M1 Max MacBook - Best Bang for Your Buck in 2024?! 

I have the same configuration and this video was helpful! Which podcast is it where they talk about semiconductors?

it does not have a hard drive, but an SSD or Flash Storage as Apple calls it ;-) I recently bought a brand new Mac Studio at a huge discount, it was well worth it, and compared to the newer models a much better bang for buck. So your choice going for the M1 Max MacBook Pro I totally understand over the M3 models!

@@samuelrave Updated the pinned comment, thanks! Nice setup. What monitor are you using, anything special? Yeah I'm still happy with my choice. Nice to save that money!

Yeah wow, sick deal!! Nice find 👊

I found one with 2500€ including 22% taxes .. also brand new,, is it worth it ?

@@embr33A lightly used/refurbished one would be a much better deal

@embr33 my first impression is that it's priced a bit high considering we are 6 months away from the M4s coming out. How much are the M2/m3s for you? I have found that used or refurbished is a fine way to go but only if AppleCare is included. Have you looked into those options? Part of why I bought this particular machine was because of the deal I got... If I had to pay full price for something new, I may have purchased a newer model. Lastly... What do you plan on using it for mostly?

@MarcusAntonius415 refurbished is a great option for sure.

I really appreciate your comment and I'm glad that I could help. Honestly that M3 Max laptop is so good I wish I still had it. My M1 Max is still really good, especially for the price but I think that m31 that you got is special. I hope you enjoy it and it absolutely crushes for you for years to come!!👊

I'm not going to lie, as someone who loves nice things, it was hard to return the newer one and buy 2 year old tech BUT Apple just did something special with the silicon chips... and yeah I'm still happy with the M1 Max! The battery isn't as good but that's about it. Everything else runs and performs like a champ. I love the latest tech but I love good value and saving money more.

I agree 1000%. Even today, or maybe especially today the M1 Max with Max specs is an insane value. Especially because you can get the battery replaced for $200 and get about 90% of the performance of the new machines which cost maybe 2-3x more with the same spec. I'm becoming a fan of Apple refurb/used. I've just felt stupid so many times. I really thought I needed ray tracing and almost bought an M3, then I thought about it. Um... I have literally nothing that uses that. What I would more appreciate is more internal AI processing functionality which is quite different hardware wise than video editing. I'm hoping for AI cores for machine learning etc. I think that's next but I'll wait for the M6 or whatever it ends up being for that. @@thesahdstudio

@@TheThaiLife Interesting... so if you don't mind my asking, what would you use the AI processing for and what would it do that the current stuff cannot do? Is it similar to a GPU in that it can use way more lanes/cores to throw at a job so to speak? It's a real shame you can't plug in eGPU's to the Apple lineup. That would be just sick.

Haha awesome! Yeah man I try and support ya when I can. Though at the moment I don't have a lot of time to watch/comment on the vids. Thanks for watching 👊

Thanks for the comment man! Appreciate the support, and yeah, realizing that the Max actually benefits me instead of just HOPING it does made me relax and enjoy my decision. Wish I could have learned it sooner but hey, I'm here and learned a lot on the way! Yeah a M2 max would be even better but this was the deal I got for a like-new machine so I'm happy. It'll be interesting to see when we feel limited by these Max laptops and what it will be that makes us want to upgrade.

@@thesahdstudio Like you mentioned in a m3 max video i would be nice if apple brings in a graphics card built in or something to help with those animations. I put on a animation logo for a project this past week and it was stuttering bad. that would be nice or be able to handle it when you throw a animation on a project. But can't complain cause this computer powers through most video editing tasks.

Yeah exactly. If you could just plug in an external GPU that would be sick!@@ShoeCrewTV

That's awesome. Does your battery still hold up pretty good compared to when you first got it?

Thanks for watching! 👊

Haha, that's awesome, thanks! And you should, it's great! In fact I might make a video on it soon. Forgive me if we talked about this in the comments before but what software are you using now?

Nice score! Yeah Apple sure knocked it out of the park with their Silicon chips. I mean they still aren't cheap, but like you, I found the sweet spot of value/performance and am really happy with my choice.

Thanks 👊 Really appreciate the support!

