M series chips are still slow... Are they gonna solve it?

[thunng8]

That graph feeds the myth that Apple is better at marketing than hardware manufacturing.

Has Apple published the software they used for that benchmark? Has anyone else been able to reproduce the benchmark on that graph?


Do those tasks use the GPU or another part of the SoC?

Typical video editing is a combination of cpu, gpu and video encode hardware. Depends on the project. If the project applies a lot of affects it will tap the gpu more. If it is just a straight encode job then gpu won’t be as important and cpu and video encode units are more important. Overall for these tasks the ultra is faster.

Photo editing is gpu and cpu heavy ( depends of the application.. affinity photo use a lot of gpu while photoshop only some functions are gpu enabled) and the ultra overall is faster at that than a high end cpu with rtx3090.

 

[Xiao_Xi]

Typical video editing is a combination of cpu, gpu and video encode hardware. Depends on the project. If the project applies a lot of affects it will tap the gpu more. If it is just a straight encode job then gpu won’t be as important and cpu and video encode units are more important. Overall for these tasks the ultra is faster.

Photo editing is gpu and cpu heavy ( depends of the application.. affinity photo use a lot of gpu while photoshop only some functions are gpu enabled) and the ultra overall is faster at that than a high end cpu with rtx3090.

Apple would have received less backlash if it had clearly stated that the M1 Ultra outperformed the Nvidia RTX 3090 in video and photo editing. It would have also prevented Youtubers from making comparisons in 3D rendering, gaming or machine learning where the M1 Ultra is worse than the Nvidia GPU.

Apple seems to have learned its lesson and now breaks down the comparison between M1 and M2 in various tasks.

 

[orionquest]

Doesn't really change the fact that Apple Silicon chip's performance is poorer than PC side.

And nooooo body cares.

Performance for modern computers hasn't been an issue for a long time. You can do 90% of workloads on any computer. Nobody is missing out on something they can't do or realizing there is a a difference in performance.

 

[Warped9]

In practical real world terms the M series chips are a significant leap forward in terms of overall performance, efficiency, battery life and price. They are like the VW Golf GTI of computers. There are vehicles that can give you superior performance, better fuel economy and more storage space, but not all in one vehicle at an affordable price.

The current M1 and now M2 MacBook Airs are now arguably the best bang-for-the-buck computers on the market. Yeah, you can spend less and still have an okay machine, but you’re giving up significant performance and getting half the battery life. You can spend more and get an edge in performance, but efficiency and battery life go out the window…unless you’re buying a 14 or 16 MacBook Pro. And the Pros are not for the average consumer market—they are genuine pro machines.

 

[Paradoxally]

Doesn't really change the fact that Apple Silicon chip's performance is poorer than PC side.

Buy a PC then.

This is just complaining for complaining's sake. You need to buy the correct tool for the job or you'll always find something to whine about.

A Mac is never going to compare to a beast of a GPU like the 3090 or anything that comes after it. Why do you think it comes with huge fans and a 350W TDP to match?

AS is designed for specific workloads and it does that well. PC's with dedicated graphics - especially flagship level - will undoubtedly be better for other workloads.

It's like saying a Tesla is not a Ferrari, of course not. It's a Tesla. If you want a supercar, buy a Ferrari.

 

[PsykX]

125W Intel desktop chip vs 30W M1 portable chip. It's not even close. Intel excels at generating heat.

A PC is a much better deal for those like me who have to heat the house during winter.
But I still end up buying a Mac. 😁

 

[Tenkaykev]

Let's change tact and say this. If you need to play AAA games, or want an RTX 3090 GPU, then get a PC. This is the great advantage of competition and choice.

You forgot to factor in

This. The efficiency and speed on my M1 MacBook Air is so awesome. It’s a truly total package and the only thing like it on the market especially at the price point.

Another Plus is that with Apple Silicon you are spared the expense of purchasing either noise cancelling headphones, or a pair of " Ear Defenders " 😉

 

[Tenkaykev]

Also, reading your replesi you appear to be a troll but i will feed you with this:

IF YOU WANT TO GAME AND WANT THE PERFORMANCE OF A 3090, GET A WINDOWS MACHINE WITH A 3090.​

He can't hear you mate, the noise from his fans going full blast has damaged his hearing...

 

[Freeangel1]

I WANT ONE OF THESE!

M2 PRO. MAC STUDIO

TSMC to start mass production of 3nm 'M2 Pro' later this year - 9to5Mac

Apple this week unveiled the new M2 chip, which is the first upgrade to the Apple Silicon chips created specifically...

9to5mac.com

 

[throAU]

M1 series especially M1 Ultra still suffer its GPU performance and it turns out Apple lied about the performance. Yes, the optimization is still a problem but people still believe that M1 series are still performing poorly. Do M1 Ultra really perform just like RTX 3090? How about now? If this continue in 2022 and later, it will be a huge problem. I'm still seeing videos of poor M1 series performance due to lack of optimizations.

Repeat after me:
An RTX3090 is 400 watts - which needs a 100 watt CPU to drive it - so you're looking at 500 watts.
An M1 is 15 watts including both CPU/GPU
An M1 Pro is about 35 watts including both CPU/GPU
An M1 Max is about 60 watts including both CPU/GPU
An M1 ultra is maybe 100 watts including both CPU/GPU

It is not performing poorly, and in some cases where the accelerators are used or where the working set is more than 24 gigabytes of memory, it can beat the 3090.

