On the occasion of its last keynote, Apple unveiled two new SoCs: the M1 Pro and the M1 Max. These two SoCs, engraved in 5 nm, integrate up to 10 cores for the CPU and 32 cores for the GPU. Promising exceptional performance and unparalleled energy efficiency, the two components are dedicated to the new MacBook Pro jointly announced.
Tonight, Apple organized its second fall keynote. A month after the iPhone keynote, the Cupertino company lifted the veil on the fourth generation of AirPods, on a new more economical formula for Apple Music, as well as on a new MacBook Pro. The latter comes in two screen sizes (14 and 16 inches). They will be offered from 2249 euros for the smallest and 2749 euros for the big one.
Read also – AirPods 3: Apple unveils its new headphones with passive noise reduction at 199 euros
One of the peculiarities of this new laptop is the integration of a new chip. And more exactly two new chips. These are the M1 Pro and M1 Max which come in addition to the M1 that Apple introduced a little less than a year ago. Both SoCs build on it, but benefit from a huge increase in the elements that make them up. Whether at the level of CPU, GPU, video decoders, video controllers, neural processor or even bandwidth for RAM.
Apple M1 Pro and Max: up to 10 cores in the CPU and 32 cores in the GPU
Let’s go into detail. M1 Pro and M1 Max are two SoCs similar to what you find in Apple smartphones… but much more powerful. CPU side, M1 Pro takes advantage of 8 to 10 hearts, while M1 Max integrates 10 hearts every time. For the GPU, M1 Pro has 14 or 16 cores, while M1 Max integrates some 24 or 32 ! The M1 Pro manages up to 5.2 teraflops, while the M1 Max can manage up to 10.4 teraflops… That is double.
The neural processor has 16 cores in both cases. M1 Pro and M1 Max also have a new ProRes decoder (in video) and a new Thunderbolt 4 controller. M1 Pro is able to manage up to 2 external screens, while M1 Max can manage up to 4. RAM side, the M1 Pro and M1 Max are available in two versions: 16 or 32 GB for the first, 32 or 64 GB for the second.
With M1 Pro and M1 Max, Apple isn’t aiming for performance, but efficiency
Apple’s idea with M1 Pro and M1 Max is not to turn the MacBook Pro into a gaming machine, but to ultra-portable, ultra-durable creative computer. M1 Pro and M1 Max are not distinguished by their great power, Apple admitting that there are platforms that are just as powerful. But they are distinguished by a much higher energy efficiency, that is to say the ratio between power and consumption.
Apple announces a decrease of 70% of energy consumption at equivalent power between an M1 Pro or M1 Max and a competing processor. Ditto on the GPU side, 7 times more power for the same energy consumption, 70% less energy consumed for the same power compared to an integrated GPU and 40% less compared to an integrated GPU. These are real arguments against the ultraportable competitors.
M1 Max: you have to pay more than 3000 euros to benefit from it
The M1 Pro and M1 Max are two SoCs that you will find today exclusively in MacBook Pros. This means that neither the MacBook Air, nor the Mac Mini, nor even the iPad Air or Pro should benefit from it. This also means that they will have to wait for M2 to benefit from an update of their platform. The new MacBook Pro is Apple’s first computer to take advantage of it. But be careful, if you are looking to get a computer with M1 Max, the configurations are quite expensive.
Indeed, the high-performance chipset is only offered with the highest configurations of the MacBook Pro. The minimum configuration in 14 inches costs 3209 euros (M1 Max, 24-core GPU, 32 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage) while the minimum configuration in 16 inches costs 3439 euros (M1 Max, 24-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB storage). It is not possible to buy a MacBook Pro with M1 Max without spending less than 3000 euros …