Rumored pro chip

[cmaier]

So now the rumor is a 10-core chip with only two efficiency cores. If so, the efficiency cores must be quite different than the M1 efficiency cores. I continue to stand by my (not at all informed by any wine I swear) claim that these will be M2 and not M1x.

Or the rumor an (nobody i swear) could be wrong. Since a 4:1 ratio seems a little odd.

 

[bobcomer]

So now the rumor is a 10-core chip with only two efficiency cores. If so, the efficiency cores must be quite different than the M1 efficiency cores. I continue to stand by my (not at all informed by any wine I swear) claim that these will be M2 and not M1x.

Or the rumor an (nobody i swear) could be wrong. Since a 4:1 ratio seems a little odd.

8 performance cores sounds about right for mid-tier stuff, it might even be awesome given the single core performance of the M1. I don't think I'd want less in a "Pro" product these days. It should be as fast as the mid to upper end i9's. (if it has enough cooling and I'm counting only multi-core)

Maybe they figured out that the 4 efficiency cores in the current M1 was overkill for the job they'd do in a beefier product.

It'll be fun to hear the final specs.

 

[leman]

Only two energy efficient cores is... well, odd. That's a strange spot to save silicon space on. I agree with @cmaier that this suggests that these efficiency cores might be quite different.

The rest of the rumor makes perfect sense. Up to 64GB RAM suggests quad-channel LPDDR5. Option of 16 or 32 core GPU suggests a separate GPU die.

 

[Gnattu]

8 performance cores sounds about right for mid-tier stuff, it might even be awesome given the single core performance of the M1. I don't think I'd want less in a "Pro" product these days. It should be as fast as the mid to upper end i9's. (if it has enough cooling and I'm counting only multi-core)

If the 8 cores are as fast as the M1's and the multi-threaded scaling is about the same, it is going to be faster than AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS and Intel i9-11980HK in both single thread and multi thread. I would not call such offering a 'mid-tier' in a laptop.

 

[cmaier]

Only two energy efficient cores is... well, odd. That's a strange spot to save silicon space on. I agree with @cmaier that this suggests that these efficiency cores might be quite different.

If true, then the efficiency cores must be much more powerful this time around, I’d think. Maybe double-wide issue or something.

 

[leman]

If true, then the efficiency cores must be much more powerful this time around, I’d think. Maybe double-wide issue or something.

Hypethreading? ?

 

[cmaier]

Hypethreading? ?

LOL. Doubt it

 

[Serban55]

so dont get hopes for the 32 gpu cores for the little 14" mbp...that will be for the 16" i guess.
And based on scaling..and some simple math and proper cooling..the 32 gpu cores should be better than the current high end dgpu 5600M..right leman ?

Also the 64gb Ram will remain for the 16" as well

 

[Gnattu]

If true, then the efficiency cores must be much more powerful this time around, I’d think. Maybe double-wide issue or something.

What's the problem of having only 2 IceStorm? Although Apple call it "efficiency core", it is already having Cortex-A76 level IPC(and even slightly higher). Given larger MBP is going to have larger battery, promoting more tasks to larger Firestorm cores sounds a reasonable trade-off.

 

[Serban55]

"They’ll have an improved Neural Engine, which processes machine-learning tasks, and enable the addition of more Thunderbolt ports"

 

[bobcomer]

If the 8 cores are as fast as the M1's and the multi-threaded scaling is about the same, it is going to be faster than AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS and Intel i9-11980HK in both single thread and multi thread. I would not call such offering a 'mid-tier' in a laptop.

Remember that intel isn't standing still either. And I don't think it'll be faster than the CPU's you suggest, but it'll be close, but we'll have to wait and see the clocking specs and the benchmarks. The fastest i9's (X and XE parts) are well over twice as fast as the M1...

 

[leman]

And based on scaling..and some simple math and proper cooling..the 32 gpu cores should be better than the current high end dgpu 5600M..right leman ?

32 GPU cores (assuming same per-core performance as M1) should outperform the RTX 3060, at least in the graphics department... Since it's also likely to be a new GPU architecture, we'd probably see somewhere around 10-15 TFLOPS compute power.

Also the 64gb Ram will remain for the 16" as well

If they share the same CPU and the same memory architecture, 64GB could also come to a smaller platform, but there is of course the matter of power consumption....

 

[Serban55]

"redesigned, higher-end MacBook Air planned for as early as the end of the year, Apple is planning a direct successor to the M1 processor. That chip, codenamed Staten, will include the same number of computing cores as the M1 but run faster. It will also see the number of graphics cores increase from seven or eight to nine or 10. Apple is also planning an update to the low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro with that same chip.“"

So..by the end of the year...we will have indeed a new SoC mac family like they promised...M1, this M1x that is an M1 but with faster cores and more gpu cores (too bad that chip isnt in the 24" imac) and this new upcoming lets call it M2 up to 32 gpu cores that supports up to 64gb ram that will come with the MBP...and, probably the bigger imac...so 3 SoC by the end of the year

Again, too bad that this M1x isnt in the brand new imac...it should have been

 

[leman]

Remember that intel isn't standing still either.

Aren't they? Per-core Intel performance didn't see that much changes recently. M1 Firestorm core is still as fast as newest and fastest 10nm Tiger Lake, at 1/3 power consumption. And in multi-core, the 8-core TL is two times faster than the M1 — with 4 times more power used. There is Intel Alder Lake coming out, but I am fairly skeptical as to how much better that is going to be...

