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Configure an M4 Mac for Video Editing

[ Update, Nov. 18, 2024. I just finished testing all three video editors. Based on what I’ve learned, I’ve changed my opinion on RAM and GPUs. I also added new comments and modified my hardware recommendations. ]

After finishing my performance testing of both NLE software and a range of Macs, it is clear that the M4-series Macs continue Apple’s tradition of delivering outstanding computer performance in a variety of form factors at (mostly) affordable prices.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

SO, SHOULD YOU BUY ONE?

Maybe.

Another big benefit to M4-computers – in addition to faster speed – is support for more and larger monitors and, on M4 Pro and M4 Max systems, support for Thunderbolt 5. However, Thunderbolt 5 also requires buying Thunderbolt 5 storage or docks.

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INTERNAL STORAGE PERFORMANCE

I looked at the speeds of various internal drives. All M-series computers have internal drives roughly equivalent to the fastest Thunderbolt 5 external unit, which is about 6,000 MB/second.

However, tests using both Final Cut and Premiere also show that they are not exporting data anywhere close to Thunderbolt 5 speeds. FCP exports max out around 1.2 GB/second. Resolve and Premiere are both slower.

In general, buy enough internal storage to hold the operating system, all applications and work files. I have a 2 TB system on my M2 Max Mac Studio and I’m using 500 GB of it. Use external storage for all projects and media.

The big benefit to Thunderbolt 5 – currently – is that file transfers using Finder or other third-party file transfer software will come close to filling a Thunderbolt 5 pipe – assuming the storage hardware is fast enough to support that speed. This makes handling giant files much easier and faster. But it won’t make much difference – yet – to your NLE.

PLANNING YOUR CONFIGURATION

As you plan your new system, here are some considerations to keep in mind:

Laptop or Desktop

If you need portability, buy a laptop. If not, desktops will cost less and, generally, have better heat management. All M4 Macs include a monitor and keyboard, except for the Mac mini.

M4 vs. M4 Pro vs. M4 Max

If you are a hobbyist, with a limited budget, or don’t edit that much, or principally need it for office work – web, word processing, spreadsheets, databases and the like – the M4 is TOTALLY perfect.

If you need/want Thunderbolt 5 – and the additional external monitors it supports – you must get a system with an M4 Pro or M4 Max chip.

If you are doing massive multicam edits, working with gigantic frame sizes, have zero time for anything to render, work with 3D space, or create animated videos; all of these will benefit from an M4 Pro or M4 Max chip. (The M4 Max is nice to have for media editing, but it has power you’ll never use.)

If you have the budget, but don’t know – yet – what you want to do with it, get a system with the M4 Pro chip.

CPU Cores

More cores provides more performance. But even base-level systems have more than enough performance for media editing. Keep in mind that, in general, M4 systems are roughly as fast as M2 systems and 10X, or more, faster than any Intel system.

UPDATE: Regarding efficiency vs. performance cores, no software maxes out all the cores all the time. So, there’s no reason to spend extra for more CPU cores. I generally recommend something in the middle. In fact, both FCP and Resolve use efficiency cores more than performance cores for playback and rendering.

GPU Cores

Increasingly, our NLEs are using GPUs more effectively. More GPUs will help both simple and complex projects with rendering and export.

UPDATE: I used to say the number of GPUs doesn’t really matter. In this round of testing, they matter a lot. Once you have at least 24 GB of RAM, if you need to choose between more RAM or more GPU cores, buy more GPU cores. More RAM is nice, but more GPUs boost performance.

RAM

In the past, 16 GB of RAM was the minimum for video editing. The 8 GB that Apple shipped was OK for office applications, but far too limiting for editing. Today, with the new unified memory of M-series chips, I recommend 16 GB for straightforward editing regardless of frame size. I recommend more RAM for multicam editing or large frame sizes. The exception is Premiere which is much more RAM hungry than FCP or Resolve.

Again, based on my testing, you won’t see a significant improvement in media editing or rendering performance with more than 24 GB of RAM. Remember, all NLE software was designed to run in 8 GB of RAM. What more RAM gets you is larger cache files.

UPDATE: Based on my testing of Final Cut, Premiere and Resolve, systems with more RAM, but fewer GPU cores are not as fast as systems with relatively less RAM and more GPU cores. At a minimum, get 24 GB of RAM. Then, if you have to choose, buy more GPU cores before you buy more RAM.

