Apple M1 Max
Reddit take
AI summary of the Reddit excerpts below — not a quote
The Apple M1 Max is widely regarded by users as a high-performance 'beast' that maintains its relevance years after its initial release. It is particularly praised for its longevity and the value it offers on the used or refurbished market, where it often outperforms newer base-model chips in tasks requiring high RAM and GPU cores. Users transitioning from Intel-based Macs describe the performance jump as 'night and day,' highlighting its efficiency in video editing and software development.
Pros
- Exceptional longevity with users reporting it still feels 'snappy' and powerful years later
- Fast video export times thanks to dedicated built-in encoders
- Excellent performance-to-price ratio when purchased used or refurbished
- Quiet operation; fans often remain off even during demanding tasks like software compilation
- High RAM configurations (up to 64GB) provide significant future-proofing for professional workloads
Cons
- The 16-inch MacBook Pro model is noted for being heavy and less portable
- Specific GPU-intensive tasks like noise reduction may be slower than some dedicated PC GPUs
- RAM and storage are not upgradeable, necessitating high initial specs
Caveats
- Battery health on used units can vary, with some older units reported at around 81% capacity
- While export times are fast, some specialized GPU workloads may still lag behind high-end dedicated desktop cards
Best for
- Video editors working with 4K footage and complex timelines
- Software developers running Docker, multiple IDEs, and local environments
- Creative professionals needing high RAM (32GB-64GB) on a budget
Avoid if
- Portability and minimal weight are your absolute highest priorities
- You require the absolute latest GPU architecture for cutting-edge 3D or AI workloads
This summary uses balanced time weighting with about a 6-month half-life. The evidence is older (median age ~304 days), which is important to note as several newer generations of Apple Silicon have been released since these observations.
Sentiment
39 positive (93%) · 2 mixed (5%) · 1 negative (2%)
Trust + time weighted score: +92% · raw score 90%
What redditors said (10 of 42)
Yes. It’s still a beast. For non-programming/engineering work, this machine will give you many years of snappy service still.
I bought my used, but absolutely mint condition M1 Max MBP 16 for around $1500 USD a year ago
I have a 16" M1 Max and while it is a massive quality of life upgrade over my old Razer with an RTX 2080, the Razer still ran GPU intensive video workloads like noise reduction a bit quicker. Export times are way faster overall though due to the M1's built in encoders tho.
If you value high RAM, high storage, or high GPU performance, get a refurbished/used M1 Max or M2 Max. ... I recently upgraded from a base M1 Pro to a fully loaded M1 Max that was cheaper than buying the base M5 Pro and I’m glad I did. It has 64GB ram and 4TB storage which feels amazing.
M1 Max/Pro still goes super strong.
MacBook Pro 15in M1 max
I have a Mbp 16 M1 Max 64 gb ram 10/32 cores and 1 tb ssd. It’s awesome.
I run an 2021 MBP with M1 Max, I would suggest that you go for Ram over storage - You will feel RAM pain before anything else
I'm using almost 47GB of RAM on my M1 Max 64GB right now, but I'm doing some moderate multi-tasking right now.
My most likely replacement candidate is M1 Max 16” 64/1Tb for the optimal performance per dollar spent.
Compare
Apple M1 Max vs MacBook Air M4Apple M1 Max vs MacBook Air M5Apple M1 Max vs Mac Mini M4
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