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Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

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Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#431

Post by geodel »

lucasyvas wrote: post #325

As someone who prefers the MacBook Pro feature set (Pro Motion, namely), but doesn't need the best processor, I'd be fine with the 14 inch Pro, M3. But that model doesn't come in Space Black. Well played, you son of a bitch. Well played. They've mastered the art of the pricing ladder and it's fairly aggravating.

Well, you mention you mainly care for feature set. What kind of feature is body color that would affect functionality. In fact I feel any kind of scratch would be worse on space black as compared to gray or silver.

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#432

Post by MBCook »

wrsh07 wrote: post #110
jdprgm wrote: post #11

I don't understand why they don't update the entire lineup whenever a new chip comes out, especially if really only swapping the chip in the macbook pro and imac here. On a separate note does anyone have any insight on how unified memory compares to vram in the context of machine learning performance? Considering an H100 with 80GB costs like $30k a maxed out macbook pro with 128gb unified memory for $5k is interestin…

I expect it's a combination: 1. Engineering bandwidth (it's work to upgrade a lineup! They probably need at least a year) 2. Manufacturing bandwidth - they probably spent the first half of the year manufacturing the 3nm iphone processor while researching the mbp processor. I expect it's difficult to ramp manufacturing on many chips simultaneously 3. Sure, consider the demand side. If my parents are going to buy a new…

Also cost.

Apple introduced the 15 inch MacBook Air on June 6th.

If they upgraded it to the M3 right now that machine would have only lasted 4 months and 4 days.

Sure they could do it, but how many sales are they really losing because they haven’t? People buying the Air are not exactly looking for the absolute best in technology. They’re probably much more likely to be price sensitive, and putting a brand new M3 in would likely make that worse.

So if you consider that you have to make new boxes and manuals and new hardware and test it and change the lines and everything else… what are the chances you would come out positive after such a short amount of time?

It would make some more sense for the 13 inch air which is about 18 months old, but again if you don’t have to maybe you keep selling the M2 for another six months.

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#433

Post by bmitc »

Detrytus wrote: post #262
bmitc wrote: post #246

"the most advanced chips for a personal computer", says Apple. This is not an objective statement.

Name the more advanced chip then... Intel and AMD fall short.

Wouldn't make more sense for Apple to define and backup what they mean as the most advanced? Also, Apple's products never hold up to the specs they quote in their marketing material any way. I'm not sure why you are taking their own post as fact, when Apple is one of the most blatant over marketing companies around.

And even if it was true, it doesn't matter because Apple is obsessed with placing their chips in the most thermally constrained form factors as possible.

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#434

Post by justinclift »

stouset wrote: post #284
lathiat wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really, really wish they would fix this silly display scan-out limitation. I gave them a (frustrating) pass on the M1 given it was the first evolution from iPhone/iPad where it wouldn't have mattered. But seems silly to have made it all the way to the M3. Wanting to dock onto two displays even at the low end doesn't seem like such a niche use-case. I'm sure there is some kind of technical explanation but both Intel…

> Wanting to dock onto two displays even at the low end doesn't seem like such a niche use-case. I mean, it almost certainly is? I would guess a majority of the low-end SKUs are rarely if ever attached to one external display. Two would be rarer still.

At a ~recent work place the entire floor of developers had (Intel) MacBook Pros with dual 24" monitors.

Some of them were trying out Apple Silicon replacements, though I'm not aware of what they did monitor wise. Probably used the excuse to buy a single large ultrawide each instead, though I don't actually know. ;)

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#435

Post by MBCook »

iAMkenough wrote: post #296
sosodev wrote: post #85

What's the deal with "dynamic caching"? I wish they would have talked about it more. It sounds like they're reducing memory allocations by only allocating what is actually needed.

You got it. Instead of letting software developers allocate a static cache with overhead that eats a little into the unified memory, the Mac gets to decide how to dynamically allocate and release cache for graphics. They said it would be "transparent to developers," but not really sure what that means exactly.

It seemed like Metal was probably measuring it under the covers and adjusting things as opposed to asking the programmer to figure it out.

