best macbook for final cut pro

If you're a film-maker then you know that the specifications of a computer are very important. You'll also know that Final Cut Pro for Mac's is the best in the business. However, you maybe be a little confused about which MacBook is best for running Final Cut Pro because these days' MacBooks can all look very similar on the surface. However, in this Mac guide, we'll look at some different MacBooks and give you an idea of which one runs Final Cut Pro best.

First off, let's look at what Final Cut Pro requires from your MacBook;

Final Cut Pro Requirments

At least a Core 2 Duo-based machine running macOS Mojave 10.14. 6 or later
An OpenCL-capable video processor
3.8GB free disk space
A minimum of 4GB RAM (8GB is the recommended amount).

Final Cut Pro requires enough storage and memory to run input and outputs at high levels so it's important that you get the best possible MacBook for video-editing, especially when creating long videos with multiple layers.

Testing Final Cut Pro on Different MacBooks

To test which MacBook could run Final Cut Pro the best, we decided to run a simple test that involved a 12-minute piece of 4K video. We would see;

How quickly they would render the videos
How long it took to export the 4K video
Thermal temperatures of each MacBook

MacBook Pro 13 inch M1

Price: $1299
Display: 13.3 inches with 2560×1600 resolution
Processor: M1 chip (8-CPU)
Memory: 8GB (16GB max)
Storage: 265GB (up to 2TB)
Operating system: MacOS
Colors: Silver, Space Gray

Test Results:

Video rendering: The MacBook Pro took only 1.45 minutes to render our 4K video!
Export speed: 6 minutes 46 seconds
Thermal temperature: The MacBook Pro 13 inch was luke warm and silent throughout the export process.

Let's start with the new MacBook Pro 13 inch M1 which we feel is going to be the best option to edit videos on with Final Cut Pro. Why? Well, it's all down to the new M1 chip. It's packed with an astonishing 16 billion transistors, the Apple M1 system on a chip (SoC) integrates the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, I/O, and so much more onto a single tiny chip. With incredible performance, custom technologies, and industry-leading power efficiency.

Running Final Cut Pro for those long videos isn't going to drain your battery thanks to the M1 chip design. The new MacBook's with M1 8-CPU chip is designed to distribute power, performance and ventilation evenly.

The screen isn't going to be the biggest for video-editing on Final Cut Pro because it's not 16 inches but we think that the processing power makes up for that and it still has a leading display resolution with amazing color accuracy. The mics on the MacBook Pro 13 inch are also studio-quality so audio recording on Final Cut Pro will be the best you can get it to be.

This is a great MacBook for Final Cut Pro because it has a minimum of 8GB of RAM which can easily be configured up to 16GB RAM. Not only that, it has more than enough storage space for Final Cut Pro. If you use this MacBook for video-editing, you won't run into any problems at all because it runs at a much higher level than Final Cut Pro needs.

This MacBook also won't break the bank and is very reasonably priced at only $1299.

MacBook Pro 16 inch

Price: $2399
Display: 16 inches with 3072×1920 resolution
Processor: 2.6GHz 6‑core Intel Core i7
Memory: 16GB (up to 64GB)
Storage: 512GB (up to 4TB)
Operating system: MacOS
Colors: Silver, Space Gray

Test Results:

Video rendering: The MacBook Pro 16 inch took only 58 seconds to render 12 minutes of 4K video!
Export speed: 5 minutes 14 seconds
Thermal temperature: The MacBook Pro 16 inch was noticeably hot to the touch and the fans were roaring loudly.

The MacBook Pro 16 inch could easily be the best MacBook for running Final Cut Pro thanks to its impressive screen resolution and Memory. The memory on this device is more than enough for running Final Cut Pro and the large screen is perfect for editing video on. You'll be able to zoom in and out whilst retaining a sharp image on your video clips.

Of course, the MacBook Pro 16 inch does not run on the M1 chip but it's still powerful with it's 6-core Intel Core i7 processor which is more than enough for running Final Cut Pro. The MacBook Pro also has 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports so it's perfect for connecting to any video camera.

The MacBook Pro 16 inch is arguably the best for all-round video editing as it can be carried around easily in a bag and it has a huge screen but it will cost you a lot more than the 13 inches with M1 chip and so for that reason, it is number two on our list.

You can find out more and also buy it here.

MacBook Air 13 inch M1

Price: $999
Display: 13.3 inches with 2560×1600 resolution
Processor: M1 chip (7-8-CPU)
Memory: 8GB (16GB max)
Storage: 265GB (up to 2TB)
Operating system: MacOS
Colors: Silver, Space Gray, Gold

Test Results:

Video rendering: The MacBook Pro took only 2.17 minutes to render our 4K video!
Export speed: 7 minutes 2 seconds
Thermal temperature: The MacBook Pro 13 inch was lukewarm and pretty silent throughout the process thanks to its new ventilation system.

The next MacBook on our list is the MacBook Air 13 inch with the M1 chip. The MacBook Air deserves a place on this list because it isn't too much different than the MacBook Pro and it is the cheapest option we're discussing. The biggest difference between the MacBook Air 13 inch and the MacBook Pro 13 inch is the Air has a 7 or 8-Core GPU and the Pro has 8.

The air has the power of the M1 chip like the Pro and is the same size so it's still easy to throw in your bag when you're on the go. Final Cut Pro will run seamlessly on it too thanks to its impressive hardware and memory. The screen resolution is the same as the Pro 13 inch too so you haven't got the largest option but it's still got perfect color accuracy.

Another key difference between the Air 13 and the Pro 13 is the ventilation. The Air 13 is fanless whereas the Pro 13 inch does have a fan so there may be a little more noise with the Pro version. The MacBook Pro 13 inch has studio-quality three-way mics whereas the Air doesn't come with studio-quality mics. So if you make a lot of commentary videos then you may want to choose the Pro 13 inch MacBook.

The powerful processor in the MacBook Air makes it a great MacBook for running Final Cut Pro.

Cosmetically, the MacBook Air has an additional color; Gold. Many people will think there was not much point in Apple releasing the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro with M1 chips because they are so similar. However, the M1 chip really makes a difference when it comes to video editing and rendering.

Buy the MacBook Air 13 inch here.

Best MacBooks For Final Cut Pro – Final Verdict

The MacBook Pro 16 inch is the most powerful MacBook on our list but it is also the most expensive so many people will be turned off by that. The MacBook Air is a 'lite' version but the most accessible in terms of price and performance comes right down the middle with the MacBook Pro 13 inch which we think is the best price for the best all-round MacBook video-editing with Final Cut Pro