M2 Pro and M2 Max

[Andropov]

Finally unveiled: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/01/apple-unveils-macbook-pro-featuring-m2-pro-and-m2-max/

Interestingly, the GPU also gets more cores on both the Pro and Max SoCs (16 -> 19 and 32 -> 38). Bandwidth stays the same, so I guess it won't get faster RAM this time around. Apple claims it's 40% faster in "Photoshop image editing" and 25% faster in Xcode building projects.

 

[leman]

Yep, no surprises here. What’s interesting is the GPU core count, one would have expected 20 and 40.

 

[Cmaier]

Very interesting.

 

[Jimmyjames]

The hdmi port can now output 4K 240hz

 

[Cmaier]

96GB mem on Max.

 

[Cmaier]

Bigger L2 cache.

 

[leman]

Bigger L2 cache.

Wasn’t that already the case for the base M2 GPU?

 

[Cmaier]

Wasn’t that already the case for the base M2 GPU?

Not sure. Trying to find actual numbers.

 

[Nycturne]

The hdmi port can now output 4K 240hz

HDMI 2.1, nice.

Also seems to be bumped up to WiFi 6E?

 

[Andropov]

Yep, no surprises here. What’s interesting is the GPU core count, one would have expected 20 and 40.

19 GPU cores is certainly a weird number.

Also seems to be bumped up to WiFi 6E?

Yup.

Apple claims that the battery life has increased. IIRC the 16" MacBook Pro already had a 100Wh battery, so it can't be because of increased battery capacity. That's interesting. I was kinda expecting Apple to push the M2 Pro/Max a bit further to the right on the performance vs power usage graph, but it looks like the opposite happened.

 

[Andropov]

96GB mem on Max.

Only on the 38-core GPU M2 Max. An artificial limitation to drive people towards the most expensive SoC?

 

[leman]

Only on the 38-core GPU M2 Max. An artificial limitation to drive people towards the most expensive SoC?

Why artificial? 96GB is only possible with the Max die anyway as it has twice as many memory modules (and a single 64-bit interface module maxes out at 12GB). In principle, the M2 Pro should support 48GB, but Apple decided agains offering this option. Maybe also because the large modules are more difficult to source.

 

[leman]

19 GPU cores is certainly a weird number.

I'm curious whether the die contains 20 cores (and one is disabled for energy efficiency) or whether there are indeed only 19 GPU cores...

Edit: it's crazy, but the die "shots" published by Apple indeed only show 19 and 38 GPU cores. I guess they ran out of space ^^

 

[Cmaier]

I'm curious whether the die contains 20 cores (and one is disabled for energy efficiency) or whether there are indeed only 19 GPU cores...

Edit: it's crazy, but the die "shots" published by Apple indeed only show 19 and 38 GPU cores. I guess they ran out of space ^^

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Yep. Looks like it’s simply a space issue. Perhaps the GPUs were a little bigger than they expected when they first put together the floor plan. (I got spanked once or twice for coming in a little over the area budget for my blocks, so it’s been known to happen).

 

[Jimmyjames]

Seems like much of apple’s progress has been thwarted by the delay to 3nm.

 

[Andropov]

Why artificial? 96GB is only possible with the Max die anyway as it has twice as many memory modules (and a single 64-bit interface module maxes out at 12GB). In principle, the M2 Pro should support 48GB, but Apple decided agains offering this option. Maybe also because the large modules are more difficult to source.

Only the most expensive M2 Max SoC can get the 96GB of RAM. The 30-core M2 Max only goes up to 64GB of RAM. I don't see how the number of GPU cores could affect the ability to handle more RAM. I wasn't talking about the M2 Pro as it has half the memory controllers and wouldn't be able to handle more than 32 (48, arguably) GBs of RAM. Sorry if it wasn't clear.

Edit: it's crazy, but the die "shots" published by Apple indeed only show 19 and 38 GPU cores. I guess they ran out of space ^^

Ooh that’s interesting. I looked at the die shot too, but I’m not very good at telling blocks apart.

 

[Cmaier]

Seems like much of apple’s progress has been thwarted by the delay to 3nm.

I’m pretty sure this is always what M2 was going to be. I think what happened is that M2 was delayed (supply chain? Lack of reason to stick to the earlier timetable? Delay so there isn’t as big a time gap until they get to M3?) and that all of this stuff was originally planned for 6 months ago or something.

 

[Cmaier]

Only the most expensive M2 Max SoC can get the 96GB of RAM. The 30-core M2 Max only goes up to 64GB of RAM. I don't see how the number of GPU cores could affect the ability to handle more RAM. I wasn't talking about the M2 Pro as it has half the memory controllers and wouldn't be able to handle more than 32 (48, arguably) GBs of RAM. Sorry if it wasn't clear.


Ooh that’s interesting. I looked at the die shot too, but I’m not very good at telling blocks apart.

I assume that the memory combination restrictions are just about limiting the number of SKUs. Typical Apple stuff.

 

[Cmaier]

Fully loaded M2 Pro Mac Mini costs the same as M1 Max Mac Studio?

Advice to you since you are my friends: get the studio

 

[leman]

Only the most expensive M2 Max SoC can get the 96GB of RAM. The 30-core M2 Max only goes up to 64GB of RAM.

Ah, I didn't even see the 30-core M2 Max, sorry. I was looking at the 16" model.