Max's higher specs, the video rendering speed was similar to the older M2 Max model.

What specific performance issues did the user face on the M2 Max MacBook Pro?

The user experienced dropped frames when reviewing footage, lag when editing text, and long rendering times, sometimes taking up to 20 minutes to render a single video.

What feature of the M3 Max was expected to help with video editing, and did it work?

The M3 Max features 400 GB of memory bandwidth and additional cores. However, these upgrades did not improve video editing performance, which remained almost the same as the M2 Max model.

How does memory bandwidth impact video editing performance, according to the user?

Memory bandwidth is critical for video editing as it ensures fast access to data required by hardware-accelerated tasks like video rendering. The user noted that a lack of sufficient bandwidth could cause slowdowns in rendering speeds.

What conclusion did the user draw about upgrading from an M2 to an M3 MacBook Pro for video editing?

The user concluded that upgrading from an M2 to an M3 MacBook Pro would not be beneficial for video editing, as the M3’s enhancements did not significantly impact the tasks they perform.

What did the user notice about the M3 Max MacBook Pro's physical performance compared to the M2?

The user observed that the M3 Max MacBook Pro felt warmer to the touch, with the fans spinning up more frequently, likely due to the increased hardware specifications that the user did not need for their specific tasks.

Why did the user choose the M3 Max over the M3 Pro, despite the performance similarities in video editing?

The user chose the M3 Max for its higher memory bandwidth (400 GB), which they believed would help with video rendering tasks. However, they found that this upgrade didn’t provide the expected improvements for their video editing workflow.

What did the user recommend for video editors considering a MacBook Pro upgrade?

The user recommended that video editors stick with the M2 Max model and avoid upgrading to the M3, as the performance benefits were minimal for video editing tasks.

What alternative tasks might benefit from the M3 Pro MacBook Pro’s improvements?

The M3 Pro MacBook Pro's improvements, such as better efficiency, battery life, and heat management, could be beneficial for tasks like programming or general use, where video editing performance is not the primary concern.