Should you buy the M1 MacBook Pro or M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro?

Basically due to the tech news drought, I’m writing this article. So if you do not know what to pick, here is if you should buy the M1 MacBook Pro or M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro.

Before we answer our question, let’s do a quick overview of the M1 MacBook Pro and M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro for those who does not know yet.

The M1 MacBook Pro is obviously powered by the M1 chip that has 8 CPU and GPU cores which basically beats out the 16” Bintel- I mean, Intel MacBook Pro by around 40-50% and is up to 16GB RAM, base is 8GB RAM. In terms of its design, it has the same design as the 13” Intel MacBook Pro but has two USB-C ports & headphone Jack.

For the M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro, they are obviously powered by either the M1 Pro or M1 Max Chip depending on the configurations you chose. They both have a 10-core Processor and in terms of its performance in comparison, it is almost twice the performance of the M1 and basically a portable PS5 but a workstation. The only difference between the two processors is their GPU cores as the M1 Pro has 16 GPU cores and the M1 Max has 32 GPU cores and the M1 Pro can only get the RAM configuration of: 16GB and 32GB but meanwhile with the M1 Max it gets another configuration which is 64GB RAM.

In terms of its design, it basically looks like the 2006 MacBook but converted to modern design and has thinner bezels, mini-LED and a pointless notch, bigger function keys, improved trackpad, better cooling system (maybe), and only has the necessary ports including MagSafe, headphone Jack, USB-C, HDMI, and an SDXC card slot. They also have two models which basically have the same specs but different in size which is the 14” and 16”.

Okay so now that’s done, let’s answer our question: Should you buy the M1 MacBook Pro or M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro?

If you basically do work but don’t use too much graphics power, take the M1 MacBook Pro. Fun fact: the M1 Processor is basically made for everyone, you can also actually get the M1 when you buy the M1 MacBook Air which I suggest if you just do basic tasks, want lightweight, and/or trust apple about their cooling system. But why not the Intel Macs? You will experience the fans speed up and heat up in some models or it will be slower. Use the new ones not old because in the future you will need the performance. Some of the other recommended configurations (aside from the processor) I recommend is having 16GB RAM, 512GB-1TB SSD storage.

Now, how about for those who use too much graphics power and want to do portability with it? Take the 14”, it will heat up a little bit but still keep up the performance unless you are strong enough to carry a 16”. If you use twice the graphics as the M1, I suggest the M1 Pro that has a 16-core GPU. If you use waaaaaaay too much graphics power, take the M1 Max. The other configurations (aside from the processor) I recommend is having 32GB RAM, 1-2TB SSD storage. Get 4/8TB storage if you are lazy to throw it in an external drive.

*note for Mac users who also use windows: do not sell your current MacBook yet as Windows for Apple Silicon MacBooks are not supported or really that optimized yet.