Apple Silicon: all M series chips explained

Which Mac to choose and with which Apple Silicon chip? Here we compare each of the chips with the available equipment.

Are you looking for a new Mac?If you have an Apple device with an Intel chip, you will surely be looking for an answer to help you choose the best Macfor you, but how to do it in the face of so many Apple Silicon devices and chips? In this article we are going toCompare both the chips and the equipment so that you can make the best purchasing decisionand make a smart investment that will last for many years.

Intel vs Apple Silicon, Apple made a wise decision

The origins of Apple chips date back to the launch of the iPhone and iPad in 2007 and 2010. Their evolution was marked by each subsequent launch generation after generation. Starting with the iPhone 4, aA series chip until Apple took a leap in quality in more recent versions.

Why not do it on the Mac? PreciselyTechnology was used to create a new source of chips dedicated to Apple's operating system for computers., which in turnalso nourishes the iPad Promost powerful to date.

The power of these chipsThey allowed Apple to have better designs and performance has meant an important advance, so much so that those users who still have Intel in Windows are turning to see what Apple Silicon does. If Apple's chips dedicated to the iPhone and iPad worked impressively, it was almost obvious to say that in Mac territory they would be almost perfect.

Two generations and four chip variants

As of this writing,Apple offers two generations of Apple Silicon which are M1 and M2. The variations go as follows:

• M1 and M2: entry-level ones that have an incredible balance of performance and energy efficiency
• M1 y M2 Pro: they haveadditional CPU coresthat improves performance and memory bandwidth up to 200 GB/s
• M1 and M2 Max: doubles the number of GPU cores and bandwidth, graphics performance is exceptional
• M1 and M2 Ultra: sonof the M1 or M2 Max chips, the overall performance of the CPU and GPU is doubled, in addition to doubling the bandwidth up to 800 GB/s.

How many changes are there from one generation to another?

The two chips are based on Apple chips, the M1 on the A14 Bionic chip of the iPhone 12 and the M2 on the A15 Bionic chip of the iPhone 13. Both with a size of 5 nanometers butimproved on M2 chip. Clock speeds start at 3.20 GHzup to 3.49 GHz on the M2.

Hemotor neuronalthat Apple always boasts in the presentations of new chipsimprovement up to 40% on the M2 chip. The video decoding engine has higher bandwidth than the M1. There is a year and a half difference between both generations, the first launched in November 2020 and the second in June 2022.

The M2 chip has the ability to work with ProRes and ProRes RAW files, includes the ProRes encoding and decoding engine.

Many Macs with Apple Silicon chips

The advantage of the M1 and M2 input chips is thatThey are present in a greater number of devices, even on an iPad Pro. If you require the best machine available from Apple, you will have to opt for a Mac Studio or a high-end Mac Pro.

As we can see,The M2 chip has an advantage not only in terms of performance but also in equipment compatibility. It is worth mentioning that the M2 will also be present in the Apple Vision Pro.

The factor of CPU and GPU cores

Brief reminder of both definitions CPU: individual processing units that execute general-purpose instructions and tasks. GPU: units designed for parallel processing of tasks with the use of graphics.

Multitasking and performance are directly at stake when choosing one of Apple Silicon chips. As the number of cores increases, you will be able to perform more demanding tasks quickly and efficiently.

M1: 4 high-performance cores, 4 low-power cores, and 7 or 8 GPU cores M2: 4 high-performance cores, 4 low-power cores, and 8 or 10 GPU cores

M1 Pro: 6 or 8 high-performance cores, 2 low-power cores, and 14 or 16 GPU cores M2 Pro: 6 or 8 high-performance cores, 4 low-power cores, and 16 or 19 GPU cores

M1 Max: 8 high-performance cores, 2 low-power cores, and 24 or 32 GPU cores M2 Max: 8 high-performance cores, 4 low-power cores, and 30 or 38 GPU cores

M1 Ultra: 16 high-performance cores, 4 low-power cores, and 48 or 64 GPU cores M2 Ultra: 16 high-performance cores, 8 low-power cores, and 60 or 76 GPU cores

Here it can be highlighted thatlow-power cores and dedicated GPU cores vary greatly from an M1 to an M2 chip. The 8 total cores of an M1 should be enough for all-day office tasks, simple office work and web browsing, as well as multimedia consumption.

On the contrary, if you are a professional user, software developer, content creator in terms of editing photos, videos, 3D models or games, you will need to opt for an M2 Pro chip onwards.

One last but no less important detail, unified RAM memory

Apple's RAM is included in the processor, so it cannot be manipulated or updated. The M1 chip accepts 8 and 16 GB variants,the M2 adds up to 24 GB total. In the M1 and M2 Pro there are 16 or 32 GB of memory,while in a Max chip they are 32, 64 and 96 GB, the latter only for the M2 chip. Finally,64, 128 and 192 GB for the Ultra chip and the last most powerful one belongs to the M2.

The level of multitasking you do is directly proportional to the amount of RAM you need. The 8 GB is good in a simple case of documents, content playback and perhaps even the management of 4 or 5 apps, although it depends on what type of apps we are talking about.

Taking the price into account is very important,we are talking about a long term investment. If you have saved enough or opt for a financing plan,It is best to balance what you are willing to invest and what you really need.. As we indicated at the beginning, the M1 or M2 chip are input and are dedicated to simple everyday tasks. And the level is increasing...

The chip most proportional or balanced to daily activities combined with something more intense in terms of performance in heavy workflows is the M1 or M2 Pro.If you are that professional user who is no longer satisfied with the best Intel chip in Windows, it is best to choose an M1 or M2 Max or Ultra. The latest Macs will always be the best purchases, you will have more time for updates in addition to a newly launched device.

If you can invest in the latest, don't hesitate for a moment.. If you are still undecided because you are waiting for the M3 chip, you will have to wait until the end of the year to compare it with existing chips. Apple achieved what it wanted so much in 2020,complete the transition and leave Intelforever.

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