@@thesahdstudio actually got the m1max since, and Im loving it for editing

That's awesome! It's nice to hear too since I recently got mine. I'm still happy with it. It's a tough call what I will do in the next year or so... it'll be really interesting to see what the competition does now, but Apple sure knocked it out of the park with the M1 Max.

Thanks my friend! I really appreciate it. 👊

Thanks! And yeah that seems like it would be a great value laptop. For the difference in price for the newer stuff you could get a watch and headphones! I mean it's nice to have bleeding edge technology for sure. If I could afford it maybe I would. But I just love having something almost as good, and being able to have money left over to buy something else is even better. 👊

@@thesahdstudio As a matter of fact, I did treat myself to an Apple Watch, the S9 45mm (no cell) a couple of months ago. I think that's a pretty sure sign I'm in the walled garden. 😄

@@bryans8656 lol! How's the watch? I'm actually still rocking the ORIGINAL Galaxy watch. I had bought the 5 but ended up returning it to go back to my old one. This thing still holds charge for a week!

@@thesahdstudio It's a very nice device. I'm still learning all the things it's capable of.

Yeah it might be worth keeping your eyes peeled on used older ones to see if you can get a great deal... maybe find one on marketplace with AppleCare like I did. Honestly if there were more gaming options I'd consider it. But a lot of the games I like to play don't even install on the Mac and I don't have time to figure out how to side load them etc. I also don't love running games at 30-45 fps on medium settings either. I mean it plays indie games just fine though (Vampire Survivors etc)! Are you hoping to game on yours? What games are you hoping?

You just got one too? Nice! What did you upgrade from?

You know in my experience the M3 Max had a phenomenal battery... Much better than the M1... but performance-wise I'm still happy with this M1 Max. It's battery is still great! And yeah, I'm with you, there's 2nm chips around the corner and that's starting to get REALLY nuts. It sounds like the competition might even be getting access to them too so things should really spice up then. But yeah value per dollar, the M1 Max seemed the sweet spot from my research!

You did?? No way! That's awesome. I can't wait to hear what you think about it. Unlike you, I don't have previous experience with MBP's, so I have no idea what kind of performance you are getting now. This thing does everything I want it to do so and I can't think of a good reason why I would want anything else! Really loving it and I hope you do to. Let me know 👊

congrats enjoy the m line series its nice

I think that's a good choice. Any of the silicon chips will be enough for you and the extra video encoders on the Max chips make a huge difference when video editing. I hope you find the right deal! Let me know what you think about it when you get it 👊😆

Right?! I was just wondering, I wonder what it will be that makes me want to eventually upgrade... Will the battery life get worse? Will the speed not feel enough? Will there be new software that's SO demanding this thing won't be able to run it? I mean, I kind of doubt it... so I'm not sure when this thing will even NOT feel like a beast?

I'd love to play more around with Final Cut since it's optimized for Silicon chips right? I think I might dive into this in future videos. Compare it to Resolve. But yeah, all the M1 and up chips, well I'm a big fan of them now lol. Appreciate the comment!

Have you done any video editing at all on a Mac yet? I can't remember if we talked about this.

@@thesahdstudio Still on my windows PC. I compared what you've did on my PC and seems to be somewhere like 30-40% less powerful, not enough IMHO. But might buy one if M3 Max/Ultra Mac Studio comes in the future for the semi-portability and extremely small form factor.

I wish I had experience so I could help you out with that. But I don't have any... I will say that my experience with the 3D video effects and gaming on the Apple computers wasn't as great as I was expecting... Due to the lack of dedicated graphics card. But maybe those graphics cards aren't needed in your kind of 3D work?

@@thesahdstudio well the m1 is handling really good and smooth assembly’s with 200 parts. But I need little more punch :) and many other things, that’s why I can’t really turn to normal windows laptop.

Yeah I get it for sure. Apple stuff works great. I recently built an older machine and windows works well on it but just has a lot of little annoying intrusive things Mac doesn't have that are hard to turn off.

