M2 Pro/Max to M1 Pro/Max: A Look at the Speed of Apple's Latest Silicon Chips
Apple recently unveiled its latest M2 Pro and M2 Max custom silicon technology in its new MacBook Pro and Mac mini devices. These chips boast more powerful CPUs, GPUs, and media engines, and can accommodate up to 96GB of unified memory, enabling 8K video output. In this comparison of M2 Pro/Max vs M1 Pro/Max, we will provide an in-depth examination of the two chips' performance and the extent of the improvement.
Apple reports that the M2 Pro offers a 20% improvement in CPU performance and a 30% increase in GPU performance compared to the M1 Pro. Additionally, the M2 Pro's neural engine has seen a 40% boost in speed over the M1 Pro. The M2 Pro also boasts a maximum of 12 cores for its CPU and 19 cores for its GPU.
Related: Satellite support may be in the next iOS update
The M2 Max also experiences the same 20, 30, and 40% performance gains when compared to the M1 Max for its CPU, GPU, and neural engine. The M2 Max can handle up to 96GB of unified memory and features a maximum of 12 cores for its CPU and up to 38 cores for its GPU.
According to Apple, the M2 Pro has 40 billion transistors, a significant increase from the 33.7 billion transistors in the M1 Pro. The M2 Max has even more transistors, with over 67 billion, compared to 57 billion in the M1 Max.
Tests from Brian Tong and Macworld have confirmed that the CPU performance of the new Apple Silicon has indeed improved by the claimed 20% as demonstrated in the Geekbench 5 results. For instance, the multi-core score of the M2 Max was 15,240 compared to the M1 Max's 12,750, which represents a 20% improvement. However, the single-core score showed a closer improvement of about 14%.
Like the M1 Pro and M1 Max, the M2 Pro and M2 Max come equipped with dedicated media engines to provide hardware-accelerated support for H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW. These new chips feature the same number of engines as their predecessors.
Related: Apple makes it even easier to call out to Siri
Apple states that the new media engines in the M2 Pro and M2 Max deliver improved performance, such as ‘twice the ProRes support for accelerated media playback and transcoding.’ The M2 Max still features two video encoding engines and two ProRes encoding and decoding engines, similar to the M1 Max. According to Geekbench results, these claims have been proven to be accurate. In tests conducted by Brian on a MacBook Pro, the M2 Max was able to complete a ProRes export nearly 2 times faster than the M1 Max and even outperformed the M1 Ultra. Although not all video exports will experience the same 2x improvement as ProRes, the new media engines and GPUs still provide a general boost in performance. For example, an Adobe Premiere export was completed 5 minutes faster on the M2 Max compared to the M1 Max.
The M2 Pro and M2 Max surpass the M1 Pro and M1 Max in terms of external display support. Both the M2 Pro and M2 Max can support up to 2 monitors (3 for M2 Pro on Mac mini) and up to 4 monitors, respectively, which is the same as the M1 Pro and M1 Max. However, the new Apple Silicon allows support for one display at 8K/60Hz or 4K/240Hz over HDMI. If you're a professional in need of the latest and greatest technology from Apple or are willing to spend the money, getting a new Mac with the latest Apple Silicon would be a good investment. On the other hand, if you already have an M1 Pro/Max Mac and don't require the fastest performance, it may be more practical to skip the new hardware.
Related: How Apple’s mixed-reality headsets will work
When considering the M2 Pro specifications, it's important to keep in mind that both the M2 Pro and M2 Max offer the same 10- or 12-core CPU. The main difference in price between the two lies in the extra GPU power, improved media engine, and increased external display support in the M2 Max. For those with medium to heavy workflows or who plan to keep their new MacBook Pro for a while, it might be worth investing in 32GB or more of unified memory, which can be an upgrade of $400 or more.
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Really the only thing I dislike about MacOS as a whole is the way Apple updates the OS with huge update file downloads. Actually 700Mb is small compared to some Apple has released which are in the gigabyte size. These large file sizes also translate to long update times as well.
I like Emre, Onur, Shaun and Eray’s articles more, Ashwin and Martin are always complaining about something instead of getting excited and sharing their excitement with the world.
