The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

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The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 15, 2020 7:52 pm

Apple starts delivering M1 Mac laptops and Minis tomorrow according to the MacRumors thread on order/shipping status.* This makes it highly likely that benchmarks will be published on Tuesday if not tomorrow evening. There are already "leaked" benchmarks floating around the internet, but it's impossible to know whether these are legitimate.

This launch is a big deal, for the future of both Apple and its computer architecture. I expect to see a lot of coverage, both by the online press and on YouTube. YouTube channels are likely to start covering video, photo and music performance by the end of the week. To take one example, Max Yuryev, who says that he ordered four M1 Macs, plans to compare M1 and Intel performance, and M1 performance by Davinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro. A couple of years ago, he made similar videos when Apple beefed up hardware integration and made the final change from 32-bit to 64-bit. I think that Yuryev has a bit of a "good news" bias, but those earlier videos were nevertheless in the ballpark.

Personally, I'm looking more to AnandTech for solid analysis of performance, but it may not publish for a couple of weeks.** Marques Brownlee is likely to be balanced from a non-technical perspective, but I think that he'll take his time, maybe going with a "first impressions" video before a real analysis.

I currently use a 2018 Mac mini, together with a lot of RAM and an external graphics card, to make videos and music. That makes me a hard sell for these first M1 Macs, which cap out at 16GB of RAM and won't communicate with an external graphics card. Nevertheless, I'll be following performance analysis with interest, not just for what these machines can do, but for what they mean as Apple migrates completely to this architecture. Hey, I know better than to purchase a first generation computer. Then again, I did buy the first iPad, the one that was widely ridiculed, which made my life a lot easier when I left a week later for two months of travel. The battery runtime on the M1 laptops is pretty enticing.

Linus, who has already dismissed the M1 Macs as glorified iPads, can be counted on for criticism. He's now doubled down on his glorified iPad salvo, and it will be interesting to see what he says when he has the real thing instead of a bunch of specs. This launch also presents an amusing quandary for forum participants who think that Grant Petty is God and that Tim Cook is Satan, seeing as how God is wasting no time making sure that his NLE works on Satan's new computers.

* This is the MacRumors subform for the M1 computers. The first sticky thread is on order status. There is also a thread, not sticky, specific to U.K. order status. If you're mildly interested in how Apple gets its computers from China to the rest of the world, these threads show how it's done: https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/app ... -macs.227/

** Coincident with the Apple launch event, AnandTech published an interesting article on what to expect: https://www.anandtech.com/show/16226/ap ... -deep-dive
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostMon Nov 16, 2020 1:49 am

I'm also looking forward to these reviews. I have two Macs at the moment; my daily driver is a 2014 Mac Mini with only 8 gigs of RAM and Intel integrated graphics; I use it for music recording and mixing as well as light video editing in both Resolve and FCPX; it has been fine for all that but stopped being useful for Resolve after version 15. For real work (music and video) I have a 2013 Mac Pro trashcan with 32 gigs of RAM and the dual GPUs. That machine should still serve my needs for a few years but I could see using a new Mini for my music and other audio work.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostTue Nov 17, 2020 5:14 pm

Marques Brownlee posted a review this morning. He focuses on the 13" MacBook Pro, which he says he has had for a week. I want to know if the Mac mini performs even better, and if so by how much. There should be lots more reviews, including of the mini, over the next few days.

It looks like Apple has knocked this out of the park, but I like Brownlee's advice toward the end of the review about patience.


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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostTue Nov 17, 2020 6:17 pm

Just read AnandTech's article, which was also published this morning: https://www.anandtech.com/show/16252/ma ... -m1-tested

Here's the short version from the conclusion, same metaphor that I used above: "Overall, Apple hit it out of the park with the M1."
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostTue Nov 17, 2020 7:21 pm

Is there any link for M1 beta ? I can't find it one their site.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostTue Nov 17, 2020 7:36 pm

John Spirou wrote:Is there any link for M1 beta ? I can't find it one their site.