I personally don't have a lot of experience with older Mac stuff so I can't say for sure but based on my research... yes :) It will be a HUGE jump in performance. Apple CRUSHED it with the silicon chip. Try and make sure you get AppleCare with it if you can though. That coverage on a used machine will be nice peace of mind. I'm still loving mine... the video/photo editing is fantastic, the screen and build quality is amazing... I can play my fav games on there (Hearthstone/Baltro) and they run like champs. Plus the battery is awesome. You'll love it! Let me know if you do get it what you think 👊

Dam what a machine you've got there. That's INSANE. I'm not going to lie I am jealous... but I also know it cost a pretty penny. Yeah time to chill out and goes use and enjoy that beautiful computer. 👊

Thanks man, my machine costed $4,500 before taxes with military discount. Only spec'ed the RAM and left the disk size at 1TB since it's way to dumb to pay apple's price for additional internal storage when you can just plug an external.

Yeah good call. And that's rad to be able to save money. Not sure how much you saved but anything that takes the sting away is nice :) @@anthonyzheng7274

Based on the 3 laptops I've used (m3 pro, m3 max, m1 max) I would suggest any of the m1/m2/m3 as long as you get the max. The extra video coders will make your video editing life much easier. Just get the best deal on it. I went from the m3 max to the m1 max and am still happy. The ONLY thing I really notice or care about is that the battery is worse. The performance on this thing is still (as my daughter would say) bussin'! Find the best deal and save your money if you can.

@@thesahdstudio okay thank you so much I’ll look into the max’s. How much ram do you think would be best? I know nothing about the best gpu and cpu stuff

@@laceesyt It really depends on how you use the computer. I don't use the same software so I can't say with 100%. 32gb ram has seemed like the sweet spot for me. More always offers peace of mind but I haven't felt like my workflow is limited by ram so I'm happy with the m1 max 32, especially for the price.

It's a solid machine and you can't go wrong if it suits your needs. If you can afford it there's just not much that can tick all the boxes like Apple can. The new Snapdragon chips are impressive and I love seeing competition but it's a completely different ecosystem. If you are already with Apple then hey, that M3 Max will shred for years. My M1 Max is still awesome. Do I wish it was the M3? Sure. Am I devastated it's not? No. And that's how it will be for years. That's an exciting purchase!!

That sounds like a wicked laptop. Did you buy it new? Can't imagine it was the cheapest! But you probably saved a few bucks getting the smaller one anyway.

I bought it new. It costed about $4000 at that time; but no regret!@@thesahdstudio

Hey, I have a chance to buy the exactly spec (M1max, 10cpu/32gpu, 64gb, 2tb) for a budget price (about US$2.5k), u definitely recomend? It worth!?

@grippado heck yeah! It's awesome. Are you buying it used? Does it still happen to have AppleCare? And is it the 16 in I'm guessing?

Nice! How is the performance on the Max, are you happy with it? Is the 83% battery still last a decent amount of time?

Performance is pretty awesome. Not much difference between the m1-m3 max for what I use them for. I haven't really run it on the battery. Other than trying to burn it down.

Yeahhh I'm still having troubles with the file system. I can't cut files as I often like to do then paste them in other folders. I have to copy them which is annoying when you have to go back and delete the original. So many little things like that which get annoying... you really can't go wrong with that M1 Max. Mine still rips and the battery is fantastic.

That was a lot of words but for the 300 dollar price difference is my performance going to be increased greatly for what i need?

Heyo! Well it really depends on how you use it... I personally found that the Max chip (even the M1) was a lot better for video editing specifically, than the Pro, which to me, because I'm focused on growing my RU-vid channel was worth it. But for everything else, the newer chip was better (slightly snappier, better battery). A couple things to think about... if you are planning on one day using a high quality camera, perhaps a 14 inch screen might not be enough? And if you can afford a camera like that and want to put more effort into the video stuff, then yeah it's probably worth considering a Max chip since they have extra video encoders. Plus the file sizes from footage like that will be large, so jeez, you might even want 2tb if that's part of the plan. 1tb might be enough... barely. I'm sorry I can't give you an exact answer as I probably use the computer differently from how you will. I am still happy with the M1 Max. I am. Will I keep it for 2+ years? Probably not. I am very closely keeping my eye on the new Snapdragon stuff. Have you been seeing what they are up to?

That's really interesting. To be honest my wrists have started to hurt using the laptop keyboard so much. I'm thinking of getting an ergonomic keyboard but then I'm realizing I wouldn't mind having a desktop set up somewhere anyway. Maybe a mini would do the trick. They don't seem to come up too often on the used market but I'll keep my eyes peeled. I can't remember if we've talked about this what monitor are you rocking?

