Apple

Hey all - I am a video editor by day, photographer on my free time. Usually dealing with h264 files either from a Sony or GoPro, with occasional RED or other codecs. RAW for photo. Working in Premiere, After Effects, and Resolve. Lightroom + PS for photo.

I have FCPX and would use it if the industry adopted it, but alas. So that speed doesn’t get taken advantage of.

Here’s the kicker. I currently have a Mac Studio M1 Max with 64gb ram. I absolutely love it and have no intention of replacing it. I am, however, replacing a 2019 intel i9 MBP, which used to be my main machine and now became a side.

I want to continue the desktop + side machine (I believe the Studio likely has better cooling, allowing it to run difficult tasks for much longer without complaining, and more bang for buck). Given the new M3 release, Black Friday deals on Airs, and refurbished, I’m a little torn between an M3 MBP, or an M2 Air or MBP.

Keep in mind I’d like to spend somewhere between $1200-$1500, looking for something small and complimentary to the studio. My goal is to have something capable of continuing an edit while traveling, or getting out of the house for a bit. The i9 was bulky for a side machine, slow, hot and loud. That being said, I’m interested in bang for buck on base models, not maxing out chips.