The M1 is a computer chip, not an operating system. It's based on the same architecture that's used in the iPad and in iPhones. It will be replacing Intel chips in Mac computers, and Apple has just launched the first three M1 computers.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostWed Nov 18, 2020 1:18 am

Max Yuryev has published a video showing how the 13" MacBook Air, with 8GB of RAM, fares with benchmarks and with Final Cut Pro/Canon R5 footage. His approach isn't rigorous, but the message is clear enough. He plans to try out the 13" MacBook Pro with DaVinci Resolve in the next few days:





Dave Lee, who uses Windows and Android, has all three M1 computers. Like AnandTech and Marques Brownlee, it appears that he has had several days to put his review together. He says that he redid tests several times because he was skeptical about the results he was getting. The numbers were correct. His review is fairly thoughtful:



Here are a couple of screen captures from Lee's review. The first shows Final Cut rendering time for ten minutes of 5K RED Scarlet-W footage. The second shows battery life for the two M1 laptops.


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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostWed Nov 18, 2020 5:34 pm

The M1 is amazingly impressive when it comes to bang for buck!
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostWed Nov 18, 2020 6:10 pm

This is the first video in English that shows the iPadOS video editing app LumaFusion running on an M1 computer, in this case an 8GB RAM MacBook Air. The issue is how LumaFusion, an app designed for an iPad touchscreen, will fare. This is a short demo, but encouraging. LumaFusion's keyboard shortcuts appear to work fine. If you understand Japanese (I don't), there's a longer, more detailed video that was uploaded yesterday.


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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostWed Nov 18, 2020 7:03 pm

John Gruber aka Daring Fireball, who has had an M1 MacBook Pro for the last week: https://daringfireball.net

His conclusion:

"Folks used to say that no one gets fired for buying IBM. Similarly, no one ever won by betting against Intel and the x86 architecture. Intel always won.

"Until now, that is, when it’s clear they’ve lost. Apple’s two previous Mac architecture transitions were made from positions of desperation — they were jumping the Mac from sinking ships. This transition from Intel to Apple Silicon has clearly been made from a position of overwhelming strength. Yes, we still haven’t seen the Apple Silicon chips for high-performance MacBook Pros, let alone for desktop workstations. Many technical questions remain for the remainder of this transition. But the M1 is a rousing start. Apple surely could have initiated this transition a few years ago, but they waited until the effect would be colossal, the advantages undeniable. I chatted with one Apple employee who’d been using this hardware for months, and after it was unveiled, his daughter texted him to ask if the new MacBooks were faster than hers. “Much” was his one-word response. Then he texted again: “Much much.”

"You can add as many muches as you want, and it won’t convey the seismic shift the M1 represents. No one talks about not getting fired for buying IBM anymore. Soon, no one will think you always lose betting against Intel and x86.

"Think different, indeed."
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostWed Nov 18, 2020 8:03 pm

I hope to see a performance comparison between a Mac Mini M1 and a PC with the same amount of RAM and an Intel i7 or Ryzen 9 CPU with a 3080 GPU running Resolve Studio. I don't know if anyone will be doing this but that will give me a sense of where the mini M1 (without EGPU because it's not available) is. If the performance is competitive, I might want to get a mini M1 instead of upgrading my PC with a 3080 gpu.

Also what is the possibility of an EGPU for the Mac Mini M1 happening?
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostWed Nov 18, 2020 8:30 pm

This is a screen capture from a YouTube video made by a fellow named Roger Seng. He has a 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD M1 Mac mini. He prefers Premiere Pro as an editor, but has a copy of Final Cut. Here, he used Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro to render a five minute, colour graded 4K clip. Adobe has not yet optimised Premier Pro for the M1 chip. It's running under the Rosetta 2 emulator.

Looking forward to a similar comparison between Final Cut and DaVinci Resolve 17 beta, which Blackmagic says has been optimised.


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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostThu Nov 19, 2020 2:59 pm

Alex Jordan tests the $700 8GB RAM M1 Mac mini with Davinci Resolve 17 beta:




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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostThu Nov 19, 2020 3:25 pm

At this point, I'd like to see a video showing how one of these computers could be incorporated into a real-life workflow. For example, Kays Alatrakchi gives a practical use case in an earlier, pre-launch thread:

"In about a week or so these machines will get into the hands of consumers, and we'll see what the real world performance is actually like.

"I'm not expecting to do massive color grades or heavy VFX stuff on them, but getting a rough cut together in Resolve or Premiere should be quite doable even on a Mac Book Air.

"If I'm traveling, I don't want to be dragging my workstation everywhere I go. These new ARM Macs seem like they could be the perfect solution for location editing."

