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Windows user here, planning on switching to Mac. I'm thinking of buying the base M4 MacBook Pro (16GB RAM) when I start my Multimedia degree in college next year, will it handle the Adobe Suite and (light use of) Blender well? I won't be doing heavy 8k stuff, probably 1080p-4K at most.
Windows, Windows 10
It depends on what you mean by ‘handle well’. The base M4 will do everything you need, higher spec models will do it a bit faster. For a working pro, it’s often the case that ‘time is money’ but that’s probably not true for a student.
It depends on what you mean by ‘handle well’. The base M4 will do everything you need, higher spec models will do it a bit faster. For a working pro, it’s often the case that ‘time is money’ but that’s probably not true for a student.
I use multiple Adobe apps on my 2019 Intel i9 and 2021 M1 Pro MBP, and I don’t experience freezing or bugginess. Microsoft Teams is a different story.
The base M4 performs much better than the i9 and a bit better than the M1 Pro.
My advice is to contact the school you will be attending and ask what best supports the computing requirements of your area of study, the other students, and your professors. You want/need to be 100% compatible with the course of study.
Remember that neither RAM nor storage can be added after the Macbook Pro starts down the assembly line. The RAM and storage you buy today will be your "forever" RAM and storage, at least as long as you own the computer.
I strongly recommend up-ordering to the RAM and storage you think you will need 2-3 years from now. The base 16GB RAM is probably OK, BUT absolutely check with users in Adobe's user forums first! 512GB storage is, IMHO, getting tight when working with big files and apps—like multimedia.
We are ordering a new Macbook Pro M4 Pro 14 and an M4 iMac today and will be bumping the storage for both to at least 1TB, or maybe more as long as the credit card doesn't bleed!
I would like to know if it would frequently freeze, bug, or make my work a mess due to all this and other problems. Once again, consider my work as "moderate 1080p editing" at most.
That's what I'm constantly experiencing with Adobe on Windows, and I'd like to know if the base MBP, despite not being the best, would offer a better experience.
Allan Jones wrote:
Remember that neither RAM nor storage can be added after the Macbook Pro starts down the assembly line.
Very good point. That’s why the M4 Pro MBP that’s already rolled off the assembly line and according to DHL has left Hong Kong en route to me has the upgraded 48 GB memory option and 2 TB storage.
External SSDs are cheaper than additional internal storage and they’re pretty fast. But a memory upgrade at purchase is worth considering. The base M4 can be increased to 24 GB ($200) or 32 GB ($400). Bumping to 24 GB is definitely the better value.
I see, thanks for the info then. I guess I'm safe with the base M4.
That's true, I've asked former students and they said they used Macs all the way without any issue, and teachers used MacBooks as well, but even then, I should ask the university directly.
Check the system requirements according to Adobe.
https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/cs6-system-requirements.html
Will the base M4 MacBook Pro handle the Adobe Suite and Blender well?
