Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023 M3 Max Review - The fastest CPU in a 14-inch laptop

[Redaktion]

Apple puts its new high-end chip M3 Max into the compact MacBook Pro 14 and the result is the fastest 14-inch laptop you can buy in terms of CPU performance. However, this is also a big challenge for the cooling and the performance is not completely stable.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Pro-14-2023-M3-Max-Review-The-fastest-CPU-in-a-14-inch-laptop.770867.0.html

[Neenyah]

Glossy, PWM, slower than an old tired snail with 78.8 ms B2W and 80.8 ms G2G, which are horrendous response rates equal to 12 frames per second (12!) so that ghosting is definitely very noticeable in everyday usage, yet it still gets:

Display  93%

That alone says enough about the objectiveness of this review. But it's Apple so even with no screen at all it would stil get nothing short of 90% for Display score, with all supplementary praises about its superiority just like in this review. Nice.

[Bizarro_NikoB]

"Apple uses a chemical process, which is part of the anodizing and not a coating."

Other macbook air/macbook pro colorways are/were easily scratched. Can anyone clarify if this space black is prone to scratching now that the colorway is part of the anodizing stage?

[Bizarro_NikoB]

Glossy, PWM, slower than an old tired snail with 78.8 ms B2W and 80.8 ms G2G, which are horrendous response rates equal to 12 frames per second (12!) so that ghosting is definitely very noticeable in everyday usage, yet it still gets:

Display  93%

That alone says enough about the objectiveness of this review. But it's Apple so even with no screen at all it would stil get nothing short of 90% for Display score, with all supplementary praises about its superiority just like in this review. Nice.

I'm convinced Apple pays for glowing reviews in the same manner they pay for carbon credits rather than change their manufacturing processes so they can obnoxiously self-righteously claim they care about the environment and on target to be carbon-neutral in the next few years. smh

[A]

Glossy, PWM, slower than an old tired snail with 78.8 ms B2W and 80.8 ms G2G, which are horrendous response rates equal to 12 frames per second (12!) so that ghosting is definitely very noticeable in everyday usage, yet it still gets:

It's not about fps, it's about more/less motion blur.
In reality it's not that easy to notice, unless you are constantly switching between this and very low latency panel.

[A]

There's actually a good video on YouTube explaining Apple's decision process for screens and why it's MiniLED

youtube.com/watch?v=W3JR2plIgVE

TLDR - OLED is not ready, even in iPhone mitigation of OLED issues required using hardware solution on CPU die. When OLED is ready and there's a required quantity of panels, Apple will make a switch. Unless MicroLED is done by then.

[NikoB]

What's wrong with this super expensive laptop?

We were promised RAM speeds of 300GB/s for M3 Max. The result of the test is almost 3 times less, because the real efficiency of the memory controller is only 40%. Despite the fact that 400GB/s was declared in the M2 Max - but we did not see tests, only declarations.

Where does this impact the most? Yes, just when igpu is working. For it, the decisive factor is the bandwidth of the RAM, which is shared with the system and other devices.

Go ahead. Let's look at the performance of the SSD - a pitiful only poor 53MB/s@4k IOPs, despite the fact that even such a slow memory(vs official declaration) pumps ~10 GB/s at 4k IOPs, according to the test results. The difference is 200(!) times in favor of the RAM, which is at least 64GB, which reduces the need for swap with such a slow SSD to a minimum.

Well, the bots above have already talked about the slow (by response) screen. PWM is ok - 14kHz not visible for all. Can only add the strange (if not surprising) reluctance of the authors of Mac Book reviews to carry out hardware screen calibration and post the results after it.

It can also be noted that despite the premium segment and exorbitant price, a 14" laptop weighs as much as 15.6 x86 laptops, which is clearly too much for this segment. However, Apple fans are apparently pumped-up people.

The author does not write what the real noise is in intensive surfing in the maximum performance profile (where impulse performance is maximum, and this is what we need). I suspect that this laptop is not at all quiet in such surfing.

I would like to have noise tests in 4k@60fps and 8k@60fps mode (if supported by the system) on the same, for example, YouTube. Will the laptop be completely silent after at least half an hour of video playback? A simple test that immediately shows who is who.

Temperatures at the keyboard level are too high. This laptop is definitely dangerous to use with the lid closed with a high load on the processor with an external monitor - which could potentially lead to faster degradation of the miniLED panels whose critical operating temperature is approximately 50C.

In about another 3-4 years, Apple will also reach a dead end with technical processes in terms of performance per 1W - selling a new one with minimal improvement will be more and more difficult, especially at such prices. So, what is next? Increase TDP like Intel cheaters? Or is it again selling "rhinestones" instead of real progress in performance per 1W?

But is all this interesting to those who will actually buy it? After all, they buy Apple... ;)

[A]

What's wrong with this super expensive laptop?

From user's perspective there is not much wrong with it. And it's not expensive. You only buy your first mac for full price, then you either trade it in or sell on second-hand market (and oh boy macs are holding their price tag much better than any x86). So after the first one you never pay full price for your next mac. If you trade in your _working_ M1 Max today, M3 Max will be ~$2200 for you. Even less if you sell old mac yourself.

The author does not write what the real noise is in intensive surfing in the maximum performance profile (where impulse performance is maximum, and this is what we need). I suspect that this laptop is not at all quiet in such surfing.

There's no maximum performance profile. M chips do not change performance profile on battery/on AC by default. It's always same performance/consumption, unless you specifically put it into Low Power mode. Which is more fair than Intel/AMD boys doing performance tests on AC and battery life tests at cut down 50% performance? )))

This laptop is definitely dangerous to use with the lid closed with a high load on the processor with an external monitor - which could potentially lead to faster degradation of the miniLED panels whose critical operating temperature is approximately 50C.

