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Apple M3 vs M2: A Comprehensive Comparison
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Apple has unveiled its next-generation silicon with the new M3 chipset, the successor to the M2 launched last year. With incredible pace, Apple continues iterating its Arm-based silicon for Macs on a yearly basis. The M3 brings evolutions rather than revolution, refined using an enhanced 3nm fabrication process promising efficiency gains. In this post, we dive into the key improvements and changes with the M3, analyzing how the CPU, GPU, memory, Neural Engine, and more compare to the prior M2 generation. Read on for a comprehensive comparison of Apple's latest M3 vs M2 silicon.
CPU Performance
The M3 chip brings modest CPU performance improvements of around 15-20% over M2. However, the benefits may not be as dramatic as the generational gains between the M1 and M3.
Apple has also changed the core counts and configurations in the M3 Pro and Max variants compared to the M2 Pro and Max. For example, the M3 Pro actually has fewer high-performance cores than the M2 Pro, with a more balanced 6-performance and 6-efficiency core design.
So while the M3 CPU is faster than the M2, it seems Apple has focused more on tweaking the designs this generation rather than pushing the pedal to the metal on raw performance.
GPU Improvements
The M3's GPU has received more substantial upgrades thanks to the new architecture and features like ray tracing and dynamic caching. Apple claims the M3's GPU shows gains of 20-65% over the M2.
Ray tracing enables much more realistic lighting and reflections in games and graphics applications. Dynamic caching optimizes memory allocation to boost GPU utilization.
So the M3's graphics capabilities appear to have taken a bigger leap compared to the CPU. This should deliver noticeably better visuals and frame rates, especially for more demanding workloads.
Memory and Bandwidth
One surprising change with the M3 is that memory bandwidth has actually been reduced for the M3 Pro compared to the M2 Pro. However, the M3 Max can now be configured with up to 128GB of RAM, a huge boost over the maximum 96GB in the M2 Max.
So there are some tradeoffs between the different M3 models when it comes to memory capabilities. The increased RAM capacity is great for power users, but the reduced bandwidth of the M3 Pro is an odd regression.
Neural Engine and Media
Apple says the Neural Engine in the M3 is 15% faster than the M2's. This will provide a modest bump for machine learning performance.
The media engine now supports AV1 video decoding, improving streaming video battery life. But otherwise, the media capabilities seem similar to the M2's.
Conclusion
The M3 represents an expected evolution of Apple's silicon, but not a dramatic leap over the M2. The highlights are the GPU gains and increased memory capacities, while the CPU and other elements see more measured improvements. Overall the M3 keeps Apple's chip progress moving forward, if not at the giant steps we saw between M1 and M2. For most users, the M3 will bring worthwhile but not transformative changes over the prior generation.
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