Apple’s M1 Silicon has certainly been hogging the computing news spotlight in recent weeks, with many comparing its performance to Intel’s chips. Not all M1 Macs are the same, of course, and just don’t count the difference between the M1M B Kabuk Air and the M1M Mac Kabuk Pro. Also the MBQbook Pro (late 2020) offers two slightly different models with different RAM capabilities. Thankfully, someone took the time to benchmark these two types, and the results may surprise you.
It is probably logical to assume that the M1 Mac MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM will outperform one with only 8GB of RAM and that may be true in some cases. However, this is a simple approach that will literally cost when you decide which model to choose. Even benchmark tests don’t give a complete picture and you have to take them in context.
The YouTube channel Max Tech puts these two M1-powered MBQbook Pros through a series of tests and, depending on what is being tested, the difference in performance between the two is not as obvious. Activities that require more memory, such as exporting an 8K R3D RAW to 4K, are bound to get the 16GB RAM configuration completed quickly. For more CPU-intensive functions, however, the 8GB RAM model is not behind it.
The real loser in these tests is, surprisingly, Intel once again. Among the benchmarks will be the Intel Core i9MBBook Pro with 32GB RAM and the 2020 iMac with 16GB RAM in the same bpark as the M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM. Considering that it costs two or three times as much to run an Intel-powered mess, the result is almost embarrassing for Intel.
The benchmark is not exactly the shiny recommendation of the 8GB RAM M1M B Kabuk Pro, just because, in most use cases, it will suffice. As always, buyers have to keep in mind what they want to use in the long run, but they can rest assured that even the cheapest model is no slouch.
