M3 14" MacBook Pro - THE TRUTH (One Month Later Review) 

I ultimately ordered the base M3 model but upgraded to 16gb of ram and 1tb storage. In Canada, the price I paid could have got me the M3 pro, but I would have had to sacrifice the storage. I decided that storage, for my more basic uses, was more important than the extra performance (plus the battery on the base is better). I hope I chose right!!!

I think one of the best tips I got from this channel is that the M2 Studio has a revamped cooling system. One that is, supposedly, quiet. When I bought my M1 Studio it was a bit of a shock to find out that it is audible at certain points.

I'm an American living in South Africa and hearing your wonderful mid west American accent really makes me feel at home.... lol. Love your demeanour, and computer knowledge as well. I subscribed.... I'm getting one of these for my wife's birthday, but here in this country, this same model is just under 2 grand. Yeah, I know.... ouch! Lol, but she's well worth it! God bless!!!!

Wow. Glad I found this channel. Really clearly presented info.

Possibly a missed opportunity. If I understand correctly, this is recommended for short form video and for not doing four 4K streams for a 40 minute export. How many people do that and are considering a base model? It’s doesn’t seem like a base model use case? The way you stated it sounded like most people work with 40 minutes of footage, is that true?

Thanks for sharing. Christmas blessings to you.

I am a normal user but will be using Photoshop , illustrator and doing UX Design so is this good or should i go back to Macbook m3 Air?

Great video as always Greg I initially ordered the M3 version and upgraded the RAM to 16GB until I realized that it was only $200 to get all the benefits of M3 Pro, more than double the RAM of the base model, better processor, extra thunderbolt port, space black color, ability to drive 2 external displays, better thermals. Ended up canceling my order and getting the base M3 Pro and am currently typing this on that device, super happy with my purchase!

Great video Greg! I am perfectly happy with the base 14” M3 MacBook Pro. For my purposes it is awesome.Thanks again for a great and very informative video. Much appreciated!

Nice, Greg. Say, is that a coffee shop you sometimes film in or your studio????

I have the M2 MacBook Air since September 2022. The laptop is fast, and storage is relatively smooth as the base model. I use it for iWork Suite (Manly Keynote for large presentations and Pages) and Safari for schooling.

What about the 512 SSD? Is it the same in the 14 M3 compare to the SSD in the 14 M3 Pro?

traded in my macbook air M1 for M3 14" base macbook pro. total different animal. better build quality, better keyboard and screen, hdmi port is sweet along with mag safe charger. Wish it was $1000 but thats the same price as base macbook air, so yeah it needs to be more because it has more. overall very happy 1 month in.

Question: In my country I could get for the same $1,700: 1)MBP14 M2 Pro CPU10/GPU16 RAM16GB/512SSD (Used); Or 2)MBP14 M3 CPU8/GPU10 RAM16GB/512SSD (New) Which one should I go for? Why?

It absolutely should’ve been 12gb. I messed with it at Best Buy and it didn’t take much at all to run into swap- which means I’d regularly be using swap. It’s a crime we get a terrible amount of ram for $1600.. or even the a $1000 Air. So so so much money.

Where’s the 3rd thunderbolt port, only seeing 2? I’m wanting 4 Thunderbolt ports like the 2018 models.

Is the MacBook Pro 14 basic model! Enough for light video and photo editing ?

I'm a longtime Windows user and always will be because of my freelance work, but I wanted to try a Mac just to see what development would be like on it. Microcenter had the 14" M3 with 11-core M3 Pro chip, 14-core GPU, 18GB RAM and 512GB storage for $1,799. After watching some reviews on the M3, this configuration seems to be the sweet spot for the price. I'm still getting familiar with it, but man, the build quality on this machine is fantastic.

Basically don't get caught with only 8 GB on a M3 MacBook Pro machine of any kind. Treat yourself to at least 16 GB, don't cheat yourself.

Great video.... Well ... Im probably the only one in the world that is gonna miss the touchbar hahah

SOLID VIDEO! Thank you so much!