What a beast of a machine. I mean if that suits what you need, then awesome! But you DO pay a lot of that hard drive. A lot of people suggest just getting the 1-2tb one and getting an external drive as that might save quite a lot of money which you could use for other things (monitor / keyboard / headphones / desk chair etc).

@@thesahdstudio nice to have more storage on the machine. Yeah I still would offload work to external drives when I'm done with the work. It just makes the work go faster by having more storage on the machine itself. The read and write speeds on those drives are insane.

I have an m2 max for 14 1TB ssd, I owned an m1 max, but the mac uses swap despite the large ram, and the 8TB ssd is indestructible and extremely fast - this balances the 2 year old processor, which is still TOP

​@@peterpitonak4647it does. I have 36GB of it on the 16" MacBook Pro.

It's always interesting to hear people talking about the ongoing support. Does that just mean updated drivers and protection etc? I hear about people with 10 year old MacBooks that are still working just fine... I mean these M1 Maxes won't just stop working right? And technically if you pay for your AppleCare annually, they'd still send you a new device if yours craps out right? Although at that point you may as well save that money and just buy a new one hehe.

@@thesahdstudio They won't just stop working, they just won't receive software updates anymore. Kind of like where like the iPhone 6 is right now. It still works but it doesn't really get updates anymore so app compatability has fallen because it's stuck on iOS 12. It's just the OS support. You'll stop getting the new feature updates and eventually security updates. Your machine will still work though but you won't have the latest software and eventually security updates, and apps will eventually stop supporting whatever OS it gets stuck on. Also, 2026-2028 is just pure speculation.

It depends what you need... if you want to crush the video editing then get the Max. If you just want a better all-round laptop that has awesome battery performance get the M3 Pro. I went through that myself and chose the m1 max fwiw.

It's a good question... I have both right now but have only tinkered around a bit with final cut. It feels clunky to me for now but I might try and get better at it. It really feels like resolve is more robust. But maybe it's too robust for people like me who just want to do RU-vid and not make movies or documentaries. I hear that final cut is more optimized for the silicone chips so that's another thing to consider if you're on Apple. I'll try and make a video talking about this soon! 👊

I had to return the M3 Pro before I bought the M1 Max, so I didn't get a chance to do that test since I didn't know at the time I would even be getting the M1 Max. I think the Max would have performed better as it has extra video encoders and almost double the ram. I thought for me the M1 Max would be better than the M3 Pro for video editing specifically and I'm happy with the decision. I WAS able to get a good deal on a used one. Yes depending on what is available to you and what you can afford I think you can't really make a bad choice... but if you are all in video editing, I would lean towards whichever Max (m1/m2/m3) you could afford.

@@thesahdstudio yes was video editing full time on m1 air 16gigs. Got the m3 pro and it's killer for sure. I want to dabble in photo editing, color grading, and 3d rendering at the same time, probably should've taken a m2 max studio although, it was still more expensive. But I'm sure this won't be either of our last Macs. Haha

To be 100% honest I never use Denoise/halation effects so I can't answer to that... BUT, I can say that the extra encoders on the Max chips ARE noticeably better while video editing in those formats. For me the Max M1 w/32gb ram feels like a better experience while video editing in DaVinci. It's not perfect but if I ever have an issue (like editing a huge super compressed file on a large project), it takes minutes to create a Prores proxy and then it's like butter. That'd be the same on everything other than the M3 Max I imagine (that computer is really next level). If you aren't doing video editing that seriously the M3 Pro will be good enough and it does have a much better battery/support that comes along with it.... I know. It's a tough decision. Though I would bump up the ram IF I was investing in a M3...I am happy with the M1 Max as I got it for a good deal. If the deal is good it might be worth trying. Not sure if that one is from a store where you could return it... but it's no doubt a great laptop still value for dollar.

@thesahdstudio Thank you for your response. I will consider all of your suggestions to decide what i need. Unfortunately here in Greece it's not that easy to buy and return after unboxing a device.

I'm glad to hear that. My journey landed me on the M1 Max after all my testing and research so it's good to hear I'm not an idiot. Well, not any more an idiot than usual! I literally went from the 2 year newer M3 Max back to the M1 Max and hardly notice a difference while using it. Just the battery life is the only real notable difference. The performance and build quality is fantastic!

