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For us M1 Pro owners, yes! :) Especially those of us that have taken advantage of some really incredible deals on 14 and 16" M1 Pro models these past few months.
I meant in general - no matter which generation you are on, you can be pretty confident that 3 years later you still have a good computer. Which allows you to spend a little extra to update the specs, or get an MBP rather than MBA, or get a Mac in the first place rather than a cheap Windows PC. It's healthy for the platform as a whole, to have iterations every year rather than revolutions every third year - even though it may seem more boring.
 
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So 2 years ago memory bandwidth was (supposedly) worth sacrificing repairability for, but now they admit isn't not really a big deal for 99.999% of users...

Stop integrating the bloody RAM for no ****ing reason other than building cheaper stuff and fleecing us! Socket the RAM and storage, or wait for the EU to demand it 😅
 
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My m1 max with 64 gb is looking more and more like a 5-6 year machine. I can’t think of anything that would give me upgrade. Certainly this isn’t it. This could be the longest Mac that I ever Own.
Same here. I have always upgraded my laptops on a 2 two year cycle, but I don't think I need to do that with this one. It's great.
 
No one should buy the M3 Pro... M3 or M3 Max depending on your use case. The pro is a waste of money

I beg to differ. IMO, nobody should buy the $1,599 M3. It only has 8 GiB RAM. So you're already at $1,799. (If you're OK with just 8, you should probably be getting the Air instead.)

What do the $200 extra for the Pro buy you?

  • RAM goes up further, to 18
  • Thunderbolt 4 instead of 3; a third Thunderbolt port
  • a 5/6 core configuration instead of 4/4
  • faster memory
  • 14 GPU cores instead of 10
  • support for two external displays, not one



and from the die looks like a M3+ not a lower speced M3 Max which is what the M2 Pro was

My read of the die shots is that it's three different layouts this time.
 
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Agreed. Everything is expensive. Can we drop this constant complaints? It’s been a discussion since Apple existed.

I posted in another thread. But one of my clients purchased a batch of Lenovo laptops. $2,000 and has 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD. This is an industry issue. Not an Apple issue.

Everything is expensive these days. I’m sitting here with a $1,600 before tax GPU for goodness sake. GPUs should not be that much.
Exactly. My work Lenovo has 16GB of RAM, and my 8GB M1 still smokes it. The Lenovo is sitting right next to me right now, with a screen not bright enough to comfortably use it at this spot (my kitchen), while my no-fans MBA doesn't even have the brightness all the way up. If I actually start using the Lenovo, the fans will turn on and the screen will dim even further after an hour or so. I'll take a good screen over more RAM 7 days a week. I can wait 3 more seconds for my Excel sheet to load (which is theoretical, because it's actually faster!), but I can't just wait for the Lenovo screen to get brighter. Some people have a "base level" of RAM that they feel they need. I have a "base level" of physical qualities of the computer, that I simply cannot find a Windows PC that meets, regardless of price. Apple "should" give us 16GB as standard? OK, I'll start complaining about that when the competitors give me good screens, a touchpad that actually feels good to use, no fan-noise, decent speakers, and a battery that gets me through the day. And that's just the hardware.

If 16GB was standard, the moaners would just moan about something else, because they are not computer enthusiasts, but moaning enthusiasts.

Rant over (for now).
 
Exactly. My work Lenovo has 16GB of RAM, and my 8GB M1 still smokes it. The Lenovo is sitting right next to me right now, with a screen not bright enough to comfortably use it at this spot (my kitchen), while my no-fans MBA doesn't even have the brightness all the way up. If I actually start using the Lenovo, the fans will turn on and the screen will dim even further after an hour or so. I'll take a good screen over more RAM 7 days a week. I can wait 3 more seconds for my Excel sheet to load (which is theoretical, because it's actually faster!), but I can't just wait for the Lenovo screen to get brighter. Some people have a "base level" of RAM that they feel they need. I have a "base level" of physical qualities of the computer, that I simply cannot find a Windows PC that meets, regardless of price. Apple "should" give us 16GB as standard? OK, I'll start complaining about that when the competitors give me good screens, a touchpad that actually feels good to use, no fan-noise, decent speakers, and a battery that gets me through the day. And that's just the hardware.

If 16GB was standard, the moaners would just moan about something else, because they are not computer enthusiasts, but moaning enthusiasts.

Rant over (for now).

Exactly! There is more to a computer than RAM. I would never buy base anything from Mac or PC side. But if I did I would prefer the Mac’s screen, build, trackpad, OS itself over some more RAM.
 
The worst is they don’t even bother letting people know that the SSD speed was reduced. Obviously, they would never, but I bet many have no clue that they’ve tiered SSDs based on the storage size.
People don't know that because it isn't true they've tierd the SSDs. The 256, 512 and 1Tb system are the same SSD, just there are 1 in 256, 2 in the 512 and 4 in the TB. But it is the same 256 SSD model in each of them.
 
Do y’all think Apple will put the slower ssd in the base model pro pro or just stick that one in the base model m3?
 
If Apple “crippled” the M3 Pro to “force” people to buy the M3 Max, what will they do with all the M3 Pro chips they produced? Flush them down the toilet?
Huh? You do know new wafers are being fabricated every day, it's not like TSMS has 20M of them sitting on a shelf, so as the sales go so do the production requests. The point is, people who want high performance now have to select the M3Max since the M3Pro is barely more powerful than the current M2Pro. Read the specs for the details.
 
Reviews of the new machines will be very interesting. Wonder if there will be certain tasks where the M3 is slower.
 
I just looked at the CPU performance numbers that Apple is claiming for the M3 family and it appears that the base M3 and the M3 Max are both faster than their M2 counterparts. But, that's kind of expected.