Storage

Media files are gigantic. Regardless of how much internal storage you buy, you’ll need more. Rather than spend excessive dollars boosting internal storage, buy enough internal storage to give your system room to work, then supplement it with external storage.

UPDATE: The minimum internal storage I recommend for media is 1 TB. Yes, you can get away with  512 GB but your space will be crunched sooner than you expect. At the high-end, I recommend 2 TB. For media, buying more internal storage than 2 TB is wasting money.

In my office, I have a Mac Studio with 2 TB internal, an external  8 TB SSD RAID, an external 48 TB HDD RAID, and a 160 TB HDD network server. And that’s just for me – you can never have enough storage.

Ethernet

Unless you have a network optimized for 10G, which requires a 10G switch, 10G server connections, and 10G cables, a 1G Ethernet port on the computer will be fine.

Because I like playing with blinking lights, my office network is optimized for 10G.

CONFIGURATION RECOMMENDATIONS

If you have the money, buy whatever you want. There’s no harm in buying more than these specs; load your system however you want. However, if you are on a budget, here’s what I recommend as the best way to allocate your limited dollars.

NOTE: I ended up buying one of these systems. Here’s what I bought and why.

To Save Money – but still be productive editing video.

MacBook Pro – UPDATED
Size: 14″
CPU: M4 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU
RAM: 24 GB
Storage: 1 TB
Price: $1,999.00 (US)

iMac
CPU: M4 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 1 TB
Gigabit Ethernet
Price: $1,699.00 (US)

Mac mini
CPU: M4 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 1 TB
Price: $999.00 (US)

Better Performance

MacBook Pro – UPDATED
CPU: M4 Pro, 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU
Size: 16″ (easier to see the interface)
RAM: 24 GB
Storage: 1 TB
Price: $2,699.00 (US)

iMac
CPU: M4 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU
RAM: 24 GB
Storage: 1 TB
Price: $2,099.00 (US)

Mac mini – UPDATED
CPU: M4 Pro 12-core CPU, 16-core GPU
RAM: 24 GB
Storage: 1 TB
Gigabit Ethernet
Price: $1,599.00 (US)

High-End

MacBook Pro – UPDATED
CPU: M4 Max, 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU
Size: 16″ (easier to see the interface)
RAM: 36 GB
Storage: 2 TB
Price: $3,899.00 (US)

iMac
CPU: M4 10-core
RAM: 32 GB
Storage: 2 TB
Price: $2,699.00 (US)

Mac mini – UPDATED
CPU: M4 Pro 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU
RAM: 24 GB
Storage: 2 TB
1G Ethernet (10G if your network supports it)
Thunderbolt 5
Price: $2,199.00 (US)

SUMMARY

It’s important to remember that you don’t need to buy the fully-loaded version of any system to get serious work done. Apple charges a fortune for RAM and storage. You can buy more RAM, but I wouldn’t buy more than 48 GB; your system won’t use it for video editing. More GPUs are better than boodles of RAM.

Also, it is FAR cheaper to buy external storage, while providing room on your internal drive for macOS, applications and work files. If you need real speed, buy external Thunderbolt 5 SSDs when they become available.

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99 Responses to Configure an M4 Mac for Video Editing

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  1. Ethan says:
    January 4, 2025 at 12:08 am

    Hi Larry,
    I’m debating going with an m4 pro Mac mini (or possibly studio) with 48 gb ram or a 265k intel ultra pc build with a b580 12gb GPU for my next editing machine. Id like to future proof 4K to 6k projects with vfx and 3D modeling and possible work with unreal engine. I don’t have any loyalty to Mac or windows and have used both in the past and am just wondering which would be the more powerful editing/vfx station.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Larry says:
      January 4, 2025 at 5:16 am

      Ethan:

      I’ve never used Windows for video editing or 3D work, so I can’t provide a comparison. However, based on my tests, if the speed of your storage supports it, the M4 Pro Mac mini easily edits frame sizes up to 12K, multicam up to the limit of the NLE, and provides power to burn for any application optimized for Apple silicon systems.

      And there’s the rub: 1. Storage speed is more important that computer chip. 2. applications running in Rosetta (i.e. still using Intel code) are not as fast as Apple silicon native. 3. More GPUs provide better performance than more RAM; there’s no reason to buy the maximum RAM, but lots of reasons to buy the most GPUS. 4. Inherent software limitations affect performance more than hardware limitations. For example, no NLE exports faster than about 1.2 GB/second, regardless of hardware. 5. For maximum future proofing, get a system that supports Thunderbolt 5; i.e. M4 Pro or M4 Max.

