Customer Ratings & Reviews

So game dev here. I use a lot of programs, and really felt nervous about moving to an arm based architecture in order to get my work done. Apple has come a long way. I tried to keep using Windows for my dev work. I frankly got tired of a few things: 1. Windows and Unity freaking out over SSD Security and blocking programs from working (have had to redo per folder security many times). 2. Random software breaking and simply not working until a full restart. 3. Driver updates interrupting me in the middle of work with a black screen. 4. Ads everywhere. I had to google search to find how to turn them off in the settings. With this laptop, I think that the GPU speed, plus raytracing, plus basically the fastest cpu out there, I was ready to switch. I was not disappointed. I set up all my environments, tested and set up my VM, and tried to work. I have really increased the amount of work done each day because I don't have to waste time fixing Window's problems. Serious, if you have never had a Mac, and are happy with Windows, DO NOT TRY a MacBook. You will find out just how much broken software you have become used to. It's sad. It will never be the same. This MacBook: 1. Great battery life. No worries about it dying in the middle of a project. 2. Screen is smooth, and the blacks are almost OLED level black. None of that $3k Windows Laptop Backlight bleed (Really Asus???). 3. Mac Speakers and Mic are on another level. The Laptop's mic can substitute for an actual stand alone mic in a pinch with noise isolation on. I do it all the time. 4. Even pushing hard, with the fans at full blast, the fan noise is gentle almost. I have gotten it to push hard in some games here and there. 5. Mac OS is way more stable. And I like that it's consistent across the board UI wise. Dark Mode is actually Dark Mode throughout. This Mac is actually worth the price imho. It get's out of the way so you can focus on the things you need to focus on. You don't worry about it. I love that about my Mac. If you don't buy this specifically for gaming, and want a solid computer, this is it. You can get away with gaming, but they are not there yet. Crossover and VM's tackle most of the issues, but anti cheat simply doesn't work on ARM, not even Windows ARM. So be aware of that. It chews through Unity and VSC projects like butter.

Bought this as the only true upgrade from my M1 Pro for Logic music production. Before settling on the Max, also tried two M3 Pro variations and one M2 Pro. Those were great, but just a sideways step in performance from the M1 Pro. Also, M3 Max is the only 14" stock config at BestBuy with 36gb ram. Pluses: +decent battery life for light tasks +exceptional performance +easy to clean the smudges (space black) +no fan noise during everyday tasks +great screen and speakers Minuses: -battery drains quickly when pushed, and noticeably worse than M3 Pro/M2 Pro overall -Will get warm, but not hot -theoretically better in some workflows but hard to notice the difference -unclear value for money -a smidge heavier than the other M3 14" pros Overall, this is a great machine, but so are the other 14" Macbook Pros. I'm not convinced there is value since even this entry level max is hundreds of dollars above the others, but luckily BestBuy offered an awesome deal when stacking the rewards on top of it--making this purchase just a touch less painful.

I spent a long time deciding between the Pro and Max chip. In the end I went with the M3 Max chip. I didn't like the heat or Fan noise in the M3 Max chip, but you get basically double the performance and if you use the computer in Low power mode -- no fan noise or heat and it is still faster that than the Pro Chip. So for an open box M3 Max chip, it's $400-500 more and you also get twice the memory. So far I'm very happy with my purchase. I couldn't even run blender on my 2019 Intel MacBook.

Love it! Plays and scrubs through DaVinci Resolve timelines extremely smoothly, and is even able to play back some complex Fusion compositions and advanced color grades in real time. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a ultra-portable, high-powered creative workstation. When doing complex renders, if the CPU/GPU are being pushed to the max, the fans will come on, and are quite noticeable, but as someone who works mostly in post production, this isn’t much of an issue. Display is amazing as well, but pure white on a black background will see a slight glow. Battery life is great, don’t have to think about my battery being charged most of the time.

This MacBook Pro has lived up to my expectations in every way. It's a reliable machine that handles all my daily tasks, like social media, paying bills, and general browsing, effortlessly. What really impresses me is how well it performs when I push it harder. Whether it's managing my homework or tackling complex coding projects, the MacBook Pro doesn't miss a beat. The performance is smooth, the battery life is solid, and the build quality is top-notch—everything you'd expect from Apple. If you're looking for a dependable laptop that balances everyday use with more demanding workloads, I highly recommend the MacBook Pro. It's worth the investment!

This is likely the best MBP released in years. I run several virtual machines concurrently and also Whisky to play Windows games natively without a performance hit. I have yet to find something that can't run on this computer with a little technical skill or a YouTube account. It doesn't have the same concurrent screen and power limitations as the previous generation so it's great for a multiple monitor setup. I can run the computer on battery using high intensity applications for about two hours. Otherwise the battery lasts for several days.