Meh, bs, people are using them in clamshell mode 24/7. Even when it's open fans blow onto the screen lol.

I would like to have noise tests in 4k@60fps and 8k@60fps mode (if supported by the system) on the same, for example, YouTube. Will the laptop be completely silent after at least half an hour of video playback?

16 inch will be silent, just don't forget to disable Youtube's CPU hog, 'Ambient mode'. Don't have 14 inch to test.
53-54C (idle 48-50C), fans still off after 23 mins 4K@60 video (got bored, temperature wasn't rising).

[A]

P.S. I personally never considered 14 inch body a good idea for Max chip. It's great for Pro chip though, as it's noticeably cooler compared to Max. It was like this in all generations, M1/2/3.

Constrained internal space + smaller battery + smaller thermal solution don't make 14 inch as good for Max as 16 inch body.

[RobertJasiek]

Trade in is said to bring less than selling at, say, Ebay.

The trade in calculation overlooks users like me who like to keep their computers for 10 years. Also Apple devices do not keep high resale values after several years.

Trade in / resale calculations are more useful for doing so after just 1, 2 or 3 years, if one wants to spend the still relatively high average per year.

[A]

Trade in is said to bring less than selling at, say, Ebay.

Yeah, I mentioned selling it yourself will save you more money in the end.

The trade in calculation overlooks users like me who like to keep their computers for 10 years. Also Apple devices do not keep high resale values after several years.

People who are fine with their 9yr old laptops are not a target audience of MB Pro at all? Sounds like very basic productivity. They will trade in their MBP2015 for $170 and get MBA.

[NikoB]

You only buy your first mac for full price, then you either trade it in or sell on second-hand market (and oh boy macs are holding their price tag much better than any x86). So after the first one you never pay full price for your next mac. If you trade in your _working_ M1 Max today, M3 Max will be ~$2200 for you. Even less if you sell old mac yourself.

I, out of the corner of my eye, monitor the used market for x86 and have never seen really balanced x86 models on this market at a low price relative to the initial price of the models. Moreover, they are practically not available for sale on the used market in good configurations. Guess why?

There's no maximum performance profile. M chips do not change performance profile on battery/on AC by default. It's always same performance/consumption, unless you specifically put it into Low Power mode. Which is more fair than Intel/AMD boys doing performance tests on AC and battery life tests at cut down 50% performance? )))

The author specifically indicated in the review that the tests were carried out in the maximum performance profile, and from the power supply. And it is clear from the tests that performance is gradually falling.
For any laptop battery, consuming more than 50W is a bad load. But we are not talking about PL1, but about PL2. It should always be maximum for the fastest possible response of the system and software. But it's difficult to understand this from the review.

The fact that Apple has reduced the memory speed in the M3 indicates obvious problems with overheating and consumption (including from the battery) even with the new technical process. Namely, real 400GB/s would be felt literally "at the tips of the fingers" by any consumer. But unfortunately this did not happen, but it only got worse...

Meh, bs, people are using them in clamshell mode 24/7. Even when it's open fans blow onto the screen lol.

It's more about torturing a high load with an external monitor and, for example, an eGPU, if it works on Macs with Arm. The screen definitely won't like 50C temperatures next to it. And this must be taken into account in such scenarios.

53-54C (idle 48-50C), fans still off after 23 mins 4K@60 video (got bored, temperature wasn't rising).

The resting temperature is clearly abnormal - you have problems with the cooling system.

Dell G5 5587 with i5 8300H (PL1=47W/PL2=75W) - fully silent with a crappy aluminum cooling system in a plastic case. 55-60C for youtube 4k@60fps (coolers turn on no earlier than 72-75C). With very tunning W10. At idle 37-42C (ambient ~24C). But the weight is 2.83 kg and the body dimensions for a 15.6 screen are almost the same as for a 17.3"..this is 2018 year...

Apple equipment in general is more difficult to resell, because its market is about 8 times smaller than the x86 market - exactly that much less will be willing to buy a second hand, and even without a guarantee at an exorbitant price. Especially outside the US/EU/Japan, where their market is still narrower.

[NikoB]

I never saw the point in reselling the Dell G5 5587. I only had this desire after the keyboard failed this summer, after almost 5 years, and despite the fact that I rarely used it. If it had not failed (which is why I am extremely dissatisfied given its actual frequency of use and not just me) I would not have changed it for another 5 years. For what? It is fast enough outside of games and supports the "top" 64GB of RAM.

At the beginning of the year, I replaced SSD with a more capacious and faster one and opened the case for the first time in 4 years - 2 coolers were pristinely clean - it amazed me, there was not even a hint of dust on the impeller! I haven't changed thermal paste or termopads for 5+ years. And G5 is still quiet.

Why replace or sell such a laptop if it is not defective?

[Neenyah]

Why replace or sell such a laptop if it is not defective?

It doesn't have a 4K 120 Hz screen nor it can output 8K@60fps so it's defective. Also no full-sized arrow keys while you are always praising those. Stand by your own words and upgrade immediately.

[NikoB]

Well, it doesn't, but I tried to find 18" 4k@120Hz with classical keyboard and good ports setup in this year and couldn't find anything on the market.
Dell G5 5587 has TB3 and eGPU support, so it won't be difficult for me to connect for example a future GTX5060 with DP2.1+ to support lossless 8k@60fps. And no matter how funny it is, I've still been waiting since 2013 for 8k monitors connected via one cable...