      Just my thoughts.

      Larry

      Reply
  2. Tom says:
    January 17, 2025 at 10:34 am

    Hi Larry,
    I have an iMac 2017 but is getting slow (even booting from a 2Tb Samsung T7). I’m going to invest in an Apple Studio Display and Mac mini, so I can switch every 4-5 years the mini and still have the gorgeous 5k screen.

    I mostly do webdesign with dreamweaver, some Lightroom and illustrator, real estate videos with lots of Motion VFX effects (2min max) and short instagram video reels and trying getting into music with Logic Pro.

    I don’t see the Mac mini M4 – 10CPU, 10GPU 24 RAM 512GB on the list, isn’t it between budget and better performance or is 24 RAM on the base 10CPU 10GPU not worth it? The apple studio is expensive so trying to save money on the mini for now …

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Larry says:
      January 17, 2025 at 11:04 am

      Tom:

      Thanks for writing. There are multiple ways to build any Mac, I picked those that made the most sense. Here are my thoughts on your proposed system.

      1. ABSOLUTELY, upgrade your gear. Life will be faster and easier.
      2. For your work, the M4 Mac mini is an excellent choice. You are doing a lot of creative work, but from the computer’s point of view, there’s no heavy lifting.
      3. 512 GB is too small. Yes, I know, it’s cheap. But getting this is penny wise and pound foolish. Get the 1 TB version. Truly.
      4. 24 GB of RAM is fine.
      5. The Apple Studio Display is long in the tooth and overpriced. It is rumored to be replaced in the next few months. It also is not fully color accurate for sRGB (stills) or Rec. 709 (video). You also pay extra for the stupid stand. Take a look at monitors from BenQ – cheaper, more accurate, better stand and fully Mac compatible. I own one and like it.

      Keep your T7 – you’ll be able to use it with your new gear. Have fun with it.

      Larry

      Reply
      • Tom says:
        January 17, 2025 at 11:24 am

        Thanks for the fast answer.
        Yes, I was looking at the new BenQ 4K 27” | MA270U, a lot cheaper and still Mac friendly. And the ViewFinity S9 27″ Samsung 5K seems also a good alternative but seen a lot of bad reviews …
        The new Apple Studio Display is rumoured but will it be the same price and color accurate … maybe they just update to 120ghz and double the price

        Reply
  3. Tom says:
    January 17, 2025 at 12:13 pm

    Just reading that the BenQ MA270U doesn’t have a thunderbolt connection but they say it is Mac friendly?
    The PD2725U does have one, so this model would be a better buy right?

    Reply
  4. Jean-Luc says:
    February 13, 2025 at 10:56 pm

    Amazingly helpful article – thanks a bunch!!!

    Reply
  5. Lisa Winther says:
    February 15, 2025 at 3:34 am

    Hey Larry

    I am currenty in the process of figuring out what specs i want for my first Mac pro, im getting the M4 pro chip with a 14-cone CPU and 20-cone GPU, with 1 TB of storage, and the 14″ display. Now all im trying to decide is if i need to upgrade from 24GB RAM to 48GB. i wanna be able to keep my mac for a long time, and i am slowley getting into professional video editing so i am wondering if i am going to need the extra ram or if it woud just be a waste of money.
    Ive never had a such high preformance computer before, my current one is a fairly cheap lenovo yoga with 8 GB of RAM on it, so i dont really have any refrence to how much i use when editing (i dont edit on this computer) or how much i will need to futureproof my mac.

    Is it really woth the extra money or is the extra RAM just a waste?

    Reply
    • Larry says:
      February 15, 2025 at 3:42 am

      Lisa:

      Thanks for writing. First, I assume there’s a typo in your question as the Mac Pro only uses M2 chips, while the MacBook Pro uses M4. So, I’m assuming you are getting a laptop.

      Extra RAM is never a “waste,” but it may not be work the money it costs. ANY Mac you get will last a long time – the general number I use is seven years. Longer is possible, I’m using a 2013 MacBook Pro every week for certain tasks. So, that’s twelve years. I would recommend staying with 24 GB, but upping the internal storage to 2 TB. A 14-core CPU/20-core GPU is fine; ESPECIALLY because you are just getting starting. This will be a powerful system that will last you for years.

      Larry

      Reply
  6. Nick W says:
    March 6, 2025 at 4:26 am

    Hi Larry – slight detour and apologies in advance!

