Concerns About Upgrading From Mac Pro (5,1) to New MacBook Pro for Video Editing

[jackv]

I'm upgrading from my beloved Mac Pro 5,1 (with Metal video card and 40GB RAM) I've had since 2010 to a new MacBook Pro (because Apple doesn't support installing anything beyond OS 10.14 Mojave on it).

I can't afford a new Mac Pro right now—so that leaves me with the option of a new MacBook Pro 16" with the following specs (upgrades bolded):

• 2.3GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
• 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory (+$800 extra)
• AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory (+$100 extra)
• 1TB SSD storage

I do a fair amount of content creation (video, music, graphics) and haven't paid attention to the latest technological advancements in the newer Apple offerings, so I'm wondering about the following:

1. My main concern is whether editing video with the new MacBook Pro will be a comparable experience to my old Mac Pro, or will it exceed the Mac Pro in performance? (I guess it's tough for me to imagine a laptop equaling my beefed up tower, but a decade of technological advancements has passed. Basically, I don't want to let go of my Mac Pro...)
2. Is it advisable to upgrade the MacBook Pro processor from it's standard 2.3GHz to 2.4GHz, or would the difference be negligible?
3. Would it be advisable to upgrade to the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory ($700 extra) rather than the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory which doubles the standard option for $100 extra?

Thank you for your help!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

I haven't done much video editing myself. Which video application(s) do you use?

I do know the current M1 Macs, and forthcoming M1X/M2 Macs, pretty much trounce all Intel-based Macs for pretty much everything except some very heavy video work.

M1 benchmarks prove Apple Silicon outclasses nearly all current Intel Mac chips
M1 MacBook Pro vs 2010 Mac Pro - Bare Feats

Maybe a quick look at an M1 Mac mini/MBP for now? Personally, I would go with an M1 over the 16" Intel MBP.

C

 

[TonyAguila]

Having been on a MacPro5,1 myself, also metal-upgraded, with four hard drives and two SSDs, 64 gibibytes RAM, my upgrade to a 2008 Mac mini easily ran circles around the Mac Pro. My only regret with the Mac mini was getting a 1-terabyte instead of a 2-terabyte SSD.

I think key to the vast improvement from the MacPro to the Mac mini is the speed of the internal SSD. I had two in the Mac Pro, but even configured as Raid-0, it was less than a fifth the speed of the internal SSD of the mini.

But I wouldn’t invest in an Intel mini right now, or an M1 mini. I would wait for the “M1X“ to come out. The M1 is severely lacking in expansion (mainly just two Thunderbolt connectors), and 16 gibibytes memory max. Also, this was their first stab at a Silicon Mac, with the other two MacBooks.

My Mac mini is connected to two 4K monitors, two Thunderbolt enclosures—four hard drives, four SSDs. The drives are partitioned into 18 volumes plus two Time Machine drives. But as soon as the new Mac mini comes out, this baby is going to the hand-me-down pile.