MacBook Air and MacBook Pro M1 Chips Have Same 8-Core CPUs, No Upgrades Available

[Chompineer]

The ram isn't what it used to be. They can probably outperform a 32gb laptop with only 8gb

That straight up doesn't make sense.

Think of it this way.

I give you a cup that holds 8 Oz. Now I give you a cup that holds 16 Oz. I tell you to fill both cups to 16 Oz.

The 8 Oz cup overflows onto the table (paging to HDD).

Doesn't matter if one has a bigger opening (higher frequency RAM), the limitations of concurrent use are still set by the quantity of space you have.

 

[ilikewhey]

For me its pretty obvious I’m getting the Pro, none of those old-fashioned function keys please.

(I really miss it having been using an Air for the last few months)

touchbar makes sense for video editing and these who needs emoji on the fly

 

[dragoon2745]

No 32GB of RAM option? My 2020 iMac regularly uses more than 16GB when not even doing much.

 

[visionthing_uk]

Not sure how accurate these benchmarks are

Apple M1 - Benchmark, Test and Specs

Apple M1 - Benchmark, Geekbench 5, Cinebench R20, Cinebench R23, Cinebench R15 and FP32 iGPU (GFLOPS) benchmark results

www.cpu-monkey.com

 

[D.T.]

However I am having a tough time understanding why all these computers share the same chip and how they're going to justify the almost 700€ price difference between base model Mac mini and MacBook Pro. These will technically have the same performance. That is a truly expensive price to pay for mobility for a machine that, in my view, will probably perform similarly. I'm really looking forward for real world tests.

Well, for 700 Euro (~$826 USD), MBP vs. Mini, the former has: an expensive display panel, more chassis, batteries, a trackpad, a backlit keyboard (with an integrated display/controller), better speakers, a mic and a camera. That's a pretty non-trivial amount of additional components.

 

[yoak]

It was mentioned that the Mbp could playback 8K without dropping frames as they were showing Resolve. That’s a game changer right there for a 13 inch super portable.
6k I think was mentioned for the air in FcXp.
finally I can review shots from my 8K camera on the cheap side and on location to boot.
I for one was thrilled about this keynote (and happy I didn’t buy an refurb iMac a month ago)

 

[ascender]

touchbar makes sense for video editing and these who needs emoji on the fly

I really like the emoji picker too! Seems like such a minor thing, but I think the more you use an iPad Pro with keyboard, you get used to having something you can touch for different selections, emojis etc. Function keys are over-rated 😉

No 32GB of RAM option? My 2020 iMac regularly uses more than 16GB when not even doing much.

Nope, not yet. Maybe with the 4 port model which will be along soon.

Remember that Macs will use as much memory as they have available to them, so its how and what is using the memory - memory pressure - that you need to be paying attention to.

 

[creediddy]

Not sure how accurate these benchmarks are

Apple M1 - Benchmark, Test and Specs

Apple M1 - Benchmark, Geekbench 5, Cinebench R20, Cinebench R23, Cinebench R15 and FP32 iGPU (GFLOPS) benchmark results

www.cpu-monkey.com

Right that is what I mentioned. It will be close. Again big step over A14. Although I would prefer that the A14X go into iPhone Pro Seris...

 

[Chompineer]

Not sure how accurate these benchmarks are

Apple M1 - Benchmark, Test and Specs

Apple M1 - Benchmark, Geekbench 5, Cinebench R20, Cinebench R23, Cinebench R15 and FP32 iGPU (GFLOPS) benchmark results

www.cpu-monkey.com

If that's accurate then the 8 core GPU is roughly around a mobile 1050TI (Vega M is about on par).

I had a Vega M machine with an 8705G. It was excellent for day to day use and light gaming.

 

[citysnaps]

If you had to choose between:

MBA M1 with 7 core GPU and 16GB of RAM or
MBA M1 with 8 core GPU and 8GB of RAM

Which would you choose?

I chose an 8 core GPU, 16GB, 1TB storage, MBA.

 

[creediddy]

If that's accurate then the 8 core GPU is roughly around a mobile 1050TI (Vega M is about on par).

