They obviously gutted Pro not to be the same CPU-wise as Max, like it was before.
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These M3 Macs Are Still Coming, But Are They Worth the Wait?
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I don't think they'll be updating the Air to M3 anytime soon. It would cut too close to the new 14" Pro base model, with the same chip. And I don't really think Air users need the extra performance boost.
I'm entirely in agreement, don't get me wrong. The desire for the upgrade is entirely an "itch" to spend money.
Which I get often, but rarely act upon. Historically I've used electronics until they're practically at death's door, or upgrade only when there's a particularly useful or vain feature I must have.
As it stands, I have my yellow computer (favorite color) and a fantastic laptop that is not only overpowered for work purposes, but allows me to play my current gaming obsession anywhere I go.
Right now battery life boost for Air is probably a better upgrade than CPU power boost.
Completely off topic, but if you have an itch to spend some money then take a trip somewhere abroad. You'll get infinitely more fulfilment & enjoyment from that than you would topping up Timmy's pension pot.
It costs a few hundred dollars to increase to 512/16. It’s not that much money. And, it’s not that complicated
In many countries customs are either a long wait or not easily available at all and are sold at high speculative prices.
This difference actually only matters if your productivity loads CPU 100%. For the rest it is if machine FEELS smooth or not, which M1 still does.
With the M1 series Apple boasted about it's huge Memory bandwidth.
200GBs on the M1 Pro and 400GBs on the M1 Max
But now you don't hear the tell you they've slashed that to:
150 GBs on the M3 Pro and 300 GBs on the M3 Max 14 core (only the M3 Max 16 core has 400GBs like the M1 Max)
I really wonder what this will mean for real performance...
200GBs on the M1 Pro and 400GBs on the M1 Max
But now you don't hear the tell you they've slashed that to:
150 GBs on the M3 Pro and 300 GBs on the M3 Max 14 core (only the M3 Max 16 core has 400GBs like the M1 Max)
I really wonder what this will mean for real performance...
To be honest, not much. We like to lambast this kind of stuff, but in reality Apple would never ship it if that drop in quality was actually noticeable. And with the dynamic memory stuff and the extra RAM they added to the chips, it will at least offset it a little bit.
Like the "slow(er)" SSD on the M2 machines, it is not actually a problem outside of specs and benchmarks. If you really need the super-high memory bandwidth, you would be getting the top-end Max chip anyways.
Meh, it's more for GPU or RAM-demanding tasks, but for those tasks usually people buy Max anyway.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Maybe before we buy this idea that M3 MAX is superior in all ways to M2 MAX and ULTRA... AKA "M2 Ultra is useless"- we wait until we're getting information from OBJECTIVE sources instead of Apple Marketing and influencer "friends of Apple Marketing"? There has been some promising teasers about M3 MAX performance... but until OBJECTIVE reviews can put it to the test, all we're really getting is sales pitch supporting info.
I highly doubt that M3 MAX has rendered M2 Ultra "useless." I even doubt it has rendered M1 Ultra "useless." Are these impressive teaser nuggets only possible for short amounts of time before it has to throttle down? Can anyone actually replicate Apple marketing claims in the wild (see those first claims about Silicon vs. 3090 cards for graphics that no one could replicate)? Does 25% less RAM bandwidth than M1 & M2 show itself in some noticeable way? Etc.
M3 is impressive and seems like 3nm can add a lot to the SOC. But before the grave is dug on M2 or even M1, perhaps we need a bit of OBJECTIVE information? We get that after these are in hands not highly motivated to maximize unit sales.
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"Note that the new 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $3,499 in the U.S. when configured with the M3 Max chip, while the Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip starts at $3,999, so you can effectively get the same performance for $500 less by buying the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, which also includes a display, keyboard, and trackpad."
One thing to keep in mind is the base Max has two less performance cores and if I had to guess the benchmarks are from the top end chip with all 12 performance cores and puts you at the same price. Additionally, those benchmarks don't take GPU into account at all where the Ultra likely still handedly comes out ahead given the sheer number of additional cores available.
If your workload is heavily CPU bound and GPU doesn't matter much this is a good alternative, but overall this is only as fast in one particular area.
It's nice to see Apple finally settling in on a proper tiered strategy even if it means this is more or less a flat year with the Pro variant. I do like seeing there are some solid performance gains at the top end of the current lineup. With M1/M2 there was very little real world incentive to go with the Max over the Pro unless you need the GPU gains. I can't wait to see what they do with the Ultra when that drops.
One thing to keep in mind is the base Max has two less performance cores and if I had to guess the benchmarks are from the top end chip with all 12 performance cores and puts you at the same price. Additionally, those benchmarks don't take GPU into account at all where the Ultra likely still handedly comes out ahead given the sheer number of additional cores available.
If your workload is heavily CPU bound and GPU doesn't matter much this is a good alternative, but overall this is only as fast in one particular area.
It's nice to see Apple finally settling in on a proper tiered strategy even if it means this is more or less a flat year with the Pro variant. I do like seeing there are some solid performance gains at the top end of the current lineup. With M1/M2 there was very little real world incentive to go with the Max over the Pro unless you need the GPU gains. I can't wait to see what they do with the Ultra when that drops.
A few thoughts on this.
The Mac Pro / Mac Studio will see upgrades happen when the M3 Ultra is available. They are not going to launch these with only the M3 Max edition, then bring Ultra along later. Too many people will hold off for the Ultra version. Also, from the benchmarks I've seen the M2 Max MBP was a bit faster than the M2 Max Studio. Also, most people with the M2 version of the Studio will not be looking to upgrade anyway.
