# New Computer, Who This? Hello from my new-to-me 2023 MacBook Pro. 👋🏻 I've been using a fully-loaded M1 iMac since Day One in July 2021. I remember Apple's [reveal](https://www.youtube.com/live/JdBYVNuky1M?si=AzSAF4fzwDyHUBce&t=1255) of the pencil thin all-in-one like it was yesterday. I was out of town on a job and watched the Apple event from my hotel room in the evening. I was chomping at the bit to make the jump to Apple Silicon and ready to leave my 2017 MacBook Pro and its Intel chip for the next generation of Mac. I set my sights on that slick display-of-a-computer and didn't look back. I've been quite content with my little red iMac that could. It's handled my work load well. I can edit 4K60 footage in Final Cut. Podcasts can be edited smoothly in Logic Pro. I browse the web and write in Obsidian. Where the iMac has fallen short is in video and audio outside of Apple's software wheelhouse. The fans crank up when running audio corrections in iZotope. Transcribing a podcast using MacWhisper is slow. Exporting HDR footage is a no go. I can't stream reliably or capture beyond 1440p60. It has always *just* been out of reach of those features. As someone who likes being on the bleeding edge (or as close to it as I can be), that makes being a fan of the Mac a smidge difficult given the high cost to stay on that edge. This iMac is supposed to last me and my family for a decade or more (I hope).[^1] I almost [[Memory Card 41 – Chip Gains|succumbed]] to self-imposed internal pressure and bought a Mac mini earlier this year after a frustrating season of hitch-y editing in [ScreenFlow](https://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm), Screen Studio, and regular crashes in Obsidian. I was starting to get exasperated with my beloved iMac. Since then the Mac stars have aligned with the joby job stars and I am now rocking the aforementioned 2023 MacBook Pro with M2 Pro. I've got some exciting video work up ahead and a close friend was selling this machine at the same time. The price was right for work to justify buying this laptop and now it is the new core to my workflow. It's not spec'd out the way I'd go if I were to buy its equivalent today, but beggars cannot be choosers. Right out of the gate, it's a 16'' laptop. While I like the bigger screen, it's not what I'd gravitate toward for travel. I believe it is the base model of its time with the M2 Pro 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU with 16GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD. While storage can be fixed with external drives, the unified memory cannot. It's the same amount as my iMac and I figured I can ride a 16GB train for a little while longer—especially at this price. The allure of this MacBook Pro, beyond its portability for travel work, is the media engine on board. > - "Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW > - Video decode engine > - Video encode engine > - ProRes encode and decode engine" That list is music to my video editing ears. This is my first Mac with the dedicated media engine and I am digging the gains already. I am noticing faster conversions in [Permute](https://software.charliemonroe.net/permute/). OBS is running silent as a mouse. I still need to run an export test in Final Cut, but ScreenFlow is *flowing* better. This is a bump that can keep me going for a good while, I think. I will say, I lack the technical understanding to grasp why I can capture 4K60 gameplay in ProRES without a hangup, but switching to H.264 or HEVC hardware encoders causes drops. I don't understand and really don't have the storage capability for roughly 9GBs *a minute* for the luxury of 4K60 gameplay, so I am still recording at 1440p60, but at least the computer is whisper quiet now. If you know why and can explain it to me, please [drop me a line](mailto:[email protected]). Besides video bumps, the display is *killer*. It just might be the nicest display I have ever owned.[^2] The colors with the mini LED display finally allow me to view and edit HDR content. ProMotion (aka 120Hz) is bliss. I don't mind the notch at all, given it is just in the menu bar where content doesn't really go at all.[^3] The catch is that I am used to working off two 24'' displays—the iMac and a [24'' LG 1440p monitor](https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-24qp500-b-ips-monitor). Since the iMac cannot be used as a target display in the Apple Silicon era, I am using the very non-retina LG monitor as the secondary. Of course, this mismatch existed with the iMac, but I had the 4.5K monitor for primary work and the LG was ancillary. Now, the LG is more primary, but not all the way. My desk is not optimized for laptop work. I'd love to dock the MacBook Pro, but then I'd be down to one monitor. Since I am trying to keep this upgrade process as cheap as possible, I'm not really in a position to buy a new monitor for docking purposes.[^4] Plus, it feels like an absolute shame to hide the MacBook Pro's display away right after getting it. As you can tell, I am adjusting to a hybrid laptop as a desktop life. That's funny to consider since I worked that way for almost a decade from the 11'' MacBook Air to the 15'' MacBook Pro before the iMac. Amazing what a handful of years as a desktop user can do to you. Even more of a testament though is the power and efficiency of Apple Silicon. The iMac is still kicking. I am using it for additional tasks and it's still the main hub of my Backblaze backup. I would have kept using it had these stars not aligned. I wasn't looking for this laptop, but it landed in my lap anyway. The same could be said of my iPhone. Sure, I did ditch my 14 Pro Max right after for a 15 Pro Max, which is an unprecedented move for me. Before that, I was on my [[iPhone Xs Max Exit Review|iPhone Xs Max]]. My plan with the 15 Pro Max is to ride it out for at least another four years. These devices and the silicon inside are letting me use devices for longer and longer, which my bank account appreciates. I also appreciate it. There is something about really *using* a piece of gear; about leaning into it, owning it, and understanding it. My Mac computers have been my biggest creative enablers since my family bought their first Mac in the late aughts. They've never outright told me no—there has always been a way—and with each new computer, they have allowed for more and more. I used to [[160210_MacBook Air Capture Setup - Firewatch.jpg|prop up my MacBook Air]] on Nintendo DS cases to give it more airflow as I [[141205_MacBook Air Capture Setup - Captain Toad.jpg|pushed that machine]] to record gameplay for my videos. I am fortunate to have a job that bought me a computer and that my job has the flexibility for said machine to be my own. I don't take this shiny new computer for granted one bit. It's changing the way I work for the better. I'm quite excited to see how it enables me to create for Max Frequency. Here's to the next however long until my next now-to-me computer. 🥂 [^1]: The plan was always for it to be my production machine until I could get *another* computer and then the iMac would transition into a family computer in the house. Perhaps that plan was ambitious given where we are today. [^2]: Sorry my sweet, sweet LG C1. [^3]: Thanks to Bartender 5 for keeping my menu bar tidy. [^4]: If I could, I think I'd go for one of those ASUS ProArt displays that do meet retina requirements.