Ever since I started bookmarking their pages my mood has been so much better, I’m glad to be free of the depressing vibe the two of them have. Damn it feels good to just enjoy life and not look for things to complain like I used to while I were under their influence.
Personally I really like @Ashwin and @Martin articles both equally. Please respect the authors.
You realize that none of the authors you like are real people, right? They are AI bots ‘writing’ articles that are basically taken from product advertisements (e.g., “Get Protected the Right Way With Avast Free AntiVirus” Really?) So, yes they are excited, but the excitement comes from advertising copy. No real world negativity from those sources.
My approach is to use a UBlock Origin filter to block all the articles except those by Martin and Ashwin. It has made the site readable again for me.
I would like to achieve that as well. Mind sharing some UBlock tricks & tips? :)
@ Anonymous,
Go to this link from yesterday https://www.ghacks.net/windows-11-update-stuck-fixed-for-good/#comment-4573146 and scroll down to the post by “Anonymous said on September 2, 2023 at 1:33 pm” He (or she) posted instructions on how to skip articles written by users other than Martin and Ashwin.
You might want to consider changing your name before you post to make it easier for users to identify your comments.
@Herman Cost
You can add this to your rules in uBlock Origin:
ghacks.net##.hentry,.home-posts,.home-category-post:not(:has-text(/Martin Brinkmann|Ashwin/))
@John World. Than you dude. So much better.
Why does Martin even allow this garbage to ruin his website. Every single article not written by martin and ashwin reads like sensational clickbait, I don’t care about if I should buy the latest apple product every week, new roblox cock rings that don’t pull your pubic hair, elon musk’s new body spray or whatever bullshit these bots can come up with.
I think he means your filters
+I like Emre, Onur, Shaun and Eray’s articles more
you’ve made my day
It’s not the EU’s fault that Bing is such a crappy search engine. In any event it’s built into the OS and Microsoft does its best to convince users to adopt it over Google by making it the default search tool. A great Many Windows 11 users are not technically minded and don’t know how to switch to another search engine and just accept their lot.
In any event I hope the EU Commission doesn’t allow Microsoft to pull the wool over their eyes.
Both Google and Bing are now worthless. Nowadays, Yandex is the only search engine that finds anything I’m looking for.
Try https://sear.be.
Yandex is Russian and under Putin’s control. Search results you get may not be accurate and possibly manipulated to give you a false sense of security depending on what you’re looking for.
Bing is absolutely a gatekeeper. Except for countries such as China and Russia that have their own search engines (Baidu and Yandex), most of the world’s searches relies on just two search engines: Google and Bing.
Alternative search engines overwhelmingly get their search results from Bing. DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Qwant, Swisscows, Excite, Lycos, Yahoo, You, etc. all use Bing behind the scenes for their results.
StartPage originally used the Google search engine for it’s results, but have also started using Bing as well recently.
Microsoft also use Bing as the default search engine in Windows (such as the Start menu search, Taskbar search, desktop search bar, Edge sidebar, etc.) and use Bing as the default search engine in Edge – which is the default browser on Windows. Windows has greater than 70% desktop market share and is used by more than two billion people.
Not to mention Microsoft’s anti-consumer efforts when it comes to Bing. They have a history of malicious intent by aggressively trying to trick users who use a different search engine and browser into resetting their default search engine and browser back to Edge and Bing (by displaying unscrupulous popup dialogue boxes and full screen pages prompting the user to change their settings back to the “recommended settings” – which is Edge and Bing).
@ ECJ,
Microsoft’s Bing has managed to sidestep the EU’s Digital Markets Act for now arguing that it doesn’t qualify as a gatekeeper: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3705935/eu-lists-gatekeepers-to-be-regulated-opens-imessage-and-bing-investigations.html
The easiest way to avoid Bing is never to use Edge. It’s not mandatory and you’re free to use which browser you wish. I use Floorp myself which is a Firefox fork with many extra privacy configurations. https://floorp.app/en/download/
“A report claims that Apple is developing an affordable MacBook series”
Its is time to stop posting Rumors as reports.