The battery charge lasts for quite a while and it stays very cool while playing movies or other graphic intense applications. Performance is no match to other laptops I’ve owned. It’s been difficult to find a three monitor docking station in extended mode that will work with this laptop. The docking stations tested only worked in mirrored mode. Other than that it is a pretty good product.

The Apple MacBook Pro 14” M3 Max is a beast of a laptop built for professionals who need unparalleled performance, stunning visuals, and exceptional battery life. After using it extensively, I can confidently say this is one of the most powerful and efficient MacBooks Apple has ever made.

Coming from the 2010 era of MacPro Towers and Mac Book's this was the closest I could find to the Mac's that actually had I/O ports for connectivity. There is a tax per-se to these new models in which I had to purchase a CalDigit dock separate in order to get the USB-A and other ports needed from my old 2010 Mac Pro tower. Once I had that setup I was able to seamlessly use my older 2010 Cinema Displays with this new macbook. I'm not overly impressed with the build quality with regards to the screen touching the keyboard when the lid is closed, leaving marks on the screen. This oversight seems to be the result of making things too thin, unlike my older 2010 MacBook which had a thicker gasket that ran around the lid and prevented the keys on the keyboard from touching the screen. Overall usability varies from person to person and in my particular case it is used for a mixture of mobile application development as well as LLM model creation and 3D rendering and movie editing. The memory has been more than adequate and while I initially found myself in Apple jail, debating on 48gb or 64, the 36GB has been more than adequate for my particular needs. My aim is to get as much life out of this as I did with my older 2010 era MacPro and MacBook's and I believe I will be able to do just that with this, unless I do require more speed or ram. The lack of ports on this is still disappointing because there is space for one USB-A which would have been perfect for use in the field for when some devices require that connection. Overall it has been a nice upgrade from my older units, which still are in use now, but this is now the daily driver and has not skipped a beat since I put it into service. I'd also share that even with intense use, it's rarely gotten to a level of heat that was concerning, even with intense renders or multiple tasks running and utilizing peak resources.

Super smooth and the audio was the biggest shock factor honestly. Listening to music on this MacBook was so vastly different from my previous laptop, and not only that, games ran very smoothly. Although it would occasionally heat up while running Sims 4, the laptop is pretty good. Pricy, but it’ll last.

The MacBook Pro 14" M3 Max represents Apple's best work to date. It's powerful, and very well designed. I purchased 36GB of RAM model, and it tackles everything I throw at it. The space black finish (more like a darker space gray instead of black) looks great. The display is stunning - very bright with excellent color reproduction. I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Rendering and exporting 4K footage is incredibly fast, and scrubbing through high-resolution timelines in Final Cut Pro is smooth and lag-free. If you’re serious about video editing, this laptop is insanely fast and a joy to use. An absolute beast!

Great product, sleek design, would defiantly recommended if you're looking for a powerful small machine

One of the best deals on a brand new release! I'll use this machine for software development and light machine learning projects. I prefer the 14" over the 16" because I'm looking for a laptop and not a desktop replacement since I have a gaming PC. So far I think I made the right decision!

Excellent quality for an open box and FASTEST MacBook Pro that i have had to date. I traded my old -which wasn’t old - for this bad boy, it was a 16 gb m2 13 inch so i for sure upgraded and hope to have this beaut for a few years to come. I say a few years because its apple we are talking about and things become old after the next release,,, Oh and the black is literally gorgeous i had space grey before this and many are saying its a darker space grey and I disagree its a black beauty and I’m in love. I also took the plunge and about a studio display open box, also in love, get the regular glass nano is a waste unless you are going to compute outside, the regular glass’s resolution is pristine nano will not give its full potential, also get a computer riser before spending 500 more for the height adjust, silly. That is all folks!!!!

I recently purchased an open-box MacBook Pro M3 Max from Best Buy and picked it up in-store. The process was smooth, and the staff made sure everything was in order before I left. The laptop itself has been great so far—fast, powerful, and in excellent condition despite being a refurbished model. I also felt comfortable with Best Buy’s return policy, which gave me peace of mind in case any issues popped up. Overall, a great deal and a hassle-free experience!

This is a fantastic computer, to date the best MacBook Pro I have owned. My first Mac was the SE-20 (20gig). It is fast! It has the power expected when purchasing. From Parallels desktop (19) running Widows (11) for business to multi media platforms like Final Cut Pro it seamlessly and quickly responds faster than any previous Mac by far. You can see the numbers and comparisons, in the end you have to buy what you need, or take a step up and be happy. I’m happy I purchased this build and recommend it! More than I expected.

Absolute top of the line amongst the other laptops out there. Display is brilliant, super fast, 100% recommended.

This machine is extremely powerful, the processing core is like no other. I edit music tracks and run my programs with zero delays. I pair it with an apple tracpad and my AirPods and I have a professional level home studio. I publish my songs mi Amor to Apple Music and the quality of all my instruments is crisp.

Thanks a lot ! I really like this product, it works quickly, does not heat up, excellent picture and sound