M4 Max MacBook Pro: Real-World Usage Tests

Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌, and we picked up one of the new high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests.


We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on the M4 version did get some improvements and it's a little bit brighter. There's an option for nano-texture too, which makes a big difference if you ever work outside.

Thunderbolt 5 ports instead of Thunderbolt 4 ports allow you to connect more displays (up to three 6K displays) and get faster transfer speeds. Unsurprisingly, the M4 Max performed better across the board on benchmarks, and those higher numbers did indeed translate to actual improvements in day-to-day performance.

Creating a slow motion clip from a standard clip in Topaz Labs AI took the M3 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ a little over six minutes, while the M4 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ was done in under five minutes.

Exporting a 6 minute 4K video with effects, plugins, LUTs, Roto AI masks, Motion VFX, and more from Final Cut Pro took the M3 Max 1:17, while the M4 Max did it in 1:07. It's only a 10 second savings, but that adds up with longer videos and over time.

Obviously you're not going to be upgrading to the M4 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ if you have an M3 Max machine, but it is interesting to see the year-over-year improvements. If you have something like an M1 Pro or an M1 Max and do a lot of CPU/GPU heavy tasks, upgrading to the M4 Max could end up saving you a good amount of time.

Let us know what you think of the M4 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌'s performance in the comments below.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

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Top Rated Comments

ColonelShaun Avatar
17 hours ago at 12:07 pm
I'm a video editor (still using an M1 iMac Happily), and more than export times, I'm always interested in hearing about how fluidly you can scrub through clips and watch timelines without rendering. The render speeds are always a nice comparison benchmark, but 10 seconds doesn't mean as much. My computer can render most things in a reasonable time. Where I see my m1 struggle is watching 4K Multicam clips with the Multicam viewer open. Or coloring footage and adding titles and playing it back without rendering first.

I'm not sure the scientific way to test that, but that data would be really helpful with a comparison. Something to think about for the future?

(And I'd love to see those comparisons for an M4 Pro Mac mini vs the M4 Max MBP. That's the dilemma I'm in.

Thanks for doing these for us!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Syrianos82 Avatar
17 hours ago at 12:06 pm
What strikes me a bit is that when the iPad m4 came out most people were leaning toward the negative side reviewing the nano texture. With the m4 MacBook Pro it seems everbody suddenly works outside or in crazy bright offices… ?

Nobody is talking about slight fuzziness and less sharp text or lines.

What made the general opinion flip sides??

(Yes I have an iPad Pro with nano texture so speaking from personal experience)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roar08 Avatar
17 hours ago at 12:08 pm

Obviously you're not going to be upgrading to the M4 Max MacBook Pro if you have an M3 Max machine
Obvious to who? Maybe not you or me, but there may be plenty of people who see a benefit.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Normandy_sr2 Avatar
17 hours ago at 12:21 pm

Obvious to who? Maybe not you or me, but there may be plenty of people who see a benefit.
I have extensive experience as a full-time video producer spanning several decades, and I currently use the M3 MAX. Based on my analysis, upgrading to this model does not offer a meaningful return on investment (ROI) for users who already own an M2 or M3 series, and even the M1 Max would be difficult to justify beyond mere "bragging rights." The performance gains, while present, are incremental and do not provide a substantial leap in practical video production workflows. Unless you are specifically seeking the latest hardware for prestige or minimal performance improvements, the financial outlay is not warranted. For those intent on purchasing, however, it's your prerogative.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marek5069 Avatar
15 hours ago at 01:59 pm
This was a frustrating video to watch. There are many ways to show a comparison that would be so much better than how it was done. Put the benchmarks for both machines on the screen at once. If you had the data from the M1 Max and M2 Max, instead of just saying you have that data, show it also. Would have been great to see the progression reflected. Swing and a miss.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Timpetus Avatar
13 hours ago at 03:44 pm
Whether it's worth it to you depends on how much your time spent using the machine is worth. If you are making $100/hr and you use it for the heavy workloads that make you that much for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, then getting another 20% done in that time would be worth $400 a week, or $20,800 a year. If you don't use it for work at all, sure it's just a toy, but many people are doing heavy duty video editing or content creation with their MBPs and can justify the expense (probably $1-2k net given you are selling your old machine) quite easily.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)