These computers look promising with Final Cut and DaVinci, but the screen capture two posts up raises a question about Premiere Pro, which is not yet optimised for the M1 chip.

We might see videos along these lines from people like Steve Martin/Mark Spencer (Ripple Training) and Jonathan Morrison.

Linus is being unusually quiet :)


Link To Kays's original post: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=125383#p686919
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostThu Nov 19, 2020 3:46 pm

I haven't been keeping up with this too much (down in the weeds tech stuff is not really my interest) but I'm curious to see how it plays out.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostThu Nov 19, 2020 4:15 pm

robedge wrote:Alex Jordan tests the $700 8GB RAM M1 Mac mini with Davinci Resolve 17 beta:

This is getting my attention. I'm a Windows DR user and if this basic M1 can do what my current PC would, it's impressive. What more if you get one with the full RAM and configuration? Performance will just be better. This videos are showing DR even in beta state so BMD might still be able to squeeze more out of it in later versions. I'll need to keep my eyes peeled on this machine. I also wonder if the fixes are applied to both branches of Resolve (Intel/AMD Win/Mac branch and M1 branch).
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostThu Nov 19, 2020 8:58 pm

This is insane. For mobility, this is the one.



Have anyone tried it with fusion?
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostFri Nov 20, 2020 12:32 am

Max Yuryev has uploaded a video that tests the 13" M1 8GB RAM McBook Pro with DaVinci Resolve 17 beta, Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro. He says that he'll also be testing the 16GB RAM version.


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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostFri Nov 20, 2020 1:22 am

In response to a comment on the above video, Yuryev days that he's shooting the 16GB RAM video tomorrow and that it will be posted on Sunday, Monday at the latest.

Some M1 prices:

Mac mini, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD: US$1100*

13" MacBook Air, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $1450**

13" MacBook Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $1700


* Requires a monitor or an iPad via MacOS Sidecar.
** 7 core. The other two are 8 core.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostFri Nov 20, 2020 8:39 am

Some of what I'm seeing on these videos is almost too good to be true, although it appears legit.

My curiosity is definitely piqued...if not for these entry level machines, but to see what "pro" machines might be able to achieve.

Perhaps this is the moment when Apple finally turns things around after being derided for well over a decade over their commitment to professionals.

I am cautiously optimistic that a new ARM Mac might be in my future.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostFri Nov 20, 2020 12:20 pm

I'm contemplating a couple of minis for live streaming but would need to have a solid windows solution in place for VMix.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 2:24 am

I intend to stay with Mac computers so I'll be purchasing a computer with the new architecture eventually. For my needs, the first three computers don't have enough power. I want to see what's coming next, and as part of that I want to see what Apple does about RAM and graphics processing. For example, there are a lot of people using Logic, including in film scoring, who need 64GB of RAM and up. Apple seems to be committed to virtual reality, which requires more graphics power. For me, one of the interesting questions is how Apple plans to accommodate these needs with an architecture that seems to get a good part of its power from unification of CPU, RAM and GPU. I find it interesting that I keep seeing the word unification, as distinct from the word integration, in discussions about these chips.

I think that talk about the "next generation" of these ARM computers may be wide of the mark. As John Gruber (link above) has pointed out, Apple has-been working on this for a long time. These first three computers may be just the first tranche in a gradual rollout. From a marketing perspective, they cover Apple's biggest sellers, while also creating a lot of interest in what's next. I hope to see a Mac that will meet my needs by June, might even be a bit sooner.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 3:12 am

Here's a review that uses Davinci Resolve beta 17.1 native.

But so far there are still no reviews on youtube that I've seen which are focused on the Fusion tab, with complex 2D, 3D and particle effects. That is my main concern because BMD says Fusion requires 16GB, but Fusion requires 32GB.

But, just speculating, if BMD says DV 17 requires 16GB on x86, but M1 can run effectively with 8GB -- maybe that means if Fusion in DV requires 32GB in x86, it could run relatively well with 16GB in Apple Silicon? Who knows. I'm waiting for tests using the Fusion tab with M1.

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 3:59 am

rsf123 wrote:
But, just speculating, if BMD says DV 17 requires 16GB on x86, but M1 can run effectively with 8GB


The videos that I've seen suggest that DaVinci Resolve 17 beta does require 16GB of RAM on these computers, which is what Blackmagic itself specifies.