    I’ve been hanging out for the new what was hoped to be M4 Ultra studio buit now confirmed M3 as need a 2nd system over and above my MBP M2.

    I’m going to go for it as it sounds fine anyway for what i need. I’ve noted on the M2 MBP with 64GB ram when running 4k in Prem Pro and having AE also running – things can get sluggish and out of memory warnings.

    Do you think the basic 96GB ram in the studio would be sufficient – or should I jump up to the 256 option and be done?

    Iv’e been burnt in the past with the trashcan and then the Intel Mac Pro and need this machine to be solid for the next few years.

    I have more faith now we’re on silicon!

    But twice bitten – twice shy!

    Reply
    • Larry says:
      March 6, 2025 at 5:07 am

      Nick:

      Premiere and After Effects are surprising RAM hogs. They seem to over-fill whatever RAM you have available. I’d recommend 96 GB then be SURE to reduce their RAM allocation in Preferences. You can buy 256, but I suspect they fill that too.

      Just my thoughts.

      Larry

      Reply
  7. Juaco says:
    March 9, 2025 at 2:46 am

    Hi Larry,
    What about thermal perfomance on Mac Mini M4 Pro?? I usually do large timelines editing documentaries using DaVinci, Fusion and AE. Would the fans be running at full power constantly?? Is a Mac Studio, maybe, a better choice for this kind of edits?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Larry says:
      March 9, 2025 at 4:06 am

      Juaco:

      To be truthful, I haven’t tested this configuration, so I don’t “know.” However, running my performance tests – which span hours and really push the entire unit, the fans never came on.

      Nor did the unit get more than warm.

      My guess, then, is that in your scenario, the fans probably wouldn’t trigger much at all. Granted, if you are using MASSIVE layers in AE or Fusion, then, yes, the power of the new Mac Studio would be good. But for video editing? Nah. Nothing you can do in DaVinci will get those fans to turn on.

      Larry

      Reply
  8. matt says:
    March 11, 2025 at 10:51 am

    Hi Larry,

    Great article, thank you. I realize it was mostly based around video editing but had a question about still photography.

    I currently have a 2017 27″ iMac with 40 GB RAM) and looking to upgrade.

    My primary use is for portrait photography using LR and PS and have started using some AI for light retouching. I also dabble in macro photography where stacking images is necessary. I may dabble in some video editing in the near future but not extensively. I was on the verge of getting a Mini M4 Pro when the new Studio was released but have reverted back to the Mini because I don’t think price increase is justified for my needs.

    Do you think the upgrade to 64 gigs of ram is necessary or save and go with 48? Same questions with the processor.

    Depending on processor and memory upgrade is can be a $200 to 400 difference. $2,000 to $2,400

    thanks,
    Matt

    Reply
    • Larry says:
      March 11, 2025 at 11:05 am

      Matt:

      Based on your description, the M4 Mac mini will be fine. You don’t need more than 48 GB of RAM. If you are doing “light” editing, go with the M4. If your projects are effects heavy, or you want Thunderbolt 5, go with the M4 Pro.

      Larry

      Reply
  9. Rurik says:
    March 21, 2025 at 7:16 pm

    Hi Larry,
    For ocasional editing in FCP, regular editing on PS of 48 MP pictures, and ocassional gigapictures rendering (1-3 GB). Which of this options would work best:? 15” MacBook Air M4 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD (the 15” is easier for photo editing) vs. 14” MacBook Pro M4Pro, 24 GB RAM 14 COU, 20 GPU, 1 TB SSD. The second option is the top of my budget.

    Reply
  10. Susan Fanshel says:
    March 25, 2025 at 1:24 pm

    For editing with Premiere which you indicated needs more Ram which would be the better configuration: Mac Mini M4 with 32 gb ram and 1 tb drive or M4 Pro with 24 gb ram and 1 tb drive?

    Reply
    • Larry says:
      March 25, 2025 at 2:15 pm

      Susan:

      Smile… The GOOD news is that this isn’t a choice between awful and good. It’s a choice between amazing and AMAZING. So, there’s no bad choice here. All things being equal, yes, more RAM for Adobe apps is better. But 24 GB – especially with Apple’s unified memory, is the equivalent of 48 GB in an Intel system. I recommend the M4 Pro Mac mini. The support of Thunderbolt 5, the faster performance and increased cores far outweighs the lesser fact of smaller RAM.

      Larry

      Reply
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