However, they omit the CPU performance of the M3 Pro against the M2 Pro and it looks like the M3 Pro CPU isn't any faster than the M2 Pro (perhaps even somewhat slower). So, CPU-wise it looks like the M3 Pro hasn't gained any performance.

This could be because of the slower memory architecture or perhaps because of the change in the mix of performance versus efficiency cores (the M2 Pro was split 8/4, the M3 Pro is split 6/6). Of course, it could be because of both the change in memory and the cores. The base M3 remains 4/4 just like the M2.

For graphics, all of the new M3s are faster (according to Apple).

So, as for peak CPU performance the M3 Pro is definitely not an upgrade over the existing M2 Pro. But, as a total package the M3 Pro probably does do better in terms of performance per watt. That could be okay for MacBook Pro users but not so nice for those looking for a new Mac mini Pro.
 
No, Apple didn't say they dropped the price. They said "it now starts at 1599". They introduced a lower-spec version at a lower price, to replace a different model (the 13" with touch bar). Even with your logic, 1799 for 16/512 is still lower than the previous 1999. Like it or not, you get more for 1599,- today than you did yesterday. Maybe that's not enough for you, but the entitlement is tiring.
For $1799 you do not get a M3 Pro chip, you get the M3. To get the M3 Pro, it's still $1999, which is the same price as M1 Pro and M2 Pro.

Fortunately, I picked up a 14" MBP M1 Pro with 1TB SSD (and extra cpu and gpu cores) for $1399 a month ago from Amazon. I got more for less than $1599 yesterday than I can get today.
 
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If game developers port AAA titles to Macs, then consider me a day 1 buyer of Mac Studio with M3 Max (from Mac Mini M1). I don’t mind buying a Mac for $3k because I know it’s longevity (5+ years). I do mind paying that for a PC because they just don’t last. My work laptop (Lenovo) is a testament to that - 2-3 years shelf life.
Temper your expectations
 
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Here is a wild idea. What if Apple redesigned the M3 Pro so that it could be used in the iPad Pro? That would kind of make sense, next year they get to announce the new iPad Pro with the M3 Pro instead of the base M3.

Apple claims that the M3 CPU cores can deliver the same performance as the M1 at only half of its power. So, maybe the M3 Pro could be used in the iPad.

This would also allow them to easily increase the memory to 12GB and 24GB over the current 8GB/16GB.
 
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I still use my ten-year-old MacBook for everything. Sure, I doubled the RAM as insurance when I bought it, but for the most part, it gets the job done. Battery life is fine. So anyone thinking of buying one, you're going to get your money's worth as long as you plan to hold onto it.
 
Can you elaborate? If I can get an M3 Max device with the higher memory bandwidth for $3200, why is it the obvious choice to go with an M2 Max device for $3000?
Think that was directed to my comment... actually I mentioned 3000Eur (I'm in the EU)... that includes VAT... actually was a bit off... here are the choices... based on this actually the M1 is really the way to go... at least here... in the US YMMV... though older model deals tend to be better back home):

MacBook Pro 14 inch M3 Max 36GB 1TB SSD - 4049 w/VAT (3346 w/o VAT)​

MacBook Pro 14 inch M2 Max 32GB 1TB SSD - 3099 w/VAT (2561 w/o VAT)​

MacBook Pro 14 inch M1 Max 64GB 2TB SSD - 3099 w/VAT (2561 w/o VAT)​

 
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Same. I would *love* to have an M3 Pro for no other reason than space black...but even with a discount (veterans/gov't), I'd likely pay a $400 premium if I trade my M2 Pro in. If there are some tangible speed increases and what have you, it might be worth it, but based on everything I'm reading right now, we're talking about minor advances.

I'm firmly in the camp of "It would've been nice to know about this a month ago when I bought my M2 Pro." LOL (But mainly/only for the Space Black color.)
I actually don’t like the new colour, but I totally get your point. I checked what it would cost for le to get a MBP with M3 Pro chip with specs I need, it’s 100€ more now. I’m definitely not regretting my MBP M2Pro. And I’ll be honest, I was getting a little nervous prior to the event.
 
Has this got anything to do with Apple buying the TSMC N3B process rather than the upcoming N3E process? Seems like N3B is more expensive with lower yields hence Apple trimming for cost savings.

Seems a bit strange rushing this out of the gate 10 months after the M2? Apple appeared to be the only manufacturer taking up N3B.
 
I think Apple Silicon is on a tick--tock rotation. Like M2 was a refinement of the M1/5mn technology, M4 will be a refinement of the M3/3nm tech, probably with re-expanded memory bandwidth and "Dynamic Caching 2/Pro/Ultra".
 
People don't know that because it isn't true they've tierd the SSDs. The 256, 512 and 1Tb system are the same SSD, just there are 1 in 256, 2 in the 512 and 4 in the TB. But it is the same 256 SSD model in each of them.
What I meant is the speeds for SSDs, for example, M1Pros had higher speeds on 512gb storage than M2Pro speeds with the same storage. The read/write speeds have been halved on 512GB SSDs from M1Pro to M2Pro.
 
It seems like the architectural difference between M1, M2, and M3 is minuscule. And there is no architectural difference within the same SKU. Going from MX, to MX Pro, to MX Max, to MX Ultra is more or less about upping the core counts, and when this is not possible, they end up fusing multiple SoCs.

Nothing wrong with any of this, of course. But I would have expected more advancement on the architectural part itself. Pretty much all improvements seem linked to improvement in process technique and the possibility of adding more transistors using the same amount of space—barely any improvements to the cores themselves.
Adding hardware mesh and ray tracing is an architectural difference. I'm frankly not sure if the dynamic caching is hardware or software, but I'd have to say hardware.
 
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