Apple has already a Chrombook killer. It is called : iPad.
I can see Apple getting concerned about losing sales to Chrome OS devices. Given that K-12 kids have probably been using Chromebooks and would be familiar with that platform going off to college. I remember when Apple ruled K-12 computer rooms and because they simply out priced the educational sector. Google managed to take a huge bite out of educational market especially with COVID. I never thought iPads worked in a K-12 setting, and mac’s are too expensive. I doubt Apple can really make a MacBook below $500 which would compete with Chromebooks.
I managed hundreds of ipads for schools when I worked at an MSP – ipads are certainly OK, and boy are they hundreds of times better than Android tablets. Chromebooks suck so much, their market penetration into school system became real when schools received a bunch from government
Apple has always had great diffculty grasping what “low cost” means. I don’t have much faith in them ever generating anything that can compete with a Chromebook, but I’ll buy it if they do. I don’t want a Google OS, Windows is getting painful, and I’m tired of hearing how great Linux is from people who don’t use it.
I agree with the posters above about the usefulness of using a uBO filter to limit the posts I see on this site to those from Martin and Ashwin.
While Apple has patched iOS 16 for this, they haven’t yet indicated if they’re going to for supposedly-still-getting-security-updates iOS 12 (the latest OS option for the millions of still-in-use iPhone 6) and iOS 15 (still in use on millions of iPhone 6s to 8, which can’t be upgraded to 16).
I hope they do. Long-term support is one area where Apple phones crush Android, and it’s the #2 reason I use them (#1 is because not a privacy nightmare).
Apple has now released security updates for iOS 12 and 15 to address this issue. This is how you keep loyal customers.
Released an update for iOS 15, yes; for iOS 12, no. It’s not clear from reading their release notes if this means iOS 12 is not affected, or if they’re just not bothering.
M3 won’t move the needle much on performance. Honestly, Apple has put itself in a bind making the M1 really good. Probably the first time when Mac users can have some real lasting performance. But that also means that many won’t be persuaded to upgrade as often either. I am using a M1 MacBook Air and a M1 Mac mini and have yet to even entertain upgrading to a M2 or even a future M3 model of either because I am very satisfied with the M1 performance.
I like iPhone in general have owned iPhones for many years. But I don’t see these Apple events inspiring me to want to upgrade and spend hundreds to get what few improvements offered up.
People still watch this nonsense? As I get older technology no longer excite me.
I love it – Apple took an objectively bad thing and turned it into something people don’t hate. “It’s not that our front camera/sensors cover up screen real estate, this is uhh, a dynamic island… Yeah! It’s a feature actually, you’re lucky to have it”.
@ bruh,
I like iPhone too, but you have to be a virtual millionaire these days to own one and I don’t have the kind of money required to purchase one I’m afraid.
2015??
“Sorry Series 8, Apple Watch Series 9 is as powerful as it is handsome”
“Apple to release iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 on September 18, and macOS Sonoma on October 26”
“Apple unveils the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2”
“Apple Watch Ultra 2 packs a punch to the older generation”
“Does it make sense to upgrade to iPhone 15?”
“iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max with Ray Tracing, Action Button announced”
“Apple announces iPhone 15 series with USB-C port, Dynamic Island”
Seven Applespams, all pushed out within a few hours. You should rename this site “AppleHack”.
I can’t believe people waste their money on smartwatches. The world has truly gone insane.
A total waste of money. Thats why people can’t afford basic necessities anymore. They just keep falling for Apple’s BS every year.
That is, if you don’t mind paying for Apple and their US Gestapo friends reading your most intimate data to use it against you.
> Apple also updated the macOS Sonoma 14 web page to reveal the release date of its desktop operating system. Sonoma will be released on October 26.
This is not true. The website says September 29. I have no idea where your October 26 comes from.
> Rumors suggest that Apple could announce the first M3 Mac in October, though another reliable leaker quashed hopes for any new MacBooks.
I am not aware of any _current_ rumor that suggests that there will be a M3 Mac before 2024.
Is this again an AI written article?
