Hi @webzeb
First of all, I suggest you take a look at this video (this guy is amazing).
He has tested different configurations (14" vs 16", 16/32/64GB and so on) on a bunch of typical photo/video workflow (LR, C1,…) and for some scenarios you clearly see that doubling the ram will cut the processing time in half…
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I’ll put here some extra info…
DeepPRIME takes full advantage of the Apple Neural Engine. All Macbook Pros do share the same amount of Neural Engine cores (16) and this will ensure, basically, that no matter the model, DeepPRIME will have the same speed across the line.
At the moment, using an M1 Mac with the latest version of PhotoLab, will crunch between 4.5-5Mpx per second, meaning a 61Mpx raw file will need approximately between 15" and 13" to be processed with DP (basically the same score I can achieve on my desktop PC which has an RTX 3070).
About screen size: 14" get busy very quickly. I would only consider this size if extreme portability is what you are looking for. Otherwise, go for the 16".
Storage: there is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution, each user has different needs and workflows…but for me 512GB are a bit too low. I would consider the 1TB option if possible.
From there, just add an external NVMe inside a Thunderbolt enclosure, and you’ll get all the extra storage you need for your projects (with all the speed needed, at a fraction of the cost).
Hope this helps.
Steven.