As you can see in our review of the MacBook Pro 14-inch 2023, Apple's new laptop has everything creative pros need to power even the most demanding workloads. When it comes to specs, however, you face an important choice: whether to go with the standard M2 Pro chip or upgrade to the M2 Max chip.

We took the opportunity to benchmark the M2 Max chip and collect data on the M2 Pro version of the new MacBook Pro from our sister site Laptop Mag (opens in new tab). An important note: we have not yet tested the entry-level MacBook Pro 14-inch model. We will provide more detailed information and benchmarks as they become available.

In the meantime, here is a comparison of the M2 Pro and M2 Max based on our testing.

The MacBook Pro 14-inch starts at $1,999 / £2,149 / AU$3,199 and has a 10-core M2 Pro CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 512GB of SSD storage.

The M2 Pro version we tested has a 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage for $3,299. The M2 Max model we tested has a 12-core CPU, 38-core GPU, 64GB of memory, and 2TB of storage. This configuration is priced as high as $4,099/£4,349/ A$6,499.

In Geekbench 5, which measures CPU performance, the MacBook Pro 14-inch M2 Pro version scored 1,941 on a single core, while the M2 Max version did the same at 1,926. In the multi-core test, both models cleared 14,900, but the M2 Pro was again slightly faster.

Of course, Geekbench is not the only way to measure performance, but we were surprised to see the MacBook Pro M2 Pro slightly outperform the M2 Max chip.

Here's another surprise. In this test, we used the Handbrake app to transcode 6.5 GB of 4K video to 1080p and measured the time it took.

The new MacBook Pro 2023 with M2 Pro took only 4 minutes and 3 seconds, 48 seconds faster than the M1 Pro on the MacBook Pro 14". Curiously, the M2 Max version was slightly slower at 4 minutes 6 seconds. Not a huge difference, but this is the result of running the test three times and averaging the results.

We are now beginning to see a larger performance difference between the M2 Pro and M2 Max.

The PhotoShop test in PugetBench assigns scores based on how efficiently the system can perform a series of filters and other adjustments on a large number of high-resolution photos using scripts. The test also measures the time it takes each laptop to complete the task.

The MacBook Pro 14-inch M2 Pro scored a 988, with a time of 4 minutes and 20 seconds; the M2 Max chip scored a 1,199, 23 seconds faster. This means that the M2 Max is about 20% better in this test.

Now what about video editing: in the PugetBench Premiere Pro test, we took a 4K clip, applied the Lumetri Color effect, and added 12 clips across 4 tracks in a multi-camera sequence.

The MacBook Pro 14-inch M2 Pro scored 942, while the M2 Max chip scored 1,009. The difference is only 6.8%.

In the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, which measures SSD performance in both read and write speeds, expressed in (MBps), the MacBook Pro 14-inch M2 Max config topped the list. However, there is not much difference.

The M2 Max is just 0.4% faster in write speeds and 3.7% better in read speeds than the M2 Pro. Therefore, we definitely do not recommend buying based on this benchmark; the SSDs are nearly identical.

This is where the M2 Max's 38-core GPU comes in handy. In 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited, which measures graphics performance, the M2 Max chip recorded 60% faster frame rates than the M2 Pro.

Even in the more demanding Extreme test, the M2 Max outperformed the M2 Pro by 49%.

If the MacBook Pro 14" 2023 is to be used for serious gaming, the M2 Max chip is the best choice: In the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark, the M2 Max recorded 73 frames per second at 1920 x 1200 resolution and 34 fps at 3024 x 1964 resolution. resolution.

The M2 Pro chip recorded a solid 48 fps at lower resolutions, but could not exceed the 30 fps threshold at higher pixel counts. This means that the M2 Max is 40% faster in the first test and 47% faster in the second.

To be clear, both the M2 Pro and M2 Max can use the battery on the MacBook Pro 14-inch 2023 for extended periods of time; a 10+ hour endurance is impressive, especially with this amount of horsepower.

However, the M2 Pro version of the MacBook Pro lasted longer on a single charge, according to our battery test, which involved continuous web surfing at a screen brightness of 150 nits. The M2 Pro lasted just over 14 hours, which is about an hour longer than the M2 Max model.

This is a difference of about 9%, which is worth noting.

For me, the performance of the MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro would be sufficient for my everyday needs, with overall CPU performance comparable to the M2 Max and similar speed for tasks such as video transcoding.

However, for heavy photo and video editors, especially those who need maximum graphics performance, the M2 Max model is well worth it. And if you like to play games, the M2 Max is definitely the way to go.