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#436

Post by justinclift »

Grimburger wrote: post #345
jacquesm wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Intel straggler here. And I'll remain one until Linux runs flawlessly on the newer generation. I have an older Thinkpad as my main workhorse and a now quite old Macbook air for on the road, it's battery has been shot for a long time but it still works quite good when plugged in and I'm too much of a miser to have it replaced. But if there is a way to run a full Linux distro on the newer hardware then I'll probably bu…

> it's battery has been shot for a long time but it still works quite good when plugged in and I'm too much of a miser to have it replaced Consider a battery pack? I have a Bluetti K2 and get far more hours running heavy workloads than people report on M1. It's never bothered me carrying it around, though some might care I guess. My only regret is that it's slightly over the amount that is legal on planes in most jur…

Guessing using two smaller capacity battery packs instead isn't workable?

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#437

Post by astrange »

HumblyTossed wrote: post #372
rewmie wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Any reason for not upgrading? Why is this sort of question always framed as if people have to provide a justification for not buying a new model, as if spending money on the new shiny without any reason is normal or desirable? We live in a day and age where hardware bought a decade ago still packs enough punch to run most of today's software without any hiccup. Why would anyone waste their cash to replace something…

Because capitalism, that’s why. Capitalists have convinced people it is a moral imperative to continue to spend constantly.

The mode of production doesn't affect the fact that you have to do production. If nobody's continually demanding laptops from the laptop maker, they will stop making laptops.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_thrift

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#438

Post by ChuckMcM »

kivlad wrote: post #160

A few things I noticed, as I'm seeing the variety of SKUs becoming more complex. - Note that memory bandwidth is down. M2 Pro had 200GB/s, M3 Pro only has 150GB/s. M3 Max only has 400GB/s on the higher binned part. - Just like the low-spec M3 14" has one fewer Thunderbolt port, it also doesn't officially support Thunderbolt 4 (like M1/M2 before it) - The M3 Pro loses the option for an 8TB SSD. Likely because it was a…

I'm wondering now if Apple tracks this sort of stuff in their released machines. I know my iPad always asks me if I want to send stats to Apple (and I always say no). So let's say that enough people do, then do they have a good idea of how often all the performance cores are used? Max memory B/W consumed? Stuff like that. Back when I was at Intel there were always interesting tradeoffs between available silicon/thermal/margin resource and what made it into the chip. Of course Intel didn't have any way (at that time) to collect statistics so it was always "... but I think we should ..." not a lot of data.

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#439

Post by cusx »

koito17 wrote: post #102

One thing that left me a bit confused was the comparison against Intel Macs. Although I am still using an Intel 16-inch MacBook, I really wanted to see how the M3 fared against the M2, not Intel and M1. I think it's no surprise the M3 exceeds the Intel Core i7-9750H in basically all of Apple's own benchmarking. My real question, which will probably be answered next week, is how it compares to the generation right bef…

Out of curiosity, how much RAM do you have on your MacBook to run containers?

Re: Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

#440

Post by MBCook »

TillE wrote: post #337
bischofs wrote: post #81

They kept mentioning performance relative to intel Macs which makes me think there is a large cohort of people sticking to their x86 rigs due to compatibility. Being able to run an x86 linux or windows VM is still a requirement for me.

It's only been 3 years since the M1, most people aren't buying new computers that frequently. Windows for ARM runs well on Apple Silicon, and has its own translation layer for x86 software. It should be fine unless you need specific x86-only drivers.

I got a new Mac at work maybe 6 to 9 months after the M1 generation came out.

I would’ve loved one, but some of the tools I needed did not work without real Intel hardware yet and there were no workarounds.

Today there are. But because of that I had to get a new Intel machine. And that’s going to be my machine until it reaches the standard replacement cycle. So I’ll still have it for a few more years probably.

By the same token a family member bought a new (to them, refurb) iMac maybe six months before the M1 iMac came out. Again I think that would’ve been a better computer, but it didn’t exist. And the old computer was on its last legs and needed replacing.

That computer does not get heavy use and will last a long time. It will probably get used until Apple stops updating Intel OSes and it starts becoming a real problem for the user.

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