Apple unveiled the M3 lineup comprising the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max During its 'Scary fast' event, the latest ARM-based System on a Chip (SoC) for Mac, succeeding the M2 series released earlier this year. Utilizing cutting-edge 3-nanometer process technology, these chips boast an impressive 92 billion transistors and offer a maximum of 128GB fast LPDDR5 unified memory.
Apple's M3 Family -
This new chip family showcases an upgraded GPU for heightened speed and efficiency, along with the introduction of Dynamic Caching technology. Notably, it introduces hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading to the Mac, a first for the platform.
Rendering speeds have improved significantly, now clocking in at 2.5 times faster compared to the M1 chip series. The CPU performance and efficiency cores have seen respective boosts of 30 percent and 50 percent compared to the M1. Combined, these enhancements create a more power-efficient CPU that delivers equivalent multithreaded performance while consuming as little as half the power, with up to 35 percent more performance at peak power.
The Neural Engine's speed has also been elevated by 60 percent compared to the M1 chip series. Additionally, the new media engine introduces support for AV1 decode, enabling more efficient and higher-quality video streaming experiences, further extending battery life.
According to Apple, the M3 GPU achieves comparable performance to the M1 while consuming nearly half the power, with a peak performance increase of up to 65 percent.
Apple M3 Chip -
With 25 billion transistors, the Apple M3 surpasses its predecessor, the M2, by an additional 5 billion transistors. Its 10-core GPU adopts a next-generation architecture, delivering a 65 percent increase in graphics performance compared to the M1. The M3 also boasts an 8-core CPU, incorporating four performance cores and four efficiency cores, resulting in a CPU performance that is up to 35 percent faster than the M1. Furthermore, it supports a maximum of 24GB of unified memory.
Apple M3 Pro Chip -
Equipped with 37 billion transistors, the Apple M3 Pro houses an 18-core GPU that outperforms the M1 Pro by up to 40 percent. It accommodates unified memory up to 36GB. The 12-core CPU configuration includes six performance cores and six efficiency cores, providing single-threaded performance that exceeds the M1 Pro by up to 30 percent.
Apple M3 Max Chip -
Featuring an impressive 92 billion transistors, the Apple M3 Max integrates a 40-core GPU that operates up to 50 percent faster than the M1 Max. It also supports a substantial unified memory capacity of up to 128GB. The 16-core CPU incorporates 12 performance cores and four efficiency cores, resulting in an 80 percent performance improvement over the M1 Max. Additionally, it comes with two ProRes engines.
Availability -
Today's launch showcased the introduction of the Apple M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, which will serve as the driving force behind the newly unveiled MacBook Pro and iMac. Anticipate the arrival of a new MacBook Air featuring M3 chips in 2024.