Personally, I don't think that anybody should take seriously the idea of editing 4K video, let alone above, on an 8GB RAM machine. You can't add RAM later, and it strikes mean a pretty shortsighted way to save $200.

I realise that your main question is about Fusion. Judging from YouTube comments, a lot of people want to see the same tests that you do.
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 4:55 am

This review indicates the benefit, when using M1, of sticking to H.264, H.265 and Apple ProRes formats.

It makes me think that, if we use an M1 with 16GB RAM -- and take the extra steps of converting to Optimized Media and Proxies in ProRes format, then even with 16GB RAM it might just make it when used for heavy lifting work.

I am still waiting for someone out there to do a youtube review on how Davinci Resolve 17.1 native app works using the Fusion tab in Davinci Resolve, particularly 2D, 3D and particles.

So far, all the reviews on youtube have touched on all the tabs in Davinci except for the Fusion tab.

Even those reviews that allude to Fusion only refer to effects applied in the Edit tab. No one seems to have done a youtube review specifically on the Fusion tab.

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 10:20 am

I am quite disappointed that BRAW shows such bad performance on M1 chips running DR 17.1. :?
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 2:36 pm

rsf123 wrote:This review indicates the benefit, when using M1, of sticking to H.264, H.265 and Apple ProRes formats.

It makes me think that, if we use an M1 with 16GB RAM -- and take the extra steps of converting to Optimized Media and Proxies in ProRes format, then even with 16GB RAM it might just make it when used for heavy lifting work.






ishootyou.com wrote:I am quite disappointed that BRAW shows such bad performance on M1 chips running DR 17.1. :?


Both Max Yuryev (nine posts up) and this fellow tested with 8GB RAM computers. This guy raves about Davinci Resolve 17 beta with ProRes, but Yuryev, who was using a .MOV file, says that DR beta does not perform as well as Final Cut. Yuryev did not test Blackmagic Raw, which this fellow says performs poorly.* Yuryev correctly makes the point that this is the first DR 17 beta and that performance may improve.

Yuryev says that he is uploading a video tomorrow or Monday using a 16GB computer. That test is what interests me. From my point of view, it doesn't make any sense to purchase an 8GB machine for this kind of work when 16GB is only $200 more.

* He says that DR beta running both Blackmagic Raw and RED files performs poorly. However, his comment about RED files does not seem to square with Alex Jordan's second video (linked earlier in this thread).
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 3:09 pm

robedge wrote:
rsf123 wrote:This review indicates the benefit, when using M1, of sticking to H.264, H.265 and Apple ProRes formats.

It makes me think that, if we use an M1 with 16GB RAM -- and take the extra steps of converting to Optimized Media and Proxies in ProRes format, then even with 16GB RAM it might just make it when used for heavy lifting work.






ishootyou.com wrote:I am quite disappointed that BRAW shows such bad performance on M1 chips running DR 17.1. :?




Both Max Yuryev (nine posts up) and this fellow tested with 8GB RAM computers. This guy raves about Davinci Resolve 17 beta with ProRes, but Yuryev, who was using a .MOV file, says that DR beta does not perform as well as Final Cut. Yuryev did not test Blackmagic Raw, which this fellow says performs poorly. Yuryev correctly makes the point that this is the first DR 17 beta and that performance may improve.

Yuryev says that he is uploading a video tomorrow or Monday using a 16GB computer. That test is what interests me. From my point of view, it doesn't make any sense to purchase an 8GB machine for this kind of work when 16GB is only $200 more.


It's only a beta. ProRes is apple and they have the advantage in development I'm sure that BMD will have it working hopefully it's not something intrinsic in the new hardware that limits it.

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 3:13 pm

After 25 years I might purchase this new M1 just to travel but ill wait to see how these go. Mostly because I would need a fully functioning DRV with the speed editor.

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 4:02 pm

I only just purchased a maxxed out 2020 13" MBP this spring - I *must* go with 13" for mobility and all I use it for is a quick first raw cut on location. I have a beefy iMac for the real stuff. The new processors will open up many exciting possibilities and even though from a today's point of view one could expect me to be upset (just tossed out big $ and could have gone with far less today) I am happy and looking forward to the next MBP options to come.

