Apple M1

If you edit Pro Res or H.264/265 the M1 chip might be a good option. If you edit BRAW or R3D files it might not be the best option. 

To be honest,

If you're looking for a desktop (as opposed to a laptop) Mac, then yes. The M1 chips are absolutely worth it. Only one of the versions of the Mac Mini, as well as the Mac Pro, still use Intel CPUs whose performance does not justify the massive increase in power consumption over the M1 models.

If you're looking at a laptop, then you have no choice as all of the Intel-powered MacBooks have been completely discontinued. Only the M1 chip-powered MacBooks are available. Within this group you will generally get increased performance the more money you spend, up to a point of diminishing returns. IMHO $2500 USD is the sweet spot in terms of performance versus price for these M1 MacBooks.

It would be best to watch the many M1 Mac vs Intel Mac and Mac vs PC comparisons on YouTube, because the answer depends on what kind of video you are editing, such as which format and which codec. Many YouTube channels, such as MaxTech, have compared how the different M1 variations perform for different kinds of video.

In general, for video editing the M1 Macs are far superior to the Intel Macs of the same price, particularly the graphics hardware. Totally worth it.

The basic M1 works well, especially if you’re on a budget. But it’s limited in some areas such as memory capacity and display support.

The M1 Pro and M1 Max are the best balance for video editing, with more CPU and GPU cores, more video encoders/decoders, and higher memory capacities.

The M1 Ultra mostly doubles the specs of the Max, but many tests indicate that does not result in the same price/performance value as the M1 Pro/Max. For example, the base model of the Mac Studio M1 Ultra costs twice as much as the base Mac Studio M1 Max, but in most cases you do not get twice the performance.

If you want a Mac desktop, the Mac Studio M1 Max is a good deal because the base model has 32GB unified memory and 512GB storage, so video editors who already keep projects on external storage can probably use the base model without paying for any upgrades.

You can also build a PC system that can meet or beat the fastest M1 variants. The difference is that at the same performance level, the M1 consumes much less power, so it runs cooler, which means it can hold high performance longer (it’s less subject to thermal throttling), and the cooling fans can run quietly. The lower power consumption of M1 is not always important on a desktop computer, but gives the M1 a great advantage for laptops, especially for battery life.

Moved to Hardware forum.