03-27-2022, 07:13 AM
When it comes to video editing, I always want to ensure that I have the best performance possible. You probably know how demanding this kind of work can be, especially if you’re working with 4K footage, multiple layers, or effects. Recently, I’ve been looking at the Apple M1 Max and comparing it to Intel’s Core i9-11900K. I’ve had the chance to test both setups, and I can share my experiences to help you understand what’s going on here.
Let’s start with the Apple M1 Max. When I fired up Final Cut Pro with that chip, everything felt incredibly fluid. I was editing a project with a mix of 4K clips, transitions, and even some color grading. The performance was impressive; rendering times were minimal. You know how frustrating it can be waiting on renders to finish. With the M1 Max, I usually found myself sitting there for just a few moments, and then, boom, it was done. It’s not just about raw speed; the efficiency is phenomenal. Apple’s unified memory architecture means that the CPU and GPU are sharing resources without any bottlenecking, making everything feel snappy.
On the other hand, I’ve worked plenty with the Intel Core i9-11900K, which also brings strong performance to the table. In Adobe Premiere Pro, the i9 showed its strengths, especially when I was scrubbing through a timeline with many different effects. Some say that Intel's architecture, with Hyper-Threading, gives it an upper hand in multi-threaded tasks. Sure, I noticed that the i9 could handle heavy effects like dynamic time remapping without breaking a sweat. However, it didn’t quite match the seamlessness I experienced with the M1 Max.
When I edited high-resolution footage on the i9 system, especially with a lot of color correction layers, I did perceive some lag. The fan was often running at full throttle, and while that might not bother everyone, it certainly got a bit noisy, which was distracting. The thermal efficiency of the M1 Max is a big advantage as well. It can maintain high performance without cranking up the noise levels or heating up the entire area. With the i9, I remember one session where I seriously considered taking breaks just to let the components cool down.
Another critical factor in video editing is the software compatibility. The M1 Max has been optimized pretty well for Apple’s ecosystem. Final Cut Pro shines here, utilizing the chip’s capabilities fully. If you're still working primarily in the Adobe suite, which I do sometimes, the i9's performance can still hold its ground. Although Adobe has made strides in optimizing their software for ARM chips, you’ll find that the native application running on the M1 Max often means less friction. Sometimes that can translate into faster edits and smoother playback of your timeline.
When you sync up your editing to external monitors, this is where things get interesting. The M1 Max supports multiple 4K displays with ease, and I had it outputting to two monitors while I was grading footage in real-time without noticing any stalls. The clarity on my reference display was superb, and working with color grading felt more natural. With the i9, while it can support multiple monitors and high resolutions as well, I could sense a bit of latency if I was pushing the limits too hard, like having 8K footage with extreme effects on the timeline.
Storage is another element to examine. If you consider using high-speed storage, the M1 Max benefits significantly from its integrated SSD. I pulled footage from an external SSD connected via Thunderbolt 4 and noticed incredibly quick transfer speeds. I think this contributes to how fast I could access files without any slowdowns. In contrast, while I could run NVMe drives with the i9, the overall experience didn’t feel as fluid, likely due to the extra overhead in the system's architecture.
Don’t get me wrong; there are cases where the Intel setup might still have the edge. Tasks like heavy-duty encoding can sometimes benefit from the sheer number of cores and threads that the i9 offers. I ran some compression tests encoding a project for delivery, and the i9 came in handy with its overall powerful hardware to crunch through things quickly. However, if we factor in real-world editing experiences and scenarios, the M1 Max really steals the show, particularly when you consider power consumption. A lot of the time, it operates with way less energy, leading to less heat and lower power bills in the long run.
I think one of the coolest features of the M1 Max is its efficient handling of ProRes. The processing capabilities are insane here. You’ll find yourself working with ProRes 4444 and 422 variants without any slowdowns. I tried comparing it side-by-side with the i9 with similar footage mixed in MP4 and found that the performance gap with ProRes was quite noticeable. It made color grading feel much smoother, and I could work at a higher resolution in real-time without a hitch.
One thing that I noticed about the M1 Max is how well it encodes video while maintaining a decent render speed. If you’re working on larger projects with extensive post-production work, you’ll appreciate that. While the i9 can still churn through tasks effectively, it sometimes feels like I’m waiting forever for the final render to finish, especially when dealing with 4K and 8K exports. You might find that the M1 Max's ability to handle certain workflows more efficiently will allow you to spend more time being creative rather than waiting on renders.
As for gaming on the side, I must mention it—if you’re considering using these machines for gaming or any GPU-intensive tasks outside of video editing, the i9 might surprise you, thanks to its compatibility with NVIDIA GPUs and many high-performance gaming titles. But, if your focus is primarily on video content creation, I think you’ll find the M1 Max has all bases covered well for editing and even some light post-production tasks.
In conclusion, after trying both of these machines, I see the M1 Max as a powerhouse for video editing. It nails a balance between speed, efficiency, thermal management, and performance that I think fits so well with creative tasks. The Core i9-11900K is no slouch, but when our focus is on video editing, I find the Apple system slapping a smile on my face more often than not. You’ll probably notice that during extended work sessions, the comfort of a quieter, cooler system allows me to push my creativity without interruptions. I’m excited to see how the tech evolves, but for now, if you're leaning toward handling video editing at a high level, you should definitely consider the M1 Max.