At least I didn't buy that external GPU last month :D
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 21, 2020 6:35 pm

Max Yuryev's brother, Vadim, has posted a detailed comparison of the 8GB MacBook Air and 8GB MacBook Pro, which are US$1000 and $1300 respectively for the base models. People who are interested in a 16GB MacBook will find most of this video relevant. Max Yuryev plans to post a video tomorrow or Monday about 16GB M1s.


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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 22, 2020 5:04 am

rsf123 wrote:
I am still waiting for someone out there to do a youtube review on how Davinci Resolve 17.1 native app works using the Fusion tab in Davinci Resolve


Alex Jordan has now posted a video on Fusion using the 8GB RAM Mac mini:


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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 22, 2020 5:40 am

My take so far is that Marques Brownlee and Dave Lee are the only people to post videos that do a decent job of explaining the big picture. The two AnandTech articles are invaluable. So is John Gruber, aka Daring Fireball, if you take into account where he's coming from.

Max and Vadim Yuryev are producing helpful videos on nuts and bolts issues. I realise why they're playing this out, but please get to 16GB RAM already. Apparently Sunday or Monday.

So far, Jonathan Morrison is silent. It looks like he didn't have advance access, which surprises me. Anyway, he's capable of making a good video about real world use of a 16GB M1. Maybe in the next few days.

Still waiting to hear from Linus, who posted not one video just after the launch, but two, saying that these computers would be glorified iPads :)
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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 22, 2020 2:18 pm

Better than youtube Real World Perfomance metrics

https://www.slashcam.de/artikel/Test/Blackmagic-DaVinci-Resolve-GPU-Tests-mit-Apple-M1-MacBook-Pro-13-Zoll.html
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=apple-mac-m1&num=1
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Phoronix-Test-Suite-10.2-M1

Performance wise it's in line with expectations (5 nm, optimize software), the big disadvantage of apple silicon is that apple decides what you can do with the product you paid for(yes they can shut it down remotely), with intel silicon it was atleast still your product(you could run all x86 OS on it).
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Uli Plank

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostMon Nov 23, 2020 1:55 am

To summarize what I've read until now, these will be very nice laptops for DR if you need something for the road to edit and try some basic color corrections. No less, but also no more.

They beat high-powered laptops in terms of heat, noise, and power consumption and don't need to throttle down when not connected to mains. That's all, folks. They don't compete with a serious workstation, in case anybody was dreaming of that.

And it totally makes sense that Apple started with the low end. It's where they still sell high numbers, there are still lockdowns all over the world and X-mas is coming.

The next round may be iMacs and I'd really be interested, given their current thermal limits.
For a serious workstation, I'd still configure a strong PC. With the new collaboration features in 17, there could be a very nice workflow from trying out concepts wherever you are all the way to final delivery in high quality.
No, an iGPU is not enough, and you can't use HEVC 10 bit 4:2:2 in the free version.

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Hugh Antonio

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostMon Nov 23, 2020 10:54 am

robedge wrote:So far, Jonathan Morrison is silent. It looks like he didn't have advance access, which surprises me. Anyway, he's capable of making a good video about real world use of a 16GB M1. Maybe in the next few days.

Still waiting to hear from Linus, who posted not one video just after the launch, but two, saying that these computers would be glorified iPads :)


I tweeted Jonathan on Thursday as he’s normally pretty quick on Apple reviews but still I’ve had no response, maybe he’s waiting for a 16gb version but who knows.
I’m interested in the Resolve/BRAW playback and edit and currently selling my 2018 Mac mini and EGPU
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Hendrik Proosa

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostMon Nov 23, 2020 11:35 am

Can someone explain to me in simple words, why rendering a text or two in year 2020 in realtime is something that is considered a showcase of a powerful computer? Is computer science going backwards? This kind of stuff tends to float out a lot recently, "you need a supercomputer to do a gaussian blur on fullhd" kind of logic.
I do stuff.
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Hugh Antonio

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostMon Nov 23, 2020 3:04 pm

It’s probably from the YouTube generation as they tend to pump out videos every few hours so render times would be beneficial to them. However every time I hit the render button I leave it to do what it needs to do so not really a fan of speed rendering per say but things do move on and these kids just want to pump out as much content in as quicker time as possible
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John Spirou

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The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostMon Nov 23, 2020 6:24 pm

For me render speeds are very important... among others I make trailers for tv station, and they make many changes to my videos , many times in a day.
I have to re render everything 10 times or more for every trailer in a day.
Every minute matters to me the most!

