Search results
Dec 21, 2023 · Benchmarking the Bleeding Edge: Apple M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max CPUs Tested. Our testing starts with a real-world benchmark of CPU performance with HandBrake 1.4, in which we transcode the 12-minute ...
- Brian Westover
- Lead Analyst, Hardware
- M1 to M3 Timeline
- Mac and Macbook Processors Compared
- Mac Processors from Apple
- Mac Processor Benchmarks
- M1 vs Intel: Benchmarks
- M1 vs Intel: What’s The difference?
- Mac Processors Made by Intel
- How to Choose A Mac Processor
- Which Mac Processor to Choose?
November 2020: Apple introduced its first Mac system-on-chip – the M1. It still features in the MacBook Air, and did feature in the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini. April 2021: Apple launched an iMac with a M1 chip. October 2021: The M1 formed the bases for powerful variants, the M1 Pro and M1 Max that arrived in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro in...
The processor inside a Mac makes a big difference to how powerful the Mac is. However, it can actually be quite confusing if you aren’t familiar with the terminology. The processor is sometimes referred to as the CPU (central processing unit), which is different to the GPU (graphics processing unit). Sometimes people will refer to the processor whe...
M1
In June 2020 Apple announced that it would transition Mac from Intel to its “world-class custom silicon.” This process began with Apple’s M1 processor, which was introduced in November 2020. The M1 still features inside these Macs: 1. MacBook Air (2020) (buy from Apple here) The M1 no longer features inside these Macs: 1. 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020) 2. Mac mini (2020) 3. iMac (2021) The M1 specs are as follows: 1. 8-core CPU (4 performance cores/4 efficiency cores) 2. 7- or 8-core graphics pro...
M1 Pro
Apple introduced the M1 Pro in October 2021. It is no longer available in any new Macs, but you may get one in Apple’s refurbished store or elsewhere. The M1 Pro featured in these Macs: 1. 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021) 2. 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021) The M1 Pro specs were as follows: 1. 8- or 10-core CPU (6 or 8 performance cores/2 efficiency cores) 2. 14- or 16-core GPU 3. 16-core Neural Engine 4. 16GB or 32GB of RAM 5. 200GBps memory bandwidth 6. 33.7 billion transistors The M1 Pro offers a 14-c...
M1 Max
The M1 Max was also introduced in October 2021 as a standard option for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and a build-to-order option for the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Then in March 2022, the M1 Max became one of the options for the Mac Studio. The M1 Max is no longer available in any new Macs, but you may get one in Apple’s refurbished store or elsewhere. The M1 Max features in these Macs: 1. 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021) 2. 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021) 3. Mac Studio (2022) The M1 Max specs are as follows: 1....
The benchmarks below include the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max which were released with the new iMac and the MacBook Pro at the end of 2023. The M3 Ultra has not been released, so the Mac Studio and Mac Pro still use the M2 Ultra, which as you can see is still the fastest Apple processor, for now. Note that the M3 chip is actually faster than some iteratio...
As for how Apple’s silicon compares to the Intel processors that used to power Macs, when we tested we found that even Apple’s M1 chips delivered a performance that was equal to, or even better, than the most powerful Intel laptop chips found in Macs at the time – and the M1 Macs weren’t even targeted at the kind of people who need the most powerfu...
The Intel processors that Apple used in its Macs since 2006 were x86 chips. Apple Silicon is based on ARM, but includes a number of Apple technologies (so they aren’t ARM chips, strictly speaking). ARM and x86 are completely different architectures-which means that they need different code, and hence the operating systems and software need to be ta...
Apple has used various generations of Intel processor over the years. Here are details of some of the Intel chips you may find inside any Macs that predate Apple’s move to the M1 and beyond. The only Macs Apple currently sells with Intel processors are to be found in Apple’s refurbished store. If you are considering buying a used Intel-powered Mac ...
Whether you are comparing two Macs with Apple chips, or one Apple chip and one Intel chip, or even two Intel chips, this is what to consider:
Now that Apple has almost completed its transition from Intel to Apple Silicon, the question of which processor is no longer a choice between Intel and Apple. We have in the past recommended waiting for a second-generation product, but now that the M3 series is here there is no reason to wait. If you need a powerful Mac go ahead and buy one. The on...
- Karen Haslam
The Apple M3 is a system on a chip (SoC) from Apple for notebooks that was introduced in late 2023. It integrates a new 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores with up to 4.06 GHz and 4 efficiency ...
Nov 7, 2023 · On M3 Pro, the 11-core CPU includes a 14-core GPU, while the 12-core CPU is bundled with a 12-core GPU. With the M3 Max, Apple includes either 30 cores or 40 cores on the GPU, depending on whether ...
Oct 30, 2023 · The power-efficient performance of M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max helps the new MacBook Pro and iMac meet Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency, and helps the new MacBook Pro achieve the longest battery life ever in a Mac — up to 22 hours. 2 This results in less time needing to be plugged in and less energy consumed over its lifetime.
Mar 11, 2024 · M1 Pro, M2 Pro, and M3 Pro: Apple silicon chip with additional high-performance CPU cores. The M1 Pro and M2 Pro feature twice the memory bandwidth of the M2 and M3 chips (200GB/s), while ...
Nov 9, 2023 · Geekbench results showed last week that the M3 Max in the 2023 MacBook Pro almost exactly matches the performance of the M2 Ultra in the maxed-out Mac Studio and Mac Pro machines. On the single ...