I would be the timing on this is much more related to the N3B line at TSMC and the available capacity. They are currently running A17 chips for the iPhones, but have some spare capacity. The MBP runs will be low enough quantity that they can get these chips out and give reasonable shipping times. However, if they went full bore with the M3 MBA line, the demand would cause problems.
Longer term, I can see them moving towards a schedule where the premium chips drop in the fall in the pro lines, with the 'consumer' lines hitting in the spring. People that want to be on the cutting edge will usually pay more and buy into the pro lines. Just makes sense from a business perspective.
The M3 isn't a good upgrade for everyone, but I'm still running a 2018 i9-8950HK w/ a Vega 20 MBP. Just ordered the 16" MBP w/ 64 GB of RAM. I need it to run Unreal Engine to create builds of a game for iPhone. I'm ecstatic about this release and the timing.
One last thing, this talk about the M3 making the M2 useless is ridiculous. The only thing this makes useless is the bragging rights for M2 Ultra owners. Their equipment will still do all of the same work it did yesterday, just as fast. Technology will keep advancing and timing your buys is about certain key features that help future proof. For me, it was HW support for Ray Tracing, which is why I had not upgraded to the M1/M2. Also, complaining about things moving too fast is again just about bragging rights and people wanting to feel special. However, if I buy every 5 years, I'd rather see 5 iterations between my last buy rather than 2, just means that much more improvement between the two.
The Mac Pro / Mac Studio will see upgrades happen when the M3 Ultra is available. They are not going to launch these with only the M3 Max edition, then bring Ultra along later. Too many people will hold off for the Ultra version. Also, from the benchmarks I've seen the M2 Max MBP was a bit faster than the M2 Max Studio. Also, most people with the M2 version of the Studio will not be looking to upgrade anyway.
I would be the timing on this is much more related to the N3B line at TSMC and the available capacity. They are currently running A17 chips for the iPhones, but have some spare capacity. The MBP runs will be low enough quantity that they can get these chips out and give reasonable shipping times. However, if they went full bore with the M3 MBA line, the demand would cause problems.
Longer term, I can see them moving towards a schedule where the premium chips drop in the fall in the pro lines, with the 'consumer' lines hitting in the spring. People that want to be on the cutting edge will usually pay more and buy into the pro lines. Just makes sense from a business perspective.
The M3 isn't a good upgrade for everyone, but I'm still running a 2018 i9-8950HK w/ a Vega 20 MBP. Just ordered the 16" MBP w/ 64 GB of RAM. I need it to run Unreal Engine to create builds of a game for iPhone. I'm ecstatic about this release and the timing.
One last thing, this talk about the M3 making the M2 useless is ridiculous. The only thing this makes useless is the bragging rights for M2 Ultra owners. Their equipment will still do all of the same work it did yesterday, just as fast. Technology will keep advancing and timing your buys is about certain key features that help future proof. For me, it was HW support for Ray Tracing, which is why I had not upgraded to the M1/M2. Also, complaining about things moving too fast is again just about bragging rights and people wanting to feel special. However, if I buy every 5 years, I'd rather see 5 iterations between my last buy rather than 2, just means that much more improvement between the two.
Pro should have 8/4 ratio of cores instead of 6/6.
I agree with this. I have an M2 MBA, and it is so good that it will be difficult for me to justify buying a new machine for a number of years. The typical MBA buyer is looking for a good portable everyday (Home, College, Office, etc..) computer, and this consumer is just not taxing the M2 processor. You don't need the latest processor to run productivity apps, email, web, and streaming. Better battery life is always welcome, but I have yet to run my MBA below 50%, so that's not going to be vey compelling for me.
I love incremental processor improvements, but if they want to sell machines, they need something sexy to change on the outside.
For example, if they made a Thunderbolt 4 port on the rear of the chassis to free up cable clutter, a touch screen model, or maybe an XLR inputs/output audio interface dock for musicians or DJ’s that fit perfectly below the laptop to avoid having a separate audio interface eating up table space in cramped quarters. Then again, they could release a fuchsia color for those who are tired of shades of corporate grays.
For example, if they made a Thunderbolt 4 port on the rear of the chassis to free up cable clutter, a touch screen model, or maybe an XLR inputs/output audio interface dock for musicians or DJ’s that fit perfectly below the laptop to avoid having a separate audio interface eating up table space in cramped quarters. Then again, they could release a fuchsia color for those who are tired of shades of corporate grays.
I’m looking for a MacBook Air 16/512/10-core GPU. Might buy one for $800-900.
New at BHphoto is $1400.
Base model is $900.
MBP pro M2 16GB RAM is $1700.
I refuse to buy a 8GB RAM, slower 256GB SSD or an M1 CPU released in 2020!
New at BHphoto is $1400.
Base model is $900.
MBP pro M2 16GB RAM is $1700.
I refuse to buy a 8GB RAM, slower 256GB SSD or an M1 CPU released in 2020!
Still 12% faster than M2Pro.
Putting more efficiency cores is actually quite justified, increases battery life, lowers thermal package. This Pro is a better CPU for 14 inch MBP than Max. If you are, like, working in Lightroom/Photoshop/Music production, you don't need that ooompf GPU performance, better battery life and thermals are better for you. In 16 inch body even more so.
Keep in mind, coolers also drain power, like +0.5W on M1Max on minimal RPMs, according to Stats app.