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Apple's MacBook Pro 16 with M4 Max is the best laptop for video editing

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Image source: Notebookcheck)
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Image source: Notebookcheck)
The new M4 Max SoC increases performance in all areas by 20-30%, further extending its lead over other comparable laptops. In addition to impressive single-core performance, the M4 Max is also one of the fastest chips in multi-core tests and even outperforms the GeForce RTX 4090 laptop in video processing.

We have just reviewed the latest MacBook Pro 16 with the new M4 Max SoC. Despite criticisms such as the high prices (especially for upgrades), limited performance under simultaneous CPU/GPU load and certain aspects such as the lack of maintenance options, the new M4 Max is an impressive processor. First off, the raw processor performance: in addition to extremely high single-core performance, which we also know from all other chips of the current M4 generation, the M4 Max raises the bar a good deal higher in terms of multi-core performance. With a total of 16 cores (12x performance + 4 efficiency), it is one of the fastest mobile processors ever. In our Cinebench 2024 benchmark, the new M4 Max is only slightly surpassed by another mobile processor, the overclocked and water-cooled Intel Core i9-14900HX in the XMG Neo 16, despite the significantly lower power consumption of the M4 Max. Here you have to switch to current desktop CPUs such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K or AMD's Ryzen 9950X to extract even more multi-core performance (but not single-core). The Ryzen 9 9900X, however, falls behind the M4 Max.

 

 

Cinebench 2024 / CPU Multi Core
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ultra 9 285K, WDC PC SN540 SDDPNPF-512G
2436 Points +18%
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9950X
2254 Points +9%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 16 (Early 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX (v6.92.6600, Overboost, Oasis)
2071 Points 0%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z (High Performance)
2069 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
2015 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9900X
1818 Points -12%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
1772 Points -14%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
1729 Points -16%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M3 Max
M3 Max 40-Core GPU, Apple M3 Max 16-Core, Apple SSD AP8192Z
1612 Points -22%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 16 Studio (Mid 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX, Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB
1393 Points -33%
Asus ProArt P16 H7606WI
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM
1201 Points -42%
Dell XPS 16 9640
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG80ZNV1T02
1001 Points -52%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 21KV001SGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG8AZNV1T02
999 Points -52%
Cinebench 2024 / CPU Single Core
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
178 Points 0%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
178 Points
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ultra 9 285K, WDC PC SN540 SDDPNPF-512G
144 Points -19%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M3 Max
M3 Max 40-Core GPU, Apple M3 Max 16-Core, Apple SSD AP8192Z
139 Points -22%
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9900X
138 Points -22%
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9950X
136 Points -24%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 16 (Early 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX (v6.92.6600, Overboost, Oasis)
122.6 Points -31%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 16 Studio (Mid 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX, Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB
118.8 Points -33%
Asus ProArt P16 H7606WI
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM
116 Points -35%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
115 Points -35%
Dell XPS 16 9640
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG80ZNV1T02
104 Points -42%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 21KV001SGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG8AZNV1T02
101.6 Points -43%
Geekbench 6.3 / Multi-Core