Let’s start with the Apple M1 Max. When I fired up Final Cut Pro with that chip, everything felt incredibly fluid. I was editing a project with a mix of 4K clips, transitions, and even some color grading. The performance was impressive; rendering times were minimal. You know how frustrating it can be waiting on renders to finish. With the M1 Max, I usually found myself sitting there for just a few moments, and then, boom, it was done. It’s not just about raw speed; the efficiency is phenomenal. Apple’s unified memory architecture means that the CPU and GPU are sharing resources without any bottlenecking, making everything feel snappy.
On the other hand, I’ve worked plenty with the Intel Core i9-11900K, which also brings strong performance to the table. In Adobe Premiere Pro, the i9 showed its strengths, especially when I was scrubbing through a timeline with many different effects. Some say that Intel's architecture, with Hyper-Threading, gives it an upper hand in multi-threaded tasks. Sure, I noticed that the i9 could handle heavy effects like dynamic time remapping without breaking a sweat. However, it didn’t quite match the seamlessness I experienced with the M1 Max.
When I edited high-resolution footage on the i9 system, especially with a lot of color correction layers, I did perceive some lag. The fan was often running at full throttle, and while that might not bother everyone, it certainly got a bit noisy, which was distracting. The thermal efficiency of the M1 Max is a big advantage as well. It can maintain high performance without cranking up the noise levels or heating up the entire area. With the i9, I remember one session where I seriously considered taking breaks just to let the components cool down.
Another critical factor in video editing is the software compatibility. The M1 Max has been optimized pretty well for Apple’s ecosystem. Final Cut Pro shines here, utilizing the chip’s capabilities fully. If you're still working primarily in the Adobe suite, which I do sometimes, the i9's performance can still hold its ground. Although Adobe has made strides in optimizing their software for ARM chips, you’ll find that the native application running on the M1 Max often means less friction. Sometimes that can translate into faster edits and smoother playback of your timeline.
When you sync up your editing to external monitors, this is where things get interesting. The M1 Max supports multiple 4K displays with ease, and I had it outputting to two monitors while I was grading footage in real-time without noticing any stalls. The clarity on my reference display was superb, and working with color grading felt more natural. With the i9, while it can support multiple monitors and high resolutions as well, I could sense a bit of latency if I was pushing the limits too hard, like having 8K footage with extreme effects on the timeline.
Storage is another element to examine. If you consider using high-speed storage, the M1 Max benefits significantly from its integrated SSD. I pulled footage from an external SSD connected via Thunderbolt 4 and noticed incredibly quick transfer speeds. I think this contributes to how fast I could access files without any slowdowns. In contrast, while I could run NVMe drives with the i9, the overall experience didn’t feel as fluid, likely due to the extra overhead in the system's architecture.
Don’t get me wrong; there are cases where the Intel setup might still have the edge. Tasks like heavy-duty encoding can sometimes benefit from the sheer number of cores and threads that the i9 offers. I ran some compression tests encoding a project for delivery, and the i9 came in handy with its overall powerful hardware to crunch through things quickly. However, if we factor in real-world editing experiences and scenarios, the M1 Max really steals the show, particularly when you consider power consumption. A lot of the time, it operates with way less energy, leading to less heat and lower power bills in the long run.
I think one of the coolest features of the M1 Max is its efficient handling of ProRes. The processing capabilities are insane here. You’ll find yourself working with ProRes 4444 and 422 variants without any slowdowns. I tried comparing it side-by-side with the i9 with similar footage mixed in MP4 and found that the performance gap with ProRes was quite noticeable. It made color grading feel much smoother, and I could work at a higher resolution in real-time without a hitch.
One thing that I noticed about the M1 Max is how well it encodes video while maintaining a decent render speed. If you’re working on larger projects with extensive post-production work, you’ll appreciate that. While the i9 can still churn through tasks effectively, it sometimes feels like I’m waiting forever for the final render to finish, especially when dealing with 4K and 8K exports. You might find that the M1 Max's ability to handle certain workflows more efficiently will allow you to spend more time being creative rather than waiting on renders.
As for gaming on the side, I must mention it—if you’re considering using these machines for gaming or any GPU-intensive tasks outside of video editing, the i9 might surprise you, thanks to its compatibility with NVIDIA GPUs and many high-performance gaming titles. But, if your focus is primarily on video content creation, I think you’ll find the M1 Max has all bases covered well for editing and even some light post-production tasks.
In conclusion, after trying both of these machines, I see the M1 Max as a powerhouse for video editing. It nails a balance between speed, efficiency, thermal management, and performance that I think fits so well with creative tasks. The Core i9-11900K is no slouch, but when our focus is on video editing, I find the Apple system slapping a smile on my face more often than not. You’ll probably notice that during extended work sessions, the comfort of a quieter, cooler system allows me to push my creativity without interruptions. I’m excited to see how the tech evolves, but for now, if you're leaning toward handling video editing at a high level, you should definitely consider the M1 Max.
