Needles & Grooves

What are the RAM and processor specs between the two?

16gb ram for both. 2.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7 on the 16, Apple M1 chip 8-core on the 13.

I've read the 16 is definitely better for video editing, and if everything else is similar I may as well get the 16, albeit for a bit more money.

I have a 15.4” 2.6 6 core i7 with 16 gigs, same specs, and it absolutely flies right along. I do mixing and mastering work. However, I have heard the M1 chips absolutely scream. Another huge upgrade will be, if you had a regular hard drive before, having the solid state drive makes such a huge difference in how quickly it’s able to access.

Actually, while comparing I see the 16gb ram 1tb 13" model is the i5 Quad-Core not the M1. Damn, this is complicated.

I would definitely go for the extra cores and the i7 processors. Both make a difference.

the m1 is competitive with and/or faster than the i7 and gets vastly better battery life, but has more limitations around external monitors.

I’d go with the best processor. Also m1 can’t be upgraded at all

The M1 is going to be faster than any of the Intel options, especially once apps get updated with ARM-native binaries. But lack of upgradability is a potential issue.

So safe to assume the 6-Core is better than the Quad-Core? Is it 600 bucks better?

Discrete graphics are probably the biggest upgrade with the 16-inch.