Could you please do a RAM STRESS TEST between 18GB vs 36GB RAM BASE M3 PRO?

Will this benefit from 24gb of memory?

Does its screen still have PWM?

Got this M3 pro with 8gb at a $300 discount at Best Buy For a student this is fine It runs so smoothly These reviews focus so much on synthetic benchmarks and editing that they forget that 80% of people will rarely do any of that They are very out of touch with the average consumer’s needs If you’re a student, now is a great time to purchase the base model M3 with the crazy discounts…thank me later

I*m want to thank you for the informative details, and balanced assessment of The M3 14 inch base modal .I agree for my use case memior/ poetry and photo editing, it makes sense to upgrade the ram to 16 GB. Thank You. !

Is the MacBook Air basic model enough for light video and photo editing!

So what would you pick for basic computing and for watching the best quality content, the iPad pro 12.9 or this laptop? Thanks! And I can get the laptop on sale for $1,349

I'm using this device is a nice upgrade coming from a M1 13. I can record/stream at the same time and only use less then 10% of power with no fans, the m1 did streaming or recording and the fan always turned on. I can manage with only 8gigs of ram because I wanted this laptop for the screen. I also learned you can ps remote play on this device and using the pro motion screen with games that are compatible with it is fun

Great video. This laptop immediately struck me as the #1 seller to corporate executives. Every manufacturer has one and this is Apple’s offering. I think this is a good fit for academia as well.

Thank you for the videos

İ bought the same one. but upgraded the ram too 16gb. 8 just wasnt enough! it works perfect!!

What a weird sponsor.

All good points. My build, is that your recommendations seem geared to the RRP. The only way to upgrade the RAM on an M3, in the UK at least, is to buy it direct from Apple, and as Apple never offer any discounts, the price difference to just buying the M3 pro from a third party, with a modest discount, is close to negligible.

I got the MacBook pro m3 pro but i dont see the point of the MacBook pro m3 base model.

This is also going for around $1100-1200 on the open box / mint refurbished market. Makes it very easy to decide vs the m3 air for $899 or so

I just (today) got the base M3 Pro model via Costco for $1,399. It replaces my 2013 MacBook Pro that was bulletproof for me and what I use it for.

Non discounted retail pricing this isn't a very good value. However I've seen a few different outlets offer an upgraded 16/512 version for $1499. So the savings for someone over the also discounted M3 Pro version at $1749 it could be a good value.

So Amazon currently has this base model M3 MacBook Pro 14 inch for $300 off at $1399. I’m considering this since the last MacBook Pro I bought was 10 years and the screen is finally starting to go on it. But having only 8 GB of memory concerns me. I don’t do any video editing or music mixing or anything like that. Most maybe three or four tabs open on Google Chrome. Watching Netflix surfing the web and so on. Well I don’t think I need that much ram my concern is later on when updates come. Since I do plan to keep this computer until it basically starts falling apart like my 2014 MacBook Pro currently is. Unfortunately the 16 GB version isn’t on sale. So I think I might wait until it goes on sale. Maybe bump up the storage to one terabyte as well. It’d be nice to not use an external hard drive to put all my photos in.

Watching this on a 14in M3 max base model with 36GB/1TB. Upgraded from the M2Pro 14in 16GB/512 base model. Honestly, you are Better off getting the 14 in M2Pro Base model. The battery life was amazing and It performs just as fast as the M3pro base . Save $200-300 dollars and throw it at an iPad Air so you have a portable extra screen and backup device. The M3max is over kill, but I’ll never have to worry about swap or SSD speed/ longevity. That piece of mind is worth the extra $. Besides I got back a ton of $ selling the M2Pro on eBay and got to recycle my old cases and accessories on the new one! Only 2 down sides, that M3Max… you can feel it drain the battery faster even in low power mode. I get 10 hrs on the m3 max. My old M2Pro got 14-16 easy. Second, the M2Pro speakers were better tuned. The M3s still sound good, but the M2Pro was much more satisfying favoring the mid range and highs

