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How will 64GB of memory in the MacBook Pro with M1 Max affect power consumption?

I currently have an early 2013 MacBook Pro with a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 (quad-core) processor and 16GB of RAM. This computer has served me very well and it has outlasted my previous MacBook Pro, as I maxed out everything on it except the storage space. I have been waiting for the transition to Apple Silicon to upgrade. When reading about the previous Intel-based model some time ago, I learned that upgrading from 32GB to 64GB of RAM would make a significant difference in power consumption and, therefore, battery life. (I forget where I read this.)


Since Apple has moved to a unified memory architecture, it seems that in order to get the same total memory as an Intel-based MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM and 8GB of video memory, you'd need 40GB of unified memory. I understand there are advantages in the unified memory since it eliminates duplication and increases speed (as there isn't as much need to move data around), and that this offsets the lower amount of total memory to at least some extent, but I'd still prefer as much memory as possible.


So my question is - will upgrading from 32GB to 64GB of memory with the M1 Max make a significant difference to power consumption and battery life? I don't know enough about the difference in processor architectures to know whether the amount of memory will have the same impact as it would in the Intel-based x86 system. I'd appreciate any guidance you can provide about the amount of memory that might be best for me, and the tradeoffs (besides cost) of maxing out the memory in a MacBook Pro.

Posted on Oct 30, 2021 6:17 PM

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Posted on Oct 31, 2021 12:10 AM

The specifications that I quoted are from the 14-inch model. 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models have different battery and power specifications.


The configuration of your MacBook Pro, such as Chip, Memory, Storage, etc. has little to no effect on battery life.


Jack

3 replies

Oct 30, 2021 10:43 PM in response to Landyn M

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.


All the battery life information applies to all the new MacBook Pro models: MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch - Technical Specifications - Apple.

Battery and Power
Up to 17 hours Apple TV app movie playback
Up to 11 hours wireless web
70-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
67W USB-C Power Adapter (included with M1 Pro with 8-core CPU)
96W USB-C Power Adapter (included with M1 Pro with 10-core CPU or M1 Max, configurable with M1 Pro with 8-core CPU)
USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable
Fast-charge capable with 96W USB-C Power Adapter


Cheers,


Jack

Oct 30, 2021 11:54 PM in response to Jack-19

Since the battery life isn’t listed for each model, are you certain that the amount of memory makes no significant difference it battery life? It occurs to me that the battery life could be listed as identical for all 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, or perhaps these numbers are an average for the sake of simplicity. I’m not sure that the battery life was listed as different for the previous Intel-based MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM as compared to the same computer with 32GB RAM, and yet apparently this made a difference. Thanks for your help!

How will 64GB of memory in the MacBook Pro with M1 Max affect power consumption?

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