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
25760 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
22509 Points -13%
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ultra 9 285K, WDC PC SN540 SDDPNPF-512G (6.2.1)
21688 Points -16%
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9950X (6.2.1)
21383 Points -17%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M3 Max
M3 Max 40-Core GPU, Apple M3 Max 16-Core, Apple SSD AP8192Z
21243 Points -18%
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9900X (6.2.1)
20380 Points -21%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 16 (Early 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX (6.2.1, Overboost, Oasis)
19665 Points -24%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 16 Studio (Mid 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX, Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB (6.2.1)
17086 Points -34%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
16957 Points -34%
Asus ProArt P16 H7606WI
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM (6.2.1)
15367 Points -40%
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9 16IMH9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 9 185H, SK Hynix HFS001TEJ9X115N (6.2.1)
14031 Points -46%
Dell XPS 16 9640
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG80ZNV1T02 (6.2.1)
13656 Points -47%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 21KV001SGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG8AZNV1T02 (6.2.1)
12952 Points -50%
Geekbench 6.3 / Single-Core
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
3880 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
3836 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9900X (6.2.1)
3429 Points -12%
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9950X (6.2.1)
3408 Points -12%
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ultra 9 285K, WDC PC SN540 SDDPNPF-512G (6.2.1)
3306 Points -15%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 16 (Early 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX (6.2.1, Overboost, Oasis)
3109 Points -20%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M3 Max
M3 Max 40-Core GPU, Apple M3 Max 16-Core, Apple SSD AP8192Z
3096 Points -20%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
2916 Points -25%
Asus ProArt P16 H7606WI
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM (6.2.1)
2877 Points -26%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 16 Studio (Mid 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX, Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB (6.2.1)
2764 Points -29%
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9 16IMH9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 9 185H, SK Hynix HFS001TEJ9X115N (6.2.1)
2570 Points -34%
Dell XPS 16 9640
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG80ZNV1T02 (6.2.1)
2418 Points -38%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 21KV001SGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG8AZNV1T02 (6.2.1)
2389 Points -38%
Blender / v3.3 Classroom CPU
Dell XPS 16 9640
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG80ZNV1T02 (3.3.3)
306 Seconds * -83%
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 21KV001SGE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, Ultra 7 155H, Kioxia XG8 KXG8AZNV1T02 (3.3.3)
297 Seconds * -78%
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9 16IMH9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 9 185H, SK Hynix HFS001TEJ9X115N (3.3.3)
285 Seconds * -71%
SCHENKER XMG Pro 16 Studio (Mid 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX, Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB (3.3.3)
233 Seconds * -40%
Asus ProArt P16 H7606WI
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM (3.3.3)
214 Seconds * -28%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M3 Max
M3 Max 40-Core GPU, Apple M3 Max 16-Core, Apple SSD AP8192Z
194 Seconds * -16%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
167 Seconds *
SCHENKER XMG Neo 16 (Early 24)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX (3.3.3, Overboost, Oasis)
155 Seconds * +7%
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9900X (3.3.3)
151 Seconds * +10%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N (3.3.3)
150 Seconds * +10%
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ultra 9 285K, WDC PC SN540 SDDPNPF-512G (3.3.3)
123 Seconds * +26%
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 9950X (3.3.3)
118 Seconds * +29%