Braw is fluid , I tried many clips in 4K and have no problem editing and making basic cc and effects.

Export times are good , on par with my main pc or better.
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Andrew Kolakowski

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostThu Nov 26, 2020 5:48 pm

robedge wrote:
rsf123 wrote:
But, just speculating, if BMD says DV 17 requires 16GB on x86, but M1 can run effectively with 8GB


The videos that I've seen suggest that DaVinci Resolve 17 beta does require 16GB of RAM on these computers, which is what Blackmagic itself specifies.

Personally, I don't think that anybody should take seriously the idea of editing 4K video, let alone above, on an 8GB RAM machine. You can't add RAM later, and it strikes mean a pretty shortsighted way to save $200.

I realise that your main question is about Fusion. Judging from YouTube comments, a lot of people want to see the same tests that you do.


Measure of good system and app is not about how much RAM it uses, but how little.
I would say that 8GB is for machine for home usage though. It should be plenty enough for typical everyday usage (specially for new Apple system).
If you plan to use it with Resolve, Photoshop, etc. then better to buy 16GB for sure mainly due to fact that you can't upgrade it later.
Also- don't apply BM recommendation for Intel system when talking about new Apple M1. Those are very different and there is enough proof out there that with optimised app M1 can work well with less RAM than x86 systems. With RAM you either have enough or not (for given tasks). Having plenty which is not used gives you nothing in terms of performance.
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Andrew Kolakowski

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostThu Nov 26, 2020 6:03 pm

Hendrik Proosa wrote:Can someone explain to me in simple words, why rendering a text or two in year 2020 in realtime is something that is considered a showcase of a powerful computer? Is computer science going backwards? This kind of stuff tends to float out a lot recently, "you need a supercomputer to do a gaussian blur on fullhd" kind of logic.


Exactly. On HD I expect at least 5x faster than RT exports for typical tasks.
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Andrew Kolakowski

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostThu Nov 26, 2020 6:14 pm

Uli Plank wrote:To summarize what I've read until now, these will be very nice laptops for DR if you need something for the road to edit and try some basic color corrections. No less, but also no more.

They beat high-powered laptops in terms of heat, noise, and power consumption and don't need to throttle down when not connected to mains. That's all, folks. They don't compete with a serious workstation, in case anybody was dreaming of that.


If you know at least a little about how computers work then you would never even thought about it :)

There is clearly enough proof now that M1 puts Intel based machines into shame though. What is important it that we are talking about final products (machines at user hands), not theoretical speed of processors/GPUs itself as those are not a good measure at all.
Those i9s are not for thin laptops for sure and everyone who tries to put them there (Apple, Dell etc.) simply wastes its possibilities (but they expected to do so by users, so keep doing it even if nothing good at all comes from it). They throttle like crazy, so actual (long term) performance is nothing what Intel promises. I'm sure Apple and others are very aware of it, but keep doing it due to demand (and to boost sales with PR i9 slogans) and also because there is/was nothing else on the market to use.
This is the key problem with those i9s. They need bodies like Schenker, but then it's different size league.
I think M1 has shown quite clearly that heat management and fabrication process is where Intel has not done much for last good years. It's time to re-think laptops need for power and how to deliver it. Apple has done first step, so hopefully others will also follow.
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Carlos Garcia-Diaz

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostFri Nov 27, 2020 6:35 pm

Andrew Kolakowski wrote:
Uli Plank wrote:There is clearly enough proof now that M1 puts Intel based machines into shame though.


Yep. To put this in the proper perspective, these machines run emulated rosetta2 apps as fast or faster than native/intel machines, and this is the first generation of this chip:

https://www.cultofmac.com/727483/rosett ... rformance/


Linus has walked back his initial comments a little bit, but I am disappointed in his comments on the M1 (purely uninformed statements).

The other part of this story is that Intel has been completely dropping the ball during the last 10 years. It's not just the M1, but look at how AMD/NVIDIA have been putting Intel to shame. The M1's performance/battery gains are not that hard to believe when seen in the context of Intel's downward trajectory (
). This is exactly what Apple has been complaining about and why this move makes so much sense.
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Andrew Kolakowski

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 28, 2020 12:02 pm

That 2nd video tells it all.
I hope same comes to desktop PC design. This 30 old approach ( big motherboard, ugly cases etc.) should be past by now. Same with interlaced video, SDR, Rec.709 and any reference to CRT white point etc.
In some way Apply has not done anything that amazing. It stands out only because others done so little.
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ricardo marty

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSat Nov 28, 2020 8:00 pm

Hope that power comes to the iPad pro with DVR, If possible. a real game-changer.


