With the release of the2023 MacBook Proand the2023 Mac mini , the material body of the 2nd generation of Apple silicon on Mac has been revealed . It is , unsurprisingly , a second of a replay of the first generation : Apple has segmented its chip shot into a few different varieties .
As with the M1 genesis , the new M2 Pro and M2 Max poker chip are nearly related to each other and to the M2 chip enter last summertime . They ’re all free-base on the same innovation , but each silicon chip has some different characteristic . When it comes fourth dimension to choose how much to make up for a Mac mini or a MacBook Pro , those differences count .
Round 1: M2 vs M1
Before I compare the M2 Pro and M2 Max , it ’s only proper to discuss the M2 , whichdebuted last Junewith the MacBook Air and 13 - inch MacBook Pro . The CPU and GPU magnetic core in the M2 are the same ones ground in Apple ’s A15 chip , which formed the base of the iPhone 13 line .
Apple ’s french fries keep getting incrementally quicker . In world-wide , each M2 CPU gist is about 12 to 15 percentage faster than the equivalent M1 gist . As a answer , the M1 - to - M2 conversion ca n’t provide the quantum jump offer by Apple ’s jump from Intel to its own processor . Instead , the Mac is now on the boring - but - unwavering progress path that we see every year with the unveiling of a new iPhone processor .
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The M2 Pro takes the M2 and increases the CPU cores, GPU cores, and memory.
However , Apple does keep tinkering around the edges from genesis to genesis . In the M2 , Apple addressed one of the biggest failings of the M1 processor : limited tup capacity . The M2 can support up to 24 GB of unified memory , up from the 16 GB limitation that made a lot of prospective M1 Mac emptor wince . Apple also increase retentiveness bandwidth from 68 GB to 100 GB per second .
While the M2 kept the same CPU core configuration of the M1 – eight cores , four devoted to performance and the other four to efficiency – it increase the maximum figure of GPUs usable on the chip from eight to ten , encourage maximal graphics carrying out a moment . The next - propagation Neural Engine on the M2 is more than 40 percent quicker at machine - discover operations .
Perhaps most significantly , the M2 volunteer a boost to telecasting encoding . In the previous microprocessor chip generation , Apple tote up consecrated computer hardware to the high - end M1 Pro , Max , and Ultra chips to allow them to encode and decode ProRes video recording files much more efficiently . Apple rolled that capacity into the M2 , making Macs with M2 processors much more capable video editor program .
The M2 Pro takes the M2 and increases the CPU cores, GPU cores, and memory.
The M2 is an impressive flake , but it really does blanch in comparison to the M2 Pro and M2 Max . The M2 ’s four performance CPU cores make it remarkably hefty – but the M2 Pro and Max bid twice as many , which does n’t quite two-fold central processing unit performance … but it ’s still about 1.6 times the speed . And then there ’s the GPU side , where the M2 ’s maximum of 10 GPU cores goes up against up to 19 GPU cores on the M2 Pro and a astounding maximal 38 GPU cores of the M2 Max .
The M2 Max has the same number of CPU essence as the M2 Pro , but the Max boost the GPU cores .
And while the M2 ’s 24 GB of maximum RAM is a lot better than the M1 ’s 16 GB , the M2 Pro can go up to 32 GB and the M2 Max can drift as high as 96 gigabyte . retentivity bandwidth on the M2 Pro is twice that of the M2 , and on the M2 Max , it ’s four times .
The M2 Max has the same number of CPU cores as the M2 Pro, but the Max boosts the GPU cores.
confound in limited USB / Thunderbolt ports and picture - out support and you could see that there ’s still a lot to specialize the high - remnant Saratoga chip from the M2 . This is not to say that the M2 is in any way a also-ran ! It ’s in reality a remarkably powerful crisp . But Apple has designed the M2 Pro and M2 Max for a more demanding user .
Round (M)2: Pro versus Max
As with theM1 Pro and M1 Max , it ’s crucial to note that the M2 Pro and M2 Max are monovular in many ways . Apple volunteer M2 Pro chips with fewer than 12 CPU cores , but if you get a 12 - core model you ’ll get exactly the same 12 cores as offered on the M2 Max . The C.P.U. power will be identical . Do n’t believe me ? Take a feel :
Everywhere else , the story is dissimilar . Apple has limited the M2 Pro to 19 GPU CORE , but the M2 Max can have as many as 38 GPU substance . This mean that if you want art H.P. , the M2 Max is the mode to take it to the max .
likewise , the M2 Pro ’s memory maxes out at 32 gigabit , but the M2 Max can handle as much as 96 sarin . And remembering bandwidth on the M2 Max is bivalent that on the M2 Pro . And the M2 Max is in effect at video encoding at decoding because it ’s gottwovideo encoding engines and ProRes picture locomotive engine to the M2 Pro ’s one . That means that in some television encoding task , the M2 Max will be double as fast , as our Final Cut Pro export showed .
M2 Pro vs M2 Max: Choose wisely
you could basically think of the M2 Max as the M2 Pro with a piffling bit extra – and ground on Apple ’s picture of the check , you could take that literally . The two chips look identical when viewed from the top to the bottom of the M2 Pro … but the M2 Max is larger , proceed a bit beyond . In that novel orbit , Apple ’s sum up a 2d depository financial institution of GPUs , an additional memory bus , and additional telecasting - encoding engine .
So which will it be , Pro or Max ? If your workflow are largely driven by mainframe speed , the extra GPU cores of the M2 Max chip shot will not help you , making an M2 Pro a better buy . That is unless you need enormous sum of money of very fast RAM , in which case , again , the M2 Max is a better pick . Video encryption will be quicker on M2 Max , but perhaps not enough for it to rationalize the increased damage .
Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023, M2 Max, 12-core/38-core, 1TB)
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (2023, M2 Pro, 12-core/19-core, 1TB)
Read our comparing of theMac Studio ( M1 Max ) and the Mac miniskirt ( M2 Pro ) .
