Apple has announced the release of their new chips, the M2 Pro and M2 Max, which are set to take the power-efficient performance of Apple silicon to new heights. The M2 Pro chip includes an up to 12-core CPU and up to 19-core GPU, together with up to 32GB of fast unified memory. The M2 Max chip includes an up to 38-core GPU, double the unified memory bandwidth, and up to 96GB of unified memory.
Performance and Capabilities
The M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are built using a second-generation 5-nanometer process technology. The M2 Pro chip consists of 40 billion transistors and features 200GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, and up to 32GB of low-latency unified memory. The next-generation 10- or 12-core CPU consists of up to eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, resulting in multithreaded CPU performance that is up to 20 percent faster than the 10-core CPU in M1 Pro.
The GPU in M2 Pro can be configured with up to 19 cores and includes a larger L2 cache, resulting in graphics speeds that are up to 30 percent faster than that of M1 Pro. This increase in image processing performance allows for console-quality gaming and faster image processing in Adobe Photoshop.
The M2 Max chip includes 67 billion transistors, twice the amount of M2 Pro and four times that of M2. This chip also includes 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which supports up to 96GB of fast unified memory. This allows for massive files to open instantaneously and working across multiple pro apps to be quick and fluid.
Custom Technologies:
Both M2 Pro and M2 Max include Apple’s next-generation, 16-core Neural Engine, capable of 15.8 trillion operations per second, and up to 40 percent faster than the previous generation. M2 Pro has an immensely powerful and efficient media engine, including hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding, HEVC and HEIF photo compression.
Comparison of M2 Pro and M2 Max
| Feature | M2 Pro | M2 Max |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 12-core | 12-core |
| GPU | 19-core | 38-core |
| Memory | 32GB | 96GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 200GB/s | 400GB/s |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core |
In summary, the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are set to take the performance and capabilities of Apple silicon to new heights with their powerful CPUs, GPUs, and large memory capacity. Additionally, these chips feature updated custom technologies such as a faster neural engine and a powerful media engine. These new chips are set to supercharge the performance of the MacBook Pro and Mac mini, making them suitable for even more demanding professional workflows.
Note: All Graphics in this post is sourced from Apple.com, Joplin Business Journal has no copyright against those images.