Gurman: Apple Testing 'M3 Pro' Chip for MacBook Pro With 12-Core CPU and 18-Core GPU

[falkon-engine]

Playing 4K videos in the background and a bunch of tabs open. I love Firefox Mozilla browser. It's my 2nd go-to web browser. Lately, Safari has been acting up.

I like Safari too, but I keep Chrome in my rolodex because Safari doesn't render HDCP video (Youtube TV and Apple TV+) when sidecar is enabled. So if I want to watch Youtube TV using Safari (or use the Apple TV+ app) while my iPad is connected as a sidecar monitor, the audio plays back but Video is black. HDCP error I believe.

But Chrome has no such problems and plays the Youtue TV and Apple TV+ video back perfectly with sidecar.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

For those who think 36gb is weird, remember that the current MBP goes up to 96gb.

 

[theorist9]

It's expected that the RAM on the next-gen MBP's will be LPDDR5x. But what remains an open question is how large the chips will be, since LPDDR5x allows up to 64 GB. Of course that 36 GB RAM Gurman quoted is speculative, but if it's legit I'm hoping that means at least 18 GB chips. With that chip size, max RAM on the M3 Max and Ultra become 144 GB and 288 GB respectively.

That means users like me, who currently need a lot of RAM but not many cores, wouldn't be forced to upgrade to the Ultra just to get enough memory.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

It's expected that the RAM on the next-gen MBP's will be LPDDR5x. But what remains an open question is how large the chips will be, since LPDDR5x allows up to 64 GB. Of course that 36 GB RAM Gurman quoted is speculative, but if it's legit I'm hoping that means at least 18 GB chips. With that chips size, max RAM on the M3 Max and Ultra become 144 GB and 288 GB respectively.

I like the sound of a 144 GB MBP and 288 GB Mac Studio.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

Can we also have cheaper storage? I got a terabyte and I’m still having storage issues.

 

[Bug-Creator]

For those who think 36gb is weird, remember that the current MBP goes up to 96gb.

Based on 8 12GB chips, which are common and are hooked to the CPU in a logical setup.

Couldn't do 36GB with currently available chips and the layout of any existing M-SoC.
Maybe that will change for M3, maybe the will special order the chips (they do have the volume for that) or maybe, just maybe it is only a typo.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Well, Apple can always make it optional and have a “toggle button” to turn it on or off. (Having an option)

The Apple Logo lit up always made me happy. The crazy thing is it can be seen far away when someone was using a Mac. Now, it's not the same with the Mac's anymore.

I always thought it was the monitor’s backlight making the glow, so if the monitor was on then so was the logo but if it can be turned off then yeah let’s do it.

 

[Bodhitree]

Honestly, TSMC started ramping production last year, so they have been making stuff for a good six months. It doesn’t take the brains of a rocket scientist to figure out launch day must be close.

And why are rocket scientists held in such high regard anyway? What makes them smarter than a top-shelf software architect or a theoretical physicist or a good neuroscientist doctor?

 

[phenste]

cool that Gurman has actual evidence to back up his claims…for once…🤣

I’m sure M3-series will be great; I’m more than happy with my M2 Pro and look forward to the advancements I will eventually see in a model I own.

 

[TigerNike23]

Frankly, I’m beginning to wonder if they shouldn’t have released the M2 chip, and just gone straight for M3.

The M2 just doesn’t make sense in hindsight. It was M1 with minor performance improvements.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but why not just cut the price of M1 for a year and then release the M3 or whatever it would’ve been called?

I’m strictly looking at the base M2 models of the MBA and Mac Mini, which actually had dips in performance thanks to the SSD.

 

[Bodhitree]

Well, they did say that the reason they left Intel was because they were unable to deliver updates in a regular cadence. It wouldn’t look good if their own chip division failed to deliver the first regular update when it was due.

 

[Bug-Creator]

Frankly, I’m beginning to wonder if they shouldn’t have released the M2 chip, and just gone straight for M3.

If we look at the M1 series, we see 1 design used for the M1 and 1 design used for the Pro/Max/Ultra (the Pro is cut down before it gets onto the wafer).

I haven't seen anything regarding the M2 design and I'm not even sure if an M2-Ultra would have been possible at all.

Which brings me back to idea of "M3" only being a thing for higher end options with a plain base M3 not even planned.

Or maybe the go the same route as NVidia/AMD go with their GPUs, starting with the big fat monster chip and only later offering the cut down affordable versions (or even keeping those a generation behind).

 

[boak]

UAM =/= RAM

 

[McWetty]

I wonder why the "odd" size of 36GB of RAM. We know that RAM tends to revolve around eights or sixteens and neither of those goes smoothly into 36. I would assume 8-16-24-32 (as we have seen) 40-48-56-64, etc. options vs. an oddball like 36GB.

This is not a complaint- just noticing that "one of these is not like the others" and wondering why. Is this basically 5K (monitor) vs. 4K (or 8K) because... well... it's Apple?

It could be because the GPU and CPU share memory. You could think of it as 24+12 or some combo. We’ve seen 12Gb in nVidia cards recently.

 

[Yonizzle]

Lol, I’ve been saying for years that I’ll order a 15-inch Air the day it’s announced. But now it sounds like as soon as it comes out, reliable sources will be expecting its replacement in relatively short order. So again, I’m torn (if Gurman et al. are right, that is)…

 

[deconstruct60]

Apple is testing an unreleased chip with a 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 36GB of memory, according to an App Store developer log obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip is being tested inside a future high-end MacBook Pro running the upcoming macOS 14 update, which is expected to be announced at WWDC next month.