Ricardo Marty

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robedge

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 29, 2020 12:21 am

The discussions that I've seen on music forums about these M1 Macs have more to do with the future than with the utility of the first machines. The reason is that a lot of people who make music use a lot of RAM.

For example, Spitfire Audio's BBC Symphony Orchestra Pro emulates an entire orchestra. See first screen capture. It covers every BBC SO instrument and contains over 600GB of recorded instrument samples. Opened in a DAW, such as Logic, it requires a very large number of tracks. There are tracks, not just for every instrument, but in most cases for various ways that an instrument, such as a violin, is played. See second screen capture, which shows only a small portion of the track assignments in Logic. It shows 11 tracks for the piccolo alone.

People who use a complex virtual instrument such as BBC SO typically have 64GB or even 128GB of RAM, and a minimum of 32GB.

There's interest in seeing these M1 Macs, 16GB versions, tested with instruments like BBC SO to determine at what point they are overpowered by the memory demands of the instrument. So far, nobody has published a video on YouTube, or an article on a website, that answers this question.


BBC App.jpg
BBC App.jpg (105.38 KiB) Viewed 15067 times



BBC small.jpg
BBC small.jpg (245.75 KiB) Viewed 15067 times
Last edited by robedge on Sun Nov 29, 2020 9:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Ellory Yu

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 29, 2020 5:21 am

The Mac mini M1 with 16Gb RAM interest me a lot lately. If only I can find performance data that shows me it is very capable of

1. Bringing in 6K BRAW 24 fps 3:1 clips from P6K and 4.6K BRAW 60fps 3:1 clips to a 4K DCI timeline max
2. Can grade with NR and other filters up to 8 nodes per clip
3. As said, work on and playback smoothly on a 4K timeline to about 130 minutes of pictures
4. ACES 1.1 workflow
5. Import 5.1 Channel Audio track
6. Deliver/Render 4K resolutions and 10-bit intermidiary and mastering codec

Maybe this is just too much to ask but I'm in between splitting some money for this or a 3080 graphics card to upgrade my current workstation.
URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, Panasonic GH5
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John Spirou

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 29, 2020 5:47 am

You ask a lot for a 699$ machine!

Those M1 are just the first and entry level macs...if you want that much , just wait for the serious one, next year.
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Steve Fishwick

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 29, 2020 6:03 am

Carlos Garcia-Diaz wrote:The other part of this story is that Intel has been completely dropping the ball during the last 10 years. It's not just the M1, but look at how AMD/NVIDIA have been putting Intel to shame.


Intel's projected Alder Lake 12th Gen processor, if it ever sees the light of day, is a similar Big.LITTLE structure to M1, in that there are a combination of high powered and low powered energy efficient cores. Meaning the spread of processing is more balanced and not wasted. Apple, at the vanguard of this paradigm, for professional applications, may be changing the way we work forever.

There are already programmes that spread the processing tasks across cpu and gpu more evenly than DVR, such as Avid with it's Distributed Processing - 4K/UHD is much less tasking in Avid on hardware - I'm sure Adobe is similar. It makes sense with DR, for it's primary purpose of colour/restoration grading to heavily rely on gpu power but less so for editing, Fairlight and perhaps, as it stands, Fusion. DR for Big Sur/M1 uses this 'distributed processing' in hardware/OS, so it will be interesting to see how that branch of DR develops.

What remains to be seen is how arm based M1 macs address the ever growing need for ram. Many of us are confused as to how 16GB can be sufficient for high end tasks and as to whether the Arm based technology will ever have (or surely need?) 32, 64 and 128gb ram in pro hardware.
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Ellory Yu

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Re: The New Mac M1 Computers: Real World Performance

PostSun Nov 29, 2020 8:03 am

John Spirou wrote:You ask a lot for a 699$ machine!

Those M1 are just the first and entry level macs...if you want that much , just wait for the serious one, next year.

Probably... yes, wait for the serious one but that won't be cheap - so better just get a 3080 for my Windows PC.
The attraction here is the price for the performance.
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