Just an FYI on the USB C situation.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus only use the USB-C end-connector. The actual cable attached to it transfers data at the many years old Lightning cable speed, which is USB 2.0 based. (Max 480 Mbits/s in ideal lab conditions.)
If you want iPhone USB data transfer at true USB 3.0 speed, then you have to pay more to buy the iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Plus, which transfers data at actual USB 3.0 speed (5 Gbit/s in ideal lab conditions).
Just another example of Apple using absurd (and very mean-spirited, IMO) down-grading of their lower-priced phone hardware. I mean, who else would sell an $799+ phone in 2023, using a data port that transfers at USB 2.0 speed?
The USB 2.0 spec was published in year 2000, 23 years ago.
The USB 3.0 spec was published in 2008 and the USB C connector spec was published in 2014, tho not widely adopted til paird with USB 3.2 in 2017, fyi.
Man, I find this stuff so cringy – but obviously, it appeals to a certain type of person. I have no issue with Apple, my only issue is that every other hardware and software manufacturer seem to just be trying to copy Apple, instead of coming up with original ideas & visions. I don’t blame Apple for “innovating” in whatever direction they feel necessary, I’m just annoyed that nobody else is,,,
Android is looking more like iOS, Windows 11 is looking more like MacOS, I had to set up a “premium” high-spec Dell laptop recently at work which just looked like a knock-off Macbook. It’s just sad.
People aren’t going to buy stuff that strays too far from the norm. Take for example foldables. I haven’t seen anyone personally that has one, nor are they “taking the market by storm”.
RE: Android looking more like IOS:
That ‘Material You’ garbage is thankfully nowhere near iOS. I think you might be referring to Samsung’s UI though. They try to keep things like Apple to win over Apple users (I think anyways). If it weren’t for Samsung’s UI though, Android would be totally a non-option for me, as Material You is just plain ugly.
I agree that it’s all so cringeworthy and juvenile. I’ve never understood the attraction of Apple products.
Looking forward to Jpeg-XL going mainstream.
Modern hardware and displays need image formats supporting HDR and more than 8bit color depth.
I don’t see the big deal about iPhone 15. Only reason why I bought one was because I was tired of my small iPhone 13 Mini. Otherwise, the 15 is just another incremental upgrade. Unless you have a iPhone unsupported or broken. I think spending $800 plus for a smartphone every couple years is ridiculous.
Simple solution: power it off. Enjoy the freedom.
The longer it takes you to fix the comment problem, the greater the lack of respect for your readers.
I suspect that they are intentionally leaving commenting broken.
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On a side note, I’ve just bought an i15Pro and I always make it a point to decline analytics, however when I checked the location settings, it had iPhone Analytics enabled. Truly angering….
This is not true.
Love wading through the ancient, 100% unrelated garbage comment muck to get to the few actually about the post. Thanks for wasting everyone’s’ time.
Why can’t you recognise how useless and annoying that crap is???
“…However, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, defended it by saying that the deal benefits users as there was no proper alternative, i.e. no other search engine offers the quality of search results that Google provides.”
“…Cue had said that he didn’t know what Apple would have done if negotiations with Google had failed, by which he had implied that Bing’s quality was inferior to its rival search engine.”
Unfortunately, they are correct. I have never liked Google as a company and have always actively tried to avoid them, however Google Search is undoubtedly the best in its field.
For years I used StartPage search, as StartPage historically used Google behind-the-scenes for their search results, but were privacy focused – this gave the best of both worlds and I was perfectly happy. However, earlier this year StartPage started using Bing as well and I noticed the decline in StartPage results pretty much straight away. It was only when I started to investigate why their results were poor I realised that they had started to use Bing as well.
The reality is Bing is a mediocre search engine and by extension all the search engines that use Bing are going to have have mediocre results too. So that sucks, with both StartPage and DuckDuckGo using Bing, it’s been necessary to start going back to using Google again for any semi-advanced search queries.
Perhaps the antitrust case will open up more competition in the search engine field and Bing will get better, however Microsoft under Satya have become super greedy, so it will likely just result in more bullshit AI and more profits for Microsoft, but Bing will continue to be an underfunded, mediocre search engine.