If the prosumer Apple CPU will feature 8 cores with an improved architecture (let's say 10-20% higher per-core performance), it is going to outperform anything that Intel or AMD can offer, and I am talking about desktop enthusiast-level CPUs.

 

[Serban55]

32 GPU cores (assuming same per-core performance as M1) should outperform the RTX 3060, at least in the graphics department... Since it's also likely to be a new GPU architecture, we'd probably see somewhere around 10-15 TFLOPS compute power.



If they share the same CPU and the same memory architecture, 64GB could also come to a smaller platform, but there is of course the matter of power consumption....

Did you read this ?
"Apple is working on a 40-core Mac Pro. That will be exciting to see the amazing performance Apple Silicon is able to bring to the machine. A 20-core chip is also in the works and as for the GPU, options will include 64 or 128 cores"
Gpu with 64 and 128 cores...i wonder if the 120 cores will be in top 3 high end gpu ?!

 

[Falhófnir]

It would be ‘M2’ class assuming it uses the next gen core designs that will also appear in the A15 (the successors to firestorm and ice storm), that would certainly be possible for an August-October launch timeframe, given the A15 needs to be ready by June at the latest for iPhone production to start?

 

[Gnattu]

The fastest i9's (X and XE parts) are well over twice as fast as the M1...

Correct me if I understand it wrong. You are comparing an 165w TDP Intel i9 to a 15w TDP Apple M1, and you hope the 35-45w TDP "larger Apple Mx" to be as fast as that 165w counterpart?

Remember that intel isn't standing still either. And I don't think it'll be faster than the CPU's you suggest, but it'll be close, but we'll have to wait and see the clocking specs and the benchmarks.

The i9-11980HK is the latest and finest laptop CPU Intel just released, they are not standing still, but it does not beat M1 in single thread, already. We can only speculate the multi-threaded performance for now, but I don't see the reason where 8 Firestorm Cores will be slower than 8 Willow Cove cores.

 

[Serban55]

It would be ‘M2’ class assuming it uses the next gen core designs that will also appear in the A15 (the successors to firestorm and ice storm), that would certainly be possible for an August-October launch timeframe, given the A15 needs to be ready by June at the latest for iPhone production to start?

this, indeed can be called...M2 since the M1x is reserved for the upcoming Macbook Air

 

[leman]

Did you read this ?
"Apple is working on a 40-core Mac Pro. That will be exciting to see the amazing performance Apple Silicon is able to bring to the machine. A 20-core chip is also in the works and as for the GPU, options will include 64 or 128 cores"
Gpu with 64 and 128 cores...i wonder if the 120 cores will be in top 3 high end gpu ?!

No, I didn't, but it makes sense. An Apple-based 128-core GPU will most likely be the fastest GPU on the market, save for the dual-chip systems.

 

[leman]

Correct me if I understand it wrong. You are comparing an 165w TDP Intel i9 to a 15w TDP Apple M1, and you hope the 35-45w TDP "larger Apple Mx" to be as fast as that 165w counterpart?

That's the funny part, according to SPEC benchmarks, they have a good chance to end up being as fast

 

[bobcomer]

Aren't they?

Definitely not.

If the prosumer Apple CPU will feature 8 cores with an improved architecture (let's say 10-20% higher per-core performance), it is going to outperform anything that Intel or AMD can offer, and I am talking about desktop enthusiast-level CPUs.

And that's a pure guess all the way around. "Let's say"...

 

[Gnattu]

That's the funny part, according to SPEC benchmarks, they have a good chance to end up being as fast

If Apple use something faster than Firestorm then probably, but I still think we will not have a new core. I will be amazed if I am wrong because it is such a short timeframe since the first M1 Mac.

 

[bobcomer]

Correct me if I understand it wrong. You are comparing an 165w TDP Intel i9 to a 15w TDP Apple M1, and you hope the 35-45w TDP "larger Apple Mx" to be as fast as that 165w counterpart?

Nope, you're not wrong, power consumption doesn't really mean much to me. It's pure processing power I care about the most.

The i9-11980HK is the latest and finest laptop CPU Intel just released, they are not standing still, but it does not beat M1 in single thread, already. We can only speculate the multi-threaded performance for now, but I don't see the reason where 8 Firestorm Cores will be slower than 8 Willow Cove cores.

The key here is laptop, I'm talking pro level desktop... (And I consider the i9 a failed chip when it comes to mobile (so far), I'd never buy one. They just can't be cooled enough and they don't have enough cores, you'd get more done with an i7.)

For a laptop I have different specs I like but nothing is truly optimal, it's all tradeoffs. (yet, I suppose)

 

[Lemon Olive]

It would be ‘M2’ class assuming it uses the next gen core designs that will also appear in the A15 (the successors to firestorm and ice storm), that would certainly be possible for an August-October launch timeframe, given the A15 needs to be ready by June at the latest for iPhone production to start?

Sounds very unusual and unlikely to me, but the description is different enough that I have hard time believing this could be an M1-variant.

What really stands out are the 2 efficiency cores. I don't think that means there are simply fewer. I think that means totally redesigned efficiency cores, so that only 2 are needed. All of which speaks to an entirely new chip design.

It would certainly be unprecedented, but sounds like it might be true.

 

[Serban55]

So
- M1 with 8core cpu and gpu)
- M2 with 10core cpu and 16/32 core gpu
- M1x with 8 faster cpu cores cpu and 10 core gpu

I think only these 3 will have this year