How does the MacBook Pro M4 perform with complex video effects compared to the 16-inch MacBook Pro with Intel Core i9

Performance Comparison

- Scene Rendering Performance: The MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip offers up to 7.8x faster scene rendering performance with Maxon Redshift compared to the 16-inch MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i9[3][6]. This indicates a substantial improvement in handling complex graphics and video effects.

- GPU Performance: The M4 Max chip includes up to a 40-core GPU, which provides a significant boost in GPU-intensive tasks like video effects rendering. In contrast, the Intel Core i9 MacBook Pro relies on integrated or dedicated GPUs like the Radeon Pro, which may not match the M4 Max's GPU performance[3][6].

- Video Processing: The M4 Max also delivers up to 30.8x faster video processing performance in Topaz Video AI compared to the Intel Core i9 model[3][6]. This suggests that the M4 Max can handle complex video effects and processing much more efficiently.

- Real-World Video Editing: In real-world video editing scenarios, the M4 Pro (a less powerful variant of the M4 Max) has shown impressive performance in handling 4K and 6K footage, as well as complex timelines and effects in DaVinci Resolve[4]. While specific comparisons to the Intel Core i9 model are not detailed for the M4 Pro, the trend suggests that the M4 series generally outperforms older Intel-based models in video editing tasks.

Key Differences

- Architecture and Efficiency: The M4 chips are designed with Apple's proprietary architecture, which often provides better integration and efficiency in Apple's ecosystem. This can lead to smoother performance and better battery life compared to Intel-based models.

- Unified Memory and Neural Engine: The M4 Max offers up to 128GB of unified memory and a significantly faster Neural Engine, which enhances performance in AI-driven tasks and complex video processing[3]. This is a significant advantage over Intel Core i9 models, which typically do not have such integrated AI capabilities.

In summary, the MacBook Pro M4, especially with the M4 Max chip, offers superior performance in complex video effects and rendering compared to the 16-inch MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i9. The M4 series provides faster GPU performance, better video processing capabilities, and enhanced AI-driven task handling, making it a more powerful tool for video editors.