MacOS 14 expected to be announced WWDC next month. No doubts that folks speed reading that fragment above are jumping to. "MBP with M3 Pro ... just around the corner". Probably not. Likely next Winter/Spring. But it is very demonstrative of just how flawed the meme of. "can't possibly release a M3 before A17" " ... the chip is working. Whether Apple chooses to or not a technological limit or production limit.... it is just a choice.

​

In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said this chip could be the base-level M3 Pro for the next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models launching next year. The chip is expected to be manufactured based on TSMC's 3nm process for significant performance and power efficiency improvements.

"could be the base-level M3". pretty good chance that is just arm-flapping by Gurman. Compare apples to oranges to present some significant core count jump just to build buzz and clickbait. The M2 Pro can do. 12 core CPU AND 18 core. The binned entry model isn't primarily a yield issue. It is a make fatter profits issue. Apple is still going to want fat profits during the M3 generation. That is highly unlikely to go away.

"could be" isn't a leak from Apple. More likely Gurman seeing what he wants to see as opposed to something someone at Apple showed/informed him.

The N3 wafers cost more. So if Apple keeps the core counts the same there is a good chance they can control the cost increases for the more expensive process. Pretty good chance the die won't shrink much. The SRAM/cache isn't gong to shrink much at all. ( and if added lots more cores they'd need more cache... which would be pretty good chance of a net increase in die size on a more expensive wafer... probably not going there. ). There is other stuff besides basic CPU and GPU cores elements they want to stuff inside ( AMX , NPU , graphics accelerators , image processing (AV1) ,etc. )

Apple can get performance increases without add more cores. Cores with more stuff (would have been bigger cores on N5) and/or IPC revisions, etc.

 

[stevemiller]

Gpu cores are going down from m2 pro?

 

[JPack]

Honestly, TSMC started ramping production last year, so they have been making stuff for a good six months. It doesn’t take the brains of a rocket scientist to figure out launch day must be close.

And why are rocket scientists held in such high regard anyway? What makes them smarter than a top-shelf software architect or a theoretical physicist or a good neuroscientist doctor?

N3E doesn’t ramp until later this year.

If TSMC had been ramping last year, it would be available at WWDC.

 

[chucker23n1]

Apple is testing an unreleased chip with a 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 36GB of memory, according to an App Store developer log obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. [..]

In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said this chip could be the base-level M3 Pro for the next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models launching next year.

So, the data he actually has is that there was a SoC with 12 CPU cores, 18 GPU cores and 36 GiB RAM. He doesn’t know that this is an M3 Pro, and he doesn’t know that this is the new base model.

I do think the Mx Pro’s base being 16 GiB RAM is starting to get a little dated, but 36 would be quite a jump. If they don’t do powers or 2, 24 strikes me as more likely as the new base.

 

[DocMultimedia]

Meanwhile, in 2027, the M5 is rumored to be out by fall 2028. I feel it!

 

[dwaite]

Woo hoo! 36GB unified Memory will be insane 🔥. We need more RAM. I'm tired of seeing this message in 2023.

View attachment 2201846

I'm pretty sure Firefox didn't say "whoa whoa whoa - 80 GB is my limit"

 

[Darajavahus]

Woo hoo! 36GB unified Memory will be insane 🔥. We need more RAM. I'm tired of seeing this message in 2023.

View attachment 2201846

I rise you this

I have no idea how I ever update from my 27 iMac since i bought 64GB of ram for it for less than apple charges for additional 8GB. I have M1 iPad Pro and I don’t get people prasing apple silicon so much since I have constantly close and open up Safari because websites slow down and start to glitch because of a lack o ram.

 

[RalfTheDog]

Woo hoo! 36GB unified Memory will be insane 🔥. We need more RAM. I'm tired of seeing this message in 2023.

View attachment 2201846

The more memory you have, the more memory applications will eat. It's lazy programming.

 

[jz0309]

MacOS 14 expected to be announced WWDC next month. No doubts that folks speed reading that fragment above are jumping to. "MBP with M3 Pro ... just around the corner". Probably not. Likely next Winter/Spring. But it is very demonstrative of just how flawed the meme of. "can't possibly release a M3 before A17" " ... the chip is working. Whether Apple chooses to or not a technological limit or production limit.... it is just a choice.



"could be the base-level M3". pretty good chance that is just arm-flapping by Gurman. Compare apples to oranges to present some significant core count jump just to build buzz and clickbait. The M2 Pro can do. 12 core CPU AND 18 core. The binned entry model isn't primarily a yield issue. It is a make fatter profits issue. Apple is still going to want fat profits during the M3 generation. That is highly unlikely to go away.

"could be" isn't a leak from Apple. More likely Gurman seeing what he wants to see as opposed to something someone at Apple showed/informed him.

The N3 wafers cost more. So if Apple keeps the core counts the same there is a good chance they can control the cost increases for the more expensive process. Pretty good chance the die won't shrink much. The SRAM/cache isn't gong to shrink much at all. ( and if added lots more cores they'd need more cache... which would be pretty good chance of a net increase in die size on a more expensive wafer... probably not going there. ). There is other stuff besides basic CPU and GPU cores elements they want to stuff inside ( AMX , NPU , graphics accelerators , image processing (AV1) ,etc. )

Apple can get performance increases without add more cores. Cores with more stuff (would have been bigger cores on N5) and/or IPC revisions, etc.

yep, nicely summarized. as usual, he just throws things out there to see what sticks, he has no "insider info" what Apple is really doing, and I'm also more and more convinced that some of his "leaks" are planted by Apple ...

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I don’t think we’ll see an M3 this year — most likely Spring ‘24.