## The most advanced MacBook Pro continues to show the superior performance of Apple Silicon processors. In return, the machine is big, heavy and not suitable for gaming like ## Windows laptops. On the market today, MacBook Air using Apple M1 chip is an attractive choice with good performance, good battery and a price of less than 20 million. In the opposite direction, Apple also has two 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with optimal design for tasks requiring high performance, and also very well optimized energy, with the same price depending on the configuration. can range from 50 to more than 100 million. In that price range, of course the 2023 16-inch MacBook Pro model easily meets all my needs. After more than 2 months of use, the MacBook convinces me in terms of performance, especially its ability to run at its maximum even when not plugged in and the heat output is only equivalent to the iPhone when playing heavy games. However, the MacBook experience also has points that make me “remember” a Windows machine. ## As powerful as a desktop but as “cool” as an iPhone The MacBook I use is a 16-inch Pro 2023 model, with a 12-core M2 Pro chip, 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB SSD. Despite the big difference in platform, operating system, benchmark scores are still the basis for comparing performance between devices. The MacBook Pro 2023 model scored 2,650 single-core points in the Geekbench application. Meanwhile, Intel’s top Intel CPU model is the i9 13980 HX with only 2,139 points in the same test. With only 12 cores, the M2 Pro processor still collects about 14,400 multi-core processing points, less than the 21,000 points of the 13th generation i9. However, the 13980 HX’s processor core is twice that of the chip from Apple. Similar to Cinebench R23, the M2 Pro processor maintains a stable score of about 1,600 single-core points and 14,000 multi-core points. During the process, the Apple chip only consumes a maximum of about 45 W of power, stable at about 40 W. The M2 Pro clock is also kept at about 3.3-3.5 GHz, of 8 high-performance cores. When forced to run at maximum, the fan inside the 2023 MacBook Pro is still at a mellow level, not making a loud noise. This is a big difference from the 13-inch Intel-powered MacBook Pro model I used last year. The case mainly warms up close to the screen, near the heatsink slot, but the difference is insignificant, less affecting the experience. Even after 10 continuous Cinebench test runs, the machine still ensures the same stable performance as the first time. Using a heat gun to test, the hottest area of the device is only about 42-45 degrees Celsius, equivalent to the hottest range of an iPhone when playing games on a mobile network. Normal operation is quite cool, but the MacBook makes for an uncomfortable charging experience. The included charger has a capacity of 140 W, and when plugged in, it heats up most of the keyboard and palm rest, making me not want to use it in the past hot days. The high wattage helps the device charge faster, but I also don’t often need to charge it too fast unless on business trips. The MacBook feels like a phone, not to be used while charging and using. This experience is in stark contrast to a Windows computer, where I often have to plug in the charger to get maximum performance when I need it. One point that makes me quite confused is the temperature inside the processor, which is monitored by specialized software. When processing heavily, the app reports a level close to 100 degrees Celsius on high-performance cores. This is the level of throttling (overheating, performance reduction) on x86 architecture chips, but the M2 Pro is still stable at this heat point. Also, the 16-inch version I’m using will have slightly better sustained performance than the 14-inch model with the same configuration. Large space in the body for better passive heat dissipation. The large heatsink also supports better convection airflow. Meanwhile, for an Intel or AMD chip, the laptop version, to achieve equivalent performance, they must use a lot of power, up to over 100 W. Windows laptops also always need a very large power supply. to provide enough electricity. Accompanying that is a high heat level, requiring a bunker fan, taking up area in the body. Another big plus of MacBooks using Apple Silicon chips is the actual battery life. During use, the device often works for 8-9 hours per charge despite high frequency of use. That means with days of meetings, not working continuously on the computer, I don’t even need to plug in the charger. ## Not all “professional” users are suitable for MacBook Pro Targeted at work users, Apple’s MacBook Pro does not have the same customer base as Windows workstation models. The “rock pot” computers of Lenovo (IBM) or HP are aimed at construction, oil and gas, mechanics … with specialized software. MacOS is inherently not strong in this area. In addition, the group working on finance, accounting and needing to regularly use Excel software will also choose the Windows platform. The MacBook Pro model is more of a job for content creators, filmmakers, music producers, etc. Compared to the newly launched period, the number of applications compatible with ARM processor platform has increased significantly. Including the Adobe software suite I still use regularly. Photoshop, Lightroom Classic or Premiere Pro can now run on MacBook Pro 2023 without an emulator. The Adobe toolkit has the Link feature, which works on multiple apps. However, the Windows laptops I’ve used before are not powerful and optimized for this tool. On a Mac M2 Pro, I easily work on a partial effect for a Premiere Pro project in After Effects or do advanced tricks in Photoshop, while editing the image in Lightroom at the same time. My friend, who is a professional video editor based in Ho Chi Minh City, said that working efficiency has increased by about 40% since switching to the 2023 MacBook Pro model. Not only rendering time, manipulation on applications The application is also smoother, more stable and faster. Not too complicated 3D effects, noise processing or 10-bit color can all be done on this MacBook model, instead of a dedicated workstation. In addition to hardware, Apple also creates many auxiliary software such as Final Cut Pro for editing, Logic for making music. Compared to other apps, Apple’s “original” software is better optimized. However, the power of the Apple M2 chip makes this optimization not too necessary. In addition, the difference of the MacBook Pro 2023 lies in the optimization of power. I was able to complete all of the above work with the machine’s battery, no need to plug in the power. Windows laptops will only operate at peak performance when plugged in. It is this that turns the MacBook model into a true mobile workstation. ## What makes me “remember” a Windows laptop In return, the device’s gaming capabilities are very limited. The best optimized game for this machine is Resident Evil Village. This game runs at about 60-70 fps, on the high-resolution screen of the 16-inch MacBook Pro. This is also a rare AAA game developed to exploit the Metal Apple-developed graphics library. Dota 2, CS: GO or League of Legends are also eSports games that can be played on MacBooks. However, the number of games available on Apple computers is still very modest when compared to Windows, especially when Microsoft already has a PC Game Pass package with dozens of games on its platform. This is a weakness that cannot be overcome soon because game developers are still using Open GL or the Direct library from Microsoft to build games. I have a few times to play League of Legends on the device, the game runs fine at high settings, the frame rate is 80-100 fps, dropping to 60 when in combat. However, the game must run through the Rosetta 2 interpreter, so the device is very hot and drains the battery. A single match can cause a 16-inch MacBook Pro to lose 30% of its battery, equal to 3-4 hours of heavy work. The lack of USB-A ports is also a minus point to mention. This is still a common connection, used for many accessories, specialized equipment, for work. After using it for a while, I find the 2023 MacBook Pro as Apple’s “all-in-one” answer, instead of wondering according to the purpose of use like a Windows laptop. In the Windows world, laptops with good batteries, thin and light like Dell XPS, LG Gram are often limited in performance. In contrast, the aggressive gaming line including Asus ROG or Alienware has a large size, heavy charger, and lacks portability. In fact, with a size of 16 inches, the MacBook Pro 2023 is still a big, thick and heavy laptop. When using the machine, I determined it wouldn’t be as portable as the 13-inch MacBook Air or Pro. The performance of the machine is outstanding and can be maxed out without the battery, but if you only have a single computer, this will not be the best choice for people who are often on the go. Given this need, I would probably consider the 14-inch MacBook Pro or some of the aforementioned Windows models. If you want to balance work and gaming with a cost of 80 million, my possible choice is to install a rig with a new i7 CPU and RTX 4090 graphics card. Photo and video editing performance may be poor. slightly compared to the MacBook model, but the gaming experience will be superior.
