2023-11-09 00:34:00
The new M3 Max is mainly focused on CPU performance and the results are really good. Multi-core performance has been increased by over 60% compared to the previous version M2 Max and even Intel’s H45 chips as well as AMD’s HS (Zen4) processors are clearly beaten. Single-core performance (+20%) is also comparable to Intel’s H45 processors. Apple has also improved the performance of the GPU and the results are also very good considering the maximum power consumption of 60 watts, but there are certainly faster GPUs from Nvidia, at least when a power adapter is branch.
For the rest, the MacBook Pro 16 is once again an excellent multimedia laptop with the M3 Max which is a perfect machine for video editing thanks to the unified memory (which is also used by the GPU). The case, including ports and input devices, has not changed, only the maximum SDR brightness has been increased from Apple and is now above 600 nits. The HDR maximum brightness remains extremely high and the implementation of HDR content is still much more comfortable in macOS than in Windows.
The MacBook Pro 16 with the M3 Max is Apple’s fastest laptop and the CPU performance is much higher thanks to additional CPU cores. GPU performance is also better and Apple has managed to improve efficiency, which also translates into greater battery life. The MBP 16 remains one of the best multimedia laptops and one of the best overall packages on the market, but it comes at a price.
The new M3 SoCs are more efficient, as Apple has managed to improve battery life compared to previous models. The fans are a bit noisier during average workloads, but the maximum fan noise is virtually the same. The new Space Black color looks great and isn’t as fingerprint-prone as the Midnight color on the smaller MacBook Air, but you’ll still need to clean it from time to time.
There are certainly areas where rivals are better, but especially the lack of maintenance options in combination with Apple’s extremely high prices for more RAM and SSD storage is a major drawback, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better overall package for multimedia purposes or video editing. Apple is still not the best solution for playing games, especially AAA titles, but the situation is slowly improving. Native games run very well on Apple hardware, but the choice is very limited.
An upgrade from the MBP 16 with the M2 Max could be an option thanks to the massive increase in CPU performance, but the new MBP 16 with the M3 Max is more likely of interest to users of the older M1 Max models or as an upgrade from an M1/M2 Pro when you simply need some extra performance. The increased brightness of SDR is certainly appreciated, but is not a good enough reason to change models.
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