Last night, while cutting my third video, I nearly refunded the client quote
It was 10 p.m. Friday in my Hangzhou rental, editing an event video for a café client. The moment I dragged the timeline, previews began stuttering. Then I remembered I had also promised the client two extra posters that day, and panic hit. The computer still worked; it just failed at the worst moments after I opened several editing apps. That night, I finally did the math properly: replace the computer, or put the limited budget into RAM and storage first?
The M6 MacBook Pro is about not paying for performance I will never use
The baseline performance of the new M6 chip is already enough for photo retouching, video editing, and running entry-level AI models. It does not make every task run at maximum speed. Instead, it lets me move the budget that might have gone toward a Pro-tier processor into more useful RAM or storage. My friend Ajie, a freelance photographer in Chengdu, follows a simple workflow: retouch first, take editing jobs second, then use AI as an assistant. In September 2025, he handled 4K footage and client preview files simultaneously on an M6 MacBook Pro at a café, with noticeably shorter export waits. His use case is specific: he is not training large models every day; he just wants the machine not to stall before delivery.
What it costs to recreate this setup, and how long it takes
If my current computer can already handle most of the work, I would not rush to replace it. Assuming the current configuration costs ¥12,000, upgrading only to 16GB of RAM may cost around ¥1,000–¥2,000. Going to 32GB may cost roughly ¥2,500–¥5,000, depending on the model and when I buy. For time, I would spend 30 minutes checking how much RAM and storage I have left and which apps I use, then reserve one hour to compare prices for matching configurations. The technical barrier is not high, but I need to distinguish between temporary lag caused too many open apps, nearly full storage, and a computer that genuinely cannot keep up. First step: open the comparison page in the Apple Store or on the computer maker’s official site, place my current and target configurations side by side, and look at RAM and storage before fixating on the chip. This setup is not for everyone either; if I am not replacing my computer now, that is fine too.
By work stage, this is how I would allocate the budget
If I am just starting out and taking mostly copywriting and lightweight design jobs, I would skip a new computer for now and keep that budget for client samples. If I am cutting videos every day and caches regularly fill the drive, I would prioritize RAM and storage. If I am scaling up and the team takes turns using the computer, I would make a requirements sheet covering software, assets, RAM, and storage, then decide whether to upgrade the current device or reserve the stronger configuration for whoever truly needs the performance. I could also simulate my busiest day: if this configuration still stutters, I would consider replacing the computer. If it does not, I can save the money today.