New MacBook Pros M4 Pro (2024)

Hi

How much RAM is acceptable for Resolve? I know what the system requirements say but asking here for real world experience.

I'm aiming to get the following spec:

M4 Pro
14-Core CPU
20-Core GPU
24GB RAM
1TB SSD

My query is mainly on RAM. Is there any point in upgrading to 48GB or will the changes be insignificant? We all know Apple prices are extortionate so wondering if I should save the extra spend or is it a false economy?

My main work is editing 4K videos, sometimes mulitcam, grading, sound mixing, etc. I don't do any crazy composites on Fusion but would like to play around and have enough horsepower to do so.

Thanks
G

If you regularly need to use temporal effects like NR, Speed Warp etc. better go for 48. The rule of thumb we noticed for Macs during extensive tests is 2 GB per GPU core. If you have less, it’ll not only get much slower (while still stable), but ruin your internal SSD in the long run. That would mean a very expensive MoBo replacement.
Of course, occasional swapping doesn’t kill your SSD right away.

If you regularly need to use temporal effects like NR, Speed Warp etc. better go for 48. The rule of thumb we noticed for Macs during extensive tests is 2 GB per GPU core. If you have less, it’ll not only get much slower (while still stable), but ruin your internal SSD in the long run. That would mean a very expensive MoBo replacement.
Of course, occasional swapping doesn’t kill your SSD right away.

Hi Uli

Thanks for your informative response. That's exactly the type of answer I needed to hear. I do make occasional use of NR but not regularly. Same goes for Speed Warp.

I am looking for longevity and not a quick solution/upgrade. Having said that, the cost of RAM on Macs ...ufff

G

…I do make occasional use of NR but not regularly. Same goes for Speed Warp.

I am looking for longevity and not a quick solution/upgrade. Having said that, the cost of RAM on Macs ...ufff

I second the ufff
But while those guys who are claiming that RAM in a Mx Mac counts twice as much as in a PC are talking BS, the very efficient use of the existing RAM between CPUs and GPUs is nothing short of impressive.
I often keep DR, Topaz Video AI (TVAI), Affinity Photo, a Safari window with quite a few tabs, and even a few smaller programs like Music open. Sometimes I even edit in DR while rendering an upscale in TVAI (but not rendering finals in DR). The system simply doesn't crash. Try that with an Nvidia card with less than 24 GB VRAM and the price for RAM doesn't seem so high any more.

Edit: Seen first teardown of a Mac mini today, and it looks like the SSD is user-replaceable! Maybe not 3rd party, but at least from Apple (thank you, EU?). And even the base model is RAIDed. So, if you ruin yours by swapping, there's hope. I have to revise my advice about RAM: 24 GB for 16 GPU cores should be fine for the average user.
So, let's see what about the MBP.

I third the ufff

I saw you replied to a similar question on another post

"Edit: Seen first teardown of a Mac mini today, and it looks like the SSD is user-replaceable!" Yeah I saw that too.

I'm going to wait and see what more real-world reviews say. Never really bothered by benchmarks myself.

G

For 4K editing and occasional Fusion, 24GB should handle it fine, but 48GB is best