Can the MacBook Neo Handle Blender? - First Look
Want a specific test on the MacBook Neo- Comment below by the 20th March with your question!
In this video, I unbox and test the MacBook Neo with its A18 Pro chip in Blender, comparing it side by side with my M1 Pro MacBook Pro to see if Apple's cheapest laptop can handle 3D work.
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Hi there! 👋 I'm Mike. I've been teaching Blender professionally for over 10 years, and I'm excited to share my knowledge with the community here. On this channel, you'll find full guides, courses, and tools to help guide, reassure, and educate you on your Blender journey. Let's create something amazing together!
⌚️Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:34 - Unboxing the MacBook Neo
01:51 - First Impressions & Comparison
03:22 - Installing Blender
04:32 - Downloading the Classroom Scene
05:53 - Setting Up Metal GPU Compute
06:58 - CPU vs GPU Render Test
08:01 - Storage & Pricing Discussion
09:49 - Render Progress Check
10:49 - Viewport Rendering Test
11:24 - What Should I Test Next?
12:16 - Outro
PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a kickback from 😜
Is the MacBook Neo actually capable of running Blender? I got my hands on one for a few days before it heads off to my daughter, and I couldn't resist putting it through its paces in Blender.
In this first impressions video, I unbox the base model MacBook Neo with its A18 Pro chip, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB of storage, and compare it directly against my M1 Pro MacBook Pro. On paper, the specs look completely different, but both machines cost roughly the same at around five to six hundred pounds.
I test viewport performance, set up Metal GPU compute, and run the classic classroom scene in Cycles to see how this fanless, mobile-chip laptop handles rendering. Can it keep up with the M1 Pro? And could you actually leave it rendering overnight without a fan?
I also share my thoughts on storage limitations, the surprisingly good trackpad experience, and whether the everyday feel of the Neo is as sluggish as the spec sheet might suggest. If you're considering a budget Mac for Blender, this is a real-world look at what to expect before you buy.
Want me to test anything specific? Drop your requests in the comments - I've got a few more days with it and I'm planning sculpting tests, polygon stress tests, and more.