I disagree. Dealing with thermal constraints is only one part of the equation. If you run a data center, obviously energy efficiency and lower temperatures are of utmost importance, but for mobile workstations, the raw computing power underneath your fingers is what matters most. I'm not arguing that the M1 Pro/Max are in any sense bad chips, in fact, Apple's achievement in designing these SoC is excellent. My point is that I would rather prefer less battery life, more frequent fan noise and higher voltages but gaining an of the chart performance compared to Intel/AMD best proposition in this segment. This would have caused an earthquake in the whole industry and Apple owning the crown of the "fastest mobile CPU/GPU on the market" with it own, custom designed chip would have been a game changing.
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8-Core 14-Inch MacBook Pro Around 20% Slower Than 10-Core Models in Multi-Core Benchmark
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13 in MacBook Pro with 16GB ram and 512GB ssd (same memory/storage as entry 14 in MacBook Pro) costs $1699, so at $1999 the entry-level M1 Pro machine is roughly 18% more expensive.
And for that 300 bucks besides the obvious CPU and GPU improvements you get a 120hz mini LED screen, the ability to output to 2 monitors instead of 1 and there is probably more I am forgetting. Seems like a worthwhile upgrade if a customer has the money to spend.
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This is my thinking - my current i5 Duo Core (yes, two cores - pfft!) is less than 20% of the performance of the base M1 Pro (or in other terms - the M1 Pro is more than 5x my current CPU performance). But I never run up against it in CPU, I have 50% idea as I write. RAM is totally different. Here is my current memory situation and that's nit bad, often in the red:
So the base processor will be plenty for me now and into the future but RAM is my issue. I have been trying to convince myself that I don't need 32GB and I may not but I am already in the low teens (memory used + swap) and, yes, maybe M1 will be better at mangling RAM so it matters less and, yes, I could close some things and manage things better. But I don't want to be there watching RAM build up towards 16GB thinking "sh@#, I should have gone for 32GB!". I want to forget about it, not manage RAM or close things. It's a lot to pay for peace of mind that I may not use but I have now come to terms with it.
So I am changing my order - again:
14 inch
8 core
32 GB
512 GB (I have some 50GB spare and optimise with iCloud which I have found works well)
And that's it this time!
My hunch is the latter. There’s going to be waste making dies like this without a doubt, there always will be. So instead of turning them into e-waste why not just disable the cores that don’t work and sell them as the low end model? Less waste and still plenty of performance for most people. Makes sense.
I have a very similar experience with memory use. I mostly use just basic office applications and still often find the 8gb memory so full that it slows down the computer. I didn't have such problem earlier when I had a 16gb Air from my workplace but still decided to go 32gb, as I'm hoping to keep using the new MBP as long as possible.
Hence, I ended up with almost identical configuration with an exception of 1 Tb SSD. And that's mostly just because of my own laziness – I like to carry all my library of photos with me even though I could just have them on an external drive.
Meaningless comparison when 20% design difference between the two models. How about real world...what you would be upgrading from. Things like past 2 generation 15" MBP with i7, or previous generation 16" with i7 or i9. What type of performance increase(????) will downsizing to a 14" provide.
We want function keys!!!
So it's the Air or the 14" Pro. Apple Function Keys are a $700 premium. Lol. Much value
Will that be more noticeable for heavy video editing users?
P.S: More @samifathi write ups in the future, his content is more thorough.
P.S: More @samifathi write ups in the future, his content is more thorough.
I think the tweets Arn looked to by an analyst make that analyst look like a complete joke....
Yes, the Max has two NPUs, no, its not a surprise Apple only gives you the performance of 1.
Its most likely there were enough bad cores in NPUs that they didn't want to waste an entire Max die if the NPU had a defect, and it was cheaper for them to put two NPUs on all dies and disable one.
Instead the analyst is claiming Apple "faked" the die image. That should end his career as an analyst, because he can't analyze.
Yes, the Max has two NPUs, no, its not a surprise Apple only gives you the performance of 1.
Its most likely there were enough bad cores in NPUs that they didn't want to waste an entire Max die if the NPU had a defect, and it was cheaper for them to put two NPUs on all dies and disable one.
Instead the analyst is claiming Apple "faked" the die image. That should end his career as an analyst, because he can't analyze.
I find it more interesting that the 8 core M1 Pro is about 30% faster than the M1 for 90% more money.
The 10 core M1 Pro/Pro Max is nearly 70% faster for 120% more money.
Of course there's the GPUs and plenty of additional benefits with the new machines which may come for Air users in the next 6 months. I'm not sure the base model is that good value for the performance increase - I think either the Air or the 10 Core Pro seems the best value - 30% more money over the 8 Pro core yields 40% more performance.
The 10 core M1 Pro/Pro Max is nearly 70% faster for 120% more money.
Of course there's the GPUs and plenty of additional benefits with the new machines which may come for Air users in the next 6 months. I'm not sure the base model is that good value for the performance increase - I think either the Air or the 10 Core Pro seems the best value - 30% more money over the 8 Pro core yields 40% more performance.
Huh?
You aren't buying a standalone freaking CPU, you are buying a complete system.
The systems are vastly different machines.
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Don't forget that the base MBP models also come with more ram and storage. I specced out a MBA with 16gb ram and 512gb storage and the entry level 14" MBP cost about 50% more, so I was basically paying (quite a fair bit) more for a better CPU, more ports and the display. Not quite enough to make it a no-brainer purchase.
Seems like Apple has done a pretty good job of segmenting their user base. The mass market is still more than adequately served by the MBA, and the price difference will all but shepherd them in this direction. If you need a pro and you know it, better pony up the cash.
Not having to deal with the dongles outside of usbA to me made it a no brainer outside of everything else. I have a 2014 15 inch that I’m downsizing to the base 14, gonna be one hell of an upgrade for me tomorrow!
Are you sure? I was at the apple store yesterday and the M1 pro with Touch Bar was neat. i like the oled graphics. More interesting to play with and look at then the “normal” looking function keys
Disagree all you want. Apple set out to create the fastest mobile system for their pro customer's workflows - more specifically Final Cut Pro/ProRes. That doesn't mean creating a CPU or GPU to rule them all. It also doesn't mean they have to sacrifice efficiency to get that performance; there are 2 ProRes decoders and encoders. (Even the $2,000 Afterburner card for the Mac Pro is just a single decoder for smoother playback!) Nothing on the mobile market right now can come close to Apple's combination of M1 Max+ProRes+Final Cut Pro.
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The fake comment has to do with a rumor explaining how Apple will expand the CPU and GPU core counts on future SoC variants...
8+2 CPU and 32 GPU (and cache and memory controllers) on the M1 Max are supposedly physically on their own block that then can be doubled (M1 Ultra*), then quadrupled (M1 Extreme*).
The rumor suggests Apple will release a 16+4/64 SoC (2x M1 Max CPU/GPU blocks), and a 32+8/128 SoC (4x M1 Max CPU/GPU blocks) to be used in the Mac Pro and possibly the iMac "pro".
This is an extremely efficient design as they don't need to design a whole new SoC for each variant, they can just add on another block.
Because of this, some people are suggesting that Apple is hiding something.
*names are just a guess
My question is will an average user see the difference between the 8 and 10 core? work on power point, outlook (hundreds of emails at a time), photos, multiple browsers, zoom etc.
thx
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The M1BAir is fast enough for regular tasks like that so the base M1-Pro will be as well.