The market has been abuzz after the launch of Apple M3, Apple’s latest chipset. The “Scary Fast” event, where Apple unveiled new Macs and the upcoming generation of Apple silicon, has just ended. 3 new processors in the M3 family—the M3 as well as M3 Max, and M3 Pro —were revealed by Apple. These chips are powered by the newly released MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ and the new iMac 24″.
NEW: Apple is now testing the M3 Max chip destined for next year’s MacBook Pros. The company is planning a 16 core CPU (12 high-performance + 4 efficiency cores) and a 40 core GPU for its maxed-out laptops. https://t.co/3XsWHTGnnz
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) August 7, 2023
Apple frequently compared its latest processors to the M1 series throughout the announcement rather than the M2. While the M3 series is undoubtedly a significant improvement over the M1, the M2 family is a better comparison. As usual, Apple compared the M3 family using some ambiguous graphics.
An Elaborate Comparison between M3 and M2 Chipset
Here is a feature-wise elaborate comparison that will help you decide whether to upgrade from an M2 Mac to an M3.
- CPU Performance- The high-performance core of the new M3 processor, according to Apple, is 15% quicker than that of the M2 model. Additionally, the M3’s efficiency core is 30% faster than the M2’s. These developments have a lot of promise for uses where efficiency and power are required.
- 3 nm and Transistors-TSMC’s state-of-the-art 3 nm manufacturing process has enabled the M3’s CPU to witness numerous respectable advances. Starting with 25 billion transistors, the M3 family rises to 37 billion transistors in the M3 Pro, and 92 billion in the M3 Max, which completely outperforms the competition.
- GPU Performance- The GPU architecture of the Apple M3 is of the following generation. With this improvement, the M3 can now run numerous cutting-edge capabilities that guarantee an exceptional GPU experience. The GPU cores available on the Apple M3 are varied. There are ten GPU cores in the basic M3. With 14 &18 GPU cores, the M3 Pro is inferior to the M3 Max, which has 40 GPU cores.
- Neural and Media Engine- A key element of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Apple M3’s Neural Engine, has significantly improved. There are rumors that the M3’s neural engine is 15% more potent than the M2’s.
- Memory and Bandwidth- To determine a chipset’s overall capabilities and performance, its memory parameters are essential. The Apple M3 has certain upgrades over the model that preceded it, the M2, as well as some unanticipated downgrades. The 100 Gbps memory bandwidth of the M2 is maintained by the Apple M3 base model.
Remarks on the M3 Chips
Comparing the Apple M3 chip to its predecessor, the M2, year over year, there is a noticeable improvement. These are respectable performance gains for a single year, even though the efficiency and performance benefits are not as great as those from M1 to M2.
But, since the performance benefits aren’t worth upgrading for, if you currently own a Mac from the M2 series, you probably don’t need to upgrade. M1 users can still anticipate updating, though.