I had a Vega M machine with an 8705G. It was excellent for day to day use and light gaming.

Yes this chip is aimed at AMD and Intel Mobile market. I am hoping that Apple comes up with a more aggressive chip to compete among higher-end desktop x86 chips.

 

[creediddy]

I chose an 8 core GPU, 16GB, 1TB storage, MBA.

7 core vs 8 core GPU won't make a big difference in FPS.

 

[Chompineer]

Yes this chip is aimed at AMD and Intel Mobile market. I am hoping that Apple comes up with a more aggressive chip to compete among higher-end desktop x86 chips.

That Vega M is old tech though. 8th gen Intel. GCN architecture.

I don't see anything even in the higher end coming near the performance of large dGPU's. Entry level to mid tier.

 

[citysnaps]

Just so I'm clear... THE PRO MODELS ONLY HAVE 2 PORTS no matter what the memory, correct?

What a weird move.

Not at all. The previous entry level 13" MBP has two ports. Today's M1 13" MBP being entry level also has two ports.

 

[ApeBot]

View attachment 1658396
THIS IS A JOKE!!
pure, undenaible JOKE 🤣🤣LOL 😂

only two ports on pro?? So we just buy more eco-friendly adapters?? or is it just another "lower-end" Pro with touch bar so boomers can show off in starbucks..??

Can you please just stick to the point you are trying to make without stereotyping an age group?

 

[kovalchuk71]

and the bastardization of the "Pro" name continues.

This is sad.

On a positive note, the Air looks like a fantastic purchase for this generation of notebooks.

 

[anshuvorty]

So, who wants to bet that the 7-core GPU MacBook Air is just a binned 8-core GPU that didn't pass yield tests?

The same was true with the iPad Pro 2020 vs iPad Pro 2018 and I am sure this is the case with the M1 equipped MBA vs MBP.

 

[jent]

Why don't they mention processor speed? I'd really like a GHz number to start comparing more directly.

 

[anshuvorty]

Why don't they mention processor speed? I'd really like a GHz number to start comparing more directly.

ARM-based CPU vs X86-64 CPU - I don't think you can reasonably draw any comparisons between the 2, if you are given the actual speeds. Different architectures, different instruction sets, etc. Apples to oranges comparisons, really....

 

[ssgbryan]

Didn't they say the new M1 Air is 3.5x faster than the last gen (intel)?

That would be an 8th generation 4c/4t coffee lake cpu with Intel 630 integrated graphics.

There is a reason they didn't show anything real world.

 

[ssgbryan]

The ram isn't what it used to be. They can probably outperform a 32gb laptop with only 8gb

If they could do that - they would have shown it.

 

[Eorlas]

M1 Bionic in June for the real updates. These Macs were the public beta. Other than the Air, I'm pretty disappointed.

its the first time where the air seems like a worthwhile laptop to dump money on. kind of. the 720p camera thing is still pathetic.

but this is still absolutely an early adopter / have the money scenario and want to check it out. cannot imagine that gen 1 of silicon is going to be a good idea for most people. not to mention we have still yet to see many applications promote their compatibility with this device, and if the stranglehold continues where it becomes less and less possible to install apps outside of the app store...then count me out entirely.

 

[laz232]

They have performance far beyond the machines they're replacing and you haven't even seen real-world benchmarks. But you're disappointed. Wow.

They don't run the SW I need (virtual machines) so all this is useless for me as a "Pro"

They clearly did not want to update the 16 inch Mac book pro because that would show up their new chips... Too bad, I had really hoped to be able to pick up a 10th Gen x86 compatible

 

[cmaier]

I don't really understand why the pro is more expensive and needs a fan. Higher frequency?

Can sustain higher frequencies for longer periods of time without having to throttle.

 

[Fomalhaut]

I'll have to be "that guy", I am afraid. Why can't the MacBook Pro support 32GB?

The RAM is on the same package as the SoC, so I assume it’s a lack of space and the availability of high capacity RAM chips. The next gen SoC will need to be larger or use a denser variety of RAM. I assume the M2 will have 12-16 CPU and GPU cores, and up to 64GB RAM.