What’s the difference between the M2 Pro and the M2 Max?
I recently posted my review of the MacBook Pro 16 with M2 Max, which Apple launched in early 2023. Now I finally got my hands on the weaker (and cheaper) MacBook Pro 16 with the Apple M2 Pro chip. I ran various benchmarks and performed various tasks and even (finally) pounded the battery into the bottom. Today I’m here to talk over with you about how these chips come together to assist you to determine which MacBook Pro model is correct for you.
Here are the benchmarks (scroll right to see more):
16-inch M2 Pro models starting at $2499, while M2 Max models start at $3,099. The base M2 Pro model has 16GB of storage and 512TB of storage, while the bottom M2 Max has 32GB of storage. Upgrading this M2 Pro model to 32GB of storage brings it to $2,899, giving the M2 Max a couple of $200 premium over the M2 Pro for similar specs. It’s a relentless difference regardless of the way you adjust the specs.
However, if you should jump to the M2 Max with 38 GPU cores (which I tested), it is going to be a further bonus of $200. It’s the one processor that will be paired with 96GB of RAM – the 30-core M2 Max has a maximum of 64GB.
On average, almost 14 hours of continuous use of the M2 Max with my workload. I can not guarantee everyone will get that much time, especially since my job is usually Chrome Tabs, Google Docs, and a few streaming, but I believe most individuals will get more out of the M2 Max than the overwhelming majority of 16-inch laptops available on the market.
On average, I approached 17 hours non-stop on the M2 Pro model. In practice, because of this I can apply it to battery for 2 to a few days at a time, plugging it in like once in a while. While the M2 chips do not have as much battery life delta as their M1 predecessors, the M2 Pro – for my personal workload – had about 20 percent more juice to charge than the M2 Max.
For me, this difference in battery life would not be a deal breaker. At some point, a protracted battery is a protracted battery. I often use my MacBook Air as a notebook computer, which supplies me about 13 hours on average between charges, and I do not think I would like more. That said, in the event you’re really searching for a tool that never dies, the M2 Pro is perhaps a bit more appealing to you. For everyone else, this ought to be one other a part of the bill: along with paying the additional bucks for the M2 Max over the M2 Pro, you are paying for just a few hours of battery life.
The difference in CPU power between the M2 Pro and M2 Max is determined by which model you select. All 16-inch M2 Pro models have 12 CPU cores. If you go to 14-inch MacBook Proyou’ll be able to get the M2 Pro with 10 CPU cores, but all 16-inch models have 12 CPU cores, whether you select Pro or Max.
In each cases, we had a 16-inch model, so each of those devices had 12-core processors. These chips share the identical architecture – so in the event you do mostly CPU-intensive work through the day, you will get little or no profit from the Max over the Pro.
You don’t consider me? Check out the Cinebench and Geekbench scores within the chart above, that are quite close to one another (and in some cases similar).
Now there may be one caveat. The M2 Pro models have a maximum of 32 GB of memory, while the M2 Max can handle as much as 96 GB. People who must spend more on a 64GB or 96GB model probably know who you’re: for instance, individuals who work with big data and consistently process large amounts of data might need a greater time with considered one of these (very expensive) M2s Maximum models.
The more significant difference between the 2 chips is the ability of the GPU. Basically, you’ll be able to consider the M2 Max because the M2 Pro with extra graphical chops.
All 16-inch M2 Pro units have 19 GPU cores, while M2 Max buyers have a alternative of 30 or 38 cores. (Our test unit is 38.)
In Geekbench Compute, which tests GPU power, we are able to see a greater than 55 percent increase in graphics power, reflecting a near 50 percent increase within the variety of GPU cores. ON Shadow of Tomb Raider, a GPU-heavy gaming benchmark, the M2 Max performed nearly 80 percent higher than the M2 Pro. This is a really noticeable difference on the 120Hz screens these MacBooks have.
There is one other essential difference between these chips that just some of you care about, and that’s the M2 Max two video encoding engines and two ProRes engines while the M2 Pro only has considered one of them. This means video editors specifically can expect faster encoding and playback speeds from the M2 Max. (Exactly how much faster can it’s inconsistent – more on that in a minute).
So these are raw numbers. How did all of it shake through the working day?
The M2 Max is noticeably faster at video work. It beat the M2 Pro on PugetBench for Premiere Pro. My experience using it for editing was blazing fast. Went through playback and export. If I were a video editor (assuming my employer would cover the bill), I’d definitely want considered one of these items.
The M2 Pro was not so consistent. I exported the identical five-minute 4K video several times on it, and I could see the time starting from about two and a half minutes to over six minutes. The process didn’t get consistently faster or consistently slower as we tested; there was no rhyme or reason for the time differences. I noticed that the M2 Pro would often hang on graphics, which the M2 Max was capable of get through instantly. Becca Farsace, our senior video producer, had the identical experience exporting one other video file.
Having said thatThe M2 Pro is hardly a slow chip. Work on it in Adobe Premiere Pro was still quite smooth. The M2 Max was each barely louder and warmer than the M2 Pro during launch (it has a high power mode which is designed to maximise performance during prolonged loads, which the M2 Pro doesn’t). Becca’s suggestion in our latest M2 line guide was that individuals who work with 3D content, animations, 8K content and 4K content for over an hour should seriously consider the M2 Max model. The M2 Pro ought to be high-quality for everybody else (unless money really is not an object).
The difference wasn’t as stark in Xcode performance. The M2 Max accomplished the Xcode Benchmark just over three seconds faster than the M2 Pro. It’s a difference, sure, but it surely’s not as wide as, say, the difference between the M2 Pro and the M1 Max. I would not expect the M2 Max to be essential for lighter tasks like website design.
I do know there are numerous, many tasks people might wish to use these MacBooks for that usually are not covered here. In general, the most effective solution to make this decision is to find out: A. how much your work uses heavy graphics, and B. whether you must do that work at every possible speed.
Oh, and I can not imagine any of you’ll consider it, but just in case – no, there is no point in upgrading to those M2 models from the M1 line. The MacBook Pro M1 and M2 were expensive and fast machines and may still have loads of life in them. But in the event you’re still using an Intel-based MacBook Pro and didn’t pick up the M1 series last time, either the M2 Pro or the Max MacBook Pro offers you a big boost in performance, temperature, and battery life.
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