Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

Apple’s latest MacBook Pro demolishes the Mac Pro in a new test

By

Apple’s new M1 Max and M1 Pro chips have received nothing but high praise since their launch in the latest MacBook Pros. Now, a recent benchmark compares them to the 2019 Mac Pro — and it’s not good news for the $6,000 desktop.

In a ProRes benchmark test, the new MacBook Pro proved to be up to three times faster than the Mac Pro. What does that mean for the future of the Mac Pro?

apple m1 max chip
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There have been numerous benchmarks comparing the M1 Max and M1 Pro to Windows-based platforms, but Apple’s latest and greatest chips have rarely been tested against its previous high-end release, the Intel-based 2019 Mac Pro.

Recommended Videos

The purpose of the test was to measure how long it took the new MacBook Pro to perform ProRes video exports and then to test how long it takes the Mac Pro to do the same. An additional test was performed where the Mac Pro was equipped with an Afterburner card, meant to increase its video exporting speed.

Related

In the ProRes export speed test, the M1 Max MacBook Pro only took 76 seconds to complete the task. The Mac Pro took much longer: 233 seconds. When equipped with the Afterburner card, the time was reduced to 153 seconds.

This means that the M1 Max-based MacBook Pro is up to three times faster than the Intel-based Mac Pro (at least in this scenario), and twice as fast when compared to the Mac Pro with an Afterburner card. That’s an outstanding result for the new M1 Max chip, especially considering that the Mac Pro was always the best that Apple had to offer.

A Macbook Pro sits in the dark, illuminated by its own screen.
Martin Sanchez/Unsplash

The test was performed by Macworld. The best possible configuration of the 2019 Mac Pro including the 28-core Intel Xeon W processor is what’s needed to attempt to match the Apple silicon found in the MacBook Pro. It’s worth noting that the use of the Afterburner card is equivalent to a single ProRes decoder, whereas the MacBook Pro includes two ProRes encoders and decoders, immediately putting the Mac Pro at a disadvantage.

Although the MacBook Pros reign supreme right now, things may change in 2022. Many rumors point to Apple gearing up to release two Mac Pro models in the upcoming year, one based on an Intel chip and one on Apple’s own silicon. Considering that the Mac Pro has historically been Apple’s best offering, the 2022 version might bring previously unmatched performance.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Monica J. White
Monica J. White
Computing Writer
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
The performance downgrade made to the M4 Pro that no one is talking about
Someone using a MacBook Pro M4.

I've spent this whole week testing the new M4 chip, specifically the M4 Pro in both the Mac mini and 16-inch MacBook Pro. They are fantastic, impressive chips, but in my testing, I noticed something pretty surprising about the way they run that I haven't seen others talk much about. I'm talking about the pretty significant change Apple made in this generation to power modes.

First off, Apple has extended the different power modes to the "Pro" level chips for the first time, having kept it as an exclusive for Max in the past. The three power modes, found in System Settings, are the following: Low Power, Automatic, and High Power. The interesting thing, however, is that in my testing, the Low Power drops performance far more this time around.

Read more
Apple faces challenges with bringing OLED to the MacBook Air
The MacBook Air on a white table.

A report from Korean outlet The Elec suggests the OLED MacBook Air that Apple was allegedly planning to release in 2027 could face significant delays. While progress for the OLED MacBook Pro seems to be going smoothly, the price increase caused by the new display technology is a much bigger problem for the budget MacBook Air models.

One of the biggest selling points of the MacBook Air is its lower price, making it great for first-time Mac buyers, students, and anyone else who doesn't expressly need the power of a Pro. While price increases are a natural part of the tech industry, the slightly disappointing sales of the 2024 OLED iPad Pro suggest that a new display simply isn't enough of an incentive for consumers to justify a higher price tag.

Read more
The M5 MacBook Pro may be another boring update
MacBook Pro with M4

The recently announced 2024 MacBook Pro lineup is not even on the market yet, but there is already buzz about the next two generations of the laptop series. Speculation suggests that there likely won’t be any exciting features on the Apple device until 2026.

There have already been rumors circulating, which indicate the MacBook Pro may upgrade from a mini-LED display to an OLED display in 2026, has been speculated for many months. Industry analysts, including Ming-Chi Kuo and Ross Young, have stated that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are set to remain as mini-LED displays in 2025.

Read more