 

[GuruZac]

You forgot to factor in

Another Plus is that with Apple Silicon you are spared the expense of purchasing either noise cancelling headphones, or a pair of " Ear Defenders " 😉

No joke, my friend has a 2020 Intel MacBook Pro, and that thing spools up over everything. It's loud and hot. Meanwhile, I am running multiple apps, watching YouTube, and doing software downloads simultaneously, with no fan, no heat.

 

[JMacHack]

If apple advertise a product thats fast as an 3090, and i spend more than 2x of an 3090 price, i want that power even if i dont need it... What are u saying is: spend 4000bucks for that mac, but trust me, dont complain if its not so fast as Tim said. I assure u that u dont need that power so u dont have nothing to worry about
BTW, seems u dont know what is mining, as calling someone that have a 3090 a "very niche customer" its ridicolous...

I have a hunch that the displayed performance metrics used obscenely large projects.

During the keynote Apple showcased a 3D project that was 48 gigabytes in size I believe. We know that the M Series has ridiculous memory bandwidth along with the unified memory, so I’d imagine they used a huge file and relied on the 3090’s memory being a bottleneck.

Which would explain the anecdote about the Moana scene rendering so fast vs the observed performance in smaller projects.

 

[boss.king]

If apple advertise a product thats fast as an 3090, and i spend more than 2x of an 3090 price, i want that power even if i dont need it... What are u saying is: spend 4000bucks for that mac, but trust me, dont complain if its not so fast as Tim said. I assure u that u dont need that power so u dont have nothing to worry about
BTW, seems u dont know what is mining, as calling someone that have a 3090 a "very niche customer" its ridicolous...

Why are you buying a $4k machine without looking at benchmarks or reviews? Never trust what a manufacturer says, they will all cherry-pick use cases that make their product look good.

 

[UBS28]

No joke, my friend has a 2020 Intel MacBook Pro, and that thing spools up over everything. It's loud and hot. Meanwhile, I am running multiple apps, watching YouTube, and doing software downloads simultaneously, with no fan, no heat.

I have the high-end 10nm 13” 2020 i5 MBP (with 4 USB-C ports) and that thing is really quite for that type of stuff.

It is currently used as a server now (because Apple trade-in value is so ****) and I haven’t heard the fans on that thing while acting as a server.

 

[thenewperson]

I have the high-end 10nm 13” 2020 i5 MBP (with 4 USB-C ports) and that thing is really quite for that type of stuff.

It is currently used as a server now (because Apple trade-in value is so ****) and I haven’t heard the fans on that thing while acting as a server.

The 13" models didn't seem to have as many complaints about fan noise as the other models did.

 

[UBS28]

The 13" models didn't seem to have as many complaints about fan noise as the other models did.

Indeed.

It is my 2018 15” MacBook Pro with the 14nm chip that is noisy as hell.

I also have that one setup as a server and on that one the fans do spin up.

The 10nm chip from Intel is much better.

 

[tmoerel]

Why are you buying a $4k machine without looking at benchmarks or reviews? Never trust what a manufacturer says, they will all cherry-pick use cases that make their product look good.

Because I look at real world use cases. A benchmark is just a set of numbers!

 

[MayaUser]

M1 series are like i3 from Intel so every hater or trolling person can be happy and those hard core mac users already know what they have and where they stand, and lets end this topic

 

[MayaUser]

Why are you buying a $4k machine without looking at benchmarks or reviews? Never trust what a manufacturer says, they will all cherry-pick use cases that make their product look good.

im sorry what? because i dont need benchmarks or reviews?
I have 14 days return policy to see how it helps me in my life and in my business
I dont care what some reviewers are testing..i didnt even see Maya users reviewers so?!

 

[Damian83]

Why are you buying a $4k machine without looking at benchmarks or reviews? Never trust what a manufacturer says, they will all cherry-pick use cases that make their product look good.

Actually, i don't believe even benchmarks, not anymore. Take a look at this thread i've opened:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/m1-handbrake-performance-very-disappointing.2345720/

 

[MayaUser]

people dont trust reviewers, dont trust companies that are selling you the device...just buy it and see if suits your needs
Every major companies have a return policy nowadays, in EU there is even a LAW for online purchases

 

[Timpetus]

I have yet to see a single thread from OP which deviates from the standard trolling pattern: post something doomy and unreasonably critical of Apple (so basically everyone will disagree, not just the diehard Apple fans) and then continue to restate points from the original post in response to any disagreement. Also, real-world usefulness doesn't matter to OP, just benchmarks and the fact that Apple doesn't have the mOsT pOwErFuL GPU OMGzorzlol. Any points relating to the Apple Silicon transition being a huge step forward for the vast majority of Mac users and the corresponding sales success it's been so far will be ignored completely.

 

[apparatchik]

im sorry what? because i dont need benchmarks or reviews?
I have 14 days return policy to see how it helps me in my life and in my business
I dont care what some reviewers are testing..i didnt even see Maya users reviewers so?!

I have the feeling you're either into Maya or are a Maya user lol

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Apple would have received less backlash

No. Apple will never receive less backlash. Because everyone providing the backlash knows that backlashing against Apple is a good way to drive engagement. Might end up with a few hundred new subscribers, too! And a passel of upvotes!

 

[Jakewilk]

And Apple also claimed that M1 Ultra's GPU is as powerful as RTX 3090 but it turns out to be false.

If I remember correctly, that particular graph was showing that the m1 ultra required significantly less power at max performance than the RTX 3090. Apple left out the fact that the RTX could preform even better if they cranked up the watts. Not very honest, but in reality who is jealous of needing 600 watts for a touch more power? You’re comparing basically the best GPU available to a chip apple didn’t even see fit for their top-of-the-line mac. Just be patient and you’ll see that the best is yet to come