My 2021 M1 Max MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD
When the new M1 Max MacBook Pros were announced, they were everything I had wanted. I had been using a 2019 16" Intel MacBook Pro for two years and while it was a great machine, it often left much to be desired in the performance category. I threw everything at that machine from web and iOS development to photo-editing. I had been waiting for an M1-based machine and wanted to see what would be done for the 16-inch MacBook Pro update.
Apple did not disappoint. This machine has uncompromising performance in all areas, even including battery life. This laptop is a bit thicker and heavier than the previous generation but I'll gladly accept that for the added performance. There's 10 CPU cores, 32 GPU cores, more ports, amazing battery life and the SD card slot has returned. They even brought back the MagSafe port and introduced a beefy 140W power adapter that enables a fast charging mode; giving you 50% battery in 30 minutes.
I absolutely love this thing; even the new notch in the display doesn't bother me. I went with the following specs:
- 16-inch: I have my 11" iPad Pro for travel situations where size matters. For everything else I want a larger screen. I may be away from my display and need the extra real estate when designing or programming. I've had the 13" MacBook Pro in the past and I always wanted a larger display when using it alone for extended periods.
- 64GB RAM: This is my first machine to ever have 64GB of RAM. It's probably overkill but I wanted to give it a try.
- 2TB SSD: I've been getting 2TB for all of my machines in recent past. Just feels like 1TB is cutting it a bit too close for me at times. And I may be biased because older SSDs used to have higher performance with larger storage models, but I'm not quite sure that's a thing with Apple's insanely fast integrated SSDs.
- M1 Max: I opted for the top of the line 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU model.
The MacBook Pro spends most of its time plugged into my Apple Pro Display XDR. I usually have it hidden off to the side or behind the XDR with the BookArc stand from Twelve South so I can claim more desk space by having it mounted vertically. That being said I'm still waiting for them to update the BookArc with a new insert to support the added thickness of the new MacBook Pro.
A slightly older shot of my setup when I used a Keychron K2 keyboard.
While I love this setup, I primarily use my work MacBook Pro (another 16" machine with an identical config) and wish that my personal Mac was smaller. I'm considering replacing this machine with a 13" MacBook Air.