* ... smaller is better

In terms of raw GPU performance, the new M4 Max GPU with 40 cores is slightly weaker, but there is still a noticeable increase in speed compared to the old M3 Max GPU. Additionally, the MacBook offers the advantage of shared RAM, as the GPU is also able access it. Even the video memory of the RTX 4090 Laptop is limited to 16 GB, which is eventually reaches its limits in large projects, thereby affecting performance.

In addition to the raw GPU benchmarks, where the number of cross-platform tests is still limited, we also ran the PugetBench benchmarks for creative programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve on the MacBook and some other Windows test devices, as there has also been a native benchmark version for macOS and Apple's own processors for some time. 

Processor performance also plays a role in the Adobe tests and in Photoshop, where the M4 Max is clearly ahead of the Scar 17 with the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop. In Premiere Pro, the difference is minimal and the Scar 17 is ahead in two of four sub-tests, but the MacBook has the advantage in the overall score. DaVinci Resolve, which our editorial team also uses for video editing of YouTube reviews, is much more dependent on GPU performance. Although the M4 Max GPU actually clearly falls behind the RTX 4090 Laptop in terms of pure performance, the new M4 Max SoC is 12% ahead of the Razer Blade 16 with its Core i9-14900HX and RTX 4090 Laptop.


Photoshop PugetBench
Overall Score 1.01
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
13859 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
12494 Points -10%
Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 M4
M4 10-Core GPU, M4 (10 cores), Apple SSD AP0512Z
10502 Points -24%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
9128 Points -34%
Tuxedo Gemini 17 Gen3 AMD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX, Samsung SSD 990 EVO 2TB
8197 Points -41%
General Score
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
121 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
115 Points -5%
Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 M4
M4 10-Core GPU, M4 (10 cores), Apple SSD AP0512Z
103 Points -15%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
87.7 Points -28%
Tuxedo Gemini 17 Gen3 AMD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX, Samsung SSD 990 EVO 2TB
85.3 Points -30%
Filter Score 1.01
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
159 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
135 Points -15%
Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 M4
M4 10-Core GPU, M4 (10 cores), Apple SSD AP0512Z
107 Points -33%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
95 Points -40%
Tuxedo Gemini 17 Gen3 AMD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX, Samsung SSD 990 EVO 2TB
78.8 Points -50%
Premiere Pro PugetBench
Overall Score 1.1
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
12412 Points
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
12157 Points -2%
Tuxedo Gemini 17 Gen3 AMD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX, Samsung SSD 990 EVO 2TB
9303 Points -25%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
8835 Points -29%
Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 M4
M4 10-Core GPU, M4 (10 cores), Apple SSD AP0512Z
4903 Points -60%
LongGOP 1.1
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
113 Points
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
97.9 Points -13%
Tuxedo Gemini 17 Gen3 AMD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX, Samsung SSD 990 EVO 2TB
90.2 Points -20%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
86.9 Points -23%
Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 M4
M4 10-Core GPU, M4 (10 cores), Apple SSD AP0512Z
52.3 Points -54%
Intraframe 1.1
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
198 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
141 Points -29%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
110 Points -44%
Tuxedo Gemini 17 Gen3 AMD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX, Samsung SSD 990 EVO 2TB
103 Points -48%
Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 M4
M4 10-Core GPU, M4 (10 cores), Apple SSD AP0512Z
67.5 Points -66%
RAW 1.1
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
217 Points +52%
Tuxedo Gemini 17 Gen3 AMD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX, Samsung SSD 990 EVO 2TB
181 Points +27%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
143 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
125 Points -13%
Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 M4
M4 10-Core GPU, M4 (10 cores), Apple SSD AP0512Z
93.2 Points -35%
GPU Effects 1.1
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PYV-LL053X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX3D, SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N
93.4 Points +26%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
74.4 Points
Tuxedo Gemini 17 Gen3 AMD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, R9 7945HX, Samsung SSD 990 EVO 2TB
44.8 Points -40%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2024 M4 Pro
M4 Pro 20-Core GPU, M4 Pro (14 cores), Apple SSD AP2048Z
39.7 Points -47%
Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 M4
M4 10-Core GPU, M4 (10 cores), Apple SSD AP0512Z
17.6 Points -76%
DaVinci Resolve PugetBench - Extended Score 1.1
Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
M4 Max 40-Core GPU, M4 Max (16 cores), Apple SSD AP1024Z
8747 Points
Razer Blade 16 2024, RTX 4090
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-14900HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
7802 Points -11%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GA605WI
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
5804 Points -34%
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9 16IMH9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Ultra 9 185H, SK Hynix HFS001TEJ9X115N
5688 Points -35%

The tide may turn again in just a few weeks with the new RTX 5000 generation from Nvidia. AMD Strix Halo will also be another competitor that can access all of the RAM. But as things stand, the M4 Max SoC is the best choice for users wanting to edit videos on the go. Add to that the very high efficiency, one of the best laptop screens, high-quality sound system and the many ports. The M4 Max model can also be ordered with up to 128 GB of RAM and an enormous 8 TB of SSD storage. The extra cost may bring tears to your eyes, but at least these options are available.

In sum, the MacBook Pro 16 is one of the best multimedia notebooks on the market at the end of 2024. The performance of the M4 Max is enormous, although most users will also be completely satisfied with the significantly cheaper M4 Pro. All further information on the two processors in the MacBook Pro 16 (including extensive benchmarks and measured values) is available in our detailed test reports:

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 12 > Apple's MacBook Pro 16 with M4 Max is the best laptop for video editing
Andreas Osthoff, 2024-12-16 (Update: 2024-12-16)