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$50 for 8th GPU Core on M1 MacBook Air
- Thread starter KPOM
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I can divide 8/7 too.
However, do graphics-intensive programs have to be specially written to take advantage of multiple GPU cores (like CPU-intensive applications need to be written to use multiple cores)? I notice that my Windows PC with Intel UHD graphics slows to a crawl during Microsoft Teams meetings when everyone is on video. Would 7 vs. 8 be that noticeable in practice?
That is the theoretical max that it can be. It will likely be a lot, lot less in practice since load balancing is far from perfect. I'd say 5% or even less would be right.
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I'm looking to go for the 16gb RAM instead of more HDD space. So it's a bit harder for me to judge. I made this graphic though in case it's useful for anyone. The prices are based off an Apple premium reseller in my city so they're almost identical.
€1700 is way out of my budget especially seeing as though I want to get insurance and probably will need a few adapters.
Is the extra core reeeeeally that super duper?
€1700 is way out of my budget especially seeing as though I want to get insurance and probably will need a few adapters.
Is the extra core reeeeeally that super duper?
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I’d go with the cheaper model. The extra GPU core likely won’t make that much of a difference.
No it will only be 5-8% Faster in graphics benchmarks and only the first minutes after the M1 throttles they will be the same. Keep in mind the CPU is still the same only the GPU is slightly slower. There are no games and no real gaming ambitions built into the air and therefore no need for a gpu. I also got the 256 16 Air.
What I'd like to know is why would Apple even do this if the improvement is so marginal? Surely, a small gain in performance is not all there is to it?
I think its because some chips have defects in one gpu core. They disable it and can use the chip. If they wont do that it would be way more expensive. Thats nothing to worry about and totally normal to bin the chips in different performance classes.
I'm pretty convinced that 7 cores of GPU are more than sufficient. I'm moving over from a 2013 MBA and a HP probook work laptop. Thanks for all the feedback. I think I'll be getting the MBA M1 16gb 256.
Agreed. Even the 7-core models destroy the 13" Ice Lake MacBook Pro. Keep the $50 and spend it on something else.
My OCD says I should go for 8 (even number) instead of 7 ... ..£50 extra ... (half) joking aside I ordered both for now... I cancel one in the next few days once I see some results... Ive also ordered the MacBook Pro ... Delivery not until Dec 8-15 so I got a few days...
..£50 extra ... (half) joking aside I ordered both for now... I cancel one in the next few days once I see some results... Ive also ordered the MacBook Pro ... Delivery not until Dec 8-15 so I got a few days...
Of course that’s what that is, they disable defective GPU cores so they can still sell the not quite perfect CPUS. That’s called binning and is a perfectly normal practice.
Why Apple's New M1 MacBook Air Has Just Seven Cores (Rather Than Eight)
Last month, Apple introduced the first Macs to feature its new 8-core M1 chip. Among the recruits was a refreshed version of the MacBook Air, starting at
www.idropnews.com
If that were true then it would be a different gpu core disabled in every chip but scans have shown it's always the same core. It's more likely disabling the 8th core core brings the power envelope down which makes the otherwise faulty CPU run stable. Another part of the mystery is why the 2018 iPad Pro shipped with this same core disabled and then it was enabled in the 2020 model.
I'm sure over the 15 months in between the two launches, Apple had made some process improvements that got the 8th core consistently within the power envelope.