I think that the best value comes when you start seeing Apple selling the M3 Pro refurbished to around the same price of a brand new M3. Or just wait for deals on the M3 Pro. The 8 GB is probably a lot of reasons people want to upgrade from their Intel Macs and 8GB is really not going to last, if it’s slightly struggling now I can see it doing not so well in the not too distant future

IMO the problem with it is not 8GB alone. There is a threshold of performance, after that point people will do demanding tasks with it and 8GB don’t cut it. I’d say the whole reason for this laptop existence is to upsell. I would not be even surprised if it was a very limited model. People that don’t care for performance will get the air. People that do care for performance will avoid this laptop like a plague.

For my use case to pay (in Australia) another $300 for another 8gb of ram is not worth it. This laptop has worked brilliantly and I have never said, ‘wow this is slow I need another 8gb of ram!). As you said this is for Air users who want much more in screen, sound, battery etc. When charged to 100% I have found that even using it for use case (writing) it is still on 100%. Much better than I got out of my M2 Pro which had 16gb of ram. So I do not need 16gb of ram and I save myself $300!

Watching this on a 14" MacBook Pro Max, with 40 cores, 96 GB memory, and 1 TB. Very much overkill, but I love it.

Good review. At this price a bump to at least 12 GB RAM would have made it more attractive.

It actually has less ports than my M1 MacBook. My M1 has a USB-C on the right side for a total of 3 on both sides.

Apple strategy is to show us that 16gb ram upgrade is very expensive, now getting it in the base model is good value for us. And don't get me started with SSDs. You can get a whole windows laptop with 16gb and 1 TB for less than the cost of upgrade options shown by apple for additional 8 gb and 256 gb. And still no touchscreen for that amount of money

Once the M3 MBA comes out, that model will become redundant… more SSD and RAM at a lower price point (and silent) just seems more appealing to most

I got it and besides 8gb ram it's a perfect laptop. screen is insane, it is very fast with opening everything, keyboard is pretty good which surprised me, but ram goes to swap even with a few safari tabs.

Is M3 16 gigabyte ram and 1TB ssd a good deal rather than a M3 pro base model?

Nice video

Disappointed that you recommended this. It's a waste of silicon and should have either started with 16gb or start at 1300. It gets crippling slow even on mundane tasks once ram gets filled.

I really wish Apple would drop the MacBook “Pro” naming and just go with “M3 MacBook”, “M3 Pro MacBook”, and “M3 Max MacBook” naming.

Love it when you young people talk about the high price of Apple products. Steve Jobs ­unveiled the first Mac I ever owned the 1984 Apple Macintosh computer with at $2,500.00 US price tag. Today adjusted for inflation cost of that original 1984 Apple McIntosh would be $7,388.14 US in December 2023.

I just want the XDR display on a model as slim as as light as the macbook air 13.6 inch.

that these are hobbled from the start with pathetic ram and storage that cannot be remedied once the user is beyond the return window really flies in the face for anything remotely connected to "value"

For Macs, 16GB is the basic RAM needed with 1TB SSD if 1 wants to use the laptop after spending so much for at least 5-7 years (and if 1 wants to be help protect nature). For Windows 32GB is the basic with 1TB SSD

If you tell them you work in education, you’ll get the edu discount. Best Buy and Amazon will also have sales too.

Hey, I am a student and need a new Laptop, preferably a MacBook. Would you advise me to buy the 13 inch air 512gb (m1 or m2), because I fear that it might be to small for real work. But on the other hand the 15 inch or 14 pro is so much more expensive. Is it really worth it if I don't really want to spend a lot of money?

The 16GB M3 MBP pricing is inhumane. They just want you to buy M3 Pro at $2,000.

just received my M3 macbook pro. Bought Apple certified refurbished 16GB 512 SSD for $1376 !!! (10% military veterans discount.

