MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4 for 3D animation and editing

Question

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4 for 3D animation and editing

i want to do semi heavy editing and hyper-realistic 3d animations in blender. I currently use a 2017 MacBook Pro, and it runs simple 3d models in blender without getting too laggy. I assumed since the m4 MacBook Air is so much newer, it should easily handle complex 3d renders and editing. However, I’ve seen people online saying the MacBook Air is only good for light editing. So, will the M4 macbook air be good enough for what I need, or is the M4 macbook pro worth the extra 600 dollars?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: MacBook Air vs MacBook pro

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 13.7

Posted on Aug 3, 2025 09:55 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 3, 2025 10:39 AM in response to Brandon_Clayton

Like neuroanatomist said, the pro model will be better for your workflow because the Pro model has fans while the Air does not. Sure, the Air can mostly keep up for short bursts, but I'm pretty sure the Pro will be able to keep up its performance. I'm not saying the Air is a bad choice for you. I have an M3 Air and I love it for its lightweight power.

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Answer 2

Aug 3, 2025 10:07 AM in response to Brandon_Clayton

Mac - Compare Models - Apple

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Answer 3

Aug 3, 2025 10:21 AM in response to Brandon_Clayton

The main difference is that the Pro has active cooling, the Air will throttle back the processing speed to manage temps under a heavy load (e.g., transcoding).

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Answer 4

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,124 points

Aug 3, 2025 12:22 PM in response to Brandon_Clayton

THe M4 Air will be RAM limited and the M4 MBP Pro will not. You will want plenty of RAM for large Blender work and the Pro's fans to keep the CPU unthrottled and the Mac less likely to fry an egg.

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