I just want to know if it's worth an upgrade. CPU performance I don't really care as I wouldn't be using any CPU-intensive tasks, but GPU could matter as I might play some WoW and Steam games, etc. But other than the material upgrades, is the battery life better on the M3, is there more heat on the M3, and are there more software features that were allowed on the M3 (e.g. does M3 MBP allow more output like triple screens instead of dual screens, and allows HDMI 2.1, or something like in those lines?) I really don't know any upgrades that Apple didn't mention aside from the CPU and GPU so I would like to know. I tried Googling but no luck. I really like my M1 MBP for day-to-day tasks but I just wished GPU was a bit stronger for games and the battery life was a bit better as the battery drains a bit faster. Thanks in advance guys!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
M1 Pro vs M3 Pro MBP 14"
- Thread starter LEOMODE
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Can you buy from Apple's online refurbished store where you live?
If so, I'd suggest the m1pro MBP 14".
Get the 1tb SSD (instead of 512gb).
You might also consider getting 32gb of RAM (instead of the "stock" 16gb).
Buying refurbished will "make your money go further"...
If so, I'd suggest the m1pro MBP 14".
Get the 1tb SSD (instead of 512gb).
You might also consider getting 32gb of RAM (instead of the "stock" 16gb).
Buying refurbished will "make your money go further"...
Hi I am in the US but I want to understand why I should upgrade to 1TB or 32GB. My usage doesn’t require those extra. My questions were more about material differences such as what I mentioned above (eg M3 might support one more monitor or having HDMI2.1). Thanks.
No problem, but 16GB is more than enough for any usual games or at least the games that I play. Thanks for your input though. I’m just hoping to get some ideas whether M3 came out with new features that M1 doesn’t have, not the ones that’s already there that just upgraded such as CPU, RAM, GPU, etc.
Thanks for the opinion. I'm still hoping to get some material differences. I thought from M3 there was some major differences aside from the performance like supporting one additional output monitor. Maybe I got it wrong.
The M3 adds a hardware decoder for AV1 where as its software decoding on M1/M2 SoC's. The M3 GPU offers GPU ray tracing and Mesh shading. That can make some games run a few frames faster and some effects are slightly better. But doing normal things not much difference. The AV1 is only applicable for say YouTube 8K HDR (Brave browser), where as VP9 is used for You Tube 4K HDR which is more then enough for most people's usage.
Here's some actual data
Advantages of Apple M3 Pro
- Newer - released 2-years later
- More modern manufacturing process – 3 versus 5 nanometers
- More powerful Apple M3 Pro GPU (19-core) integrated graphics: 7.4 vs 5.3 TFLOPS
- 36% faster in a single-core Geekbench v6 test - 3158 vs 2328 points
- Has 2 more physical cores
- Supports up to 36 GB LPDDR5-6400 RAM
- Supports quad-channel memory
- Around 51.2 GB/s (33%) higher theoretical memory bandwidth
Last edited:
Thanks, the tangible difference here (finally!) I see is the hardware decoder implemented. So I guess GPU upgrade hardware-wise is the tangible upgrade I see. Is there HDMI 2.1 support or anything else in that nature? Thanks.
That was a typo the whole post was comparing Apple M3 Pro to Apple M1 Pro SoC's. Thanks.
Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, the most advanced chips for a personal computer
M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max feature groundbreaking technologies that deliver dramatically increased performance and unleash new capabilities for Mac.
www.apple.com
Testing Apple M3 Graphics: Gaming on the Mac, From M3 to M3 Max
With four of the latest Macs on the test bench, we conducted an early investigation into how the latest M3 Apple Silicon helps make Macs more viable for gamers.
Interesting: The 16GB of the M2 doesn't help at all against the 8GB M3.Testing Apple M3 Graphics: Gaming on the Mac, From M3 to M3 Max
With four of the latest Macs on the test bench, we conducted an early investigation into how the latest M3 Apple Silicon helps make Macs more viable for gamers.www.pcmag.com
I do not think those tests were designed to evaluate the effect of additional memory. Load up a few large AI models and the difference would become apparent.
Yeah, I know the GPU was a pretty significant upgrade surprisingly. I know that because I had a chance to test out M2 (not M2 Pro) and it was still better than M1 in my memory when I was playing World of Warcraft, so I can see how M3 Pro will even be better. But having that HDMI 2.1 support and more external monitor upgrades is also a tangible upgrade for me. But I'm not sure if I should just wait for M4 because the price did increase now that MBP 14 comes out with a nonpro chip (just M3) which should be lower power than M1 Pro, correct? Unless the M3 chip is now equivalent to the M1 Pro then that's much better than getting the M3 Pro in my case because of significantly increased battery life that can offset my needs (I don't need super computing power anyway, but I do game).
MacBook Air - Compare Models
See what makes each Mac laptop and desktop different. And find the one that’s perfect for your life, your work, and your budget.
www.apple.com
1 hour extra battery
Hardware accelerated ray tracing
AV1 decoder in hardware
100nits brighter screen for SDR (HDR is the same)
0.01kg heavier
HDMI port supports multichannel audio
WiFi 6E vs 6.
Bluetooth 5.3 vs 5.0
+2GB RAM (now 18GB)
Can get black.
As for the CPU and GPU upgrades for those models (Single / Multi / Metal):
M1 Pro 2365 / 10329 / 62196
M3 Pro 3091 / 14037 / 68465 (+30%, +35%, +10%+raytracing)
CPU upgrades are a good jump, but otherwise nothing super exciting. RAM bump was nice to see.
No still rocking my M1 Pro at the moment lol.
MacBook Air - Compare Models
See what makes each Mac laptop and desktop different. And find the one that’s perfect for your life, your work, and your budget.www.apple.com
1 hour extra battery
Hardware accelerated ray tracing
AV1 decoder in hardware
100nits brighter screen for SDR (HDR is the same)
0.01kg heavier
HDMI port supports multichannel audio
WiFi 6E vs 6.
Bluetooth 5.3 vs 5.0
+2GB RAM (now 18GB)
Can get black.
As for the CPU and GPU upgrades for those models (Single / Multi / Metal):
M1 Pro 2365 / 10329 / 62196
M3 Pro 3091 / 14037 / 68465 (+30%, +35%, +10%+raytracing)
CPU upgrades are a good jump, but otherwise nothing super exciting. RAM bump was nice to see.
Wow, that's comprehensive. Thanks a lot. I think I will wait for M4 again and see if that'll be a nice worthy upgrade.
I believe the M3 allows for two external screens, not sure about that M1 but I know the iMac m1 is limited to one screen so I assume it's a similar thing. As far as heat...it's more efficient so technically less heat.
Battery is definitely better but you might want to see where yours is in terms of life -- if it's worn out that's going to be more the issue than anything. But honestly, you probably wont see a material difference unless it is in fact shot. If it were me, unless you're hitting a performance issue in terms of doing the tasks you need, I would wait. The M4 will be out in the new year and at this point... it's going to be more worth your while to get that if anything IMO.
I agree, looks like M4 is just around the corner. M3 at the lowest price at the moment. I guess I’ll wait for M4 and see if it’s a drastic improvement.
My only thought on that... only saying this because I waited a while before I got my machine (I think I got it in June) is that there are often major bugs with the new chipsets. So while it's great on paper, they usually need a couple of months to settle out the firmware bugs.
I too am running a MacBook Pro M1, 16gb ram config. I think this was the non-custom $1999 model when it debuted. I am currently running it in clamshell mode driving two LG thunderbolt displays. I too am considering upgrading, but will wait for M4.