Yeah I'm in Canada and it's the same here. The M3 Max I had bought (unbinned one) without any ram or hard drive options was 6 GRAND! It was an awesome machine but I realized I didn't get it specced the way I wanted. I wanted at least 64gb ram and 2 tb hard drive... that was an extra $1,000 🤣

Really eh? For a decent price? I basically got a brand new one as it was just serviced fully using Apple Care so I'm happy I got it for used price which was nice. We don't really use B&H photo too much up here n Canada. What computer are you using?

Hehe, I get a little long-winded when it comes to the stuff. I can't help it!

Hey man! What will be true main use for the computer and what is the price difference between the two? Faster speed can sacrifice battery so it's not always the right choice.

@@thesahdstudio Hey! I'm sorry, wow I didn't say anything haha! Davinci Resolve, 4k 60 fps 10bit video editing, hopefully can learn to use advanced functions in Fusion, etc.

@@maksymandrzejdrzyzgiewicz5096 Honestly, the more GPU cores you can get, the better. I found the M1 Max vs the M3 Max wasn't that different when it came to start up video editing 4k footage BUT the extra GPU cores of the M3 Max did make the GPU heavy effects run a lot smoother (between 30-40%). If you know you will spend lots of time in Fusion and playing around with 3D/Effects, then I would say get the extra GPUs. If not (I don't really use it very often) then it might not be worth the extra cash. Hope that helps. I know it's a tough call.

@@thesahdstudio thanks! Yeah they are the same price used but the 32gpu one looks like it's been a cutting board!!

@@maksymandrzejdrzyzgiewicz5096 lols! Yeah tough call eh? What the heck do some people do with their stuff?!

Yeah I hear that, it's a tough call for sure. I think it really depends on what you'll be doing. The main focus for me was video editing... so the extra video encoders of the Max chips makes a huge difference. If you aren't planning on video editing with 4k stacked timelines then I wouldn't worry much, the Pro will be sufficient... and with photo editing it's great there too. Plus the battery is just bananas. With that being said, the M1 Max is still gnarly too, and if you can get a sick deal on one. Well hey, I'm still happy with mine. It's still a lot of money though so I hear you on wanting to make the right choice. Heck... we're halfway to the m4's coming out, so if you can hold out until when they are announced in the fall, the deals for the older m3's (and especially m1 maxes) should just get better and better. But then you'll be playing the waiting game and sometimes it's worth just getting the best one now you know? Good luck with your choice! 👊

@@thesahdstudio I just got the same model and the batt has 93% but it still has Applecare + until Nov

@@tajones7905 You just got the M1 Max??! Nice! What do you think of it so far?

@@thesahdstudio so far I'm happy with my choice and being that it has Applecare+ until Now is even better

Sick! Nice find. Have you had a chance to use it yet? What do you think about it so far?

Is it the 2021 model?

@@whateverm8t Yeap..2021 model.

@@thesahdstudio sofar so great! 4k butter smooth! Motiongraphic w lots of plugins applied..no worries at all. 🥳

You're not wrong... the only things I can think of that are wrong with it aren't even really that bad. It would be nice if it had a graphics card, but it still can play some games pretty well. The next couple years for computers/laptops are going to be interesting. I think AMD is getting chips from the same plant Apple is (TSMC) so I wonder if they will be ahead of Intel when it comes to SoC computers.

Yeah it might be slim pickin's at this point years later. You might still be able to get them on the used market (facebook marketplace / eBay) otherwise you might only be able to get the m2+ through Apples refurbed site.

@@thesahdstudio Thanks! :) well I have now the M3 Pro with 36Gb RAM...I will see now how good it works and if it's worth the price. It's the first time I use Mac, I was just a windows user. For the first time it seems nice but I also have doubts

@@dave.1305 Ohhh that's exciting! Yeah let me know what you think once you've had a chance to get to know it a bit. I recommend getting Rectangle to help you snap the windows around :) Also a lot of games work on here too surprisingly which is nice... I'm a big fan of Balatro, it's a fun one!

