Macbook Pro 2021 - what specs do I need?

[siobhankelly]

Hi Brian,

With the new macbooks in town, I'm thinking it's finally time to upgrade (after going back and forward between the laptop and the desktop, I just can't lose my portability).

Wondering what specs I need, especially between the M1 pro and M1 max chips. The max may be overkill for photo editing (multiple layers in photo shop kind of editing, big files) but I'd hate to buy the cheaper one and wish I'd upgraded.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks in advance,

Siobhan

[Brian]

The Max is really over-kill for still photo editing, but you will have that one the longest in terms of life-span & usage. If you are doing things with Video and Recording Music, that's where the M1 Max Shines. But again, you are buying the top of the line in terms of a 2021/2022 MBP.

Whichever you choose, realize you need to buy the extra things at the time of purchase, because there is no upgrade path or upgrading after the fact. If you want more, you are buying a new laptop. So make your choice a good one. In any case,  are looking at spending at least $3000+ before shipping and tax, no matter how you configure things. Apple wants you to "Go Big or Go Home."

Any M1 Based MBP will require PS CC 2021 or PS CC 2022. Period. So make sure you have a subscription to PS CC.

Today's Photoshop requires a beefy video card in order to run well. There are certain tools built within Photoshop that use the GPU and dedicated Video RAM in order to function. So it's not about RAM, HD space and CPU speed. the GPU is more important than the CPU in 2021/2022 when it comes to Photoshop.

Again, since everything is built into one chip, I'd get at least 32GB of RAM, hell...I'd bump it up to 64GB AND increase the Graphics Cores at least to the next level. (But then we are in a M1 Max Configuration.) Especially if you are thinking about getting a camera that is 45MP or more. The more MegaPixels that you have, the more RAM you will need. And Storage, and CPU...  

So there is never "too much." It boils down to your budget. Here is one I configured, the price is $3699 before AppleCare, Tax and possible shipping.

You could configure a lower-end model, but then we are looking at $3299 or $3099. Big whoop. Since you are above $3000 in all scenarios, might as well go for broke and spend the extra $400 or so. If you are looking to save a little cash, you could pick the middle MBP and configure it with 32GB of RAM. But honestly, I have 64GB of RAM in my current iMac and shoot with a Nikon D850. I couldn't imagine going back to 32GB.

[siobhankelly]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for that - it's basically what I thought you'd say, so I'm glad I'm on the same page. Go big or go home, right? I'm now shooting with the 45mp r5 and have noticed it's very slow on my old macbook, so hoping the configuration above will speed up workflow.

 

Thanks again, off to break my bank account!

Siobhan

[Brian]

1 hour ago, siobhankelly said:

45mp r5 and have noticed it's very slow on my old macbook,

Yep. I have the same thing happen with my Nikon D850 and it's stupid 45.7MP. 64GB is your reality.