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Unleashing the Power: MacBook Pro M3 Max Takes on M2 Max and M1 Max



In this video, we compare the performance of the all-new Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max, MacBook Pro M1 Max, and Mac Studio M2 Max using DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro. We will be testing a variety of tasks, including importing footage, rendering, and exporting.

Here are some of the key specifications of each machine:

MacBook Pro M3 max:

16-core CPU (12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores)
40-core GPU
128GB of unified memory
8TB SSD

MacBook Pro M1 max:

10-core CPU (8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores)
32-core GPU
64GB of unified memory
2TB SSD

Mac Studio M2 Max:

32-core CPU (24 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores)
64-core GPU
64GB of unified memory
2TB SSD

Is the MacBook Pro M3 the fastest machine for rendering and exporting 4K and 8K footage? Check out the video to find out.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Intro
00:49 Specs on All Three machines
02:30 MacBook Pro M3 Max Space Black Design
02:58 Is It a Fingerprint Magnet?
03:50 Display Comparison to the MacBook Pro M1 Max
04:20 Ports
05:00 What Footage I’m Using For The Test
06:30 Resolve Test
08:52 Final Cut Pro Test
09:26 Update from Blackmagic
12:49 MacBook Pro M3 Max SSD Speed Test
13:00 Final Thoughts

Camera: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 35mm f1.4
Sennheiser AVX with Zoom F6
MacStudio M2 MAX
Mac Studio Display
Lights: Aputure 300X Amaran T2c, Amaran F21c, Amaran COB 60X, Amaran P60c
Display Cabinet: Terravault
Chair and Desk: SecretLab

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33 Comments

  1. Is the studio a max or an ultra? Video description has specs that are different from what’s shown in the video itself and want sure if it was a correction.

  2. nice review but why test the maxed out m3 max 16/40 which less than 1% people will get? Why not test the m3 max 14/30 base with 36gb ram and 1tb ssd as well?

  3. Real issues with Macbooks come when you want to edit a big project; example I've been editing two seasons a TV series for a couple of years now the media take close to 100TB of storage space so it lives in a server. The Macbook just can't keep a reliable connection to the server, dongles failed I've tried all of them 10GbE and 1GbE connection breaks up ramdomly making it unbearable. So my $3K editing laptop (a bit more if you add up the expensive useless dongles) works for watching youtube and browse the internet while I edit on a desktop PC with a dedicated 10gbe card.
    The only solution apple has given me in two years is to replace my $20k server or go sit right next to the spinning drives through a 1m Thunderbolt cable.

  4. Hey I'm choosing 4tb ssd instead of 8tb ssd. Will I get the same disk write speed between 8000 to 8400? Let me know
    Specs below I'm planing to buy.
    16-core CPU (12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores)
    40-core GPU
    128GB of unified memory
    4TB SSD…..

  5. Yeah I solely use Davinci. FCP is too far behind at this point. So, I would love to see your next video when Davinci optimizes this. Then sign me up and take my money. I shoot and edit all over the country and I love my M1 Max so far……..

  6. Will be great to see how it performs with noise reduction, filmgrain, 2x super scale, glows,halation and Gaussian blurs on the footage. Really push it hard for each frame and see how it performs

  7. Yeah, so of course the new one is faster, but for me one of the biggest reasons for buying Macs in the first place is the fact that they last really long. I have the M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14" from 2021, and it's still very much a great workhorse and does everything I need in the Adobe suite at a very reasonable speed. That being said, of course I'd still love to have the M3, especially because of the color πŸ™‚

  8. Si Appel silicon does seriously thermal-throttle under extreme workloads! I still think it’s the best when it comes to efficiency, but this is why reviews like this are also important for the non tech reviewer professional or consumer.

    Great video, thanks for sharing your findings!

    I cannot wait to see the performance of M3 Max or even M3 Ultra in the Mac Studio.

  9. For davinci resolve (multiple 4k layers, vfx etc.)do you reckon the base M3 max would do or should one upgrade the processor to get 48 or 64 gigs of RAM? I am planning to get a 1 TB SSD. Thanks.

  10. GPU heavy tasks in Resolve is what I find the most limiting. How is noise reduction performance on the M3 Max? How many frames realtime can it perform?
    Also, would be nice to have a simple bar graph when you mentions the numbers and times. It makes it easier to compare.

  11. Thank you dear Bobby, i was thinking to replace my m1 max but for light sony codec edit there are ZERO improvement/money. I will stay another year or two with m1 max πŸ˜€

  12. Never updated the OS than your device wont be slower

    Make this test again after 1 year , than you will see that performances will be no different between m1 m2 n m3

  13. I just want to know how much the M3 Pro and Max will spank my M1 Max in final cut pro. Should I wait for the M4?πŸ€” I only want 14" models so it's compact for traveling.