@@thesahdstudio Alright! Sure I will write more after I used it more in daily work like video editing, working, games, videos,...! :) Thanks for the tip! I really need this for the windows...any other program you can recommend? With the games, I have to say I am a bit disappointed. I tested Minecraft once and expected more performance/graphics. But of course I play the big games on my Windows PC... I just expected more of the processor in the gaming sector. For work and smaller games like Balatro, it makes a really professional impression!

It depends on what you're doing... For me, it's absolutely worth it. Easy decision! But if you're not doing much video editing maybe it's not... At that point I'd almost consider a newer Air.

@@thesahdstudio I’m going to college for software engineering and need a laptop,but I’m not sure what to get tbh

@b2goated918 yeah I hear you. I think any MacBook Pro is going to be sufficient for you... Just depends how much you want to spend. I really don't know your needs and what software you'll be using so I'm not sure I can give you the best advice. But when it comes to video editing the max chips have extra video encoders and they make it a lot better working on Sony Codecs so for me it was worth spending the extra bucks on the max.

What are you going to use it for? The Max is better at video editing. The M3 Pro is pretty much better at everything else. I got the M1 Max myself since I want to have the smoothest video editing experience.

Haha, well the Air's have SUCH a nice touch to them though. They are nicer to use... but yeah as a workhorse, it's hard to beat the Max. Hopefully you find a good deal on one, and if you DO get one, let me know what you think about it vs the Air!

Yeah that's a sick laptop. How much RAM and hard drive did you end up getting?

@@thesahdstudio I got 36gb ram , i got the base spec with 1 TB SSD

Nice! Yeah for that price right?? It's a beast. I'm still loving it! 👊

Hahaha, when you're a stay at home dad you've got to entertain yourself SOMEHOW.

Right? It took me a long time to figure it out but I got there 👊

for coding and and doing some photoshops thats all

Yeah it's a tough call indeed! Newer is always nicer... the battery on the M3's is just incredible. I'd probably lean that way if I didn't need the extra video encoders for video editing!

I have no experience with coding but I used Photoshop on the M3 Pro and it was great! It might be worth upgrading the ram/hard drive a bit if you know you'd be keeping it for years though. Let me know what you end up getting!

@@thesahdstudio My decision is clear sir, I will buy m3 pro tomorrow for 56k Turkish liras and I had a friend who used m1 pro, it was crazy good, I wanted to use it for years and stay up to date, thank you for your valuable comment.

@@anilxtr How exciting! If you remember please let me know what you think about it once you've had a chance to use it! 👊

Thanks for looking out 👊

@@thesahdstudio I liked the video and content , the name confused me, after further research I understand what sahd means but Joe 6pack would probably get confused and disoriented

@@kelsey.b.anthis lol for sure. But that's what I like about it too! That it takes a minute. Also, my MAIN channel is called The SAHD Life so I felt like having my 2nd channel be similar kind of makes sense for me. Glad you like the content! 👊 You an Apple guy or team Windows?

@@thesahdstudio the average person is is not gonna be able able to comprehend anything you’re trying to tell me, so odds are you’d get more subscriptions if the channel name was something they didn’t have to think about.

Hehe, nothing makes you feel better about a tech purchase than the newer version coming out IMMEDIATELY after. We've all been here. Lucky for you the M1 Max is still a beast and practically just as good. You still happy with it?

@@thesahdstudio well actually I did it on purpose. The M2 Max was €1400 euro more expensive that time. I don’t think it would have had €1400 better performance. Couldn’t be happier with it tbh 🤷🏽‍♂️.

@@Puntonghua Yeah exactly! Nice one 👊 is your battery still good a couple years later? I got mine months ago but it had got a new battery put in. It's still at 100% health. But I'll be curious what it's like

@@thesahdstudio battery is still at 100% and it’s absolutely fantastic. I think I’ll upgrade when the M6 or 7 comes around 😁

@@Puntonghua haha, you think you can wait that long?! I might get upgrade-its sooner than then lol

Ok, I've gone through quite a number of cameras to get to where I am... at the moment I have settled on the Sony ZV-E1 and I use a G-Master 24mm f1.4 lens. I almost bought the Sony 20mm f1.8 but am just a sucker for the bokeh f1.4 offers. I think this camera is a great option if you do shorter videos.... if I was going to do longer videos I might get something else as this one can overheat quite easily if you use high frame rates at 4k (which I do). Hit me up with any camera questions though, I love it!