Apple M1 Pro Vs Apple M1 Max
Apple usually doesn’t reveal a lot about their chips but that is not the case with M1 Pro and M1 Max. The Cupertino giant has revealed a lot about these chips. The comparison is based on the revealed specs and claims made by Apple. MacBooks powered by these chips are not yet available. It will start shipping on 26th October.
Process
Starting the comparison, both M1 Pro and M1 Max are built on the same 5nm process. There is no difference in the process tech. The real difference is in transistors count. The M1 Pro packs 33.7 billion transistors whereas M1 Max packs 57 billion transistors. These numbers are just crazy and when compared to last year’s Apple M1. The M1 Pro has 2x more transistors than M1. On the other hand, M1 Max has 70% more transistors than M1 Pro and 3.5x more transistors than M1. Actually, the M1 Max is the largest chip ever built by Apple.
CPU
Coming to the CPU, both M1 Pro and M1 Max packs a 10-core CPU. The core distribution is in form of eight high-performance cores and 2 high-efficiency cores. As per the claim made by Apple, the CPU performance is 70% faster than M1. In comparison to the latest 8-core PC laptop, the M1 Pro is 1.7x faster while consuming the same amount of power. It can achieve the same level of performance as the PC chip by using 70% less power.
GPU
Heading towards the GPU, this is the section where differences start to get wider. The Apple M1 Pro has a 16-core GPU whereas the M1 Max has a 32-core GPU. The M1 Pro’s GPU is 2x faster than the older M1. In comparison to the integrated graphics of the latest eight-core PC laptop chip, the M1 Pro is said to be 7x faster. In the case of a discrete GPU, M1 Pro is able to provide more GPU performance with 70% less power. The M1 Max GPU performance is comparable to a high-end GPU in a compact pro PC laptop while consuming almost 40% less power. And when it has to achieve a similar level of performance as the same compact Pro Pc laptop it uses 100 watts less power. When it comes to timeline rendering in the Final Cut Pro. The M1 Max is 13x faster than the previous generation’s 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Memory
The M1 Pro has support for 200GB/s memory bandwidth and 32GB unified memory. In comparison to it, the M1 Max doubles the memory interface to 400GB and 64GB of fast unified memory.
Features Similar in Both the Chips
Enough comparing M1 Pro and M1 Max now let’s talk about the features that are common. Both of them have the apple designed media engine accelerators for video processing. They have the same 16-core neural engine for completing AI tasks. These new chips also have a new Display engine to support up to 3 Pro Display XDR on the Max variant. There is also a new apple designed custom ISP that adds the support for a 1080p HD camera in the newly launched MacBook Pros. On the security front, both chips have a security enclave, hardware verified secure boot, runtime anti-exploitation tech.
Final Words
Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max are the next iterations of Apple Silicon. With the addition of 10 core CPUs and up to 32 core GPU performance has gone crazy high. Not to forget Apple has maintained the power-efficiency while improving its performance. The M1 Pro is fine for most of the users, M1 Max is for users looking sheer amount of performance from their notebooks. What are your thoughts about the M1 Pro and M1 Max? Do let us know in the comments.
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