Lightroom Classic MacBook Pro 16-inch M1 Pro vs. MacBook Pro 14-inch M2 Max: Editing Performance Comparison

[Memdroid]

Dear Community,
I recently upgraded my 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Pro (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD) to a 2023 MacBook Pro M2 Max (12-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD). The MacBook Pro 16-inch was a significant improvement over my 2016 model and handled my R5 files with ease. However, as my editing demands grew, I began experiencing more frequent slowdowns.

I decided to move to a brand new 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Max (partially funded by my employer) for its portability and expected performance boost for my workflow. After migrating my files and selling the 16-inch model, I was excited about the upgrade. However, I have noticed that even on this newer machine, I sometimes encounter jerky performance, leading to increased fan noise and heat buildup, which is frustrating.

While many praise the MacBook Pro M2 Max for its fast file importing and exporting capabilities, few discuss or measure its performance during high-volume editing sessions.

I am a volume shooter, mainly capturing events and weddings. My typical editing workflow consists of using only Lightroom with GPU enabled (AUTO) and a 100GB Camera Raw cache.

• First, I quickly cull images from the Library Module with no issues.
• However, after applying one of my basic presets and syncing it across the gallery (involving adjustments in Basic, Tone Curve, HSL, Color Grade, Detail, Lens Correction, and Calibration), I notice a decline in performance after editing around 60-90 images.
• As I continue to work on approximately 150-180 images, the RAM usage nears its limit.
• Beyond 250 images, RAM flooding occurs, leading to significant slowdowns, accompanied by loud fan noise and excessive heat.
• The Crop tool, which was smooth at the beginning, becomes choppy.

To resolve this, I have tried closing Lightroom and using CleanMyMac to purge RAM, but the problem persists after restarting. I experienced similar issues with the MacBook Pro 16, with its "weaker" chip and much less RAM and this has left me quite disappointed, especially considering the noise and performance inconsistencies which the 16 inch did not exhibit. Battery life is also significantly reduced.

I suspect there might be something wrong with my editing workflow, and I would greatly appreciate your input on how to optimize it to make the most of the supposed power of this machine. Alternatively, I wonder if high-end devices like this struggle with handling R5 RAW files regardless of the setup.

Thank you for your insights and suggestions.

 

[koenkooi]

I use an external thunderbolt SSD and noticed that recent macOS versions don’t like the Samsung 970 EVO, so I switched to a WD black. Much fewer slowdowns in LR on an M1 air.
But like you, I still get slowdowns after a while on the M1 air, but I don’t have any slowdowns on my Mac Studio (after the SSD change). So your RAM observation makes sense, 16GB will fill up much quicker than 64GB!