Apple M2 Pro vs. M2 Max

Recently, Apple published a review of the MacBook Pro 16 with M2 Max that will be released in early 2023. I finally got my hands on a not-so-powerful (and cheap) MacBook Pro 16 with his M2 Pro chip from Apple. I ran different benchmarks and performed different tasks. I also (eventually) drove the battery into the ground. Today, I want to talk to you about how these chips stack on top of each other to help you decide which MacBook Pro model of his is right for you.

Behold, benchmarks (scroll right for more):

The 16-inch M2 Pro model starts at $2,499 and the M2 Max model starts at $3,099. The base M2 Pro model has 16 GB of memory and 512 TB of storage, while the base M2 Max has 32 GB of memory. That his M2 Pro model with up to 32GB of memory is $2,899, and the M2 Max is about $200 more with the same specs as the M2 Pro. This is a consistent difference no matter how you tweak the spec.

However, if you want to jump to the M2 Max with 38 GPU cores (which I tested), it’s an extra $200. This is the only CPU that can be combined with 96 GB of RAM. The 30-core M2 Max models are up to 64 GB.

I averaged close to 14 hours of non-stop use of the M2 Max model in my workload. I can’t guarantee that everyone gets that amount of time, especially since my workload mostly includes Chrome tabs, Google docs, and some streaming, but most people do get a huge amount of I think you’ll get more out of the M2 Max than most of the 16-inch laptops on the market.

The M2 Pro model averaged nearly 17 hours non-stop. In practice, this means you can use it for 2-3 days at a time on battery, and plug it in like every once in a while. The M2 chip’s battery life isn’t as great as its M1 predecessor, but the M2 Pro was able to charge about 20% more than the M2 Max for my personal workload.

For me, this difference in battery life is not a big deal. At some point, a long battery is a long battery. I usually use my MacBook Air as my personal computer, and it averages about 13 hours on a single charge, and I don’t feel the need for more. That said, if you’re really looking for a device that never dies, the M2 Pro might be more appealing. In addition to paying extra for the M2 Max over the M2 Pro, you’re paying for a few hours of battery life.

The difference in CPU power between the M2 Pro and M2 Max depends on which model you choose. All 16-inch M2 Pro models come with 12 CPU cores. With a 14-inch MacBook Pro, you can get an M2 Pro with 10 CPU cores, but regardless of whether you choose the Pro or Max, all 16-inch models have 12 CPU cores.

Both were 16-inch models, so both devices had 12-core CPUs. These chips have the same architecture, so if you’re doing mostly CPU-intensive work during the day, the Max benefits little over the Pro.

can’t believe it? Check out the Cinebench and Geekbench results in the chart above. They are very close (and sometimes identical).

Now, there is one caveat here. The M2 Pro model comes with up to 32GB of memory, while the M2 Max can handle up to 96GB of memory. Anyone who should have spent more on a 64GB or 96GB model probably knows who you are. For example, someone who works with large datasets and is constantly processing large amounts of information may have a better time on one of these (very expensive) M2s. Max model.

The bigger difference between these two chips is in the power of the GPU. Essentially, you can think of the M2 Max as the M2 Pro with some graphics chops.

All 16-inch M2 Pro units come with 19 GPU cores, while M2 Max buyers can choose between 30 or 38 cores. (Our test unit is 38.)

Geekbench Compute, which tests GPU power, shows a nearly 50% increase in GPU core count, with over 55% more graphics power.upon Shadow of the Tomb RaiderIn our GPU-intensive gaming benchmark, the M2 Max outperformed the M2 Pro by nearly 80%. This is a very visible difference on his 120Hz screen on these MacBooks.

The M2 Max has two video encoding engines and two ProRes engines, while the M2 Pro has only one. This means that a video editor in particular can expect faster encoding and playback speeds from his M2 Max. (Exactly how much faster is inconsistent. More on that later.)

These are raw numbers. How does this change during working hours?

The M2 Max is noticeably faster for video work. Beats the M2 Pro on PugetBench in Premiere Pro. My experience using it for editing has been incredibly fast. Got through playback and export. If I were a video editor (assuming my employer billed me), I would definitely want one of these.

The M2 Pro wasn’t as consistent. Same he exported a 5 minute 4K video of him over and over and from about 2 1/2 minutes he was able to watch over 6 minutes. When I ran the tests, the process was neither consistently faster nor slower. There was no rhyme or reason for different eras. What I’ve noticed is that the M2 Pro frequently hits graphics that the M2 Max can handle smoothly. Her Senior Video Producer, Becca Farsace, had the same experience when exporting another video file.

Although, the M2 Pro is hardly a slow chip. Working in Adobe Premiere Pro was still very smooth. The M2 Max was a bit noisier and hotter than the M2 Pro while working on Premiere (there is a high power mode specifically intended to maximize performance during sustained workloads, which the M2 Pro lacks). ). Becca’s recommendation in a recent M2 line guide was that anyone working with 3D, animation, 8K content, and 4K content for more than an hour should seriously consider the M2 Max model. should be fine for others (unless money really doesn’t matter).

The performance difference in Xcode was not so clear. The M2 Max completed the Xcode Benchmark just over 3 seconds faster than the M2 Pro. There’s a difference, sure, but not as much as the difference between the M2 Pro and the M1 Max. I don’t think you’ll need the M2 Max for light work like web design.

I know there are so many tasks people might want to use these MacBooks for, but they aren’t covered here. In general, the best way to approach this decision is to know: A. How much of your workload is graphics intensive and B. Whether you need to complete that work as fast as possible.

Oh, I don’t think anyone is considering this, but just to be clear, upgrading from the M1 line to these M2 models doesn’t make much sense. The M1 and M2 MacBook Pros are expensive, fast machines that should still have a good lifespan. But if you’re still using an Intel MacBook Pro and didn’t jump on the M1 series last time, either the M2 Pro or the Max MacBook Pro will give you a big boost in performance, heat, and battery life.