If you’re wanting to get the M3 MacBook Pro, if you’re spending the money to get 16GB of Ram and upgrading the SSD to 1TB ($1999), it’s worth it to just skip the M3 and go straight to the M3 Pro MacBook Pro so you have the extra Thunderbolt 4 port, extra cores and an extra fan to keep it cool. You also get an additional 2GB of Ram for the same price and then you can add a 1TB SSD for $200 making it $2199.

Everybody hated the touch bar

Not all of us are salesmen, I need more the sad storage screen and longevity

It doesn't check every box. #1 It doesn't have a num pad. #2 It's OS isn't great.

This laptop at this configuration and price cannot be recommended. It isn't just future proofing, it is resale value. That 8GB of RAM will become more and more problematic and in 2-3 years will crush this laptop's usability as we see memory demands increase over time. And if you are going to blow $200 on extra memory, might as well blow $400 and get a much better machine with the M3 Pro.

Should I get m2 air 16 gb or this one with 8 gb ram

0:26 far left, there is a small scratch (worn)

Who was this machine for? Me, it was for me. I want promotion since it’s on all my other devices, Mini-LED but I don’t need the power of even the M3 Pro

Greg touches the SWEET SPOT 4:05. on its bottom, oooohhhhh!!!

Rather have previous m2 model

Omg I love the asuka figure

the 14 inch m3 isnt a PRO machine.. its a heavy air... look at it like that an you will stop worry about the 8gb thing :)

YES the battery :D Buy the m3 cos its GOOOD!!!!! even with 8gb ram

What a weird sponsor. No offense but I'd have passed on that offer if I was you.

The M3 MacBook Pro 💻 with 8gb of RAM is the biggest joke of all time they might as well call it the chrome book pro lmfaooo

I returned my base model modified with 16GB of RAM w/1TB HD for the space black 1TB HD with the Pro chip and could not be happier on that decision.

Hard pass. No 16GB of RAM = No consumer love. M3 Air (March 2024) M3 Mac Mini (March 2024) M3 Pro MBP 14-inch M3 Max MBP 16-inch

NGL paying 1600 for 8gb of ram is a scam no one can convince me it isn't fr ,yh it's a great laptop but I ain't got that much cash for just 8gb ram

I disagree many people don't have a £1600 budget, so you either get a refurbished or used one for cheaper, or join the rich crowd and buy it new with its poxy 8gb of memory. If your going to start bumping up the ram opt for the next model up and get the darker space gray look.

Great laptop killed by those 8gb ram

This looks like a paid review from Apple itself😂 !!

95% need only the Air

The gameplay is super laggy

If you’ve watched his videos…He ONLY COVERS APPLE PRODUCTS! 😅 He’s the definition of of FAN BOY…I own M2 MacBook Pro 14 and several Windows laptops…They all have there Ups and Downs

copped it for roblox🔥🔥🔥

Ray tracing does not make gaming better its make is worse unless you have a 4090.

Don’t get into the hype of these RU-vidrs

First person to comment here..😅

The TRUTH is, that this base Pro with 8 gig ram is for those, who just want the other benefits of the pro models. The better screen, the better speakers and the better connectivity. I don't get the flame over the 8 gigs. No one does it on the Air. Not like that. If u need more ram. U know it. U can buy it with more ram or even get the model with the m3 pro. I think the base pro is well placed as an alternative for those who want that bit more over an air. Actually it's the same with the iPad or iPhone. U want some of those pro feature? Just go for the pro. My wife bought an iPad Air. I bought the pro. Specially with Pro Motion in mind. It's so easy: Just buy, what u think u need. Most people wouldn't rly mind those 8 gigs of ram. I have such a big problem with all those review who build the picture of the mainstream customer who opens 30 tabs, do photo and video progressing at the same time and even connect it to more than 1 display. Actually: Most of us would just use the buildin-display the most of the time.... But more of it: U know, before u buy.

Apple fans will pay anything for Apple products. Me included. The Apple tax is real and what everyone will pay. If they can sell a cloth for $19 we will pay anything

Fanboy alert

someone please fire Tim Cook!!!! 8GB of (soldered) RAM is an ABOMINATION. Tim is an ABOMINATION

You so talkative